The warrior female lay bleeding beneath Kindara’s hands.
But it was the Phrymos demon who drew Rathan’s attention first.
He looked so very much like Rathan’s father. And always had.
Rathan’s hand clenched the sword he’d taken up the moment he had walked into what used to be his father’s castle. He had not blooded it in more than one thousand years.
If his female was hurt, he would run it through his younger brother without a breath of regret. Rathan raised the sword. “Explain yourself, Renakletos Malickus!”
“The castle was attacked. Danae and my daughter are both missing, and we have injured. Outsiders. Mercenaries from the Gaian world attacked yesterday morning. Danae has been gone since before that, my spawn right after.”
Rathan almost flinched back. The only females Ren cared for at all were his young spawn and their sister, Danae.
“That does not mean we took them, you bastard! We’re healers.” Kindara snarled the words, her eyes flashing Dardaptoan fire. She slashed at her friend’s clothing with a small knife, pulling the blood-soaked material back. “Do you kill first and ask questions later? Auri may well die because of you!”
Rathan dropped to the warrior female’s side, though he kept attention on his brother. Ren’s loyalty had long been questioned over the last millenia or so—by many on Rathan’s council. Rathan was not about to drop his guard where his female’s safety was questioned. Even if he’d never doubted his brother before. “Can I help, pet?”
“She’s in so much pain, Rathan. Can you do something. Just...make it easier on her. This is like the pain of a thousand knives for a female of our Kind. If this…don’t let her suffer so. Just don’t let her suffer any longer.” Kindara’s fear was plain in her face and Rathan’s heart hurt for her.
Aureliana was a particular friend to her. All who saw them together could see that.
He touched his horns, then brushed the warrior female’s lips once. He whispered a soft command. The chestnut-haired female slid into oblivion. Only when she was still was it apparent how weak she was compared to his brother.
“How badly is she hurt?” The female did not deserve this; guilt for not better protecting those in his care shot through him. His female, her friends—his young sister and niece.
Failure did not sit well with him. The high demon king was not allowed to fail.
“I don’t truly know. We need to get her coat off, check the damage. I can’t give her blood. I don’t have enough, not with the babe…and Bronwen is too small herself to help someone Aureliana’s size and need—and she is working on Belnus as well.”
“I can give her mine, pet. It is not the same as Dardaptoan, and can be slightly addictive. But it may help heal her some. It will keep her until we can get her to the castle and my healers there.”
“Please.” Kindara went to work removing the ruined white coat while Bronwen pulled back from where she had been giving blood. “Any blood at all will help. She…she can bleed out too easily. We have to slow it.”
Rathan sliced his wrist with his teeth, ignoring the slight pain it brought and held it to the injured female’s mouth. He slipped into her mind, past the red cloud of pain and fear coating her thoughts and commanded her to drink. She obeyed, a need to survive strong in her. A need to protect.
Images of Kindara and Bronwen were centered in her mind. As was her love for the two.
This female would willingly die to protect them.
That earned her a place of honor in Rathan’s mind and a loyalty he would always keep.
“The bleeding is slowing.” Kindara spoke with a hope that Rathan wanted to meet. “We need to get her to shelter and proper medical care. It’s too dirty out here. And Goddess knows what was on the blade of that damned sword.”
“We will. It’s an hour walk from here.” Rathan motioned toward his father’s castle. His castle now. He thought a moment. “I will flash the male there, then come back for you.”
“Can you not flash them all?” Ren watched, a curious look on his face. He stood with his sword sheathed and his massive arms crossed over his chest. Ren was the largest of the Malickus brothers—all three hundred eighty-seven of them. One of the strongest, one of the most dangerous. That he had turned on a weak female—that was much unlike his brother, though. Rathan never would have imagined it before. Nor would he have believed if he had not seen it for himself. “Would take far less time.”
