Willing Sacrifice

Page 8

“Do you know her?”
“A little. Enough to know she’s dangerous.”
“She’s the best hunter we have—brings in more food than all the other women combined. I’d never want to be the one to make her mad, but she protects us. On the way here, I heard the women talking about how she saved one of our children from the creature you killed.”
“The little blond girl,” he said, as if answering his own question. “Maybe you can take me to see Tori. I’d like to say hello.”
“Maybe. Like I said, she’s out hunting a lot. She may not still be around. How long will you be here?”
“A while, I hope. I’d like to spend time with some people here.” There was an odd quality to his voice, like he was somehow aiming that remark at her.
“Can you open portals like Brenya?”
“No. She was the one who brought me here.”
“Then I guess it’s up to her how long you stay. But if you ever want to go home, I suggest you be nice to her.”
“That was my plan, but for the sake of curiosity, what makes you say that?”
“I don’t remember much about my life before, but I’m certain I’ve never seen anyone who can do the things she does. She knows everything I do, everything I say. I swear, sometimes it feels like she’s inside my head.” Grace sprinkled some powder into a bowl. “Have you ever heard of anything like that before?”
“I know a few people who are connected like that—powerful couples who are united in a way I can only dream about. They’re the lucky ones.”
She waved him back to the bed, urging him to sit. “Then I guess it’s not as strange as I thought. I haven’t exactly been allowed to get out and see much of the world.”
“Grace, are you a prisoner here?”
She poured clean water over the powder and set the bowl of disinfectant next to the bed. “No more than anyone else. We don’t roam far except to collect what we need. It’s too dangerous.”
“Because of creatures like the one I killed?”
“They’re dangerous, yes, but not nearly as scary as the new things that have started lurking around at night.”
“What kind of things?”
She used a cloth to clean blood and dirt from the wound on his head. His skin had already healed shut, leaving behind more mess than damage. She tried not to get distracted by his vivid eyes and the way they never left her, but that was easier said than done.
His whole body was a distraction, from the beautiful curve of muscle and bone to the intriguing images he wore. She’d seen the crescent shape on his arm before on others, but that tree spanning his chest was new and yet somehow familiar. All she wanted to do was stroke her hands over him until the mystery he presented was solved.
The same was true with the iridescent band that hugged his throat. It was supple enough to cling to the contours of thick muscle and tendon, yet it looked delicate, almost feminine. A mass of color swirled lazily along the silvery surface, drawing her stare.
“Grace?” he said, pulling her attention back to his question, “what kind of things do you see at night?”
She blinked a couple of times to refocus her attention. “I don’t know. I’ve never actually seen all of them, just these strange ridges along their backs. One of the Athanasian women from the village to the south was killed a few days ago. Brenya seems to think it was these creatures who killed her.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Brenya says they were sent to find her but couldn’t see her in the daylight.”
Torr shot up from the bed, easing her away from him so he wouldn’t plow into her. “When does the sun go down?”
“Which sun?”
He stared for a second, then nodded, as if making a mental adjustment. “When is it dark?”
“Soon. Why?”
“I need to speak to Brenya.”
Grace stepped around him and placed herself in front of the door. His big body towered over her, but she held her ground. Brenya needed to rest, not answer the questions of a stranger. No matter how much Grace wanted to cower or flee, she wasn’t budging until he understood that. “She’s too tired for visitors, especially ones who look as furious as you do. Besides, I’m not done cleaning your wounds.”
“My wounds aren’t important. Your safety is.”
“Our safety depends on me following orders, and I was told to tend to your wounds. You can’t ask me to defy Brenya, not after what she’s done for me. Please. Sit back down.”
He let out a long breath of frustration but eased back on his heels. He didn’t sit down, but at least she wasn’t going to need to grab him to keep him here. Though she had to admit that putting her hands on him held massive appeal.
“If you won’t let me talk to her, then you tell me,” he said. “How do you defend yourselves?”
“Brenya has put up barriers that keep the creatures out at night. So long as we stay inside the village, we’re safe.”
“The demons can’t get in?”
“Demons? Is that what they are?”
“It’s likely. Can they get in?”
“No.” At least they hadn’t yet. Grace still wondered how long Brenya’s magic would hold if she became any weaker.
“Then how did that woman get killed?”
“She disobeyed orders and went outside the perimeter after dark. Everyone knows that’s against the rules.” Speaking of orders, Grace still had hers. Torr wasn’t going back to the cot on his own, so it was up to her to get him there.
She gathered her nerve and pressed one hand against his abdomen in a silent order for him to back up. Beneath her fingers, his muscles clenched. His amber eyes darkened, and the strangest look covered his face—something between hunger and need, something she’d never seen before. At least not that she could remember.
Torr backed up until his legs hit the cot. With her hands splayed over his broad, smooth shoulders, she pushed down. He gave in and sat, but grabbed her wrists before she could back away.
His hold was careful but absolute, shackling her wrists in his long fingers. “You need to let me talk to Brenya. A perimeter won’t hold them forever.”
Delicious heat glided up her arms. She had to try twice to find enough air to speak. “How do you know?”