Page 28 of Condemned

Chapter Twelve

Takk stayed sittingon his slab of rock, watching as Zo finally decided to haul himself upright, pulling the girl up with him. That she clung to Zo’s shadow was interesting. Bonded a little, already? He supposed that since Zo had mated her she’d be inclined to think him safer than they were.

Strewn across the rocks this side of the stream were their clothes, as well as Kondio and Timin, lounging naked—as if none of them had a care.

They didn’t, except for the ones caused by the war, and the ones ahead. Settling back into town and farm life wouldn’t be easy. The chunk missing from Kondio’s leg and the small marks leftover from Timin’s head wound stood out even in the shadows. His own, ditto, he assumed. The grenade blast had almost removed his eye; having some hair missing was preferable.

He grabbed his knees, sure that them all being naked might bother the huleon girl but not caring. If she thought they’d all jump her and fuck her any second, she’d learn otherwise. Kondio had gruffly declared her too human. Timin, no real clue as to his reasons, but he seemed indifferent. Of all of them, his response stood out as so unlike the old Timin, that it scrawled another bloody symptom onto the gruesome list of things the war had done.

He eyed Zo, wondering what’d prompted his change of mind.

“We left our florses back there with yours. Where the forest got too thick. Hobbled yours with ours.”

Zo nodded and started fetching his clothes though they looked sodden. The girl had none.

“How come you ended up this deep in the forest?” That reminded him. “Getting out of that grave was courageous, girl.”

Before the wide-eyed thing could say anything, Zo clamped a big hand around her neck. It stilled her and she visibly relaxed. Interest piqued, he raised a brow.

“I had to chase her down. She hid.” Zo grinned. “I told her you’d be punishing her.”

“Not you?”

“I felt it was more your job.”

The sadist, Zo, denying a chance to smack a girl’s ass? Takk pushed himself to his feet, groaning. His injuries chose to pain him. The water had chilled his muscles. He rolled his neck, settled a contemplative look on the pair.

“I don’t do your bidding, Zo. Tell me why she ran.”

“Scared. Figured she could get away from us. Thought the deal you gave her wasn’t worth keeping to. That enough?”

He grunted then paced closer and couldn’t help looking at her body. She was fine and curvy in all the right places, if petite. The perfect pink circles of her nipples advertised female, as did the triangle of hair where her legs joined. And the way her legs were all girly in shape appealed. Her red hair was drying, curling about her neck. A well-bitten neck. Zo’s doing.

Nothing a male could do about it when attraction stirred in him.

Her cute little baby claws made his cock sit up, though he wasn’t sure why that affected him. It just did. And she noticed, and then his cock chose to erect itself some more.

He ignored it, addressed Avalon. “I understand why you might think to escape. The words I had with you were arranged while you were scared witless. For that reason I excuse you this once. That deal was for you, to save you from being impaled, shot, killed. Understand?”

“Of course,” she whispered. Though she met his eyes, a second later she lowered them.

“Good. Once only. There are reasons we can’t let you free.”

Zo cleared his throat.

“Yes?”

“I told her we’d not sell her. That we’d let her go before Omage. Once we’re near there the border is only...”

He’d been shaking his head slowly and Zo finally received the message and ceased to speak.

“Remember how we discussed this being dangerous for us?”

Zo nodded. The girl squeezed closer to Zo and he absentmindedly stroked her back and drew her to him. “Yes. I thought—”

“No. Here’s why. If she gets caught before she crosses the border, we’re in deep trouble and she will still be killed, or whoever takes her might do worse to her than the priests at Omage—even if they don’t hand her to authorities. If she crosses the border into Montague, logic tells me someone there arranged this mission of hers and arranged for her to get caught, killed, hence that flare that gave her position away to us. The hurried trial says maybe someone here is involved also. And so, she’s not going to be allowed to live.”

Awareness brightened Avalon’s eyes and she looked worried. Yeah, he’d judged that correctly.