Altered Destiny (19 page)

The silence lengthened as Jaden’s brother continued to observer her. “You’re bleeding.”

Selia swallowed.

“Did you ever bleed in my brother’s presence?”

Confusion tinged her thoughts. “Yes.”

“Interesting.” Like a cat, Jaden’s brother moved toward her. “You now know who I am, but I’ve waited too long to find out who you are.”

She stared, mesmerized by the dark golden lights in his eyes.

“Who are you?” He ran a finger down her face and neck stopping at her mail shirt. He paused as though listening. “Do you know where a human woman smells the best?” He tore open the metal like it had been woven of dandelion stems and then ripped aside her tunic, exposing her chest. He laid a hand between her breasts. “Here, near the heart blood.”

Selia tried and failed to still the shudder that ran through her body. She took a breath and remained still. Her heart beat a staccato against her ribs.

“You haven’t answered me.”

“I’m no one.”

“A mystery. I don’t like mysteries.” He licked the blood from her lips. “Very nice.”

Bile surged in Selia’s throat.

“Normally we open you here.” He skimmed the flesh under her jaw with his teeth. “That’s where blood surges, like a river of life.” His thumb continued to stroke her pulse. “But do you know where the blood flows the freest with no danger of the human expiring?”

Blood welled from her upper arm before she felt the pain.

“Small shallow cuts. If you know what you’re doing, one human can last a long time.”

She watched the blood flow down her arm feeling removed from her body. Keldar’s hand squeezed her breast until she gasped in pain.

“You could last a very long time.”

“Be careful, Keldar.”

In slow motion, Selia turned to the new voice. A female stood at the entrance of the tent. The men who joked you couldn’t tell a female Svistra from a male had obviously never seen one, or at least this one. Tall and lean, the woman moved into the tent as if she were part liquid, her eyes focused on the commander. Her golden hair fell down her back in waves that caught the rays of the newborn sun. Selia had the feeling that in the woman’s eyes, she wouldn’t exist until the woman wanted her to.

“Remember the plan.”

Keldar tore his gaze away from Selia and settled it on the newcomer. For several heartbeats the two stared at each other, and somehow Selia knew her fate was being decided.

Keldar stood. “Remember your place, Noe,” he said, his voice ragged, but he stepped several paces away from Selia.

“I do,” Noe almost purred. “Have you found out anything?”

“She says she’s nobody.”

The woman turned to Selia. “And she’s right. Look at her. Perhaps Jaden told the truth.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.”

“Yes. We will.” Noe didn’t take her gaze away from Selia’s. There was hatred in her gaze.

“Perhaps I don’t want to give away my virgin offering,” Keldar said with a growl.

The woman’s green eyes narrowed to tiny slits, but her voice was soft. “Do you risk it? There will be more, and undeniably yours, after this day.”

The silence felt like the air before a thunderstorm.

“Get up!” Keldar yelled.

Selia struggled but couldn’t get her feet under her with her hands tied behind her back.

The woman laughed. “I thought you were at least good at getting out of your bonds.” With a quick flick, a knife appeared in the woman’s hand. She lifted Selia with one hand and cut the rope that held her hands together with the other. “Move.”

Selia turned toward Keldar. If he scared her, this woman terrified her.

Keldar smiled. “A very hungry Svistra is waiting.”

Noe walked a few steps behind Keldar and the human female. He’d almost ruined everything, and she wasn’t taking any more chances. Keldar had brought her to these godforsaken lands for more than warmth in his bed at night. Any of the female warriors or a captive human would have sufficed for that. He’d wanted to humiliate her and taunt Jaden. Well, she’d play along while it suited her to do so. Though she had to admit a fascination for his ruthlessness, Noe had never liked Keldar.

The human female flinched under the bright light of the midday sun and then appeared to relax as if the rays gave her strength. She turned her head and stared at the northern forest. Noe smirked. The fortress. Could she have a man there? It was possible, even though the female had never coupled. She’d heard some female humans bartered their virginity for a union. If the woman did have a man, Noe hoped she’d seen him die.

