Page 30 of Of Blood and Banes
“No. Absolutely not. He is just as much a danger to you as he is to everyone else.”
“We can keep the manacles on him, then, but he stays with me. That’s final, and I will not negotiate on it.” After having witnessed the brutal whipping nights ago, the idea of Darian alone with them doesn’t sit well with me. Even if Sethan and I agree on a blood pact, and his soldiers follow his orders of not harming anyone in our squad, I know if someone else in the Dragon Lands gets Darian it’ll likely mean he’s killed. That, and deep down I have a fierce determination I can be the one to get information out of him. Information that might save the entire realm. Sethan’s just been going about it the wrong way.
Sethan spins away from me, pacing about the room, his eyes glued to the floor as he considers. After a few sets of strides, he finally whips to me. “Very well, then. But I take no responsibility for whatever happens to him. Many may know him here in the Dragon Lands, and people will do anything they can to spill his blood. That’s not even considering his heritage.”
I level him a look—I’m already steps ahead of him. “You and those you can commit for don’t kill him.”
Sethan rolls his eyes, clearly understanding the more time we take discussing terms, the more he must agree to. As soon as I’m about to jokingly request a dragon-sized mattress, he intercepts my thoughts by unsheathing a dagger tucked into his belt.
Slicing the blade across his palm until the blood wells, he holds his open hand out to me. “Deal?”
I stare at his hand for a long moment. There’s no going back from this. But I’m not willing to risk him killing us Arterians if he wasn’t bluffing about the two-day deal.
“Katerina, deal or not?”
With a sigh, I nod and remove one of my gloves. He offers me the dagger, and I slice my own palm open and place my hand in his. A tremble sparks to life in our grip before shaking up both of our arms. The initial sting in my palm after I split open the skin transforms. As his blood mixes with mine, every nerve in my body spasms. I curl up onto my toes, my spine arching and head falling back as I fail to let it take control of me. My lips part in a strangled gasp, my hand still holding onto his as if it’s my only lifeline.
The sensation fades as quickly as it came, and I lower back onto my feet, my breath chasing after my rapid pulse. “What was that?”
“That, my dear, was your first blood pact.”
After I’ve put my glove back on, Sethan hands me the key to Darian’s manacles. I slide it in my brassiere, regretting not having enough pockets on my pants. He then walks me back over to the community hall, lined with the tables occupied by Arterians and rebels. Our squad is tucked off in a corner, with a generous amount of space between them and the other rebels at the same table. Sethan announces to the room he’ll be gone for a couple of days to speak to their council and then exchanges a few whispered words with Tawny.
Tawny nods, gathering some of her soldiers and leaves the room with Sethan following her. I stride after them and out of the hall, meaning to ask if and when we’ll get our weapons back.Should have negotiated that.A few steps into the street and a hand rests on my shoulder before tugging me back. I turn, finding myself face-to-face with Cole. His expression is soft with that signature worry and discreet longing.
“What’s going on?” he asks. “Why is Sethan leaving to speak to their council?”
“I made a pact,” I answer simply as I spin back toward the direction where Tawny and Sethan’s group slip behind a set of buildings a few blocks away.
Cole strides after me, keeping pace alongside me. “What do you mean you made a pact?”
“A blood pact to ensure our safety.”
Cole throws out an arm to stop me from walking and spins himself in front of me, blocking my path. “What?Are you joking?”
“If I am, you’re not laughing.”
“Because it’s no laughing matter,” he growls. “What the hells, Kat? You just agreed to a blood pact with Sethan? Do you understand what a blood pact might mean?”
I tilt my chin up at him to look him in the eyes. “Oh, and I assume you do?”
“I can make some guesses.”
I move to shift around him. “Great, then I’ll leave you to it.”
He snatches my forearm to keep me from advancing, his jaw clenched in frustration. “I know you’re still mad at me but?—”
“More like pissed, yeah!” I glare. Not that I need to justify my decisions, based on whatever emotion I was feeling at the time. I don’t dare think about our tender moment the other night when he stayed with me until I fell asleep. Because perhaps the angeris resurfacing that the one thing we had—which used to be so pure and simple—is disastrously convoluted.
The fact is, I did this for the realm.
I drop my voice to a quick whisper. “Let’s remember you had many secretive discussions with Sethan you have yet to fill me in on. So don’t pretend like I’ve gone behind your back to make a decision without you when you’ve shown me no such consideration.”
Cole shakes his head. “But this goes beyond our relationship. He singled you out—what did he ask of you?”
“If this goes beyond our relationship, then I suppose it’s none of your business, right?”
“Wrong—I care about you.”
