Chapter 18
The general walked along the edge of a lake.
He was at the border of Interion, where the Drutes Forest began, and had been summoned to deal with a breeding camp discovered that morning.
It was protocol. Even on vacation, he was the one they called when something like this happened.
Zion wouldn't trust anyone else to handle the women, so whenever the call came, he went as fast as he could.
They believed this was the last breeding camp outside the city of Valmar, in Drutes territory.
Over the years, the general and his army had swept through all the land between Interion and the outskirts of the city—a city protected by a mountain range that created only one way in: the Sarahi gorge.
As the last installation in the last conquered territory, Zion could say with pride that they were doing excellent work.
Now, each squadron held its position around the enemy nation. No Drutes ventured beyond that perimeter, and no Interian dared storm the Sarahi gorge looking for a fight. Past the gorge, the territory belonged to the Drutes, and their forces there were immense.
Zion was tired from the journey. He’d shadow-traveled all morning and made the trip in just two hours—something that would take three days by military vehicle.
He’d handled his problems quickly; years of experience had made him efficient at setting things right.
The war had dragged on for ages, and it seemed the farther the reconnaissance squadron advanced, the more problems they uncovered.
Even though Interion’s forces were immense, the Drutes inhabited a forest they knew like the back of their hand, and there they had the advantage.
The women he’d found today weren’t originals—the first women of Interion—and he believed installations like that probably no longer existed.
These were half-breeds who had barely had their first blood before being used as breeders.
A savage fury had seized him when he found them handcuffed to beds, legs spread, as if ready to receive the next insemination.
There was also a room where several of them were chained, their swollen bellies showing different stages of pregnancy.
When Zion finished what he needed to do, he shadow-traveled to a place where no one could hear him.
There, hidden among countless trees, the general punched fallen trunks and screamed into the wind, as if somehow his hatred could reach the enemy and tear their horrendous hearts to shreds.
When he finally returned to the army camp, he washed up in the bathing tent and went straight to his sleeping bag.
The plan was to turn in early, wake up rested, and make a leisurely return trip.
But before sleeping, he always checked the chimera’s mind to make sure Kyller was all right.
This time, however, when he entered Kiara’s mind, he was struck by images that shook him to his core.
He simply couldn’t stop thinking about Kyller in lingerie, moving through the room. The image was seared into his brain, reminding him every second of the perfect curves of her body, her smooth skin, every forbidden hollow he tried—in vain—not to think about. It was draining his self-control.
He knew it was wrong to spy on such an intimate moment, but he didn’t have the strength to stop.
Every time she twirled around the bedroom or—gods help him—touched Kiara, Zion might as well have set his own clothes on fire.
When he realized he shouldn’t be watching her at a moment like that, he tried to look away, but she hugged the chimera, directing the creature’s gaze straight at her breasts.
At that moment, he forced himself to disconnect.
He shouldn’t have seen Kyller from that angle.
Now he was restless, and the shadows wouldn’t let him sleep.
His hormones and thoughts were spiraling out of control.
Anyone within a few yards could probably smell his arousal, which was why he’d decided to take a nighttime walk.
For the past two months, he couldn’t stop thinking about his partner, even in his sleep. His mind kept reaching for the bond in the darkness, searching for something to hold onto. It was exhausting. He struggled not to think, but that only made him think more. Zion was certain he was going mad.
That night, he knew his partner was going to a pre-graduation party.
He had a bad feeling about it, especially since she was going with Breno.
Zion, along with Kaori and Akira, had been to two or three events like that when they were younger, and he knew what to expect from a night like this.
But Kyller had never been to a party, and he didn’t want to be a thorn in her side—even though he was sinking deeper into anxiety, thinking about everything that could happen to her, or, gods help him, everything she might want to do.
He felt like punching himself in the face and passing out cold rather than having to think.
Despite the discomfort of keeping his distance, Zion didn’t want to disturb Kyller’s life any further.
He thought it was good for his partner to try new things and maybe even make some friends.
The general had noticed that a few students had been warming up to her in recent months—Hiro, Aish, and Lorena.
The three of them had started talking to her, and he was happy about that.
It wasn’t good for his partner to be so isolated.
He breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the scent of wet earth and wildflowers.
Night had fallen some time ago, and he walked along, kicking colorful pebbles beside the lake.
The only light came from the moon, its glow reflecting off the water.
The Drutes Forest was vast, its centuries-old trees keeping the place well hidden.
As he walked, his shadows crawled around him, searching for potential dangers.
The fearsome lamias were drawn to lakes the way bees were drawn to flowers, and although they rarely appeared near the army—where the gorgons had marked their territory—Zion knew he had to stay alert.
The bloodsucking creatures only attacked when someone was alone.
He picked up a reddish pebble and threw it toward the lake, making it skip three times across the surface before sinking.
If there were any lamia in the water, she would hear it and come for him—but Zion didn’t care.
He was itching for a fight, and a lamia would provide exactly the kind of distraction he needed.
They were practically immortal, save for one weakness: they could be killed by decapitation.
