Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Bokkan
The yells of my men distracted me from my ledger. Honestly, I was hoping for a distraction because there was nothing I hated more than dealing with my accounting.
I got to my feet and went to the window, opening the interior shutter, giving me a clear view of the training yard from my study.
There, in the center of the dirt fighting ring, was one of my soldiers, Talus.
He was my best fighter, and it was clear they were practicing hand-to-hand combat based on the way my other men were leaning on the fence surrounding the space.
They were jeering and catcalling, typical behavior when one of the others faced off with him.
There were more soldiers there than usual. It appeared even my off-duty guards were watching. Strange. They usually preferred to take care of personal business or find a female during their leisure time.
His back was to me, and his body blocked my view of his opponent.
Talus jerked from an obvious strike, then he lunged.
When he bent forward, his head flew back from the impact of another strike.
He tripped over his own feet and landed on his backside.
With him on the ground, I could now see his opponent.
It wasn’t one of my soldiers. It was a human woman. One half the size of my smallest man.
She surged toward Talus, her hand flashing at his calf.
As she withdrew it, I could see the glitter of a blade as it caught the light.
She had stolen the knife he kept in his boot.
When he shoved her back with a kick of his foot, my hands unlocked the window in front of me and threw it open without a thought.
What the fuck were my men thinking? Why was there a human female on my property, much less fighting one of my daemons? She was so much smaller than they were. If they hit her at full strength, they would kill her.
I was on my feet outside before I even realized I intended to vault through the window, my steps carrying me toward the fighting ring.
I arrived behind Talus just as he started back toward the human woman.
Before I could intervene, she sidestepped his rush, moving faster than I had ever seen one of my soldiers move, and stomped on his knee, causing his leg to collapse beneath him.
The knife in her hand flashed again, and I barely managed to close the distance and grab her wrist before the knife parted the flesh of his throat.
Her eyes flashed to me, the light brown color reminding me of the toasted-sugar candy my mother once made. The sight of those gorgeous brown eyes paralyzed me. I simply held her wrist and stared at her like an oaf.
She didn’t waste the opportunity my idiocy afforded her, though. With a swift, economical movement, she stepped into me and performed a strange maneuver that slipped her hand from my grip. Her other hand came up simultaneously, catching me in the throat.
Stumbling back, I gagged, lifting my hands up with my palms out. Her gaze darted between Talus and me as she fell into a fighting stance that spoke not just of training, but experience.
When Talus reached for her like an idiot, the knife glinted in her hand before it moved in a blur of motion. He jerked his fingers back with a roar, and his dark purple blood dripped onto the dirt.
I coughed several times, then managed to find my voice. “Stop!” I bellowed.
The command echoed in the training yard, and every man stopped moving, including my commander, Guldan, who had been moving toward the woman.
She turned toward me, her hands still up in a fighting stance and her gaze wary. Prepared to defend herself if necessary.
I kept my hands open and out as I maintained my distance. “Don’t move, human. I’m not going to hurt you unless you give me no choice.”
Her eyes narrowed on me, but she didn’t try to stab me with the blade in her hand, so I considered that a victory.
Satisfied she would remain still for the moment, I let my eyes trail over my men.
“Now, what the fuck is going on?” I asked.
None of them answered. Not even Talus. Instead, they silently looked toward my commander, which meant I did as well.
He came forward, stopping just out of arm’s reach of the human.
“Guldan?”
“I purchased her for the soldiers, General.”
I shook my head. “I’m retired now, Guldan. Call me Bokkan.”
“Of course.”
“Wait… what do you mean you bought her for the soldiers?”
He glanced at the human. “Well, they have needs, General. I thought a female would help morale.”
I squinted at him. “Are you telling me you purchased a prostitute for my men?”
“I am not a prostitute!” the human yelled, interrupting our conversation. “I was fucking kidnapped from my bed in the middle of the night and sold at auction like a fucking cow! I did not agree TO ANY OF THIS!”
Her voice was deep and husky. It brought a tingle to my flesh, like the moment before lightning struck too close. A primal urge stirred within me.
Hunt. Mount.
Ignoring the whisper in my mind, I looked back at Guldan. “Is this true?”
“Sir, she made a deal with a daemon, otherwise she would not have been at the auction. She knew what she was getting into.”