“I cannot flash such a wounded female, nor my own. It is not safe. You know that. Some of us are concerned with the well-being of others!” Rathan could not begin to describe the anger that his brother’s actions had caused him. “You will pay the consequences of this, brother. Do not doubt that.”
“When my sister and my spawn are back where they belong, then we shall deal with this little bloodsucker. Forget you not that I too am a king, brother. I know the laws as well as you do.”
Rathan bit back a snarl.
They had once been close. But someone was responsible for their father’s disappearance and the upheaval since. Ren was the most likely one.
Rathan had not been able to prove that, in more than one thousand years. And he had tried, spending over a hundred years in and out of the human realm of Gaia, trying to track down his father. He had never found the proof he needed to have his brother arrested and tried.
Or cleared.
Now, it was time to put that aside and focus on moving his realm forward. If that meant annihilating his own brother, so be it. He had been betrayed before. Even by those he loved.
“You’ve taken a consort. A female from Gaia,” his brother said suddenly. “Do you know what you are doing?”
“Gamata.”
“About time.” Ren’s tone held a sudden joy that had Rathan’s attention narrowing to only his brother. Most males were leery of gamata bonds. The ties were unbreakable. Ren gave one of his rare smiles. “It is about damned time, brother. You have neglected our kingdom’s need for an heir long enough. There have been rumblings of discontent. Especially among some of the Midreno and the Beskre. Quorok has had troubles containing his people.”
“Shouldn’t you be gone? Looking for your missing child?” Kindara’s harsh words had Rathan turning toward her. “Instead of distracting us from what we are needing to do? The mess you have made?”
“Oh, I will find the ones responsible for taking Cerridwen and Danae. And I will slice them into pieces. But first, I will carry your friend. If I harmed her in error, I will make reparations and beg your pardon. I sought merely to test her, to tire her out so I could ask her my questions. I have not faced a female bloodsucker in battle before. She…intrigued me. I assume you are my new next-sister?” His tone was contrite, but the arrogance that characterized his brother was still there. Ren was the son of a warrior female, making him a warrior demon. She had been the daughter of the Phrymos king. Ren had worn that crown for eight centuries now.
Unlike most other crosses, children born of warrior parents were often more warrior than anything else. This was extremely true for Ren.
They did fight first and question last. It was how they had preserved through so many millennia of being the armies involved in every conflict.
“I beg your pardon? That’s it? You’ve nearly killed her and could have killed Belnus, and that is all you have to say?” Bronwen sat at Belnus’s side, stroking the dark brown hair that was now matted with dirt and blood. “What are you, anyway? You’re not like Rathan.”
“I am warrior, girl. And demon. Phrymos and Incubi, unlike my fully Incubi king brother.” He looked at Bronwen, then at the large male at her side. “I will flash him to the gates of the castle. Someone put a curse on the grounds—I cannot flash inside them, just outside.”
“Protecting my interests,” Rathan said, but his brother and the male Belnus were already gone.
“Who was that?” Kindara asked, as she wrapped part of her green sash around the cloth she had pressed to her friend’s side.<
br />
“That, I am ashamed to say, is my closest brother, Renakletos.”
“You’re related to that monster? Closely?”
“He is no monster, pet. Just a creature of his roots, his Kind. Not all have the same sensibilities as you Dardaptoans. Ren is a fighter through and through. He once commanded my father’s army and now commands mine. We should be thankful he is searching for his daughter and needed questions answered, or he would have slaughtered all of you in the time it takes to blink.”
“This habit of getting attacked when you leave me alone is starting to concern me.”
“That is why you will not be away from my side ever again.” He meant every word he spoke. He would never leave her so vulnerable again. Renakletos had proven that even with a Dardaptoan male of great skill guarding her—not to mention the warrior female as well—she was not safe. That was now Rathan’s top priority.
“Can she be moved now?” He nodded toward Aureliana. “We should get her to the castle before dark. Fortunately, my Chief Healer, my cousin Phelius, is currently residing there. He arrived to help you with your quest.”