Keldar pushed the female to go faster. He too had followed the woman’s gaze. Was he afraid she’d try to escape? She wouldn’t. There had been intelligence in the dark brown eyes.

Noe sneered at the back of the woman’s head. The human woman was taller than she imagined when Noe first saw her on the tent floor, reaching almost to Keldar’s shoulder. And Keldar was not a small Svistra. Perhaps humans considered her pretty; it was hard to tell. Tight dark curls escaped from her long braid and her skin, though several shades lighter than her hair, was still dark by Svistra standards. Noe couldn’t imagine Jaden had found this one attractive. Had he desired her? No. But she wasn’t naive enough to think the woman had been intended as a gift for Tinlor. The human was a mystery, and Noe hated mysteries.

They would move camp in the morning. Keldar had told his warriors to keep the humans busy for two days and no Svistra, save Sovas, had returned. If the humans attempted a rescue, they’d be far too late.

Her gaze settled on Keldar. It was a good thing she’d been listening. If Keldar had damaged the woman or taken her virginity, the human wouldn’t be as attractive a lure, and Noe knew Jaden’s hesitancy to kill. Even more than Keldar, Noe needed this woman to test Jaden’s loyalty. Of course Keldar assumed his half-brother was a traitor.

She admitted a grudging admiration for Keldar’s cleverness. If Jaden refused the virgin gift, not only would he die, he’d die in dishonor. If he accepted, then Keldar would have proved to Jaden he was no better than any other Svistra.

Was Keldar afraid to challenge his brother in a fair fight? Noe pondered the idea for a while. It was possible. Though Keldar was the stronger of the two, Jaden was fast and deadly with a blade. Keldar had been trying to best Jaden since he was old enough to hold a weapon. Jaden had paid him the ultimate insult by not even noticing the attempts.

The woman stumbled. Keldar murmured something in the human’s ear Noe didn’t quite catch, but the woman paled.

They neared the tent; it would be over soon, one way or another. If Jaden killed her, she was nothing to him and Noe would do her best to see Jaden challenge Keldar and succeed. If he died to save her…well, the human bitch wouldn’t have long to savor her victory.

Keldar jerked Selia to a stop near a tent. She gazed at the white cloth as it fluttered under a slight breeze, only partially aware he had relaxed his grasp on her arm. Inside she’d meet her death. Her eyes drifted closed. She forced them open. She’d meet her fate head on.

She glanced at Keldar then to the woman, jerked her arm out of Keldar’s grasp and walked of her own accord into the tent.

After the glare from the sun, Selia couldn’t see anything in the gloom. Her heart beat in her throat. Attempting a dry swallow, she braced herself but nothing happened. Her legs trembled. As her eyes adjusted, a huddled form materialized to a side of the tent.

“Jaden.” The word left her mouth before she could stop it. She rushed to him and knelt, her hands hovering over his body, almost afraid to touch him. She didn’t know what she expected, but this wasn’t it.

Jaden moaned and then jerked away when she touched him. His eyes glowed like candle flames in the dim light.

“Selia? Oh…no. How? No.” His voice was weak, barely reaching her ears.

She bent over, hesitated then stroked his dark hair away from his face. “What happened to you?”

“He hurt you.”

She looked down at the tattered remains of her shirt, sleeves torn and bloodied, and pulled the remnants closed to cover her breasts.

“I’m all right.”

“I was. I—”

“Shh, I know. The knot. I found the knife,” she stammered. “I have the knife in my boot.” The Svistra hadn’t checked her for hidden weapons. Although she didn’t know what good a weapon could do now.

His skin was pale, even for Jaden, but she couldn’t see any wounds or bruises. “What’s wrong with you? How can I help?” she asked.

Something that might have passed for a laugh escaped Jaden’s lips. He raised his head a fraction. “There is nothing you can do. But then…” The effort must have wearied him because his head fell back.

She glanced around in desperation. Aside from a crumpled shape in the corner that she recognized as Jaden’s pack, the tent was empty. Just her and Jaden and a camp full of Svistra waiting outside.

