Текст книги "Horns of Wicked Ebony"

Автор книги: Lacey Lehotzky

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Текущая страница: 26 (всего у книги 43 страниц)

38

Two weeks of training together, and the females were already working efficiently as units unto themselves. Many of the males had ripped up their opinions of the matter and burned them, especially after the initiation ritual. Powerful ones worked one-on-one with the new warriors, aiding them in honing their magic.

Volunteers for my elite unit had flooded in, and selecting the final members had been brutal. Uzadaan, Izzenna, and Vokkia were all natural choices. Maariya and Darrx, too. A handful of others with a range of powerful magic rounded out the group—the Deathveiled, as they’d agreed upon calling themselves after our first training session together.

We’d started drilling as a team at the beginning of each day while we were all fresh, watched carefully by Rokath and Rapp, of course. With a solidified routine, all our plans were unfolding smoothly.

The one aspect of our new lives no one accounted for, though, was the drama.

Unfortunately for me, today was my turn to deal with it. In a now-shared office with Rokath, two males sat across from me, one with a bloody lip, the other leaking crimson from his nose.

“Alright. So who started this one?” I sighed, grasping a stick of charcoal and dragging parchment in front of me. Rokath wanted detailed reports on all instances—they’d ensure all were treated fairly and provided proof should any of the lingering detractors protest.

“He did,” they both said, pointing at the other.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “Who was it over?” I asked instead.

They glanced at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation. “Maariya,” one finally admitted.

“Fucking Fates,” I muttered under my breath. “You do realize she has no interest in either of you, right?”

“But–” one started, and I held up my hand.

“The Halálhívó and I are prepared to introduce a no fraternizing policy if behavior like this continues.” There was more than a hint of threat in my tone. “Save this energy for the battles to come. Do I make myself clear?”

Fuck, I am really starting to sound like my mate.

“Yes, Szélhámos,” they muttered, refusing to look at me or each other.

“Dismissed,” I ordered, and they rose, offering me salutes before disappearing into the hall beyond.

I finished my notes, then slipped it on the top of the pile of others. In the war camp, there were no reports and punishment was delivered with a heavy hand. But here, with the structure and formality, the rules had to be a bit different.

As I refilled my glass of water, a knock on the door caught my attention. “Enter,” I called out, hoping that another group hadn’t been caught fighting or fucking.

Rokath minded the latter far more, constantly grumbling about how they were wasting their energy on their sexual partners—sometimes in multiples at once, not that I was judging—when they should be honing their focus on killing Angels. Every time, I had to press my lips together to smother a laugh at his hypocrisy. I wasn’t going to deter him from making me come, though. Now that we were regularly clean, we coupled every day.

My core clenched at the thought of how he’d taken me in front of the windows again last night.

I banished my lustful thoughts when Rapp opened the door. I leaped to my feet and raced to pull it the rest of the way open.

“I can fucking do it,” he groused, but I only laughed. While he was nearly healed, we still treated him like a youngling for sheer amusement.

“Can’t have this heavy door setting you back a few days. You’ll never draw a bow again at this rate.”

“Quit reminding me of that,” he sighed, passing me and taking one of the previously occupied seats. “I’m going crazy. I need to do more than sit around.”

“If that’s how you feel, you can take over here for me. I’d rather not discuss another sexual encounter with the soldiers today,” I offered in a rush. There was no way I’d pass up an opportunity to escape this torture.

He snorted a laugh. “Not a chance.”

I collapsed backward into my chair, raking a hand over my face like it would claw away the stress. “How do I convince them to stop all this nonsense?”

Rapp grinned, flicking his tongue over the ring in his lip. “You don’t. Most are young and all of them are forced to be celibate when they are interacting with females at close range all day. They just need to work it out of their system.”

“Punching each other is not the way to do that,” I sighed, tucking my hair behind my pointed ears.

“You should have seen Rokath, Xannirin, and me when we were all here. The females in Fured didn’t stand a chance,” Rapp laughed, clutching his torso for support.

At that moment, Rokath opened the door and entered our office, Grem and Zeec trotting behind him. “I heard my name. What are you saying about me now?”

Rapp put his hand up to the side of his mouth and leaned toward me. “What is it, if I say his real name too many times he is magically summoned?”

