Page 187 of Sun Warrior

Thaddeus paused, his gaze flicking from her palms to her face. Then a slow, sly smile lifted his thin lips. “You won’t do it. You’re a Healer. I know your type. You’re sworn to help and not harm. You won’t kill me, or any of us, because of your Healer oath.”

Mari let loose of more of her anger, and the flames in her palms grew, leaping hot and hungry, so that Nik and Ralina were forced to step behind her, shielding their eyes with their hands. When Mari spoke she hardly recognized her own voice, as it was filled with the hot might of the Sun.

“Thaddeus, you’re partially right. The only thing that stops me from killing you and your twisted group of followers is the fact that I am a Moon Woman, gifted to heal, and not to kill. I do not wish to poison my soul with your blood.”

“You just proved my point, you stupid bitch!”

“You didn’t let me finish. Right now I don’t want to poison my soulwith killing, but if you harm Nik or Laru or Rigel I won’t respond as a Moon Woman. I’ll be an enraged mate, Leader of my Pack, and I’ll respond with my father’s blood—the fiery blood that allows me to call down sunfire—but I won’t be your tame Sun Priestess. I will be a Sun Warrior, and I will fry your ass dead. On that you have my eternal oath. Now, back off or die. The choice is yours!”

Thaddeus’s eyes narrowed with a spiteful intelligence, and his evil smile spread across his face. “Really? What if I told you I know who killed your father, Galen?”

Mari felt Nik’s body jerk with shock beside her.

“I know who killed my father. My mother told me. She saw the whole thing. It was someone from your Tribe—filled with hate like you.”

“You’re partially right. He was from our Tribe, but he was a lot weaker than me, which is why he’s dead. But ask his son. He’s standing beside you.”

Mari’s gaze flew to Nik, who was looking sad and pale. “I’m so sorry, Mari,” he said.

“Sol killed my father?”

Nik nodded wearily. “And it ate at him for the rest of his life. He would have done anything to make it right—including giving his life for you.”

“Oh, Goddess! And that’s exactly what he did,” Mari said.

“Forgive him, if you can,” Nik said. “And forgive me for wishing you’d never found out.”

Mari didn’t answer Nik. Instead, she faced Thaddeus again. “You actually thought I’d hold Nik to blame for something his father did.” She shook her head, lifting her lip in her own version of a canine’s snarl. “But that doesn’t make any sense at all—at least not to anyone who isn’t lost to rage and hatred it doesn’t. What Sol did all those years ago hasnothingto do with Nik, you pathetic, evil little man.”

“Die, bitch!” With a growl that was more animal than man, Thaddeus shifted his aim to Mari and loosed an arrow.

Mari heard Nik’s panicked shout. She even felt Ralina begin to move forward, as if she meant to shield Mari from the arrow, but they bothwould be too late. Neither was near enough to save Mari—so Mari saved herself.

Instead of lunging away, Mari strode forward to meet the arrow, and with a flick of her fingers the sunfire at her command engulfed it, burning it to ash.

“Nik, Laru, Rigel! Get behind me!” Mari shouted. She turned her head and met Ralina’s wide-eyed look. “Unless you want to leave with us, and we would gladly accept you, you must get back,” she told the kind woman.

“I can’t leave my people. They need me,” said the Storyteller.

“Then move out of my way! Now!”

Ralina grabbed her Shepherd around the neck and lunged back, away from Mari and Nik and their two canines.

Using the same vivid imagination and the concentration her mama had made her practice since she’d been old enough to speak, Mari painted a picture all in gold around the four of them. Sunfire flared hot and high, encircling them with heat as the flames licked hungrily, searching to be fed.

Mari’s concentration slipped. This was nothing at all like Moon Magick! How had she thought she could control such an alien power? Mari smelled her hair beginning to singe as her control began to slide from her. It was going to burn her! Burn all of them!

Then from behind her Nik’s strong hands were on her shoulders and his calm voice spoke into her ear.

“It’s okay. You’ve got this.We’vegot this. Don’t imagine it burning. Imagine it shielding.”

“But it’s so hot! It’s so angry!” Mari panted, struggling not to scream that they needed to run! They all needed to run from the sunfire!

“It’s not, Mari.You’reangry. And if it’s you then you can control it, right?”

The logic of Nik’s words penetrated through her panic and Mari blinked in surprise.It is my anger! I let it loose on purpose. I knew that was how I call sunfire.

Mari forced her shoulders to relax under Nik’s hands. She focusedon her breathing—in and out smoothly, deeply. She didn’t need to be blinded by anger. She didn’t need to destroy these people. She simply needed to be free of them.