“You lying asshole!” she cried out, spinning toward Guldan and taking a step closer to him. “Whatever those gray-skinned dickheads are, two of them came into my house in the middle of the night, blew some kind of powder into my face, and, when I woke up, I was in a cell.”
Guldan glared down at her, crossing his arms over his chest. “Humans are only brought to Penumbra when they agree to a contract with a daemon. It is the law.”
“And none of your daemons would dare break the law?” she drawled, her question dripping with venom.
“Listen, human—”
“Enough!” I barked. Looking at Guldan, I asked, “Did you see a copy of her contract?”
Guldan appeared chagrined as he shook his head.
“Then, it is clear that she could be telling the truth.”
“Could be?” the female interrupted.
“You wouldn’t be the first human to regret your choice to sign a contract.”
She lifted her hair, gesturing to the back of her neck. There were four bruises on her flesh, three on one side and a fourth on the other. They were the perfect size and shape of an imp hand.
“The bastard held me down on my own bed before he grabbed my hair and blew powder in my face that knocked me unconscious. He had gray skin, red eyes, and a bunch of sharp teeth. He didn’t look a damn thing like any of you.”
“So, you’re saying you were kidnapped by imps?”
“If that’s what those things are, then, yes. I was kidnapped by two imps. I didn’t talk to a daemon. I didn’t make a deal with anyone. And I definitely didn’t sign a contract.”
“Sir.”
I lifted a hand toward Guldan, causing him to fall silent. “If you don’t have the contract to support your claims, I can’t allow you or the men to keep her. You know this.”
“General, the men pooled their money to purchase her.”
I sighed. “How much?”
“Fifteen hundred crowns.”
“Fifteen hundred crowns! I didn’t even spend that for my sword!”
Guldan shrugged. “She was clearly strong and a fighter. I figured she could handle the soldiers better than the other females they had on stage. Most of them did nothing but cry or scream and cringe. It was a sound investment.”
The human woman made a disgusted sound. “Those women were probably crying because they’d all been kidnapped too, you dense jackass.”
I suppressed the bark of laughter that wanted to escape. This female wasn’t just strong, she was clever. And she was fearless.
All qualities I admired in both soldiers and females.
“I will reimburse the men,” I stated, which calmed the murmurs from my soldiers in the background.
“But I won’t allow them to mount the human when she didn’t agree to a contract.
” I pointed to the knife still in the woman’s hand.
“Also, she was about to fillet my best soldier like a fish and none of you would have been able to stop her.”
His expression shocked, Guldan asked, “Where did you get that knife, human?”
She smirked at him. “From the boot the big guy was wearing.” Her eyes flicked to me. “And he’s your best fighter?” she asked, the question laced with disbelief.
I shrugged. “He is.”
She shook her head but didn’t say anything else.
“I will get the coin for you to redistribute to the men tonight,” I said to Guldan.
He nodded, his face expressionless.
I turned to the human. “If you will come with me, I will get you some clothes and food.”
“And what will that cost me?” she asked, her grip shifting on her knife.
“As my guest, you do not need to give me payment. It is my honor to provide for you.”
“I would prefer to just go home,” she said.
I sighed. “I’m afraid that isn’t an immediate possibility, but I will do my best to find you a way there.”
“Why won’t it be an immediate possibility?” she asked.
“I promise, I will explain, but I think it’s best if we talk about it inside once you have some clothing.”
She glanced down at the cloth she’d wrapped around her body. It barely covered her, ending at mid-thigh and wrapping tightly over her breasts. It displayed her shape in fine detail, something my men were obviously enamored with if their staring was anything to go by.
She realized this as she looked around and saw the way the soldiers were gawking at her. Her eyes narrowed, and she bared her teeth at them. I couldn’t help but admire her spirit.
Several of my guards cringed a bit at the feral look she shot them, but Talus looked intrigued.
Shit. I had to get her out of here, or I would end up having to fight my own soldiers because of that possessive voice.
“Please, female. Come with me.”
Her chin lifted as she faced me. “I’m keeping my knife.”
I nodded.
“That’s my—”
I scowled at Talus. “She disarmed you, and you never noticed. Ask the arms master for another.”
“But I bought that knife from Sturm’s forge with my own money!” he argued.
“Then, I guess you’ll have to use your reimbursement to purchase another,” I shot back. “Consider it payment for me saving your life.”