Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1) (5 page)

“The color changes with what I’m feeling. This trait belongs only to the
Na’Chi
.”

“Your eyes are red now. What does that mean?” He laid aside the sodden cloak and slid into his breeches, lacing them up swiftly. They were torn and ragged but better than no protection against the cold night air. He paused, his shirt in his hands, as the silence between them lengthened again. “Annika?”

“You’ve made it quite clear you don’t trust me.” She fiddled with the flap of the pouch. “What’s to stop you from killing me if you don’t like some of my answers?”

“There’s always that chance,” he conceded as he pulled on his shirt. He doubted he had the strength for a sustained fight, though she didn’t need to know that. Instilling fear into an opponent didn’t always require a blade.

Yet he owed her his life. He was out of the dungeon and now he’d have a fighting chance to escape the
Na’Reish
and live. “But Hesia advised me to listen to you with an open mind, and that’s what I’ll do.”

She glanced at him then away, something he noticed she did a lot. “Perhaps we can talk as we keep moving.”

A stalling tactic. The reluctance in her voice was a dead giveaway. He motioned her to lead the way, willing to let her get away with it but determined to get some answers.

A half-moon provided enough light to see by. The grassy bank gave way to a rocky roadway, which they crossed quickly. His patience ended as they reached the edge of a densely wooded forest but before he could prompt her, she spoke.

“I’ve used a lot of energy tonight. Red means I’m hungry.”

“Hungry?” He halted by a thick tree trunk, the shadowed darkness beyond it less daunting than the fear that skittered along his spine. “For what?”

“For blood.”

His scalp crawled, shock and anger twisting within him.
Lady’s Breath!
Hadn’t he been trained never to let his guard down? A half-demon, even a pretty one, was still a demon. With a curse, he jerked away from her, reaching for a sword no longer belted around his waist. “You drink blood?”

Adrenaline raced through him when he realized he was unarmed. Unarmed against a woman powerful enough to kill with a touch. He fisted his hands.

“That’s why you helped me escape? Why you need me with you?” The image of her latched on to him, feeding, flashed through his mind. “I’m a convenient food source?”

How many Light Blade warriors had he seen fall in battle? How many had he heard scream in agony as demon teeth ripped into their throats or wrists so they could be drained?

Nausea choked him. Too many.

Kalan dropped into a crouch, teeth bared. “Come one step closer and I will kill you.”

Chapter 3

H
ESIA hurried along the dark corridor, her thoughts centered on Annika and Kalan rather than the rough, wet stone underfoot. She inhaled a shaky breath and swallowed hard against the tightness in her throat. Had she made the right decision sending Annika away with the Light Blade?

After so many years of watching Savyr’s attempts to break Annika’s spirit, and knowing time worked against her efforts to save Annika, Kalan’s capture and imprisonment had certainly been the answer to her prayers. She had to have faith that the
Lady
would provide Annika with a better future, that Kalan would keep his word to her, and that
She
would keep them both safe.

“I can’t believe you entrusted the life of someone you love like a daughter to a Light Blade warrior.”

The deep-voiced, softly spoken reprimand came from the shadows of a bisecting tunnel. Hesia jerked in surprise, her hand clutching at her throat in fright as a figure dressed in black moved to block her path. The tall, lean, muscled body moved with fluid grace. Powerful and dangerous.

The nearest torch threw enough light so she could see his face. Glowing violet eyes ringed with green met her gaze. The pounding of her heart eased. He was more than capable of killing her, had learned that skill at a very young age, but she knew he’d never harm her.

“Varian, you’ve taken a great risk coming here.”

“None greater than any you’ve chanced over the last thirty years, old woman.”

She smiled at the undertone of affection in his voice. He’d called her that from the first time she’d found him, a young child of five scavenging in the fortress rubbish pile for food, half wild and belligerent.

The young
Na’Chi
came closer, his tread silent. “He’ll kill Annika the first chance he gets. His kind won’t see the difference between us and the
Na’Reish
.”

“His honor binds him. He’s promised to help her.”

“Annika should have been told about us.” His somber tone made her grimace.

“Do you think I liked keeping that secret from her? Her knowing of your existence would’ve put you all at risk.”

“She believes we were all killed as young children.”

“And the
Lady
forgive me for lying to her all these years.” Her gaze sharpened. “But you know why it was necessary.”

His sigh was heavy. “Do you really think the Light Blade will help her?”

“He gave his word. He’ll learn to trust. When he does, he’ll realize that to be
Na’Chi
is not the same as
Na’Reish
.” She prayed with all her heart the path she’d helped prepare was one the
Lady
approved of. Nothing would provide more peace and comfort than knowing the
Na’Chi
were safe and able to live happy lives. “If she’s accepted by him, this will pave the way for you. The
Lady
will guide them both.”

He reached out an arm to help her around a rut in the tunnel floor. “You put too much faith in
Her.
”

“And you not enough.” Her words were sharper than she intended. Hesia squeezed his hand in apology.

He gave a derisive grunt. “What faith can I put in a deity who allows us to suffer as we have?”

“Varian! The prejudice and fears of humans and demons alike cause the suffering you speak of, not the
Lady
.” They’d had this argument many times before. Going over old ground wouldn’t solve anything. “Are you and the others ready?”

“We’ve moved to the old ruins by the river.”

“No one saw you?”

The ghost of a smile shaped his lips. “Avoiding
Na’Reish
patrols is second nature to us. Years of learning to hide from them have ensured that. We’ll use the same skills to avoid the humans.”

