Page 40 of Barbarian Daddies

I give my brother a horrified look. “Amber and the children. Cynthia was on her way there with Dahlen.”

We have to get as many of our people to safety as possible. We have to find Cynthia. There’s too much happening at once, and for a moment I lose my head altogether, but Maur slaps me on the shoulder and pulls me back into this nightmarish reality. He needs me.

And I need him. “We need to move,” my brother says.

19

Cynthia

By the time I come to, we are so far from the Sun River Plateau I can’t see it anymore. I only see the tall blades of purple grass undulating against the midnight winds. My head hurts. These fuckers need to stop hitting me in the head or I’ll end up with brain damage. Slowly, I manage to sit up and look around, trying to figure out where I am. We’ve been down this path before. I recognize the hills with their wild orchards and the mountains rising to the east.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Dahlen mutters as he carries more wood over to a pile. “I worried I might’ve hit you too hard.”

“You fucking asshole,” I hiss and try to stand up, but the dizziness quickly reminds me I’m nowhere near ready nor capable of fighting this kid. He may be young, but he’s still a Sunnaite and therefore strong and agile—he will subdue me. “You’re the one who betrayed us.”

“There was no point in fighting the Sky Tribe anymore,” he says. “They outnumber and outgun us at every corner. They have the breeding program and the starships to save our species. I’m done playing by the old rules.”

“The old rules? You mean common sense and decency?”

“Where did common sense and decency get us, Cynthia? Look at us. Living like savages by the river. No electricity, barely enough food to get us through each season, always looking over our shoulders and praying the jets don’t hit our territory next. I’m done with that bullshit. We either survive by doing the unthinkable, or we die. I chose to survive.”

He uses a couple of black rocks to throw sparks at the wood and clumps of dried grass on top. Once the fire gets started, he blows on it, making sure the flame spreads evenly throughout the bunch. Soon, the heat emanating from the campfire warms my skin and takes some of the sharpness of my headache away. Slowly, my thoughts begin to clear.

“What happened to them?” I ask. “I saw you coming after me. You ran first. You knew they were coming.”

“Of course, I’m the one who gave them our position,” Dahlen replies, staring at the flames. “I had to get you out of there.”

“What happened to them?” I ask again, my voice trembling while my soul searches for Kai and Maur. This bond must work across greater distances. I need it to work, I need to feel them, to know they’re okay. “Kai and Maur. Alicia, Jewel. The other clans. What did you do, Dahlen?”

“They’re probably dead,” he says with a shrug. “The Sky Tribe fighters had orders to take the human women alive, though, so I’m guessing Jewel, Alicia, and Amber are safe. I’m guessing the children too. The children are precious. They can be reeducated.”

“Are you hearing yourself?”

“They’re dead! The Sky Tribe had orders to raze both territories to the ground!” Dahlen snarls, baring his fangs at me. He’s furious, likely riddled with guilt and regrets. I’ve lost any sympathy I had for him. This boy chose to embrace the monster inside him. He chose betrayal and bloodshed. “They’re dead, Cynthia. Get over them. You belong with the Sky Tribe now.”

My blood runs cold as I remember the ambush by the city gate. “Oh, God, that was you. You told Selina we were coming.”

“She and I have been working together for a while now.”

“Why, Dahlen? How could you be so stupid?”

“Stupid? I was smarter than all of you combined!” he shoots back. “None of you had even the slightest clue. You kept looking around you, wondering who the spy was. Fucking idiots. I outsmarted you all.”

I shake my head slowly. “Why would you betray your own flesh and blood, Dahlen? Your cousins. Your father and uncles.”

“They constantly underestimated me. They never thought I was good enough. Well, I showed them. I chose the right side for once, and I will reap my rewards soon enough!” he says, raising his sharp chin in defiance. “I’ll get a human woman of my own. I’m already enjoying the affections of the only female general in Sunna’s modern history. I’ll have a palace all to myself in the northern district of Sapphire City and a seat at the council table once the Fire Tribe is eradicated. I did the best thing for myself and my bloodline.”

“You’ll get a human woman of your own? Is that what they promised you?”

Well, at least he’s dumb enough to think he’s smart. His mouth starts running. He feels the need to brag, the insecure little shit that he is. I will play that to my advantage. I won’t let him take me back to Sapphire City—he’ll figure that one out on his own soon enough. But until then, I might as well let him keep telling on himself. At least I know precisely who I’m dealing with. If I’m to let my own inner monster out, I have to know what I’m obliterating.

“Yes. And once you pop that baby out, I’ll get to put one of my own in you. We’ll raise them both,” Dahlen says. I could puke, and it’s not the morning sickness. It’s the disgust of his sheer audacity and delusions of grandeur. “I’ll raise your firstborn as though he were my own, I promise you that, Cynthia. We’ll find a Sky Tribe warlord to bond with, as well. We’ll reinstate the old traditions. We’ll take turns with you, though I’m not a fan of sharing my woman like Kai and Maur did with you.”

“What the hell do you even know about being intimate with a woman? Don’t be ridiculous, Dahlen, you’re never laying a hand on me.”

He grins coldly, and my skin pricks all over. Knots tighten in my stomach as I try to better assess my situation and how the hell I’m going to extricate myself from this new fresh hell. Clearly, the universe isn’t done testing me, but that’s fine. I’ve got a precious life growing inside me. I will do anything to protect myself and my baby. I only hope Kai and Maur will survive to see our kid grow up and kick ass.

“I’ve been screwing Selina Sharuk for the past couple of months. I know how to please a woman.”

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