“I don’t think we have any choice but to move her now. We need to clean the injury as best we can. Infection sets in so easily in our people. It’s one of the four things that can kill us.”
Rathan knew the others, bleeding and hypothermia—and the loss of their mate. Before he could lift the female, his brother returned.
Rathan tensed, hand going back to his sword. The damaged trust between them would always sting.
He had once loved this brother of his. But centuries of mistrust had destroyed that.
“Relax, brother. You and yours are safe. I gave the male to Phelius. He’s taking care of it.”
“His name is Belnus, and he’s not an it.” Bronwen glared at Ren. “He’s got a family, too. A little sister, like yours. Only he is all she has in the world. She’s only twenty-six. What makes you so special?”
“Sorry, little female. I did not mean to offend.” Ren was playing the game, saying the right words. Rathan hated that he could not trust him.
Hundreds of years were apparently not long enough for betrayal to fade.
Ren knelt beside Aureliana, his large hand cupping her milk-pale cheek. “She is so cold.”
There was surprise in his tone.
“What do you know about Dardaptoans?”
“Not much. I have only seen about a dozen, and only two were female. Centuries ago. Just those damned Predatoi. I thought the male was one at first.”
“Their Kind can freeze to death in forty-degree weather.”
“I was searching for Cerridwen when I heard voices. I sought merely to question. We have had six attacks in the last week. Some were from outsiders. Gaians.”
“And you reacted without provocation.” Kindara condemned him with her eyes. “Aureliana paid the price and may very well pay further. With her life.”
“It is but a little scratch. Why would it cost so much? Even your male, strong though he was, was easily taken down.” Derision was clear in Ren’s voice.
“He hit his head on those rocks!” Bronwen almost yelled.
“They are Dardaptoan. From the Gaian realm. The ones cursed by Eiophon, the wolf god.’’
“To be forever weak, then. That is the curse upon the females. Had I known I would have taken sport with another.” Ren lifted Aureliana into his arms, tucking her head—now free from its hood—onto his shoulder before Rathan could lift her. Her long chestnut braid dangled down his brother’s arm. She looked small and pale and near dead. “She did not fight like one so weak. Had she not slipped and fallen, I would not have gotten her so quickly. Had she had a longer sword, I would be the one bleeding. Several times over.”
Admiration was in his tone. Rathan knew his brother valued fighting ability above all else; rather than the female’s uncommon beauty, he would remark upon her skill with a sword.
A common thing with warrior Kind demons.
“I wish that it was you.” Kindara adjusted the blanket over Aureliana, tucking it gently over her friend’s shoulders. “If she dies because of you, her brother and mine will find you and rip you apart.”
“Kindara, if she dies, I will deal with him. He will not go unpunished. But we will not be letting her die. We will stop that from occurring. I can promise you that.” No matter what he had to do, Kindara’s friend would not be lost. There were ways…
They came at a horrible cost, but they existed.
“I hope you can keep that promise. She…she’s my closest friend in the world. In any of them.” Rathan heard the sobs she was holding back. He pulled her close as they followed his brother.
46
The warrior that Rathan claimed as brother walked ahead of them. Rathan had not let Kindara walk near the other male. Instead, Bronwen stayed at his side to assist with Aureliana. Aureliana’s face was turned toward the warmth of his neck.
If Aureliana died, Kindara would see the evil demon dead. Even if she had to do it herself. It would go against her gift, but she would do it. Anger unlike any she’d felt in a long, long time threatened to choke her.
Aureliana hadn’t deserved this at all.
“Why does he not seem so concerned with finding his daughter?” Kindara asked Rathan as he walked at her side. “I’d be going crazy now, searching for Ji.”