A feat easier said than done, even for him.
In all his years in the army, he’d only beheaded two of them, and only when there was no other choice.
Once again, his mind drifted back to the scene he’d witnessed in the bedroom through the chimera’s eyes.
He couldn’t calm down, couldn’t even organize his thoughts about what he’d seen—it was maddening to even think about.
Before the bond, Zion had slept with women—plenty of them, actually—but never in his life had a simple dance shattered his composure like this.
For a moment, he felt like he was back in his adolescence, about to come in his pants just from the sight of her.
It was mortifying. That damn black lingerie—how could anything be so tempting?
His desires were spiraling out of control, and he thanked the gods he was far away.
Zion removed his vest and headed toward the riverbank.
He needed a cold bath to calm down, but when he went to take off his boots, the shadows went into a frenzy around him.
He snapped to attention and quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for an intruder, but realized it wasn’t an enemy lurking—if it were, the shadows would have surrounded him in serpent form.
Instead, they had withdrawn into his body and seemed different, almost excited about something.
He didn’t get it. They began pulsing on his shoulders, rounding into a dense mass.
He’d seen them like this before—when Kyller was hospitalized and they’d recognized her as his partner.
Zion started to worry, so he opened his bond to see what was going on and, to his surprise, noticed her side was partially open.
He explored carefully, not wanting to be too invasive—he’d never probed that region directly and was afraid of strengthening it.
When he peered through to the other side, he saw Kyller was at the party and sensed she was having fun.
Then, suddenly, he felt dizzy, as if he were drunk.
The general was startled to realize the girl was intoxicated and, concentrating harder, saw she was aroused too.
What the hell? She was sandwiched between two people, and everyone there reeked of sex.
His hands clenched. She couldn’t actually be aroused by someone else. He tried to see who they were and immediately thought of Breno. The boy looked at his partner like she was a prize to be won, and bit by bit, this situation was shredding the fragile control Zion had been clinging to.
Zion pulled his vest back on and disappeared into the shadows, beginning the journey back.
His mind was consumed by fury. Kyller was his partner—no one had the right to touch her like that.
The rational part of his brain also reminded him he had no right to complain, since he was the one who’d gotten himself into this mess by pushing her away.
He leaped from shadow to shadow at full speed.
His powers limited him to jumps of about a kilometer, so he’d barely materialize in one tree’s shadow before reappearing in another minutes later.
It was like entering a dimension of darkness and being launched to the next.
Since Zion focused only on the farthest shadow he could reach, they hurled him forward without hesitation.
Soon he was tearing through the forest like a lunatic, but even consumed by the bond’s possessiveness, he wondered what he’d do when he got there.
He had no claim on her—he’d given that up the moment he’d pushed her away so painfully two months ago.
When he reached the halfway point, the shadows grew even more agitated and started pricking at his body.
Zion snapped at them to stop, and they calmed their frenzy enough for the general to peer through and see what was happening: Kyller was kissing someone.
And worse, she was really enjoying it. That’s when he started to lose it.
She was actually doing this. His partner.
The one he shared a bond with. Kissing someone else.
He pushed his power harder—he needed to get there fast. But what would he do?
If he showed up and claimed his rights as her partner, Kyller would take it as an affirmation of the bond, and he couldn’t do that either.
Then he felt the kiss change—the sensation shifted.
Zion’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: someone else was kissing her now.
He screamed through the bond and pounded on the door to her side as if it were something solid.
He started wondering if they were forcing themselves on her, but the scent Kyller was giving off—to his utter dismay—was pure arousal.
The kiss intensified, and all Zion could do was pound on that damn blockage she’d created.
There was no reason to hold back anymore—she had to get out of there.
He screamed and beat on the bond as if his sanity depended on it.
Then, to his relief, Kyller pulled away.
Zion took a deep breath and kept moving, calmer now.
May the gods help him if that kiss turned into something more.
Minutes passed, and he’d settled into a more controlled pace.
He was almost at the outer walls and wondered what he’d say to her.
He didn’t want to be a jerk, but he usually turned into an idiot when trying to balance the bond with his duties.
Out here near the wall, the sky was overcast, dense clouds blanketing the entire city.
When his feet touched the outer wall, he felt a bite on his back.
Then another. And another. The shadows had gone completely feral, wild and thrashing.
He reined in his power and smothered them, but they fought to break free.
Something was happening, and this time it was worse.
He entered the bond again and felt Kyller’s desperation—she was being carried over a human’s shoulders.
The general crossed the outer wall, a growl tearing from his throat.
Then he felt the girl hit the ground in an alley.
Men were hurting her. Zion released the shadows, sending them ahead as fast as they could go.
He reached the median gate. She was panicking.
He stood in the center of the fairy district.
She was fighting. He reached the nightclub door—the street was empty.
He looked to the side and saw five men holding his partner.
The shadows, now freed, rushed toward the knife one of them was pressing against Kyller’s throat.
In that instant, he transported himself in front of her.
Apparently, the general had found something better than lamias to punch.