Page 97 of Warrior's Reign
Everything in Reign turned molten.
His eyes narrowed, lips thinning, just a tiny flicker of movement. It was enough to make her, for an instant, second guess her assessment. Behind him warriors fell from the sky just as several more emerged from the building. Vykhan’s squadron waited, flanked by Adevega’s warriors, trimmed in her personal insignia. She recognized at least two from that afternoon in the training circle when that scum Yilsa had made clear her welcome.
She suppressed the urge to spit, anger driving away every emotion but the willingness to spill blood. They watched.
Reign still didn’t speak.
“Enough of this,” Yilsa said, striding forward. Energy cut the air as he unsheathed his weapon. “You made your vow, First Vykhan. You repudiated the traitor.”
Reign didn’t blink, never taking her gaze from Vykhan’s eyes. No one else mattered. He controlled them all, his authority pressing down even on Yilsa, who stopped at the invisible line of demarcation that was Vykhan, and took no step closer to Reign.
Vykhan lowered his gaze to her right hand, her blade a steady barrier between them. No, not her hand. The ring finger, a sapphire gem winking in the sunlight.
“Surrender,” Yilsa said, arrogance stamping his voice.
“She is toofoolishto surrender,” Vykhan said softly. “Watch for a feint.”
Reign shifted, the only movement that betrayed her reaction to the message in his eyes.
Then he spoke again. “Surrender to my custody, Reign. I have vowed you will receive justice.”
“Death,” Yilsa snarled.
Their gazes clashed, Reign’s heartbeat ringing in her ears. “Damnyou.” She understood his choice, what he must have vowed.
She was on her own. . .well, not quite. Loka—no, Lohail’s—sudden offer made more sense.
This one chance was better than nothing, better than if he had bonded her completely. She couldn’t expect Vykhan to be anything but what he was. He would never break a vow, not even for her. Not even for himself.
Reign shifted her blade to her left hand casually and raised the ring finger to her lips, pressing a kiss on the gem. “I accept.”
Yilsa frowned, squinting at her. “You’ll come peaceably?” He sounded doubtful, and Reign almost sneered at him.
“The Fool’s Feint,” she murmured. To let him know she understood. To give him that much comfort. And even though nothing about his expression changed, his body shifted, subtly blocking Yilsa.
“Am I going to have to stand here and make conversation?” she muttered.
Vykhan dived to the side just as a blast of fire shattered the tiles at his feet. Shields all over the courtyard sprang into existence as an armed transport landed, door opening, its barrage of strikes providing Reign with cover. She dove inside.
“Welcome, Reign,” Lohail’s voice said through the comm system. “I’m gratified you’ve accepted my offer of hospitality. I don’t believe Vykhan is as pleased as he should be, however.”
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His rage uncoiled,a living monster gnawing at its leash. At the last moment he grasped the escaping beast and wrestled it back into its cage. If his warriors realized he had not moved for a full minute, they would think he was merely calculating, adjusting his strategy.
When he faced them, his expression was serene.
The look in her eyes before Lohail took her, that split second of vulnerability speared him worse than the moment she had believed he’d betrayed her.
“Shoot it down,” Adevega’s First ordered.
“No,” Vykhan said, eyeing Yilsa contemplatively, formulating the most discreet way to end his life should the need come to pass. Or even if it did not, but it merely pleased Vykhan to squeeze the life from that one’s throat.
The monster chuckled, settling down to wait.
Perhaps this had always been inevitable. No one could live so at war with the sides of themselves.
“They are retreating to Anthhori and I want no casualties caused by a pursuit,” Vykhan said. “We must use diplomatic measures now.” Ibukay outranked Adevega as a child of the ImperialBdahn, therefore her First outranked the Adevega’s First. They had no choice but to obey, but still the male hesitated, and began to gesture.