I pressed my fist to my lips to stem the flow of laughter.

“I heard that too,” Rokath grumbled, rounding the desk and planting a kiss on my forehead. He lingered there, surveying the papers splayed out across the wood.

“You were meant to,” Rapp quipped, tugging one out of Rokath’s line of sight and reading what I had written.

Rokath rolled his eyes and snatched it back. “Since you’re out of bed, I could use your help.”

“Thank fuck,” Rapp said, bracing his hands on the arms of the chairs and rising.

“What about me? Someone please save me from this,” I begged, desperately flicking my attention between the two males.

Rapp smirked like he was enjoying my distress. “Leadership isn’t so fun after all?”

“No,” I admitted freely in the reckless hope it would get me the fuck out of this office.

“Would you rather finish your work here or listen to battle plans?” Rokath asked, raising a brow.

My lips flattened into a thin line. The only thing I liked less was Rokath’s war strategy sessions, mostly because they spoke about people dying with such nonchalance. It was becoming harder for me to attend them the closer I grew to the females.

Rokath and Rapp had told me time and time again not to, that it would only end up hurting me in the end. But I couldn’t help it. I knew the reality of war was death and loss and impossible decisions.

Yet I’d never felt friendship and support like I had in the past few weeks. Kiira and I spent hours together in our leisure time, along with the others from Kiira’s trusted circle. I was truly blooming into who I was always supposed to be.

That was why I trained with vigor and ensured everyone else was too. If I could prevent even one from dying, I’d snatch the opportunity.

“I’ll remain here,” I finally groaned with a dread-filled glance at all the papers in front of me.

Rapp chuckled and patted a stack. “Have fun with that.”

I made a face at him, only amusing him further. They made to leave, but I stopped them. “Wait! At least leave the dogs to keep me company.” He didn’t have to know that I’d soon have Kiira too. The more the merrier, especially when I was frustrated to the point of tears.

“I can read your mind, you know,” Rokath warned.

“You could not, you know,” I shot back.

“You two are doing the mind speaking foreplay again, aren’t you?” Rapp teased.

Rokath pinned him with a glare. “Kiira will be arriving shortly so Assyria will have some company.”

“Traitor,” I huffed under my breath but loud enough for Rokath to hear.

Something flashed across Rapp’s expression before he smoothed it. A hint of curiosity rose in me. They had been spending a lot of time together lately too…

Rokath’s fingers flexed before he relented. “Fine.”

I resisted the urge to throw my hands into the air, professing my victory. “Come,” I called out to them, wasting no time in claiming our pets. Grem and Zeec trotted over, tails wagging. “Who are my good boys,” I cooed, scratching them both behind the ears.

Rapp chuckled as he and Rokath left me behind to deal with these horny males while they made future battle plans.

But before the door closed completely, Kiira breezed through in her typical fashion, long hair streaming freely behind her, carrying a plate of fresh fish and cheese. Unlike me, she still wore fine clothes when she wasn’t training, and today, she sported a black dress with a deep neckline. The fabric was thicker than what she’d worn at Gyor Palace, which with how cold it was, especially with the bitter coastal wind, it was a necessity.

She shivered as she plopped down across from me. “Can you stoke the fire?”

“Sure,” I replied, taking another break from my desk and throwing some new logs into the hearth. With the added warmth, Grem and Zeec slunk to the stone in front of it and flopped over. I shook my head and returned to my chair, selecting a fat hunk of cheese and popping it into my mouth.

“Here’s the latest,” I said, offering Kiira a report on training progress of the priestess-turned-warriors written by the Százados.

She scanned it while she chewed. “Fantastic improvements from the last one. I think they’ve really taken to their new roles. I don’t see why anyone could find fault with them.”

I slumped back, relieved by her comments. “Blessed by the Giver.”

Kiira chuckled and handed it back to me. “We truly are, though. The magic the females possess is powerful, and wielded on the battlefield like Rokath intends, we’ll be unstoppable.”

“So are you coming with us?” I asked her.

She nodded. “I know mine isn’t as useful, but I think being there, offering support for the faith, will be more of a help than a hindrance at least.”

I regarded her for a moment, weighing the words I wanted to ask. My suspicions had been growing, but I wondered if she’d even admit it to me, given that Rokath and I shared a deep mental connection. I risked it anyway.

