Allegiance Sworn (21 page)

Chapter 25

A
REK
stared hard at the spot where the heel of Imhara’s boot rested on the floor rug, yet with each passing heartbeat, the present situation seemed more and more surreal.

The conversation around him faded.
Mother of Light
,
Na’Rei
Savyr Gannec sat less than six feet away from him. The pounding of his pulse equaled the force he applied to every muscle in his body in the effort to remain still.

Keep calm! Concentrate on your task.

He gripped the serving tray tighter, his nails digging into the wooden edges, and snuck another look sideways. Couldn’t resist. The faceless image of his dreams finally had form and detail.

The power and strength in the broad angles of Savyr’s face and hard jawline hit first. Decades of experience marked the lines creasing his tanned skin, projecting an equal share of confidence and arrogance. Jet-black hair, the same color as the uneven spots trailing down either side of his dark brows, framed a wide forehead, yet the air of menace he exuded didn’t come from just his physical looks but also the predatory gleam in his deep purple gaze.

Arek sucked in a deep breath. How many years had he imagined this scenario? Of being in the same room as the monster who’d kidnapped and raped his mother. Of facing the bastard responsible for her death. The one he blamed for driving his father to suicide.

A familiar aching hollowness squeezed his heart. Too young to recall either of them, ethereal sensations were all he had to remember them by, and time had blurred or relegated many to indistinct impressions, some so insubstantial he could no longer recall the where or why of them.

Never had he felt the absence of a weapon at his side more keenly. The urge to drive a blade deep into that wide-barrel chest and let loose the full force of his Gift burned.

Arek ground his back teeth together, knowing the action would be suicide, but the seething mass of heat and cold roiling in his gut threatened to shred his control. He closed his eyes.

Focus.

He needed to focus.

He sucked in several, slow breaths.

Second Arek Barial, Light Blade warrior, had no place here.

He was a
slave
.
Na
Kaal’s server.

Nothing more.

Yrenna’s soft, uneven gasp snapped his eyes open. Imhara leaned back on one elbow, giving him a clear line of vision to Savyr. The demon’s large hand passed over the tips of Yrenna’s bare breasts, a teasing brush, before his fingers closed around one, his grip tight enough to illicit a pained cry.

Her distress scraped across already raw nerves.

“Get your hands off her.”

The raspy voice didn’t even sound like his, and for a moment, Arek wondered if someone else had issued the order. But heads turned in his direction, all with varying expressions of surprise and displeasure.

“
What
did you just say?” Imhara caught his jaw and twisted his face toward her, forcing his gaze away from Savyr and Yrenna. Violet eyes, wide with shock, locked with his. “You forget your place, slave.”

Her voice shook, and if he hadn’t seen the nervous sweep of her tongue over her bottom lip, he’d have mistaken it for anger instead of concern.

She was worried about him, and not Yrenna?

Frustration surged through him. How could she just sit there and watch the young woman being abused? How many others over the years had Savyr tormented, subjecting them to his brand of suffering, stripping them of their dignity and destroying their souls as he had his mother?

“He’s hurting her.” A harsh whisper.

Bleakness swirled through her gaze, then her mouth flattened even as her expression hardened. He grunted as she shoved him hard enough to send him sprawling on the floor. He flung out his arms to break his fall. The platter slipped from his grasp and shattered as it struck the ground.

“What the
Na’Rei
does is none of your concern, slave! Rassan, get him out of here!” She dismissed him with a flick of her hand before glancing over her shoulder toward the two
Na’Reishi
. “Your pardon,
Na’Rei
, Second Yur. This one is new and still learning.”

Arek climbed to his feet, an iciness slicing through him as keenly as the knowledge that Imhara intended to let this farce continue.

“Shall I put him in the stocks?” Rassan’s hard-edged query came as a fist caught the collar of his tunic.

