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The unfamiliar voice laughed then she noticed the other scents. A dozen at least. No. More. Her assailant stalked off and Arianna recoiled when a hand touched her leg. She drew her knees to her chest and made a sad attempt at scooting herself backward.
This new male inched closer. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
He leaned forward and Arianna’s breath came in quick gasps as he lifted the veil from her eyes and gently pulled the gag from her mouth. She blinked against the bright afternoon light and focused on the dark-haired male before her.
A male she’d seen before.
He’d been there the day Brónach’s warriors kidnapped her. He’d been the one to stop the males from killing herself and the remaining slaves.
The male pulled a knife from his belt, and she sucked in a breath. “It’d be best if you didn’t try to run.” He began sawing at the ropes around her legs. “Once this is over, I’ll see to it you’re returned safely to Móirín.”
“Why?” He walked around her and unclasped the chain that held her arms, shifting them to her front.
“I think you’ve suffered enough.” He scented the air and his brow furrowed, though she couldn’t imagine what he might be thinking.
“Once what is over?” Her gaze wandered now, taking in the dozens of bodies that lined the area. Clusters of trees stood beside patches of crudely cut stumps as if someone had thinned out the forest in a hurry.
The dark-haired male stood. “Killing that demon.”
Her heart thundered. “You’re all from Brónach.”
“And that surprises you? Surely you realize how much joy that soulless creature gets from killing.” His gaze turned from hers. “It doesn’t matter if they’re friend or foe.”
They didn’t know. None of them did. They didn’t see the male haunted by distant memories. They didn’t see the male who smiled at the Fairy Folk, or the male who craved another’s affection like it was the last morsel of bread offered to a starving child.
“You don’t know him.”
He tilted his head toward her, brow still furrowed. “I know what he’s done. I know what he craves when he walks out on the battlefield and if you knew, you’d feel nothing for him. His soul is beyond saving.” He shook his head as if remembering something unpleasant. “For centuries, we’ve been able to dispatch his kind as soon as their abilities appeared, but it’s like he was born to kill. Not even his father could stop him.
“He was only ten years-old and that boy slaughtered everyone in his father’s study. He took out our country’s leader in seconds and it was only by a stroke of luck that he didn’t take his sister as well.”
She tried to imagine it. A ten-year-old Rion. A merry child who had his world turned upside down in a single night. No one was born a killer. The world made them into one.
“Trust me when I say we’ve spared you from a fate worse than death.” He surveyed the field, his gaze moving from one face to the next. “We’ll be here a while so get comfortable. As promised, I’ll return you to Móirín as soon as this is over. I’m sure you’d like to see your family again.”
She would. Gods knew she wanted to see Ellie and Talon and Myrna again. She wanted to run the familiar streets of home. She wanted to laugh and play and sing and dance by the main river front. But none of it compared to the fear that seized her at the thought of Rion covered in blood. And she knew, deep in her bones, that if these males tried to hurt him, she’d kill to keep Rion alive.
Chapter Eighteen
Rion
Rion left the war meeting in a better mood than he ever remembered. Everything was going according to plan. They were to strike another Móirín settlement in a few days, and it would finally give them the edge they needed. Once they took control of that village, moving supplies along the northern ridge would be simple.
Rion let his mind drift back to the events from yesterday. To how Arianna had allowed him to press his harsh lips against her soft ones. The way she’d let his blood-stained hands run through her soft hair.
It didn’t make sense. She was such a pure creature. She was The Divine.
And then later, she’d pressed her fingertip against his. He’d scented her desire at that moment and fled. Otherwise, he might have lost himself entirely, and he wasn’t sure he wanted that yet. Wasn’t sure she wanted it at all.
He’d never felt these urges before. It was a need that set his body on fire and she was the kindling to his flame. Something about her drew him in, leaving Rion helpless in her presence. He wanted to drown in her essence, and it terrified him.
Rion continued toward the cabin but something in the air shifted. The Fae who were supposed to guard this area were missing, their scents faint on the wind. Rion’s hair stood on end. His gaze shifted between the empty tents, all devoid of warrior and slave.
He paused, half wondering if someone had dared rig his dwelling with an explosive. It’d be a clever trap, though a stupid one. As if he would—
Arianna.
Rion’s adrenaline spiked, and he sprinted for the cabin.They couldn’t have. He slammed the door open and everything in him crumbled at the metallic scent of her blood. He stood in the doorway for half a second, dreading what he might find when he rounded the corner, but Rion forced himself to do it anyway.
