Page 62 of Sins of His Wrath

“Three,” he growled, a wild look in his eye. “You realize this means 3 days without you in my bed? I’ll fucking die.”

A startled laugh almost burst through her lips.

Akoro’s eyes snapped to her lips, his frown softening.

She fought to keep a straight face. He probably would suffer. And if she was honest, she likely wouldn’t fare much better. “All right,” she said. “Then let’s see if we can push ourselves to 5 starting today.”

Akoro studied her face. “And at the end of the fifth day, you will let me take care of you in your heat.”

Heat surged up her neck, realizing what she was agreeing to, but she could make a lot of progress in five days and she’ll still have nine left. She nodded. “Agreed.”

Their eyes remained locked, and a smile ghosted over Akoro’s lips—not the sharp, victorious smirk she expected, but something softer. Amused. Almost… pleased.

For a moment, Naya saw him in a different light. She almost forgot to breathe, her heart thundering against her ribs, caught in the deep attraction that always simmered between them. She cleared her throat. “Where are we going?”

Slowly he released her chin and turned forward, urging thenniraeback into a canter. The familiar rhythm resumed, and Naya forced herself to breathe normally as his arms settled around her waist again. The silence stretched between them, taut and almost painful.

“My people and the soges expect you to be escorted back to the Omega forests,” he said finally, his voice was thick and low. “So that is where we are going. The soges will have lookouts watching us.”

Nears brows rose, surprise hit in her. “We are going to the Omegas?”

“No, we’re just going far enough out that they think I have delivered you.”

Naya turned and looked at the dome-covered carts attached to the other soldiers’nnirae. Akoro wanted everyone to think the Omega culprit was in one of them. Clever.

A sudden eruption of shouts shattered the quiet rhythm. Naya’s heart thumped into her throat and she turned to see what the soldiers were shouting about.

Akoro cursed and barked our orders, his voice cutting through the mayhem. The entire company surged forward as one, theirnniraes’hooves thundering against the sand.

“What’s happening?” The words barely left Naya’s lips before Akoro spurred their mount harder, his body tensing around her like a steel trap. The air whipped with the distinctive sound of arrows, and Naya twisted to look past Akoro’s shoulder, horror freezing in her chest as she watched anniraecrash to the ground, its rider tumbling across the sand. More arrows found their mark and the rider’s body jerked before going still.

The remaining soldiers raised bows, returning fire at an enemy she couldn’t see. Naya scanned the endless expanse of sand, searching for the attackers. But the horizon stretched out, unbroken and innocent. She couldn’t see where they could be hiding, the sand looked completely flat. “Who’s shooting at us?”

“Otenyo’s men,” Akoro growled, his voice rising above the wind and commotion. “Or Mansa’s. Or both of them together.”

“But why?” she shouted back.

“They’re trying to get to you,” he said dryly.

“But…” Naya shook her head. “Are they declaring war against you?”

“They will pretend to know nothing of it and then blame bandits. I’m sure they’ve covered their tracks.” Akoro dug his heels into thennirae’sflanks. The beast responded instantly, stretching its long neck forward as it ate up the distance with powerful strides. Wind streamed tears from Naya’s eyes, and she had to lean forward to keep her balance, her hands gripping the pommel.

Through the thundering of hooves, whipping arrows, and loud wind, she caught fragments of shouted commands. Their escorts peeled away, their forms quickly disappearing into the swirling sand.

They rode hard, the sky getting brighter, until sweat soaked through her clothes. Through the haze of sand, a dark smudge appeared on the horizon. They drew nearer and the outline of a forest emerged—if it could be called a forest. Twisted black trees reached toward the darkening sky like gnarled fingers, their branches bare and lifeless.

As they approached, Akoro slowed hisnnirae, stopping on the edge of the forest. One of the soldiers manning the cart pulled up behind them.

Akoro slid from the saddle before clamping his hands around her waist and lifting her from the saddle as if she weighed nothing. She barely steadied herself before his fingers gripped her chin, forcing her face up to his. His other hand ran down her arms, across her ribs. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” she managed, though her legs trembled from the long ride. Her gaze was drawn to the forest, and something in her chest ached at the sight. The trees rose like thick, black spears against the sky, their naked branches twisted into tortured shapes. It reminded her of the dead forest Akoro had shown her before, but somehow more profound in its desolation.

“How can Omegas survive here?” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

“I don’t know,” Akoro said. “But they do.”

She began to walk along the edge but Akoro’s hand slid to her nape, fingers tangling in her hair to slow her so he could walk with her. Tension rolled off him and he matched her steps, staying next to her as he scanned their surroundings.

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