“And so you can stay close to Rapp?”

Her cheeks flamed. She grabbed the water pitcher and poured herself a glass, keeping her attention firmly on her task. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do.”

She took a long drag, staring pointedly at the water when she spoke again. “He’s been helping me get over…” Her words fractured, but I didn’t need them to know what she meant.

Without hesitation, I rounded the desk and dragged the second chair closer to hers. This wasn’t a moment for distance, not with how she’d been struggling. Gently, I lifted the drink and set it to the side. A small sob wracked her lithe frame, and I pulled her into my chest and held her there. She had been so strong in front of Rokath and Xannirin, not wanting either of them to worry about her, and my heart ached for her suffering.

We both knew how horrific it was to be overpowered by a male and forced to do things against our will. We understood how nothing was quite the same after. The shame of not being powerful enough to do more to stop it.

“Rapp is a good one,” I choked out through a throat thick with emotion.

“He really is,” Kiira hiccuped. I stroked her silky hair, soothing what agony I could. Imbuing her with safety and support. She was protected here with me. Here with Rapp. Here with all of us.

“Why don’t we go get some fresh air? Take the dogs down to the beach?” I prodded. A change of scenery and the soothing sounds of the ocean would unburden her. I’d snuck away on more than one occasion for just that when it all got too overwhelming.

“I’d love that,” she said, straightening and drying her eyes.

“Wine?” I grinned, striding to a nearby cabinet. Hidden behind some leather bound books was a variety of alcohol. Because as much as Rokath loved his rules, we were always the exception.

“You know me too well.” She let out a watery laugh.

I grabbed a bottle of red, then some toys for Grem and Zeec. The snoozing hounds leaped to their feet upon seeing them in my hand. “Do you need a cloak?” She wasn’t exactly wearing the best attire for an outdoor adventure. Nor was I, clad only in leather pants and a heavy sweater. My jacket certainly wouldn’t be enough with how the wind howled today.

“I’ll run to my rooms and change. Meet you past the gates in ten?” she suggested, rising and smoothing out her skirts.

“Done.”

The walk to the beach was a pleasant one, especially once the sun emerged from behind the clouds. We took turns throwing the ropes for Grem and Zeec, laughing as they misjudged the trajectory, their teeth snapping around nothing but air. I wasn’t sure if they were truly off their game or if they sensed the heaviness clinging to Kiira and wanted to cheer her up.

I suspected the latter, especially as Zeec continued to careen into her, bearing the slobber-soaked toy.

Yet when we reached the tunnel that led down to the beach, the hounds dropped their ropes and bounded forward, nails skittering against the slick rocks. I laughed and shook my head, grasping the makeshift bannister to steady my descent. I’d have to bathe them both this evening after they plunged in the frigid water—because no matter the temperature, that was the first item on their agenda. Last time, Grem had gotten seaweed stuck so deep in his fur it had taken me half an hour to untangle the mess. I had nearly missed dinner because of it.

“Wait!” I shouted at both of them as I hit the sand. The dogs were only a leaping bound from the water’s edge. Per usual, they ignored me and dove the spray anyway.

“Great,” I muttered.

Beside me, Kiira huffed a laugh. She wrapped the edges of her cloak tighter around herself as a breeze swept over us. “It’s a good thing they have long fur. I wouldn’t dare touch the water this time of year.”

I slipped off my boots, leaving them at the entrance to the tunnel. The sand between my toes was a welcome change. I wiggled them into it, letting out a sigh. Then, I tipped my head toward the sun.

Zeec barked, drawing my attention forward again. He panted, water dripping off him, and looked pointedly at their toys waiting for them on the beach.

“Fine,” I told him, then heaved one toward the water. He barked again as he raced to catch it.

Grem burst from the deep blue ocean and beat him to it. Kiira and I walked along the shore in silence for a few moments, listening to the echo of the waves. Once we reached a suitable spot, we plopped into the sand. Kiira uncorked the bottle, then pulled straight from the neck before handing it to me.

I took a long drink. The wine tasted like berries and chocolate with an undercurrent of bitterness that I thoroughly enjoyed. Licking the last drop from my lips, I snatched my opportunity to ask her about my suspicions. “I’ve seen the way Rapp looks at you.”

