A Warrior's Quest (17 page)

“Why did you come up here, Auri? What
’s bothering you?”

“
Him
. The big purple demon.”

“He
’s a bit different than his brother, isn’t he?”

“Rathan is charm and sophistication coating a male chauvinist. Ren is who he is, and nothing will hide that.” And how could she not admire that about him? He was honest in who he was, at least.

“He watches you. He’s really in to you.”

“Is he? Or is it because I am here, and he
’s up to something?”
That
was what had her hesitant. He might have claimed her as his
gamata
but she knew he didn’t mean it. Not to the same degree that he was portraying.

Ren wanted her, but he did not love her. So what was he up to?

“Do you really believe that?” Mallory continued to rock the babe, seemingly unbothered by the fact the babe was nursing from her finger. “Why would he do that? I understand that a
gamata
is a pretty serious thing over here. I guess he spoke with your brother today.”

She hadn
’t known that. “What did he say? Did he tell Aodhan his ridiculous ideas?”

“Aodhan said that Ren knew he was your
Rajni
and that you belonged together. Aodhan isn’t happy about it, but he said Ren would keep you safe. From whatever is coming.”

“But what
is
coming?” She was done fooling around with it, done hiding her head in the sand. Something was coming and it involved
her.
She could die tomorrow in the wars that every sense she possessed was telling her were fast approaching. She fought the urge to drop her hand to the sword at her side. An Adrastos could always sense when a war was coming. It was both a blessing and curse to those in her family line. “And why does Ren feel like he needs to be with me for it?”

“I guess that is something you will have to ask him.”

***

She would do just that. Mallory agreed to watch the babe for her while she tracked down her
Rajni.
He was surrounded by at least twenty men lined up in neat rows. A security detail, but for whom? He was prepping them for something; she could see that in the way he was speaking with them, though he was using a language she did not understand fully. Her gifts were with sword and organization,
not
languages. She got by, but only because many in Rathan’s realm spoke English or a variant of it. Something about the early carriers of the English language being a tribe of demons from Relaklonos who’d been banished to Gaia for past transgressions. He looked up when she approached. He bowed to her. “Kitten, come. I was just about to have you fetched.”

Have her fetched?
“I am not a dog, Ren. You will not be fetching me.”

His men stood stoic. Ren glared down at her, but held out a hand. “Where
’s the spawns?”

“Thas is with my sister-in-law. I would think
you
would know where Cerridwen was.”

“These are your personal detail of warriors, kitten. They are yours to order about as you wish, as long as you never leave the castle without them. Inside, you will have a guard of at least two, though they have been trained in preserving your—
our—
privacy.”

Armed guards were nothing new to her. Aodhan had a detail assigned to her from the moment she had been dropped off on his door. But her brother had had the right to protect her, by blood and by responsibility. Ren did not have that. He had not earned the right to her.

“I don’t need an armed guard, Ren. I need to speak with you.”

He dismissed his men. She waited until they were back in his suite before turning on him. “I won
’t be owned.”

“No one owns you. But you do belong to me. As I now belong to you. There is no law in this land strong enough to break that bond. You will adjust in time. You would if we were both Dardaptoan and
Rajni.
Would you not? So what is so different here?”

“Because
you
don’t mean it. I want to know what you know, why you are so insistent. Why you have attached yourself to me
now,
when nine months ago you wanted little to do with me. I want answers, Renakletos.” She pushed against his chest when he tried to wrap his arms around her. “You have them. It’s time I did also. What do you know that I do not?”

***

She wouldn’t be content with a pat answer. He knew that with just a single glance at her face. No, not her. She was a stubborn female and when she wanted something she was going to go for it. Not even a Warrior demon like he could break that willfulness.

“What has changed in you?” She still had her hands in front of him, trying to stop him from touching her.

He crossed his own arms over his chest. “What do you mean? I know no more than you do.”

“Bullshit. You
’re hiding something from me. You barely gave me a glance for nine months. Now, since your arrival in Levia, you are everywhere I turn.”

It took everything he had to keep his face blank. “I do not know what you mean.”

“Coward. Spill.”

He fought down his ire at her insult. The prince of Warrior Demons was far from a coward. Surely she knew that? “I am not coward.”

“Then you are dishonest. Which is it?” Her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Tell me. Now. Or so help me, I’ll take Thas back to Levia first thing in the morn. The Goddess can explain to me what you will not.”

And she would learn of her destiny from someone other than her mate. He did not want that.

“What do you
know
?”

“That there is much in store for you in coming days. And that you must be protected.” That was the truth; yet he
’d not touched anywhere on what the Wolf god had told him. Nor would he. He could not forget the Wolf god’s warning that she must never learn of her fate.

He
would never be the one to put her in danger. His job was to protect his mate, and that was what he would do. Even if it meant the loss of his own life. How could he not? He had given her his soul when he’d sealed their
gamata
bond. Surely she realized that?

Was she going to make him come out and say it?

“And who told you that?”

