Page 41 of Venomous Lust
His deep, too bright blue eyes stared at her like a wall made of anger. His large hand closed on her upper arm and Khal pulled her closer to him, further away from the creature in the cell. Her temper flared bright and hot as the hold on her arm tightened. Khal had already dismissed her, speaking in hushed tones with Zaxis about the best way to force Gerkin to release Celaith to them.
About how much bribing the Eok would likely need to do such a thing.
They have no intention of freeing the others. They don’t see them like I do.
For her entire life, Hazel had been behind the bars of some jail or another. No more. No more bars, no more jail. And she wouldn’t suffer anyone else to be locked up either.
But how would she free them? She was just one woman. She was powerless.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the door to the jail opening and Gerkin’s tall, burly figure walking through the long hallway in their direction, his pale, angry eyes on Khal and Zaxis, his mouth twisted with displeasure.
As he walked, the jailed creatures huddled a little farther into their cells, instinctively trying to distance themselves from the monster in their lives. Gerkin paid them no attention, and nor did he pay any to her.
No, his only focus was on the female Arvak flattening herself against the back wall of her filthy cell.
As he stormed past her, Hazel’s eyes landed on the set of keys at his waist. They dangled carelessly, unprotected while he ignored her completely. Her fingers itched to make a move and grab them to free Celaith, but she resisted. Khal was a mighty warrior, but so was Gerkin, and they were too outnumbered anyway.
They would need an army to fight off the Eok garrison of Garana.
“You’re going to tell me everything you know about Knut, and you’re going to tell me now.” Gerkin didn’t wait, he lurched past Khal and Zaxis, picking up his key and slamming it against the magnetic latch. The door to the cell opened with a metallic click and Gerkin went inside. A brief moment later, he was dragging a screaming Celaith by her hair while she kicked and scratched at his hands with her nails, but with little effect.
“The reward for Knut will be mine and no one else’s.”
Gerkin jerked Celaith up, his hand on her upper arm like a vice and Celaith screamed anew as the audible sound of bone breaking pierced the air. Just to Hazel’s side, Khal moved, his face like a thunderstorm, but he was outmaneuvered by Zaxis.
The Avonie male jumped with surprising agility, his fist connecting with Gerkin’s face with a crunching sound. Gerkin roared in rage, dropping Celaith to the floor as Khal made his move to join in the battle.
In the next instant, Celaith scrambled away, cradling her broken arm, her face striated with deep, dark pink lines and her eyes wide with fear.
The males faced each other as Hazel helped Celaith to her feet.
“Big mistake, attacking the commander like that,” Gerkin growled, wiping blood from an obviously broken nose. “I’ll have your hide for that, Avonie nobility or not.”
“You’re a disgrace to our nation, a disgrace to your post, and a disgrace to your troops.” Khal bit out his words as his talons pushed out of his fingertips, long and deadly. Facing him, Gerkin did the same, an ugly, bloodthirsty smirk spreading on his lips.
The males circled each other, ignoring Hazel and Celaith completely until Gerkin stood with his back to the females. Hazel stared at Khal, at the masculine, raw lines of face, the hardness of his lips, the brutal strength of his nose.
Someone will die here.
The thought sent a flash of panic up Hazel’s spine, because that someone might be the Eok warrior who had carved himself a place in her shy, aloof heart within the short time since she’d met him. She wasn’t sure she could live with what Khal had done, that lifelong bond he called a bloodmating, but she could no longer live in a world where he wasn’t alive.
She lurched, following pure instinct. At her side, Celaith’s mouth opened in a wide O as Hazel’s fingers closed on the keys dangling at Gerkin’s waist. Hazel jerked the keys free, ducking to the ground as Gerkin turned toward her, death in his gaze. His pale blue eyes locked on to the keys in her hands and he moved, slashing wildly with his talons.
Hazel cried out, falling to the floor as Khal leaped in. A flash of blue and red followed as Khal and Gerkin fell to the ground in a heap of murderous rage. Hazel’s heart stopped at the sight of blood, but she knew her time was short. Gerkin’s cries would have alerted the sensitive hearing of some of the Eok warriors, and the battle to follow was lost in advance.
Her panicked gaze went to the row of cells. The prisoners weren’t huddled in the back anymore. They stood, eyes on the fight, rage on their faces. Then Hazel had an idea. A stupid, crazy idea. An idea that might just save their lives.
The fight is lost without an army. We have an army.
Chapter 14
Hazel
Hazel turned to the cell where the brown creature stood, its hands closed around the metal bars, watching her with its expressionless, reptilian face. She reached out without hesitation, her hand pressing the magnetic key to open the door. Bright yellow eyes locked with hers as the barrier between her and the creature disappeared.
“Here’s your freedom.” Hazel pushed the key against the creature’s chest and its scaly fingers closed around her hand. “Free as many as you can. Fight.”
Its yellow eyes brightened and the creature nodded, once.
