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I can’t think straight anymore.
Her blood draws me to her. I just want to devour her, and destroy anything that dares to touch what is mine.
16
FINLEY
Pain shoots through my lower face as my hand flies to my mouth. My fingers come away stained with fresh blood—myblood.
He’s split my lip.
I can’t believe you!
Father’s always been stern and demanding; prone to violence when he’s angry, unpredictable at times. He’s lost his temper with me many times… but he’s never hit me in public.
And now a big Vikurian warrior has him pinned to the ground, his knee pressing into his back, and I can’t stop staring at them, because nobody has ever dared challenge my father like this.
“Get off me, filth,” my father snarls. “You dare treat me this way? Your master’s going to have your head for this.”
Kaithar says nothing; he just chuckles softly, as if this sort of thing is nothing to him.
I should be begging for leniency on behalf of my father, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
For the first time in my life, it feels like someone’s onmyside.
Father’s eyes dart back and forth as he searches for his men. “Dobson, Negus,dosomething about this.”
The Ruen knights stand several feet away, their eyes wide, uncertainty flickering across their grizzled features. The older one, Negus, hesitantly starts to draw his sword.
Kaithar pins the man with a dark stare and raises his eyebrows, as if to say:are you really going to try?
Because even though he’s unarmed, the Vikurian stands a head taller than them, and he radiates raw power from every inch of his body. The speed with which he put father down was astonishing.
The ease with which hekeepshim down is terrifying.
And the warrior has the nerve to throw me a good-natured glance.
And then hewinks.
Honestly, now.
“You don’t have to worry about a thing, Finley. I suspecthe’llbe here any moment now. I can only apologize that I wasn’t fast enough to stop this idiot from striking you. Took me by surprise, to be honest. You see, I never could have imagined that anyone who calls himself a father could do that to his own child.”
I blink furiously as sudden tears come to my eyes.
What’s this?
I rarely cry. He protected me. This wasn’t what I’d expected… atall.
“Howdareyou…” Baron Solisar struggles under Kaithar’s knee, but it’s futile.
“Release His Lordship at once.” Negus has his sword out. He’s approaching slowly; tentatively, his expression telling me he really doesn’t want to do this.
Because he’s noticed the Tyronese soldiers that have materialized from the shadows; they’re standing against the walls, quietly watching the scene unfold.
And they’re all lean and hard-faced and dangerous looking; there’s an edge to them thatour fighting men don’t have.
They’re all focused on Kaithar, as if waiting for him to just say the word.