His lips moved. Selia bent closer.

“You have to find a way to escape.” Panic tinted his golden eyes.

“Not without you.” A sob built in her throat.

“Don’t you understand?” he swallowed. “I haven’t hunted. You asked what…what happens when we don’t feed.” His breathing grew ragged. “He threw you in here to feed me.”

Horror replaced her confusion. The hungry Svistra was Jaden, and she was bleeding. “Why, that mother fucker.” The anger faded as she acknowledged it as useless. Jaden’s brother had done this to him. She’d kill the smug bastard herself.

“I must choose. Your life or mine.” He closed his eyes.

“You’re starving?” She felt numb.

Jaden remained silent. His eyelids flickered but didn’t re-open.

“You need blood?”

He didn’t answer.

“Damn you, don’t you give up on me now,” Selia demanded.

“What? Give in to the temptation to kill you?” He didn’t move a muscle. Only his lips fluttered. “Satisfy my lust for your blood and live? I have just enough strength left to do that.” He took several breaths. “I’m tempted but I couldn’t. I would never harm you. If you don’t understand that, you still don’t understand me at all.”

Hot tears warmed her face. He was resigned to his death.

If you know what you’re doing, one human can last quite a long time.
Keldar’s voice rang in her ears. Before she acknowledged the movement, she’d reached down into her boot and retrieved the knife. With care, she moved Jaden’s head to her lap. That he didn’t fight her scared her more than she wanted to admit. The cut on her upper arm would be difficult for him to reach. Tearing away the remnants of sleeve still attached to her blouse, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened them and ran the blade diagonally across her forearm. Fresh blood dripped down to her hand.

When her blood darkened Jaden’s lips, he struggled. Selia held him tight, placing the wound over his mouth. After a few moments, instinct must have kicked in because his mouth tugged gently against her skin. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if this was what a mother felt nursing her baby before recoiling from the image.

Soon the pain chased away all thought. Jaden was no baby, and his hungry mouth against her raw flesh hurt like hell.

He curled around her arm into a fetal position.

He’ll drain me.
She almost pulled the arm away, afraid that if she did Jaden wouldn’t let her go. Also afraid she’d pull away too soon.
When was enough?
Nausea rolled through her stomach. He needed her.

Selia forced her arm still. His hold grew stronger. Her vision darkened.
I’m going to die anyway. At least I can die saving Jaden.

With a sudden movement he rolled away, crouching across the tent and staring as though he couldn’t see her. His lips were red with her blood. Fear froze her to the spot. He was the hunter and she his prey. Then he hung his head. When he brought it back up, his eyes were filled with tears and his lips clean.

“You…” His voice broke.

Selia crawled across the tent then knelt before him, touching his face with her fingertips. She placed a palm on either side of his face and lifted gently until his eyes met hers. “Was it enough?”

Jaden stared into her eyes. His gaze was deep, reaching into her soul. He took her hands in his and kissed each palm before wrapping the remnants of her sleeve around the wound. “We have to get you to safety.” He struggled to his feet then knelt again, taking deep breaths, his eyes closed. “I don’t think you understand your danger. If I didn’t…if I had left you alone, they would have finished the job, and Keldar can be very cruel.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Jaden opened his eyes and examined her wounds and her torn shirt. “He hurt you? Keldar did this?”

He sounded dangerous, feral. She’d never heard that tone in Jaden’s voice. She nodded.

His nostrils flared, and his eyes burned like liquid gold when he brought them back to meet her gaze.

Selia knew what he was scenting. She shook her head.

He nodded once. “The Svistra don’t have to kill their victim right way. A human’s body is amazing in its healing power, and they would take other liberties as well.”

Keldar had hinted at the same. “He saved me for you.”

“If I refused to kill you then I would have died, and my death would prove I betrayed my people. If I killed you I would have redeemed myself.”

“And then what?”

“Either I could challenge Keldar or accept his leadership.”

“If you challenged?”

“I’m still weak.” Jaden hung his head. The light of his eyes dimmed. “I’m sorry, Selia.”

