Chapter 7 Aurora
A rush of irritation flashed through me, although deep down I agreed with him.
He was right, but I’d rather let the Nexus kill me than say it to his face.
Only through a miracle had I not catastrophically hurt Hummingbird in my bloodlust, or snapped Terraknight’s neck when he intervened.
I couldn’t risk injuring innocent people if the monster inside me surfaced the next time the Voices drained me of blood.
“Enough about the Nexus,” I said, my attention drawn to the weapon lying on the floor, its hilt peeking from beneath Radu’s discarded leather pants.
Rising to my feet, I secured the blanket with a tight knot between my breasts and marched straight to his weapon. I could feel Radu’s eyes tracking me, burning into the spot between my shoulder blades.
The knob had the unmistakable pale gleam of bone.
I reached for it, drawn by an irresistible curiosity.
Encased in a wooden scabbard wrapped in black leather, the weapon spanned twenty-five inches—a sleek line of danger from tip to pommel.
Intricate silver threads wove through the leather and intertwined with gilded scrollwork and inlaid metal that shimmered in the candlelight.
Brighter in some places where time and use had polished away the aged patina.
Tracing the bone handle with my fingers, I felt the grooves carved into its surface. Practical design, even slick with blood, it wouldn’t slip from the wielder’s grasp.
I tilted my head. What truly captivated me was the large ruby adorning the pommel, a perfect droplet of blood captured in stone. The gem’s color shifted with the flicker of the candle flame, morphing from rich claret to vivid pink, a unique trait I’d seen only once before. Many, many decades ago.
When a mysterious silver-haired outlier jumped through fire and slashed the Ignis that had killed my father, saving my life in the process.
I wrapped my fingers around the grip and drew the blade free. It came loose with a soft whisper.
“Tell me about this,” I said, keeping my eyes on the gleaming steel.
He leaped across the room and snatched it from my hands. “Careful with that,” he said, his tone light but his eyes deadly serious. “This is not for your delicate fingers.”
Before I could react, he leaned over my shoulder and reclaimed the scabbard as well. He moved so fast I couldn’t stop him.
I wanted to throw something at him. Preferably something heavy and with sharp edges.
Twirling on the balls of my feet, I raised my index finger at him and warned with slitted eyes, “If you don’t start talking, I swear to Derzelas I will find creative ways to hurt you.”
His grin returned along with those sinful dimples. My stomach did a ridiculous little flip that I refused to acknowledge.
“I didn’t peg you as this violent, princess,” he said, tossing and catching the dagger with one hand.
The double-edged blade caught the light, revealing silvery inscriptions along the dark crimson steel. Even his weapons had to be beautiful, damn him.
“Choose one,” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.
I could make out what looked like Russkayan words: Justice, Honor, Virtue. Possibly a family motto.
He caught the blade mid-flip. “Choose what?”
“Projector or princess. Pick one and stick with it.”
“Can’t do that,” he said, suddenly serious.
“And why in the Underworld not?”
His exotic gaze bore into me. “Because you’re both.
” His voice lowered to a gravelly rumble that sent inappropriate shivers through me.
“You’re ‘Projector’ when you’re commanding and brave, facing down challenges without flinching.
And you’re ‘princess’ when you’re curious and impulsive, touching things you probably shouldn’t.
” A corner pulled at his mouth. “I like both. Both stay.”
I opened my mouth to argue, then snapped it shut. What could I possibly say to that?
Sweet darkness, it would be so much easier if he remained the infuriating, arrogant captain I’d first met.
That Harbinger I could handle. But Radu?
This man, who alternated between maddening me and making my pulse race with nothing but a glance?
Every glimpse he showed me made it harder to resist him.
Nothing changed that he was half-varcolac, and I had a throne to reclaim and a people to unite.
But I’d been so wrong about him. Underworld’s tits, I’d been so blind.
All this time I’d thought he was playing some cruel game.
Hot one moment, cold the next, as if testing how far he could push me before I broke.
I’d convinced myself his attentions meant nothing, that I was simply another conquest, something to amuse himself with during endless nights of battle.
But the truth was staring me in the face. He’d given real thought to what he called me. Separated the different facets of who I was as both the soldier and the woman underneath. No one had ever made that distinction before.
The realization sent butterflies dive-bombing through my stomach. If he could see these things in me so clearly after such a short time, what else might he come to understand? And how could I possibly maintain my defenses against someone who looked at me like I was his lifejacket?
Crap.
I was in trouble. Deep, inescapable trouble. Because if I couldn’t even win an argument about what he called me, how could I hope to stop myself from falling for him completely?
Ignoring the riot in my stomach, I crooked a brow. “And what impulsive thing did I do now?”
“You’ve just held the only object known to kill an immortal—a sunsteel blade.” Radu’s eyes darkened. “A single cut won’t end you, but it will bleed you dry, and I’ve put in considerable effort to keep your veins filled and happy.”
Though his words wore a thin cloak of humor, the gravity behind them left me cold. Dread squished the flutter of wings and knotted my insides.
“Liar,” I accused.
Scarlet flared around his irises. “I’m not lying. But if you need proof, by all means, test it yourself.”
He tightened his grip on the hilt and raised the blade to his forefinger. The tip punctured his skin with unassuming control. A single drop of blood welled on his fingertip. Just that one drop, and his exotic scent flooded the room as if he’d opened a vein.