She grasped his hands tightly and peered up at him, her own smile tinged with sadness. “Then I’ve done all I can to help you.”

She cherished the next couple of moments as Varian hugged her tightly. She smoothed his long, wavy black hair, and lovingly traced the dark markings that dotted the sides of his face and the jagged scar that ran from the corner of his eye to the bottom of his square jaw. He flinched but tolerated her touch.

The wound was one he’d received when he’d killed one of the dungeon guards after he’d followed her to where he and the other
Na’Chi
lived outside the fortress. He’d once worn it like a badge of honor until others had seen it as a disfigurement, a flaw in what was otherwise a handsome face. Some
Na’Reish
prejudices influenced the
Na’Chi
. The memories of the child he had been and the man he was now merged. Despite his bitterness and cynicism, he cared for and protected the other
Na’Chi
. She was proud of the warrior he’d become.

She sighed softly. It would likely be the last time she saw him. There would be a price to pay for helping Annika and the
Na’Chi
escape. Savyr would question her, and with her refusal to speak, he’d kill her. If it meant Annika and the
Na’Chi
would all get the chance at a new life, one free from the
Na’Reish
, then she would accept her destiny. In her heart she knew that the
Lady
would comfort her as she crossed over. Soon she’d be reunited with her own children.

“I’ll continue to pray for you, for Annika, for all
Na’Chi
,” she promised. “Once your journey begins, your future lies in the hands of the
Lady
.”

“I put my faith in you, Hesia, mother of my heart.” His whispered words brought tears to her eyes. “We all do.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead then released her. She lifted a trembling hand to her lips as he returned to the tunnel from which he’d emerged. He halted, barely a shadow in the darkness, only his violet eyes visible.

“You’ve saved us all, no matter what the future brings.”

Then he was gone.

Hesia closed her eyes, her heart aching as fiercely as it had when she’d farewelled Annika. She could only hope that the
Lady
would protect the
Na’Chi
now; trust and believe that all she’d done would save their lives as she’d been unable to do for her own half-blood children so many years ago.

“YOU drink blood, just like the
Na’Reish
?”

Annika flinched at the hatred in Kalan’s voice. His emerald-colored gaze narrowed and his hand flexed. He’d have drawn a weapon had it been sheathed at his waist. The distance between them across the clearing seemed far too small. She tensed, preparing to flee if he lunged at her.

“No, not just like the
Na’Reish.
” She hated how her voice wavered. “I eat food just like you, but I need blood, too. I won’t survive if I don’t drink it.” Disgust flashed across his face. “Do you think I like it? I’d stop if I could. I’ve tried, believe me.”

The face of a human boy rose like a specter in her mind, his mouth stretched wide in a silent scream. He’d had such vivid blue eyes, like the color of the sky on a sunny winter morning. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around her waist.

“I haven’t drunk human blood since I was a child.”

She blinked and the image changed. The same beautiful eyes, no longer so vivid but glassy in death, his skin pale and waxy, one cheek smeared with a rivulet of blood. Saliva flooded her mouth.

Annika swallowed hard and shoved the memory back into the darkness where it belonged. Twice she cleared her throat before she was able to speak. “The
Na’Reish
took great pleasure in locking me in a room with a human to watch me feed when hunger overwhelmed me. They thought it… amusing.”

Disbelief and revulsion warred in the expression on Kalan’s face. The hot rush of familiar embarrassment streaked through her.

“You promised to listen with an open mind.” With her heart pounding in her chest, it took every shred of strength she had to stand and face him instead of running away. “Do you think I liked what they did to me? They turned me into an animal. I hated them for it and I hated myself for letting them do that to me.”

Unable to remember a time when she hadn’t had to justify her own existence, she avoided his gaze, too raw from the memories to let him see her humiliation, and laughed bitterly. “Their little game cured me for life. I swore never to drink human blood again. I abhor the practice.”

“You don’t look like you’re starving.”

His reply cut like a whip. Her temper flared. “That’s because I drink animal blood.” She’d been mocked for that, too. In the world of the
Na’Reish
, she was despised for drinking animal blood instead of human blood and the humans despised her for having to drink any blood at all. “I wouldn’t take your vein, human, even if I were dying.”

“You’re part-demon.” His tone was flat, unconvinced.

“So, you’re saying that the nature of the beast can’t be controlled?”

“You weren’t able to stop yourself from attacking and feeding on a human.”

“I was a child!” Her cheeks warmed even as she ordered herself not to react, not to show pain, or shame, or anger.

All the taunting, the name calling, and beatings paled to the horror and loathing she’d felt once she’d come down from her blood-high and discovered the lifeless body of the blue-eyed boy lying on the ground next to her, his throat shredded and torn out. With her tears mingling with the blood smeared around her mouth, she’d vowed never to drink human blood again, to die before letting herself become the animal she’d shown herself to be.

Her body trembled. How many times had she relived that savage attack? Too many, and not enough. Never enough to atone for her weakness.

“You can stay here if you want”—she forced the words past stiff lips—“but being caught by a Patrol is a certainty if you do.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and strode into the forest. Being born a half-blood wasn’t her fault. Her throat tightened. Would she ever find a place in this world where she felt at peace? Where no one judged her for who or what she was?

Moonlight filtered through the thick canopy but even without it she’d have been able to find her way. Enhanced sight, inherited from her demon father. Yet another reason for Kalan to condemn and reject her.

Why was she letting his attitude affect her so much? Both human and
Na’Reish
despised her. She’d suffered their hatred and disgust all her life. Why had she expected this human to be different?