Page 35 of Unleashed

“It’s okay,” she said. “I’m fine, and you are still you, remember?”

As gently as he could, he brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. The soft upturning of her pink lips in response made her eyes sparkle despite the twilight. That quickly, his rage dissipated, easing his breath and relaxing his muscles.

“I remember, Nina. I did not mean to wake you.”

“It’s fine. Have you slept?” she asked, then glanced toward Aduun and Balir. “Haveanyof you?”

“We do not needsleep anymore,” Vortok said, “but it sounds good, all the same.”

Aduun rose from his crouch, quills lifting. “I will keep first watch.” He moved farther down the branch to crouch at a new perch.

Balir approached Vortok and eased himself down near Nina’s feet. He lay over her legs, and she changed her position to allow his head to rest on her lap, touching his cheek with her fingertips. Balir closed his eyes.

Vortok’s beast roared inside his mind. This was a threat to its claim, to its territory, and could not be tolerated. A crimson tinted his vision.

Nina raised a hand and cupped his jaw, tilting her head back to look up at him. “It is my choice.”

Her softly spoken words served as a firm reminder. He bit back his rage, squashed it down and released it with a shaky exhalation. She didn’t want them fighting over her, and he didn’t want to fight; he’d grown up with Balir and Aduun. They were his friends. His brothers. His tribe.

The beast pushed back, creating a tightness in his chest and quickening his heart.

No. Not in this. It will only be meaningful if she chooses me, no matter how much I want her.

If she is forced, I will lose her.

He braced himself for a draining struggle against his instincts, but it did not come. The beast receded, stewing just beneath the surface, undoubtedly waiting for another trigger. Even if the victory was only temporary, it was a victory he’d never known before.

Nina stroked his cheek for a few moments before lowering her hand to his thigh. Her body relaxed against his, and she slipped back into sleep’s embrace, Vortok followed shortly after.

* * *

Aduun sniffedthe air and scanned the surrounding trees, as he’d done countless times since the others had gone to sleep. Unfamiliar stars twinkled through the canopy overhead, their broken reflections shimmering on the surface of the water below. The starlight offered him no comfort. Somewhere far-off, a treeclaw made an undulating call, but Aduun didn’t concern himself over it; the creatures were likely pursuing easier prey.

He clenched his teeth and released a low growl, cursing his Creator.

Kelsharn had cast an inescapable shadow over Aduun and his people, leaving them shrouded in darkness, blind and helpless. All of this was Kelsharn’s doing; he’d shaped this place into a world of its own, part of Sonhadra and yet separate, just as he’d shaped Aduun’s clan into forms of his liking.

Turning his head, he settled his gaze on his companions. In his old life, he would’ve had difficulty making out the details of their forms in the poor lighting, but he had no trouble now.

Vortok sat with his back leaned against the wide trunk. Nina remained nestled between his legs, with one arm over Balir’s chest, who lay between her legs with his head on her lap. All peaceful, all still. Their expressions were free of stress and untarnished by worry. Here, in the middle of a place constructed solely for their misery, they’d found a little piece of contentment.

Wasn’tthatan act of defiance against Kelsharn?

Aduun padded toward his companions. Their familiar scents drifted to his nose — Balir’s faint, exotic spice, Vortok’s earthy musk, and Nina’s fragrance, sweet and alluring, blending in perfectly with the others.

Whether she was a piece of Kelsharn’s game, even if she were a mechanism in an elaborate trap, why shouldn’t the valos take what pleasure and comfort they could in her? Wherever this path ultimately led, Kelsharn could not take away any joy they experienced during the journey.

That joy belonged to them forevermore, no matter what came.

Aduun’s beast wanted solitude, wanted freedom not only from this place and Kelsharn, but from the burden of caring for others. That nature warred with what Aduun knew to be right; this was his tribe. These were his people. Regardless of the beast’s inclinations, the man wanted their companionship, wanted them safe and happy.

And he longed for the same contentment he saw in his companions now.

He moved to them, reached forward, and tapped Balir’s leg with the backsides of his claws.

Balir opened his eyes and sat up immediately, the red spots on his throat glowing like tiny beacons in the darkness. Nina stirred, moaned softly, and drifted back into sleep.

“Will you watch for a while?” Aduun whispered.

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