Page 70 of Of Blood and Fire
“Does that mean you never brought anyone back to your bunkroom when you were in Zephrine’s army?”
“I did not officially join the army until I was pretending to be my brother, and at that point, I had my own quarters.”
He moved his hand from my spine to step around a cluster of boxes sitting on one of the steps, and I did my best to ignore the delicious heat that lingered.
“Garran said several people had sustained injuries during the fight—how bad were they?”
“Kerryn lost an ear and was lucky not to lose his left arm, and Jax broke her leg and had to be stretchered back—not a fun thing to do in some of those tunnels.”
“But they’re both going to be okay?”
“Yes.” He glanced at me. “For which I am extremely grateful, as their former captain would be seriously displeased had I returned home with anything less than a full complement of men and women.”
Which was an echo of a comment he’d made once before. I nudged him lightly and said, “Oh, she most certainly would have been.”
He laughed, the sound echoing through the still-shadowed room. Several people looked up and saluted as we clattered down the rest of the stairs and headed for the front doors. I returned all of them and thanked the guard as he opened the door.
As we stepped outside, I added, “Did Garran mention your father disappearing?”
“Yes, he did.”
When he didn’t continue, I looked at him. His expression gave little away, though the flicker of anger that ran through our connection suggested he wasn’t surprised. But it was the anticipation accompanying it that gave me cause for concern—he was actuallyhopingfor an attack so he could kill his parent, as he had wanted to do during our confrontation.
“Nothing good ever comes of such a plan,” I said softly. I understood his need for vengeance—Vahree only knew I had plenty of that on my own plate—but killing an enemy was vastly different to killing flesh and blood. A parent, no less.
“In that, you are wrong.” His voice was flat, ungiving. “Zephrine would be far better off, even with my half brother at the helm.”
I wasn’t so damn sure of that but let the matter slide. “What I don’t understand is why he would even bother disappearing into Esan’s tunnels. Wouldn’t he be better to simply go home and plot from afar? He has, after all, proven himself a master of long-term planning.”
He briefly met my gaze, his eyebrows raised. “Have you forgotten his vow?”
“He wants to kill you?—”
“No, he wants to feel my blood pump across his hand and watch the life leach from my eyes. You can’t do that sort of thing unless you’re holding the knife or the sword, and either requires closeness.”
“And that’s the one thing hecan’tdo.” I waved a hand up and down his length. “You’re protected by that body shield of yours.”
A weary smile tugged his lovely lips. “Blood magic cannot be maintained over long time periods unless it’s anchored to anexternal source of energy, such as what I did with the shields that guard the entrances into the aeries.”
“Could you anchor a similar shield across Esan’s main wall?”
“No, because it would be impossible to factor in all the exceptions.”
“Meaning soldiers, weapons, etcetera?”
“Yes. And before you ask, no, I can’t shield you or your drakkon, because such a spell would require it being anchored to your life force, and that would drain you both far too quickly. The only reasonIwas shielded at all was because I had no idea what sort of situation I’d be stepping into when I returned.”
“How come the shield didn’t stop us from having sex, then?”
He half smiled. “Because you, my dear wife, are the other half of my soul, and my magic recognizes you as such.”
“And you, dear husband, are full of shit.”
He laughed. “I will admit to weaving in an inclusion to your touch, just in case things were not as bad as I feared and desire got the better of control, but that does not alter the truth of my statement.”
And you shouldn’t put truths like that out there, I wanted to say,because Túxn is watching and listening and may just take them as a challenge.
And I fearedthathappening more than I feared his fucking father.
