Page 90 of Vows Forged in Blood

“It’s true,” he says quietly. “There are many of us who did not want war, who wished to seek a peace between our people and the vampires and the humans—or at the very least, the freedom to find a new home and remove ourselves from this fight completely.” I blink, surprised to hear the words and even more surprised by how entirely I believe him. There’s something different about this Revenant, something more…human. He isn’t like the bloodthirsty beasts that attacked me on the road, he’s almostgentlefor fuck’s sake.

And broken. So utterly broken.

“Malek,” the other one sighs, but gives up and turns to face me as well. He has the same scar as Malek on his cheek and I have a feeling that it’s no coincidence. “When Kilgren learned of the talks of peace, he was furious. He challenged his father, took control of our people, and commanded that all of us who wanted peace show ourselves. Of course, we had to obey. The compulsion to do as commanded by our Chieftain is too powerful for even the strongest of us to push against. He branded us as traitors,” he says, pointing to theXon his cheek and I try to cover my mouth with my hand, horrified, but thechains rattle and the cuff digs into my wrist. I wince at the pain, my skin raw and bloody from trying to pull myself free.

“They killed our families,” he continues, “even those with mates—and forbade their other halves from ending their pain and joining their beloveds on the other side of the eternal river.” I blink, unable to hide my shock. The Revenants havemates?? I’d honestly never even thought of them as having feelings at all, or families or, uh,relations, though of course they must for there to be new Revenants created without humans around to turn. But the idea of them having mates the way vampires do never occurred to me as a possibility. It makes sense, I suppose, but my mind is reeling at this revelation.

The Revenant continues, “And now he forces the rest of us to serve him in this war as punishment, to spill blood at his command. If he told me to slit your throat now, I would have no choice but to do it, no matter how much I might want to resist, no matter how much I would recoil inside.” He huffs out a humorless laugh. “Punishment is perhaps not a strong enough word for what this is. Torment. Torture. Agony. Perhaps those are closer to the truth.”

“We don’t want to hurt anyone. We don’t want to kill,” Malek says, almost pleadingly, as if he’s wanted to say these words to someone for so, so long. “I wanted a life of peace and it got my wife and daughter killed, and yet I still want no part of this war. Our ancestors may have all been bloodthirsty, but we have changed. We do not all believe as they did, as many of our brethren still do. As the Montclares changed the way of the vampires, some of us have evolved and found a better way to exist, a better way to live.”

Tears well in my eyes. I wonder how many of the Revenants that Alaric has fought have been there against their will, how many of them had families or even mates that were slaughtered and were then forced to fight a battle they had no interest infighting. How many innocent lives had been taken? How much innocent blood spilled?

“Why do you ask?” the other Revenant asks, studying me.

“I just needed to know the truth,” I say vaguely. Malek narrows his eyes at me and then sighs.

“Whatever you are planning, young one, be careful.”

“I won’t make a promise that I can’t keep…but I will do everything I can to make this right.”

“You are very brave,” the other Revenant says, inclining his head and putting two fingers to his forehead. Malek does the same and when they both straighten, Malek’s lips twitch ever so slightly into a ghost of a smile long forgotten. “It is a sign of respect among our people,” he explains. They both tense, heads jerking towards the end of the hallway. “They come,” he says quietly.

“What’s your name,” I ask the other one quickly.

“Xavier,” he says in a whisper. “Be strong, Dahlia.”

They both straighten and face forward, as if the conversation never happened, and I shrink back against the wall. A few moments later, steps echo down the corridor and then Kilgren steps up to the bars.

“It’s time,” he says with a twisted smile, something between vicious and elated.

I take a deep breath, send up a quick prayer to every god I can think of, and hope that maybe, just maybe, I can pull this off.

Chapter 45

ALARIC

We approach the Obsidian Plain and I can hardly breathe around the knot in my chest, around the spikes of fear and pain I felt from Dahlia as we made our way here. That bastard hurt her in some way, and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.Never again.

I don’t know how, but I will never let him hurt her again. I will beg, I will plead, I will give him anything he desires—and really, I know that is all he wants. He wants to conquer Braxhelm, of course, but mostly, he wants to conquerme. He wants to see me brought low, to see me on my knees before him.

Elias is as taut as a bowstring beside me, fingers flexing and clenching on the hilts of his twin swords. Everyone is tense and thrumming for a battle that will never come. I know the choice was theirs, but I cannot help but feel the weight of their impending deaths on my shoulders. All of this is my fault. Dahlia in danger, my army soon to be in ruin, the safety of the continent hanging in the balance—all of it lies with me.

“However this ends, know that it has been my greatest honor to fight beside you, and my greatest privilege to call you my friend, Alaric. I do not regret a single moment,” Elias says.

My chest twists painfully. I hold his gaze, letting his words strike at the very core of me. I nod but then try to break the awful tension hanging over us one last time.

“Not even the time that wench broke your cock and it took a week to heal?” I meet his gaze and he knows what I’m really saying:I love you. You’re my brother. It has been my great honor. Thank you.His lips curl and soon his customary carefree smile settles over his face.

“Alright, perhaps that bit might be changed,” he admits.

“Or the time you were caught fucking General Hightower’s daughter and he chased you naked through the town square down in Rivendale?” Malcom supplies.

“Or the time?—”

“Enough!” Elias shouts, and a ripple of laughter travels through the lines of soldiers. “As if none of you lot have ever put your cock where it didn’t belong.”

I laugh lightly but then Elias curses and I freeze. He whirls just as Enid rides up on what I assume is a stolen horse.

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