Page 61 of Kept to Kill
Mal snarled at her side. ‘Laws of the Army are followed,’ he said darkly, ‘or she could be taken.’
‘Taken?’ asked Lily, drawing back and looking from one to the other in unease.
‘In the camp itself, other Brothers can take an unclaimed woman as spoils because the binding isn’t strictly complete.’ Bastian shrugged. ‘But only if the Commander allows it. Quin won’t. It would fracture us, and he knows he won’t last a day in the camp without a strong unit.’
Mal snorted and then murmured in her ear, ‘Rest.’
* * *
Bastian rolled his eyes.He wouldn’t have thought Mal would have such traditional ideas. Yet here he was spouting about the old laws. His gaze landed on Lily’s arse and he found his brow furrowing. What had Quin been thinking? She was such a slight thing compared to them, yet his Brother had not drawn his blows if the marred flesh and bruises were anything to go by.
Mal saw where he was looking and caught his eye. His countenance was grim.
‘He deserved more of a reckoning,’ Bastian said.
Mal gave him a quick nod and then slid out of the bed.
‘Going to find out the plan.’ He sneered.
Bastian let his eyes drift over Mal. He was an unusual man, his Brother. Quiet and angry, but there was much more beneath the surface, and Bastian vowed that he would explore the many facets of his Brother. All he needed was time. Remembering the kiss they’d shared, he smiled slightly.
Mal might have fucked before, but he’d never shared affection or intimacy with anyone, woman or man, Bastian would wager. The man’s lips had been as inexperienced as Lily’s. He couldn’t wait to show them more of the delights he’d taken for granted for so long.
His brow furrowed. The more time he spent in this realm, the more perspective he seemed to have on the mortals of it. He didn’t remember being drawn to them so completely when he’d been here in his youth except for the occasional dalliance with the more beautiful ones. He’d spent much of his time in battle with other gods, beasts and mortals alike. He thought on that for a sentimental moment. Simpler times. He’d been flightier then, though, and prone to letting his emotions get the better of him like many gods in those darker days.
Mal left the room and Bastian watched him go. He looked down at Lily, who’d closed her eyes, though he could tell she wasn’t asleep.
‘Did you like seeing Mal and me like that?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she murmured.
‘Why?’
Her lips turned up in a faint, sleepy smile. ‘I like to see you both enjoying yourselves. I thought at first that you didn’t like each other much.’ She wrinkled her nose and looked up at him. ‘That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? We’ve only been traveling together for a few days and yet I feel as if I know you well.’
‘Perhaps you do,’ he said in spite of himself.
But Bastian didn’t want to look too closely at whatever this connection was that the three of them seemed to have. He had come here with the intention of staying for a lifetime at least, but since they’d crossed the mountains to the north, he had begun to hear things in the inns they’d visited; stories of portal collapses, mortals suffering terrible afflictions when close to the open bridges. People vanishing, strange lights, dangerous creatures appearing where they’d never been before from realms much darker than this one.
He’d have put down at least some of the talk to gossip and scaremongering, but after what had happened on the ship, when that portal had opened under the sea andthat thinghad destroyed the boat … It shouldn’t have been able to cross the breach if the wards were still in place. And there were so many tales of the same that Bastian was beginning to wonder how long this realm would last before it was overrun. Who would save it? Was Gaila powerful enough?
There had been twelve bridge collapses or outright disappearances in this realm alone in the past two years, he’d found out. Information that, oddly, had never made it to the Mount. What could possibly make the portals start to fade after so long? Why did the problems seem to be worse in the north? How could he protect his unit?
He glanced at Lily. He wouldn’t be surprised if her curse was related in some way to these odd happenings. There was no way of knowing when they’d begun to occur, after all. The portals were the bedrock of the realms, as fundamental as the very air. Even the Gods didn’t know where they’d come from. They’d existed since time was time, and the mere idea that they’d begun to fail … Bastian shuddered slightly. He couldn’t even imagine what that would mean for this realm and the others. Without the portals, even the gods would be stuck in their realm on the Mount.
Gaila had wanted him to find out what was going on and why, as she hadn’t been able to, but he had little idea of where to begin and, in truth, he’d expected the problem to be little more than some small oddity that was easily repaired. It was clearly much bigger than either he or Gaila had anticipated. He wondered if he should speak with Quin about it. As the Commander, he would surely have more knowledge.
There had been a stack of missives from that woman, Maeve, waiting for him when they arrived in Kitore. But, he reasoned, if he spoke to Quin, he would have to tell him the rest, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to tell his Brother, his Commander, that he was in fact a god. He gave a small shake of his head. What would they make of that? What would Mal say? He got the impression that Mal did not look kindly upon the gods. And that was fair enough. It was rare for them to directly involve themselves in most matters. And when they did, it typically didn’t end very well for the mortals involved.
He looked down at the woman next to him who, once more, had closed her eyes. He hoped that wouldn’t be the case this time. He cared for her. It had been so long since he’d formed an attachment to another being, yet there was something about Lily that called to him.
He loved her smile, loved that light that shone within her. He loved her touch. He loved that she loved his touch. His cock began to harden as his thoughts diverged to more carnal imaginings. He hoped Quin would take her soon, otherwise he would definitely ignore the old laws and get there first.
He slid his legs over the bed.
‘Something wrong?’ she asked, not moving at all.
‘No. Nothing,’ he replied. ‘But, you were brought to the north for a reason. Get dressed and then join us downstairs if you want to know why we’ve come.’