“Warriors do not show emotion, pet. And young Cerridwen is quite a prize for the warring people. She is the closest in heir to me, you see. None would truly harm her, even though she is a Phrymosian princess as well as Relaklonosian and Succubean. I suspect the abduction of her and my sister is merely political. They usually are. This was most likely an accident. My brother…he is not in the habit of harming females.” Rathan studied his brother, a puzzled expression on his face. “I suspect my brother thinks the same. And he knows my people would not hurt the child.”
“Why? If he thought that, why would he attack us? It doesn’t make sense.”
“Ren rarely does make sense to me. Not any longer. Ren is the King of the Phrymos—and the one who would lead if anything happens to me. Some…that would put some demons in positions of treachery, I’m afraid.”
“Crazy.”
“Just politics, pet. And I am sorry your friend got caught in the middle.”
“I just hope she doesn’t die because of politics.”
Rathan threw orders to the staff the moment they entered the castle, and had them scurrying to find the items Kindara would need. The warrior demon carried Aureliana up a large set of stairs and into a room at the top. It was large, and decorated opulently with blues and greens, accented by silver.
The warrior lowered Aureliana to the bed, then stepped back. Rathan turned to the two maids who hovered by the doors. “Help prepare her for the healers; remove the bloodied clothing and bathe her. Kindara will state her needs, and you are to fulfill them. And someone please fetch Phelius. He will be needed as well. Above all, this room must be kept extra warm and exceptionally clean. Their Kind is doubly susceptible to any bacteria.”
His people obeyed without question. Kindara stood over her friend, watching her closely. Rathan hurt for the despair on his female’s face.
“I’ll need an antiseptic of some kind—the strongest you have. We need to be aggressive in cleaning the lacerations. I am flying blind here; I don’t know what type of bacteria exists in your world compared to ours. I’ll need something to stitch the opening. And two strong males to hold her down while I do it. Even out like she is, thanks to those devil horns of yours, she’ll still feel it. And Aureliana will fight to make the pain stop. If she does, she can do more damage around the stitches. And bleed out.”
“I will assist in holding the female. I am strong enough to hold her.” Ren knelt beside the bed. “Rathan, you will take the other side?”
“When the time comes.” Rathan wanted his brother out of the castle, at least until he knew more of what motivated Ren.
If his brother had
betrayed him once—killing their father in the process—what was to keep him from slaying Kindara to prevent the spawn from ever making it into this world?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Rathan would never forget that fact.
47
Aureliana lay writhing on the bed covers, a white sheet beneath her and towels beside her to stop any flow as Kindara and Bronwen flushed the bacteria from her injury. Rathan and his brother held her down, but still, she fought. Even with Rathan’s magic horns, it was obvious Aureliana still felt what they were doing.
Still suffered.
Kindara fought the emotions pushing in on her heart and focused on what gruesome tasks lie ahead. “I’ll need access to her back. The blade went clear through. We’ll have to flush that out as well. Rathan, if you will hold her around the hips? I’ll need your brother to hold her from the front.”
Ren did as she ordered, unquestioning.
Kindara held her breath and poured the green liquid the healer Phelius assured her was the strongest astringent his people possessed straight into the wound on her friend’s back.
She prayed to her Goddess that it would be enough to cleanse her friend’s injury.
The cut on Aureliana’s back hissed and even bubbled as the green liquid filled it. Aureliana let out a piercing scream, the kind that Kindara still heard in her nightmares.
It was the same type of scream that her young sister-in-law had made before she had died at the hands of Albert Boltier at the TI complex thirty years ago.
The big warrior demon barely flinched. He turned Aureliana’s head into his neck and murmured sounds into her ear. He jerked his head back. “She just bit at me!”
Rathan laughed softly. “Do not forget they are bloodsuckers, brother. Do not put your neck where one can bite—unless you want them to.”
“Damned vampires.” The warrior cursed as he held her.
“She needs blood then. Demon, is there some who can donate? Bronwen cannot afford to give more.” Kindara was leery of using too much demon blood. She’d not had an ample opportunity to study it and the effect on her Kind.
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