Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Aurina was buzzing with adrenaline as they headed back through the tunnels. The fact that it was hot and dark, and she was sweaty and exhausted, didn’t bother her a bit.
They’d found the sword.
And she was in love with Kavon.
Her heart clenched. She was in love with an alien warlord, and she didn’t want to leave him.
She’d never really belonged anywhere. The crummy place she’d shared with her mother on Vashon V had never been home.
Her mother had been home, and now she was gone.
Aurina had made a place with her brothers, learned new things and had the most amazing experiences…
but while she loved being a scout and traveling, a part of her had always wanted to stop.
To find a place where she could grow flowers, dig up rocks, and be needed.
She understood what had driven the soldiers who’d become Markaria’s First Warriors to head off into the unknown. They’d wanted something better, to be somewhere where they could make a difference.
Most of all, she’d always wanted someone who could be hers. Someone to love, someone who loved her as she was and made her feel cherished. She glanced at Kavon.
Stars, and she’d found that all in one big hunk of a warrior male.
They entered the large glowing cavern. “We’ll have to work out how to get the lift to take us up.”
“Preferably slower than the descent,” Colm muttered.
“There are mine carts here.” Kavon was looking at where the tracks disappeared into some tunnels. “They must ascend at some place for taking ore out.”
“Everyone on the platform,” she said. “Let me fiddle around with the lift controls and see what I can do.” As the warriors crowded around, she crouched by the same place she’d touched before to activate the lift. She fingered the metal and hoped for the best.
The platform moved, lifting a few inches off the ground. The men all crouched and Kavon wrapped his arm around Aurina.
Then they whizzed upward.
The air rushed against her face and this time she would have enjoyed the ride, except she knew everyone was thinking about poor Viken.
Soon the platform slowed and they came to a halt, back in the upper tunnels.
Suddenly, wild shouts echoed off the rock walls. Aurina spun and saw an arrow fly out of the darkness and right into Kavon’s chest.
He staggered backward.
“Kavon!” she screamed.
He was clutching his shoulder, and around them his warriors clashed with other warriors who rushed out of the darkness.
All the new warriors had a dark, twisting snake tattoo on their arms.
Drog.
She turned and saw a tall, older warrior emerge from the shadows. His face was hard, his hair tied back, the strands containing just a few hints of gray. His body was as muscled and chiseled as the other warriors. He had a giant war axe decorated with gold in his hands.
“An ambush is just your cowardly style, Drog,” Kavon spat out.
She looked back. Blood was flowing down the side of his chest. The arrow had pierced high on the right-hand side. Knowing he had two hearts, and that his nanami would be trying to heal the wound, didn’t stop her worrying.
Kavon grabbed the arrow and, with a swift tug, yanked it out.
She winced, but he didn’t even react.
Suddenly, while she was distracted, Drog lunged forward and snagged her arm. He reeled her in, even as she shoved an elbow in his gut and turned to fight him.
He wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug to keep her still.
“A pretty prize,” he said. “And now she is mine, Mal Dor, and whatever knowledge she possesses.”
Her gaze flew to Kavon.
His face was set in hard lines. “Take her.”
Her heart stopped, and she simply stared at Kavon’s impassive face. She couldn’t read him at all, he was so remote.
Drog’s laugh boomed. “So simple, then?”
Kavon shrugged. “She was a means to an end. I wanted Durendal and I’ve found it. I no longer need her.”
Drog barked out a laugh. “You and that obsession with an old sword…still, I expected you to fight over the skyflyer.” The man paused. “I heard she was warming your bed.”
“Many women have warmed my bed, and there will be many more. Hopefully less odd-looking than this one.”
Aurina’s heart was beating so hard she expected it to jump out of her chest. Bitterness and hurt filled her mouth, and she felt Drog nod. The words coming from Kavon’s mouth were like cuts on her skin. She felt like she was bleeding.
“Yes,” Drog said. “I heard you have been searching for a warlord’s daughter to take to wife.”
Aurina stiffened. “What?”
Drog laughed, his hand stroking down her neck. “Did he not tell you that you were just a bedmate while he searched for a worthy woman to be his wife?”
She stared at Kavon, ice seeping into her bones. His amber eyes were somehow cold, devoid of any emotion. Her gut felt heavy. He’d told her Markarians couldn’t control when their emotions changed their eye color. Now, looking at him, it was clear he felt nothing.
It had all been a lie.
