“Morax, you okay?” I demanded.
He shook his head as he sat back. A bulletwas making the way out of the back of his skull, and more holesriddled his shoulders and back. “Fine,” he grunted as the bullet inthe back of his skull finally fell out.
Verin sat up before him, her hand restingagainst his cheek. She leaned forward to kiss him before levelingthe human woman with a lethal stare. The woman stared back at heras I lowered the rifle and set it butt first onto the ground.
“What’s your name?” I asked of her.
“What does that matter?” she retorted.
I shrugged and threw the rifle into thetrees. “It doesn’t.”
“Why aren’t you going to kill us?” the maninquired.
“I never saidIwasn’t going to,” Verin muttered as she wipedaway some of the blood on Morax’s cheek.
Across from me, the woman lifted a blondeeyebrow and wiped her forearm across her dirt-streaked forehead.Her pale blonde hair hung over her shoulder in a braid. Leaves andtwigs were interwoven through the braid causing it to blend in withthe forest around her.
“Bale, go back and let the others know theycan proceed, and bring us some rope,” I requested.
She nodded then turned and disappeared intothe forest without a sound.
“I’d rather be dead than be a prisoner,” thewoman grated through her teeth.
I chuckled as I folded my arms over my chest.“We don’t do prisoners. You’re going to be staying right here.”
Her eyes widened as realization dawned onher. “Tying us up here is as good as killing us. You have no ideathe things that are in this forest.”
“I have a very good idea what is in thisforest. You had better hope your friends regain consciousness intime to untie you two, but I’m not leaving you free after you triedto ambush us.”
“No one ambushed you. You came intoourterritory.”
“Wren—”
“Shh,” she hissed at the man beside her whenhe started to speak.
Verin helped Morax to his feet; they spoke ina low whisper before she broke away. She continued to glare at thetwo humans as she stalked over to stand beside me. “What would youcall it then?” Verin demanded. “You were setting yourselves up toattack us when we came down the hill.”
“I’d call it protecting what is ours,” Wrenreplied flippantly.
“Those supplies and trucks are ours, Wren,” Isaid, drawing her infuriated gaze back to me.
Her lip curled up in a sneer. “Not if they’reinourterritory. Besides, wealways have to defend ourselves against demons such as you.”
The woman irritated me, but something abouther reminded me of River. Most likely, it was her unwillingness toback down. They were both stubborn and defiant, but this woman hada savage air about her that River didn’t possess. This woman wouldcut off someone’s head as easily as shake their hand.
“You have no idea what kind of a demon I am,”I told her as the rumble of the trucks neared. “Or the things I amcapable of. Consider yourself lucky to still have your feetattached to your body and your tongue in your throat.”
For the first time since the altercationbegan, the woman showed some hint of alarm as the color drainedfrom her dirt-streaked face. Beneath the layers of grime and herabrasive demeanor, she may have been pretty, but it was difficultto tell.
“If it wasn’t for us, your entire specieswould be dead already!” Verin said. “And believe me when I sayyou’re walking the edge of death right now.”
Wren shot her a look, her mouth clampedtogether but hostility radiated from her.
“Easy,” Morax said and walked over to resthis hand on Verin’s shoulder. “I’m fine.”
Verin took a deep breath before relaxing hershoulders. She brushed her fingers over the dried blood stillsticking to the fading bullet hole in his cheek. “Yes, you are,”she murmured.
Wren’s eyes shot back and forth between thembefore her gaze landed on me. I stared back at her, keeping myexpression blank as I felt the sting of the rest of the bulletsworking their way out of my body. A door closed, and a minutelater, Bale returned with rope in her hand.