“The stocks?” Yur’s snort was accompanied by a narrow-eyed glare. “What will he learn from that? Slice the tongue from his head.” He rolled to his feet, his fingers stroking the hilt of his dagger. “With your permission,
Na’Rei
, I’d be more than happy to teach him the folly of speaking out of turn.”

Arek saw red.

Like
Light
he would! Widening his stance, he prepared to defend himself. A thick-muscled arm wrapped around his throat. He was jerked back against a hard body.

“Let go of me!”

Rassan pinned his arms to his sides using brute force. “You’re only making the situation worse, human.” His hissed warning was accompanied by a tightening of the choke hold. “Your orders,
Na
Kaal?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Arek saw Yur’s black lips curve upward in a wicked grin. Imhara rose from the cushions. The markings on either side of her face stood out in stark relief against her colorless skin. Nothing in her expression gave away her thoughts, but traces of anger and fear glittered in her eyes.

The silence stretched out. Savyr’s keen interest and intense anticipation in her response took the edge off Arek’s rage.

He quit struggling against Rassan.

Lady’s Breath
, what had he done?

His careless actions had placed her in a precarious situation. How precarious he wasn’t sure, but he knew she couldn’t afford to look weak in front of either warrior.

“Release him.” Savyr’s quiet order pinched the lines around her mouth tight. The stiff nod she gave Rassan betrayed her apprehension. The
Na’Chi
released him and stepped back.

Arek shifted from one foot to the other. Guilt raked him with razor-sharp talons.

“I see you begin to realize the gravity of the situation, human.” The gleam in Savyr’s eyes sharpened. “Sit down, Urkan. Your threat means nothing to this slave. Let me show you how to teach him a lesson he won’t forget.” He stroked Yrenna’s cheek with his thumb. “Kneel and beg forgiveness.”

His arrogance grated, like jagged fingernails over skin. Arek’s lip curled.

In one smooth motion, the demon drew his dagger from his belt and sliced open Yrenna’s cheek. The young woman screamed, clutching her face. Arek sucked in a shocked breath. His world narrowed to the blood oozing from between her fingers. Behind him, Rassan cursed softly.

The nightmare images of his mother with Savyr swirled in his mind. How had she coped with such a monster? All his imagined scenarios could never match what she’d truly experienced.

Savyr jerked Yrenna closer to him, one arm banded around her torso, cutting her struggling to nothing. With the flick of his wrist he laid the blade against her other cheek. Her whimper cut as deep as the blade that wounded her.

“Kneel and beg forgiveness.” Steel edged every word.

Arek stepped toward him, his hatred for the demon raw and bone deep. Every instinct urged him to use his Gift. Surprise would be on his side. Yet the icy finger of logic cooled his temper. He’d never close the gap between them fast enough. An inch and a heartbeat were all the distance and time Savyr required to slice Yrenna’s throat instead of her cheek.

“Use the blade on me!” he hissed. “She’s done nothing to you.”

“You’re a slow learner, human.” The blade tip pierced Yrenna’s skin.

Her frightened cry squeezed his heart.

“The slave’s worth diminishes the more scars she bears,
Na’Rei
.” Imhara’s low-voiced comment vibrated with anger. “This female is one of my best.”

“You show such concern for something that can be so easily replaced.” The measured look Savyr gave her lifted Arek’s heart rate. “A leader must sometimes be willing to make sacrifices in order to maintain control,
Na
Kaal. Surely you know that?”

Imhara stiffened. The dark glittering of her gaze caught Arek by surprise. Her hand crept close to the hilt of her dagger. She looked ready to challenge the
Na’Rei
. To save Yrenna, and protect him?

If she turned, Savyr would see her threatening gesture. An unplanned attack held little chance of success. The situation was too volatile. Too dangerous.

The razor-sharp talons dug deeper into Arek’s innards. His hatred and temper had created this mess.

Lady’s Breath
, it was his pride or all their lives.

The choice was his. And it wasn’t a comfortable one. Not at all.

Slowly, Arek dropped to his knees.

