Page 43 of Blood of the Fallen
Murmurs ran over the circle of people.
“How can that be?” someone asked.
“Their pack was bigger than ours,” another person said.
“What about their tetrad?”
The baby wailed louder. The woman rocked from side to side and patted the bundle’s bottom. The crying turned to small whimpers.
“Lux Academy attacked us,” she said. “They came out in force five nights ago. We’ve been moving south ever since. They hadn’t mounted an attack like that in years—not since they exterminated the bigger packs. They killed our tetrad and took all the children.”
A collective gasp went over the crowd.
“How?!”
“That’s impossible!”
“Quiet!” The Chieftess ordered. She clenched her fist as her entire body trembled with fury. Her sharp gaze drifted slowly toward the male.
The woman tensed. “This is my husband, Delthomir. My name is Odinah. We escaped with our daughter.”
Chieftess Yura nodded, relaxing visibly. “I’ve heard of the Fae male who lives with the Mesickek pack. Your request for refuge is granted. Everyone… help them!”
The orders were carried out straight away. Several pack members stepped forward and guided the newcomers toward the camp. I watched them shuffle forward, pushing away the gruesome images that tried to take shape inside my head. I didn’t want to imagine the massacre the Academy had unleashed on their pack. I’d read enough of their history books to know the type of brutality they committed against so-calledwildlings. The magistrates were ruthless, their only goal to exterminate every single supernatural from a territory that never belonged to them.
I stood there, watching them limp away. Novuk brooded for a long moment, his anger a low rumble in his chest. When Kall and Maki walked over, Novuk shook himself. They exchanged heavy glances that made me wonder if they were silently communicating through their triad bond.
“Their tetrad was strong,” Novuk said. “How did the Academy…?” He trailed off, his anger too much to allow him to finish.
Maki shook his head. “I can’t believe it.”
“Why would the Academy be out in force like that now?” Novuk raised stiff fingers into his wild hair.
“We should wait until the Chieftess talks to them, so we can form a better impression,” Kall said. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
Maki and Novuk nodded in agreement, and Novuk started toward the camp. “We should help.”
Maki followed. I started to do the same, but Kall grabbed my hand. “Can I talk to you?”
My cheeks started burning. I pulled my hand free from his grasp and stared at the ground.
“I’m sorry about last night,” I blurted out, my words tripping over each other.
“Are you?” he asked, sounding hurt.
I quickly glanced up to meet his gaze, his injured impression letting me know he’d misinterpreted my words. “I mean… I’m sorry I made a fool out of myself and… bothered you.”
“Bothered me?” he sputtered a laugh. “I guess you could call it that.”
Heat blasted my cheeks all over again.
Kall grabbed my hand again and placed it on his chest. “I just wanted to say I hope I didn’t offend you in any way. You were… a bit intoxicated, and I didn’t think it would be right to take advantage of that. I didn’t refrain as much as I should have.” His gaze fell to my chest, then flicked up again. “I’m sorry I was weak and—”
I laid a finger across his lips, silencing him. “Thank you. I did have a taste of Bethel’s pipe and wasn’t expecting the way it affected me. I shouldn’t have gone in your tent like that.”
“You know kinnikinnick only gets rid of your inhibitions. It doesn’t alter them.” He stepped closer and ran a thumb over my cheek. “I now know you want me as much as I do, and I can’t complain about that.”
He leaned down and kissed me. My body responded to the touch of his lips with a surge of desire. It was violent and hard to fight off, but I managed it by biting on the inside of my lip, the pain taking the focus away from my urge to recreate last night as soon as possible. The way I felt right now told me Kall was right. The kinnikinnick had only enhanced what I already felt.