Every touch, every kiss, every moment—sweet, infuriating, and spicy—had all been lies. Had he really fooled her all this time?
“Ah, yes, reality is sinking in, isn’t it, skyflyer?” Drog relaxed his grip and set her beside him.
Her arms dropped to her sides, and she tried desperately to sort through it all.
“Fine, Mal Dor. I’ll take the skyflyer off your hands and her shiny tech.” The older warrior’s lips tipped. “She can warm my bed for as long as it suits me.”
Hot, molten rage filled Aurina. These two men were discussing her like she was a belonging, a lump of ore to be bartered and fought over.
Enough.
She didn’t make a sound to telegraph her intention.
She swiveled and kicked, slamming her boot into Drog’s groin.
The warrior froze, then let out a pained bellow.
When he doubled over, she chopped her hand down on the back of his neck.
His knees slammed to the ground, and then she kneed him in the face.
A familiar arm wrapped around her, and suddenly a sword appeared. She expected to feel the sting of the blade, but instead, it was pointed at Drog’s neck.
The older warlord looked up, his brown eyes blazing and his face contorted in pain.
“My woman can take care of herself, Drog,” Kavon said, his tone lethal.
Drog’s muscles bunched, and Kavon shoved his sword harder against the man’s skin. A trickle of blood fell down Drog’s neck.
“Move,” Kavon barked. “And feel free to try something stupid…I’d love an excuse to run you through, like you did to my father. Now, you try to take my woman… Yes, I am more than ready to see your blood soaking into the dirt.”
“Your father was a fool,” Drog spat. “He came right into my trap like a farmyard animal to slaughter.”
Kavon twitched. Aurina stayed still, waiting for this to play out.
Suddenly, Drog moved, far faster than she’d guessed he could. He gripped her top and yanked her down. She kicked him, but he was damn strong and he barely reacted. His fist slammed into her face, and she saw stars.
There was a sound of rage, and then she was released. She stumbled back and landed on her butt. When she looked up, Kavon was standing over Drog’s body, where the warlord lay sprawled on the ground. Kavon’s sword had entered his chest, and Drog’s blank face was staring at the rocky roof.
The fighting behind them ceased. Drog’s men were shouting, and then she heard a few last clashes and the sound of Drog’s men retreating down the tunnel.
Kavon stayed still, staring at Drog’s body. He looked incredibly alone.
She would have gone to him, but she was still bleeding from his words, and unsure what the hell to believe anymore.
She pressed a hand to her swollen face. She didn’t want to be her mother, accepting pretty words and then having her heart cut out.
She probed her swelling cheek and eye. The medscope would fix it quickly…
but for now, she wanted the pain. The insistent throb matched what she felt inside.
Then Kavon turned, his gaze hitting hers. She forced herself to hold it for a beat, then she looked away.
He was beside her in an instant, his arms going around her.
She pulled away.
“Aurina—”
“You have everything you’ve ever wanted. The sword, Drog gone…”
“Aurina.” He put a finger under her chin and forced her gaze up. His eyes were a shimmering gold.
She swallowed. She’d always made herself face everything in life head on. “Take her? Means to an end?”
He pulled her close again, this time subduing her struggles to pull back. “If he knew what you meant to me, he’d have fought harder, or killed you to spite me.” Kavon’s fingers tightened, then he brushed her swollen cheek. “When he touched you, he signed his death warrant.”
She angled her head back. “And the warlord’s daughter?”
He grimaced. “Aurina…”
Pain cut through her. She kept her voice calm. “You’ve been looking for a wife all this time.”
He released a breath. “It was something in place long before you crash-landed into my life.”
She forced a smile. “And it can be in place after I’ve left it.” The image of Kavon marrying some pretty, dark-haired thing made her stomach churn.
“Aurina—” Frustration seeped into his tone.
“My mother fell for a man who didn’t find her worthy enough to marry. I grew up a child not worth claiming. I’ve always vowed to believe in myself, and never let anyone make me feel less. But you succeeded in doing it.” She stepped out of his arms. “Please, can we go? I want to go.”
He looked like he wanted to say more.
Instead, he let her go.
Kavon stared at the center of Aurina’s back as they rode the hargon beasts back through the Wilds.
The exit out of the mine had been almost anti-climactic.
They’d stopped briefly so Aurina could use her medscope to heal everyone’s wounds.
He rubbed his chest where the arrow had pierced him.
There wasn’t even a hint of a scar. He was relieved to see the swelling on Aurina’s face was completely gone.