“The god of wolves. That is all he and the girl goddess knew. And that I was to protect you.” Ren wrapped his hands around her tense shoulders. “And that is what I will do.”

“So the only reason you are with me at all is because some deities you consider beneath you predicted that I would need protection?”

How was a wise man to answer that? Ren had no idea. “I do what I must to protect those in this castle.”

“Even try to charm me into being with you?” She asked the question slowly and Ren tensed even more. What was she thinking? “Even though you didn’t want to be with me to begin with?”

“No.”

“Yes. That’s exactly what you’ve tried to do. I won’t be an obligation or someone you
have
to take care of. That you
are reguired to
be with.” She opened the drawer to the dresser he’d had moved to the suite especially for her belongings. She started pulling those blasted white tunics and trousers from the drawer. “Where’s my bag? The one I always carry my things in?”

“I had it put away. You do not need it.”

“Yes, I do. Get it for me. I’m not staying with a man who sees me as nothing more than an obligation.”

“You are not just an obligation.” But she was; had started out as just that. But, didn
’t they have the time now to
build
on that? Why did she think everything had to happen between them
right
now? “What do you want to be to me? I can make that happen. I am half Incubus.”

“Ren, you
’re an idiot if you think that is what I want. Just…just have
my
things sent back to
my
room. Thas’s, too. I…don’t want to see you right now. And probably not for a very long time. I don’t want
you.”

Aureliana
’s heart was bleeding as she walked away from him—every Dardaptoan instinct she possessed was screaming at her to turn back, to go with her
Rajni
, that everything would work out the way it was supposed to. That she was
meant
to be with the big demon. But she knew it would never work—how could it?

She would not ever be an
obligation
for anyone. She’d been just that four hundred years ago, and wouldn’t again.

No, the only way she would be with Ren was if
he
loved her. And that was something she greatly feared would never happen.

Her arms were full with her belongings, meager though they were. She
’d never had all of her things brought over from Dardanos, a vague hope that she’d
someday
be able to return to her home sitting in the back of her mind.

But that hope, just like the one that she and Ren would ever be happy together, was ridiculous. And it was time she remembered that.

Tiny arms wrapped around her knee, nearly tripping her. Aureliana shifted some of the things in her grasp until she could see the precious face of Ren’s child. Cerridwen looked so much like her father it shot yet another arrow through Aureliana’s chest.

“Are you mad at my daddy?”

“A little.” Dear goddess, she loved this child. Tears filled her eyes.

“Are you mad at me?”

“No, baby. No.”

“Then why are you mad at my daddy?”

“That’s a grown-up thing, baby. Your daddy and I just can’t get along together anymore.” What was she supposed to say? “But we both love you very much.”

Cerridwen shocked her by turning green. Her skin turned green just as fast as her father
’s turned blue or purple or any other color. Yet he’d told her that females of his Kind never possessed that gift. “Sweetie, does your daddy know you can turn colors?”

“No. I can do other stuff now
, too. I could not before Fana. Watch.” The little girl emanated a green light; it surrounded her completely. Aureliana dropped the clothing in her arms and touched the light. It singed her palm, but Cerridwen was completely unaffected.

One of the gifts the Laquazzean had given her? A protection, perhaps?

“How can you be my new momma if you leave?” The green light stopped, and Cerridwen rewrapped her arms around Aureliana’s knees. “Daddy said you were staying with me forever. Daddy said!”

“Sweetie, I
’ll still be
here
. I promise. Just in my own room. You can see me whenever you want.” Cerridwen’s face turned mutinous. Why was it that the very things she found so irritating in the father were so endearing in his daughter?

“But you won
’t be my momma like Daddy said.! I want you for my Momma. Momma’s live
with
their spawn! I want a Momma.”

She scooped the little girl in her arms, not caring that her clothes were at her feet. “Oh, baby. I love you, just like a momma would. I promise you that. I promise. I always will!”

“Then why can’t we work together to make all of us happy?”

His words were quiet, unlike Ren at all. Aureliana turned to face him. When had he come up behind her? Had he followed her and she just not noticed? “I can
’t...”

“No.
I
can’t. I won’t do it without my mate. And that is you. I know I’m not what
you
wanted. But I’m asking for a chance to at least try to be. I’m a Warrior first, pet. Incubus second. I do not know as much about the Incubus ways as I thought I did. I am sorry. I will do better.”

“What do you mean?”

He hesitated. “I
mean
that I find myself caring where you are,
how
you are. Whenever we are apart. And in those nine months since I hurt you, I’ve found myself thinking of you far more often than I ever could have thought. Does that mean something? I do not know. Fated mates like your
Rajnis
are not something
my
people know much about. Just
gamata.”

“
Is there much difference?” Both were bounded mates, were they not?

“More so than I realized.
Gamatas
choose each other, sometimes for political reasons, sometimes for depth of emotions like Kindara and my brother. Sometimes for reasons only known to the demons involved.”

“Depth of emotions? You mean
love.
Your brother and Kindara love each other. Immensely.”

“Yes, they do. And...I do not understand that.”