My words came out more as a statement and less a question.

She took the bottle back from me, staring out over the waves like she was trying to see to the next continent. “We’ve been friends for centuries. I don’t know. When I started tending to him after we arrived, and when I told him about Ollmund…”

At that moment, the hounds trotted up, Zeec having finally won the game of tug they’d been playing. He plopped the wet rope at Kiira’s feet. She made a face as she picked it up and threw it for them again.

“So gross,” she commented as they raced away.

“It really is,” I laughed. We lingered in silence for a moment before I said, “You can talk to me, Kiira.”

She glanced around us, like she was ensuring we were still alone. “I can’t, though.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Because of Rokath?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I don’t want him finding out. And with your bond…”

“I can keep this from him. What are our tattoos for if not to show that we will always stick together?” I teased, hoping my ease would bring some to her as well.

“Something like that,” she half-grinned, some of the tension in the corners of her eyes relenting. A long exhale followed. “You promise not to tell him?”

I knocked my shoulder into hers. “On my life,” I swore, seriousness threading my tone.

Kiira tipped the wine to her lips again. “I think I’m falling for him too,” she admitted, her voice barely audible over the sound of the ocean. She handed the bottle to me, and I took another drink, savoring the taste of it on my tongue.

She swept her long hair over her shoulder and fiddled with the ends of it. “When I saw the wound across his chest…I don’t know, something inside me snapped. I couldn’t walk away when he was barely able to move about, you know? And watching him struggle to breathe that first night. It was more than an obligation…it was need. It was desire. I’ve spent so long putting others before myself, this just felt more right than anything else has in centuries.”

“I get that,” I told her. “Sometimes when we’re being selfless, it’s still for a selfish reason.” Like part of my intention when I wanted females to be in the army too.

“Exactly,” she breathed.

Grem and Zeec returned, and they had the audacity to shake out their fur right in front of us. Salty, wet dog spray coated us despite throwing our hands up and leaning back in a desperate attempt to avoid it. “Great, now we’ll smell too,” I groaned. I snatched their toy and threw it away again before it could get any worse.

Kiira’s unburdened laugh lightened my soul. She snatched the bottle back from me. “It’s a better excuse that we were taking them out for some exercise rather than drinking between lunch and dinner.” A conspiratorial glimmer shone in her vibrant expression.

“Rokath would be irritated if he knew we were out here shirking our duties.”

Kiira rolled her eyes. “Everything irritates him.”

I snorted and reclaimed the bottle. “Tell me about it.” I took another pull, smacking my lips together. “So what’s holding you back from admitting all of this to Rapp?”

She braced her hands behind her and dug her toes into the sand. “Rokath. Xannirin. After what happened, they’d lose their minds.”

I couldn’t imagine Rokath taking the news well. I’d secretly dug around in his mind after Kiira’s revelation to weigh his thoughts on it. While he wasn’t quite as violently protective of Kiira as he was me, he still dreamed of the way he’d torture Ollmund Varrir for what he did.

“So that’s why you can’t tell him. Plus, Rapp is part of our circle, and if it doesn’t work out…”

“You don’t want it to be awkward,” I finished her thought for her.

She nodded. “Or for Rokath to banish Rapp after. We’re all he has.”

“He may not bear the Vrak name, but he’s family,” I stated with conviction. Then, what I said caught up to me, and my breath caught.

I have a family again…

It was true, knitted into my bones. Rokath, Rapp, Kiira…they might not have been blood, but they all loved me. And I loved them. Rokath, obviously, because he was my mate. But Rapp and Kiira, I cared deeply for them, like I had my sister.

As if she sensed the direction of my thoughts, Kiira elbowed me in the side. “I never had siblings, only my cousins. You are part of our family, Assyria. Even if you don’t officially bear the Vrak name. Yet,” she added with a sly grin.

I shifted, dusting some errant grains of sand off my pants. “Honestly, I’m fine with just our bond,” I told her. “I don’t need a royal wedding.”

“It’s uncanny how you and Rokath are so similar and yet so opposite,” she sighed, playing with the ends of her hair again. “He wouldn’t want one either. And Xannirin will never marry.”

“Which means you and Rapp have to,” I giggled. The wine was nearly empty, and I tipped it to my lips before handing it back to her.