My fangs dropped with a painful snap. The hunger I thought I’d sated roared back to life.
Radu lifted both the weapon and his bleeding finger between us. “What’s it gonna be, Projector? ‘Cause I’ll be more than happy to feed and fuck you again when you’re drained.”
The confidence in his tone raised goosebumps on my skin. I drew in a shuddering breath, feeling a hard tug low in my belly. Warm and dangerous. The kind of pull that made my blood run hot and scattered my thoughts.
“Playing dangerous games, varcolac?” I countered, unable to take my eyes off the incision.
“Ah, but you’re already caught in my web, princess.” He pressed his finger to my lips, watching with rapt fascination as the crimson smeared across them.
My tongue darted out before I could stop it and captured his blood. The taste exploded across my senses.
“Your mouth… it captivates me,” he murmured, his voice a rough growl.
The hunger in his eyes was purely carnal. “If it’s not breasts, it’s lips,” I said, trying to sound unaffected. “What is it with men and their weird fixations?”
A smile that resembled the searchlights on the Republic walls flashed across his face.
“If I had that clever mouth of yours wrapped around my cock,” a salacious warning glimmered across his impossibly handsome face as he leaned close enough that his breath caressed my ear, “I assure you, I’d appreciate it thoroughly. ”
Electricity shot through my body. I forced myself to look away from his smoldering stare and ignore the temptation. We had lethal weapons to discuss, not to mention the Voices still haunting my mind.
I studied the blade again, if only to regain some control. Every instinct screamed at me to back away from those sharp edges, but I held my ground.
“And how, may I ask, did you acquire such a weapon?”
His easy smile vanished. “It’s a family heirloom.”
“Conin had one exactly like it,” I breathed. I’d been too young, too consumed by shock and grief to question how a simple blade could be that effective on a Stalker.
He nodded. “This is the very same one. I found it on his body.”
Knuckles whitened around the hilt as he tightened his grip. My chest ached for him. We both lost someone dear to us in this war, but I’d had almost a century to mourn my father. Radu’s wounds still bled fresh.
Despite my growing unease, I studied him carefully. Something didn’t add up. I was skeptical of what he claimed the sunsteel blade could do. A weapon that could kill purebloods? Hard to believe when any cuts closed before the blood had a chance to swell on the surface.
The blade gleamed in his hand, ominous, as if challenging me to put it to a test.
“You’re telling the truth, aren’t you?” I whispered.
“Yes.”
Just one word, but powerful enough to shatter worlds.
My heart plummeted like a stone. “You could have used it to kill Selena and me,” I said. “No one would have ever known.”
His attention snapped back to me, some of the darkness retreating from his gaze. “What makes you think I need a special blade to do that?”
A weak smile pulled at his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. There was no teasing in his tone, and I believed him. After witnessing him in battle, I had no doubt that if he had wanted us dead, we wouldn’t have made it out unscathed, especially without my Darklings to match his speed.
But I’d never been one to cower, and I needed him to understand where I stood.
“Direct that blade anywhere near Selena,” I retorted, “and I will destroy you.” I meant every word. If it came down to it, I wouldn’t hesitate. Not that he had given me any reason to believe he’d hurt us.
Radu gave a curt nod, his expression impassive. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
“Good. Because you really don’t want to make me angry.” A weak grin slid across my face, attempting to ease the tension choking the room.
The tight smile on his face softened, making his eyes crinkle at the corners.
“Now that,” he drawled, “is something I’d like to see. What exactly would it take to make you see red?”
Very little, when I’m this close to you. The thought came to the forefront, but I decided not to give it voice and derail the conversation any further.
“I think it’s time we address the elephant in the room,” I said, gesturing toward the blade in his hand.
“We clearly don’t have time or willing volunteers to test your theory about sunsteel.
” I cleared my throat. “What I want to know about are the Voices, and why you conveniently failed to mention there are dead people trapped inside the Stalkers.”
He strode toward the dresser and set the blade down. The pommel made a soft thud against the hardwood.
“You promised.” I followed him. “I’m good at putting things together. If you had told me about them, we could have prepared differently for tonight’s battle.”
“And what exactly would you have done differently?” he asked, his voice calm as he rifled through the drawer. “Would you have cut the link?”
He pulled out a dark-gray tank top, muscles rippling in his back as he rolled it over his head. The armholes were so loose they reached the middle of his ribs.
“I would have taken precautions,” I said. “Hummingbird and Terraknight got hurt. Because of me.” A sigh escaped my lips. “I need to know what I’m working with so I can adjust my magic. I never want to become a danger to you and the others again.”
Without warning, he unfastened the towel around his waist and pulled on a pair of sweatpants.
My windpipe stopped working.
“You want to know what you’re dealing with?” he asked, turning around. The shadows in the valleys at his hips caught my attention. They shifted as he took a step forward, tying the drawstring at his waist. “Fine. First thing. They aren’t called Stalkers.”
I gave myself a mental slap to stop gawking at the way those sweats hung so deliciously low. Mending my voice, I asked, “What are they called then?”
Radu bit the inside of his cheek, trying to kill me with suspense.
When he finally spoke, his voice had dropped to a barrel-deep rasp.
“Souleaters. They’re called Souleaters.” He ran a hand through his still-damp hair, his skin pulling taut over sharp cheekbones.
“The lieutenant should be present for this discussion. She needs to hear it as much as you do.”