Page 17 of Red Ruin

If I’d realized the Farguard washisguard, then maybe?—

No.

Nothing would’ve changed.

I have nowhere else to run.

Ashbourne has no ties to Azrid.

This is the only guard isolated enough to guarantee that I’ll never cross paths with anyone from my old life.

Now that I have a better grasp on the situation—and my fate—I nod. “Can you spare someone to lead me to the base? I’d like to swear my oath today.”

I squeeze my fingers.

I won’t be able to relax until it’s done.

I’ll even volunteer to make my pledge in blood.

Vhex steps into my path. “Your duty is right here.”

He watches me andonlyme, as if no one and nothing else exists. His intensity has my skin blushing blue, my soul itching to come out and give him that full-body service.

Down, girl.

He has to earn it.

I keep my soul to myself, only speaking to Warden Cherise. “Can you arrange compatibility tests for me and all the Sentinels in the guard? My match data wasn’t put on my record.”

“Re-testing is standard out here. We can’t access the central data bank.” Her gaze flicks to Vhex. “But…”

“Who kept you from me?” His voice roughens. The pressure of his building magic makes my ears pop.

“My family didn’t want it spread, but I match every Sentinel at seventy-five percent.” I finally turn to Vhex and hit him with an eye roll. “It’s not just you.”

After a pause of a breath, I think I’ve gotten through to him.

Then he summons a smile from the seventh circle of hell. “It’ll be me. After the others are gone.”

I shudder.

Sentinels inherit the monstrous traits of their bloodlines. Like Kevan, the cold, cruel lich.

I lived with his coldness, but at least he mostly kept his cruelty to the battlefield. “Being a devil doesn’t give you a free pass for mass murder.”

“Who asked for a pass?” His soul-silks graze my skin, trying to draw out a response.

I rub goosebumps, turning to Cherise. “Should we head to the base?”

“Yeah. The major will take care of...” She gestures in Vhex’s general direction.

I hope that means Sword Major Azrid has a way of handling the human-shaped pile of possessive bullshit that I just stepped in up to the thigh.

The warden efficiently splits her team. Half the force stays to clean up Vhex’s splattered kobolds before the scent attracts something worse. She and the other half escort me beyond the empty town.

Vhex follows close enough to read my sweater tag. He smells like smoke and sweat with that sweet, distracting hit of raspberry dipped in ash.

The more I fight the incessant pull of his soul, the more his energy nips at me.

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