“We’ll see,” she said, polishing it off. The hounds returned once again, but instead of their toy, they brought a bloody fish. Grem’s red eyes danced with pride and excitement as he spit it at our feet. It flopped wildly against the sand, its mouth open and gasping.

With a startled yelp, we scrambled backward.

“I think it’s time to go before these vicious beasts steal all the fisher’s wares for the day,” I laughed. The two watched me, tongues lolling, as I rose and dusted the sand off my legs and bottom.

“Where are your ropes?” I asked them, searching the beach. Grem cocked his head, while Zeec spun in a circle. “Well go find it so we can leave.”

Zeec barked and sprinted off, kicking up sand. The moment Kiira made an attempt to rise, Grem shook out his fur, spraying us both again.

“We definitely smell like fish now,” Kiira groaned. She smacked her cloak like she could rid it of droplets, scowling at Grem the entire time.

“At least we won’t notice it so much after draining the wine,” I pointed out, my head swimming as the alcohol worked its way through my veins.

“But everyone else definitely will,” Kiira replied, wrinkling her nose and giving up at last. “Maybe we return to our rooms instead of the office.”

“I think you’re right,” I said as Zeec returned with his absolutely drenched toy. Grem seemed nonplussed about finding his, which meant on the beach it would remain.

Zeec noted the direction of our travel, an excited whine slipping through his teeth. Haunches bunched beneath him, and then he bounded ahead and raced up the tunnel. Grem followed. Because where one went, the other had to follow.

I groaned. “Guess we better hold tight to the handles on the way up.”

True to my prediction, the tunnel was soaked and slippery. The vicious beasts waited at the top, staring down at Kiira and me like we were preventing them from having even more fun. I shook my head, and the moment we touched the top, they took off at a run through the grassy hills.

“Do they ever run out of energy?” Kiira asked as I yelled at them to return to my side.

“Never.” We walked in companionable silence the remainder of the distance.

When we ducked into the academy, we tiptoed down the halls, doing our best to remain unnoticed. Thankfully, no one was around, yet whispers ghosted across the tapestries and reached my ears regardless. I grabbed Kiira’s arm and tugged her to a stop after the honorifics for Rokath and me drifted our way.

“You really need to stop by the training area when they are working together. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. Like, we all know they are mates, but this? This is a different level. With the Szélhámos’s power, she can be anyone, do anything! And the Halálhívó?” a feminine voice gushed.

“He’s terrifying. One of him is bad enough, but two?” a masculine voice added.

“The Angels will turn around and run when they see him in duplicate,” another male commented with a mischievous laugh.

“When do they normally train?” a second female asked.

“In the afternoons. I’ll cover your shift in the kitchen so you can go. Everyone needs to see this. Honestly, I was frightened about the prospect of battle until I saw them fighting in tandem,” the first female promised. “Now? I’m ready.”

My heart warmed and a wide smile spread across my face. I couldn’t wait to tell Rokath about this. Kiira gave me a nudge, drawing my attention. “All we needed was the myth of you two. And it’s working.”

“It is,” I replied, tears burning my eyes.

Who would have thought this was where we’d end up after our bond snapped into place and we were unwillingly thrust together?

“Let’s get going before they catch us eavesdropping. I want them to keep talking to everyone like this,” I told Kiira. She nodded, and we dipped down a different hallway, avoiding the four.

Though it was a longer route, we eventually ended up at the base of the towers at the rear. Before we parted ways, I dropped my voice and stepped in close so the sentries wouldn’t hear me. “I swear, Kiira, I won’t tell Rokath about you and Rapp or let him snoop in my mind. When you’re ready to announce your relationship, you’ll have my full support in dealing with whatever flares inside Rokath’s thick skull.”

She giggled, then threw her arms around me. “Thank you, Assyria. I’m so lucky to have a cousin like you.”

When she stepped back, I had to blink rapidly to prevent the tears pricking my eyes from falling. “See you later,” I managed to choke out before yanking open the door to the tower and sending the semi-dry hounds up the spiral stairs toward our rooms.

So many emotions.

It was a good thing my nose was stuffy from holding back tears of happiness, otherwise the smell of Grem and Zeec might have been my ruin. And the whole time I bathed them, I basked in the joy the day had brought.

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