Page 26 of Unleashed

“Vortok! Balir!” Aduun barked. Though the muscles of his arms were tense and trembling with rage, he didn’t cause her any pain.

The other two valos broke apart as though emerging from a waking dream, their expressions filled with wariness and confusion. They stared at one another for several moments, shoulders and chests heaving, as their hostility slowly diminished. Though their anger bled away, hers continued to boil beneath her skin.

She shoved away from Aduun and glared at Balir and Vortok. “This needs to stop! This is not who you are, and I am not a piece of meat to fight over. You arenotbeasts.”

The two of them stood with their heads bowed. Balir’s tail swished restlessly just above the ground, and Vortok’s heavy muscles twitched.

She moved close to them and reached up, placing a hand on each of their cheeks to direct their faces toward hers. “No matter what Kelsharn has done, you are stillyou,” she said, repeating her words from their dream. “Here.” She moved her hands to rest over their heartstones. Their hearts beat strong, in perfect time with each other — and with hers. “Your bodies have been changed, but the men you were remain.”

Her awareness of Aduun’s presence behind her made her back tingle, but he was silent and unmoving.

She curled her fingers, brushing them over fur, scales, and rippling muscles. “The choice is mine to make, not for you to take. That is our way. Fighting over me willnotwin my affection. You’re only succeeding in opening a rift between the three of you.”

Balir tentatively settled a hand over hers, running the pad of a finger along her thumb. “I am sorry, Nina,” he said, voice raw. “The beast has been at the forefront for so long, it…”

Vortok’s covered her other hand with his own, engulfing it completely. “It is not an excuse, but he speaks true. I am sorry, also.”

“All three of us will have to do better,” Aduun said from behind her. “If we are a tribe, wemust.”

Nina glanced over her shoulder at Aduun before shifting her gaze between Balir and Vortok. They were intently focused on her. Though she didn’t push into their minds, she knew well what they were thinking — what was her choice?

What do I want?Whodo I want?

Why should I make a choice on their terms?

Why do I even have to choose?

That final thought gave her pause.

There were valo tribes all over Sonhadra in which females took multiple males as their mates. Several of her mother’s friends were amongst them; it was not unusual. But for Nina to choose all three of them…

Would she?

Couldshe?

She’d never intended to blood their heartstones. Aduun’s anger was understandable; Nina had thrust herself into their lives, had bound them to her without their say, had taken yet another freedom from them.

Would they have chosenherif not for the blooding? Would she have been an ideal mate for any of them? Aduun remained conflicted. What if that grew into resentment? What if all three came to resent her, in time? She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to bear that.

Aduun’s inner turmoil had already caused him to entertain the notion of killing her.

That reminder chilled her. This was all moving too quickly. Whether or not she’d blooded their heartstones, it was too soon to make a choice.

She stepped away from Balir and Vortok, breaking physical contact with them, and positioned herself so all three valos were within her view.

Despite their beastly appearances, she was attracted to each of them, but that attraction was not enough upon which to base so weighty a decision.

But what choice do they have? I’ve already blooded their stones. I’ve sealed their fate.

They had time. For now, there were more pressing matters requiring their focus.

“There will be peace between you if you want to find your people,” Nina said. “No more fighting over me. Whatever claims you’ve tried to make don’t matter, because the four of us are already bound. For now, all that means is that we’re working toward a common goal.”

Vortok stood with his eyes downcast, looking like an admonished child despite his immense size. Balir’s posture was rigid and straight, his expression grave and shameful. Only Aduun met her gaze directly. He stood with his arms folded across his powerful chest, regarding her with a strange light in his eyes — was it a hint of appreciation and respect?

“There is fresh meat for our morning meal,” Aduun said. “We should eat and set out as quickly as possible. I fear we have far yet to travel.”

After Nina left camp briefly to relieve herself, she joined the others beside the fire, over which spitted meat was already sizzling. Everyone was quiet as they ate, but the mood wasn’t nearly as strained as Nina might’ve guessed it would be. Both Balir and Vortok seemed contemplative rather than agitated during the meal.

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