It’s better to show too much respect than not enough.
Jawn’s advice echoed in his head.

He bent over and placed his hands and his forehead on the ground, just like the other slaves had when the Kaal Clan rode past their campsites.

“
Na’Rei . . .”
His throat closed over, his jaw clamped shut on the words needed to salvage the situation, refusing to utter them to a demon he hated more than life itself.

His pride railed but he shoved it down.

Merciful Mother
, this wasn’t about him. Yrenna’s quiet sobbing was a stark reminder of the suffering he’d caused.

“
Na’Rei
, please forgive this slave’s shameful behavior.” Arek swallowed twice. He could still see Imhara’s pale face in his mind’s eye. He forced the words out. “You were right to teach me this lesson. . . . Please, I beg you not to hurt Yrenna any more.”

* * *

WITH
Arek’s hoarse words, Imhara felt her whole body loosen, every muscle weakening to the point where she had to lock her legs to stop herself from sagging back down on the cushions. Her pulse pounded so hard she could hear it in her head.

She flicked a glance at Savyr. He stared at Arek from beneath a half-hooded gaze, assessing, measuring, evaluating his sincerity. The utter coldness of his expression frightened her. Too often she’d seen that look during the Enclave, usually just before he executed someone. She held her breath.

Beneath the iron-rich odor of Yrenna’s blood, the familiar heavy bitterness of Arek’s anger and hatred still lingered, but an acidic mix of guilt and shame diluted its potency.

She felt sick knowing Yrenna and Arek’s lives balanced on Savyr’s mood. Would Arek’s abasement satisfy him?

“You see, Urkan?” Savyr drawled. His arctic demeanor thawed into cruel satisfaction, feeding on Yrenna’s fear and Arek’s humiliation. “You just have to find the right incentive to motivate these humans.”

He removed the point of his blade from Yrenna’s cheek. He tasted the blood on the edge of the blade, cleaning both sides with a slow lick of his tongue. Imhara wrenched her gaze away, the knot in her stomach tightening with his sadistic enjoyment.

“While I know it’s a hard task for any female, I’ll leave any further disciplinary action for this slave to you,
Na
Kaal.”

Imhara let the slur slide and bent her head in mute thanks. Did Arek realize just how close he’d come to death? To watching Yrenna die? Why had Savyr stopped Yur and ceded control of Arek’s fate to her?

She pursed her lips. Whatever his reason for restraint, his benevolence worried her. Arek had just pushed her ass-first into a position of vulnerability.

“It’s a good thing you’ll be mated before the end of this season.” Savyr’s comment drew her gaze back to him. “Then the responsibility of dealing with slaves need no longer fall to you.”

Imhara sucked in a short breath. Was that his motive? Use his generosity to pressure her into mating?

Savyr released Yrenna as he pushed to his feet. Yur followed suit. The young woman curled up among the cushions, her head buried in her arms, her sobbing silent. A healer could staunch the bleeding of her wounds, but would they be able to repair the scarring?

“You’ll pardon me if I reserve judgment on that,
Na’Rei
.” Holding on to her temper, she stood. “At least until I see how well my potential mate handles any sort of responsibility.”

For the longest heartbeat, Savyr stared at her with his piercing gaze. “Ambition and attitude has served you well the last few years,
Na
Kaal, but don’t forget who you’re addressing. You’re being given the choice of mate, but this arrangement can be altered.”

An icy finger scraped between her shoulder blades. She let her gaze drop in a gesture of submission and acknowledgment.

“But I do admire your sass.” His chuckle was low and deep. A complete surprise. “Many don’t, Imhara, but I do. Perhaps because I see so much of me when I was younger in you.”

Imhara hid her grimace. That wasn’t a particularly comforting comparison.

“Commander Jirri is looking forward to meeting with you.” Savyr sheathed his dagger. “Make yourself available to receive his visit tomorrow.” A clear warning. “Your hospitality has been”—here his gaze flickered to Arek and his lips tugged upward—“entertaining.”