Page 15 of Unleashed

“Why,hoomin?” Aduun prowled closer, his slow, measured movements belying the immense strength of his body.

Nina curled her hands into fists and lifted her chin. She wouldn’t back down, wouldn’t break eye contact with him. “Because you are my tribe.”

Aduun’s quills slapped down. He stared down at her, threatening to crush her beneath the weight of his gaze. “We are not the same.”

Her bravado cracked but did not crumble. “I don’t understand.”

“You are not one of our people. You are not our tribe.”

The rejection stung; she refused to accept it. “Orishok is my father, and he has made me part of his tribe. Was his mother not sister to yours? He is your tribe, and I am his.”

“And were that not enough,” Balir said, “she has been claimed by two of your tribesmen.”

“One,” Vortok grunted. “My claim is the true one.”

Nina’s cheeks burned. This was new to her. She’d never sought attention, had spent most of her life avoiding it. Wasn’t this what she’d been looking for? Wasn’t this what she’d meant to find in Utopia? A mate?

They’re beasts. Inhuman.

But so is Orishok.

“It is my right to accept or refuse your claims,” she said. “That…that has always been the way.”

Aduun made a dismissive sound deep in his throat, but it was contradicted by something new in his eyes — a hint of respect, of acknowledgment, amidst the scrutiny? Perhaps it was a bit much to hope for, but there’d been some subtle shift in him.

“Very well,hoomin. Tell us your name, that we may commend you to Sonhadra when Kelsharn’s traps kill you.”

Balir and Vortok stepped forward together, the former hissing and the latter producing a low growl.

Nina’s eyes widened at the sudden leap in aggression.

“She is of our tribe, Aduun, and it dishonors us all for you to threaten her,” Vortok said.

“I make no threats.” There was no smugness on Aduun’s face, no wickedness in his gaze as he stared at Nina; instead, she detected a touch of sorrow from him. “Whatever awaits us, its intent will be to lay us low. To destroy us a little at a time. This female is small and soft. Unless she is far tougher than she appears, she will only become another of our tribe I lead to ruin.” He stalked past Vortok, Balir, and Nina.

She reached out and grasped his wrist. His muscles tensed beneath her hold, his quills rose, and his jaw ticked, but he halted.

“My name is Nina, and I swear I will do all I can to help free you and your people.Ourpeople.”

If not for these valos, she’d do it for her father. For so long, he’d thought he was the last, but now…now there was a possibility, however small, to bring his tribe home.

Aduun bowed his head slightly. For a moment, the turmoil within him screamed inside Nina’s mind, a torrent of faces, voices, wails, and screams. Years lost in a crimson haze, years of hunger and anger, hatred growing beneath it like a cancer. Another flash of red mingled with his emotions, but this was different from the rest, this was softer. Not a craving for meat, blood, or vengeance. It was something just as primal, just as powerful…

Lust.

It was lust…for Nina.

Breath quickening, she withdrew her hand abruptly and thrust her mental shields into place. He lifted his eyes, catching her gaze and holding it.

“I am Aduun, once the son of the chieftain of our clan.” He nodded toward the others. “They are Vortok and Balir, the two I trust most in all this world.”

She dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I am honored to know you as my tribesmen.”

Aduun’s eyes lingered upon her for a little longer before he looked to the tunnel. Nina followed his gaze with her own; the illumination cast by the stones extended only ten or fifteen feet beyond the opening, leaving unbroken darkness beyond. If there was light at the other end, it awaited around an unseen corner or was too far away to be visible.

“There is wind,” Aduun said, “though it is weak. And a faint scent… Balir, guide us.”

Nina hurried to Vortok’s cell, snatching up her bag by the strap and kicking aside bones to retrieve her fallen dagger. When she turned around, she stopped short, nearly hitting a wall of muscle. She tipped her head back to look up at Vortok.

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