She reached out and touched his face. He covered her hand with his and met her gaze. She smiled. “What a mess.”

Jaden nodded.

“But they’d never expect…”

“That you would feed me of your own will? No. And even if you had, Keldar would assume I wouldn’t have had the willpower to stop.”

He collapsed into her.

“Jaden!”

“I’m okay. It will…it will take a bit for me to recover.”

“Do you need more?”

“No!” Jaden’s voice felt like a whip. “No,” he repeated softly. “I wouldn’t do that to either of us again.”

She held Jaden in her lap, stroking the hair away from his face. It was as soft as it looked. For a moment she forgot the Svistra just outside the walls.

Jaden struggled to sit up. “We need a plan. We don’t have much time.”

“Didn’t you say Keldar would assume you didn’t have the willpower to stop?” Selia suggested.

“Yes.”

“So if you’re alive, I must be dead?”

“Something like that.”

“So I’m dead.”

A small smile played on his mouth. “Should I knock you out again, or are you any good at playing a corpse?”

“Better to play one than be one.” She narrowed her eyes. “You’re still weak. How are we going to pull this off?”

“We have no other choice. I’ll manage.” He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them some of the strength she remembered had returned. “How much have you bled?” He inspected the wound.

Selia shrugged.

“Are you dizzy?”

“Yes, but not any more than I was before.”

He gently unwrapped the blood-dampened sleeve. “I would bind the wounds, but that would be suspicious. As soon as you get to safety—”

She nodded. “I’ll bind them.”

He stepped nearer and ran a finger from her brow to her jaw. “I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me. Your blood now flows in my veins. If we were not joined before, we are now.”

She smiled away the tears that pricked her eyes. “Then let’s get this over with. It’s your turn to save my life.”

Jaden moved to his pack and handed her a crumpled paper. “Keep this. You may have need of it.”

“Do you want your knife?”

He took the blade, held it in his hand for a moment then returned it to Selia. “It’s yours now.”

“Thank you.”

“When you get the chance, run. I’ll find you. I promise.”

“Jaden.” She waited until he looked down at her. “If we don’t make it, promise you’ll kill me.”

“You can’t—” Jaden stared down at her, his gaze inscrutable.

She again felt the glance of the Svistra who’d carried her through the woods, heard the malice in Keldar’s voice, saw the broken bodies. She shuddered. “I know what I’m asking. I’ve…I’ve seen what they do. Please.”

Selia slid the paper and the knife down the side of her boot without a word. Jaden scooped her up in his arms. “Relax.” He murmured into her ear. “You’re supposed to be dead, remember?”

She let her body go limp, trying not to think of the army of Svistra waiting outside the tent flaps or the slight trembling in Jaden’s arms.

He stepped out into the blinding sunshine. It took every ounce of control not to squint as the sunlight pierced through her eyelids.

“Keldar!” Jaden called at the top of his lungs.

A murmur, then the chink of mail as slow footsteps approached.

“You know, I half expected to burn your body today, Jaden.”

Selia recognized Keldar’s voice and stilled the shiver threatening to race through her.

“Perhaps you’ll still get your chance, brother.”

Keldar’s laugh echoed cruelly. “Will you challenge me?”

Jaden sniffed. “Where’s your garbage heap?”

“I think there’s still some left of that one. Her heart is still beating—won’t you share?”

“She’ll be dead soon enough. Have you sunk so low as to feed off a carcass?”

From the way Jaden tensed she thought Keldar was about to charge, but he relaxed and began walking.

“You turn your back on me?” A note of fear crept into Keldar’s voice.

“Oh, did I forget to thank you for the offering?” Jaden’s pace didn’t slow.

“Coward. Father was right, you’re nothing but a human-loving coward.”

Jaden whispered, “I’m sorry.” Then she flew through the air, only barely managing to keep her body limp as she landed. The putrid smell of excrement surrounded her. She chanced opening her eyes. She’d landed near an open trough. A rocky slope ended at a shallow river where tall trees stood along its banks. Behind her small bushes blocked her view of the clearing. She closed her eyes, listening.