Page 59 of Darkness Bound (Night Prowler 5)
“This was my fault . . . this wasn’t Hawk’s fault . . . even the reason he hit Nando was my fault!” The words poured out, one over another, as Jack stepped forward into the open heart of the circle, pleading with the Alpha with her eyes, with her voice, with her outstretched hands.
“Please, he shouldn’t be punished . . . I should be the one to take the lashings! It should be me! Please, don’t hurt him! I’ll . . . I’ll stand in his place!”
Gasps and cries of disbelief from the crowd.
“No!” roared Hawk. He strained so hard against the chains every muscle in his body flexed taut with the effort. “Jacqueline—shut up! You don’t know what you’re saying!”
“You offer belu?” the Alpha breathed, his face gone white.
All around her were astonished, gaping faces. Even the hooded man’s eyes were wide and shocked.
She didn’t understand the word, but she understood the meaning.
A ritual punishment. A ritual pardon . . . with a price.
“Yes.” Jack said it again, louder, to the crowd, lifting her head so her voice could travel over their heads. “Yes. I offer belu.”
Hawk screamed in outrage. He began thrashing against his binds like a madman, kicking against the trunk of the tree and twisting his body so h
e could see her over his shoulder.
“She doesn’t understand!” he shouted to the Alpha, the cords in his neck standing out. “She doesn’t know what she’s agreeing to! Don’t listen to her! Don’t listen!”
A tumult began in the crowd. Whispers became chatter, then shouts. Bodies turned to one another in astonishment, gesturing at her, at Hawk, at the Alpha, the energy mad and electric, until everyone seemed to be talking at once, moving closer, the circle tightening like the invisible noose that squeezed around her neck, cutting off her air.
Voices crested over her in a wave. A flash of heat engulfed her. Jack stood with her heart in her throat, staring at the Alpha in breathless anticipation, awaiting his response.
“A female cannot offer belu.” He looked around the crowd for confirmation. “This isn’t done! This is unprecedented—”
“It can be done,” countered a firm, raspy voice.
The old man who had spoken stood near the Alpha, slightly behind him, hidden in long shadows cast from the tree.
Alejandro turned. He recognized the old man, and gave a small, respectful bow. All around him, others did the same, until the entire gathering had paid their respects to this diminutive figure. The shouts died back to whispers.
Short and bent, leaning heavily on a cane, he was clothed in a simple cloak of white, his feet bare, his head wreathed in a fluffy halo of snowy hair like a floating ring of clouds. He stepped forward slowly, gazing at Jack with eyes as keen as a freshly sharpened blade. The tiniest of smiles lifted his wrinkled lips.
“It is in accordance with Ama-gi. The girl can offer substitution—”
“She’s not one of us!” Alejandro protested, shooting Jack a horrified glance. “She’s—she’s—human!”
Quietly, the old man said, “Ama-gi does not discriminate based on race, Sarrum. The principle of belu holds true regardless of the birth—or sex—of those who invoke it.” His gaze, brilliant, blazing green, undimmed in spite of his obvious age, rested on Jack. His small smile grew wider, almost challenging. “If she wills it, the human woman may stand in Hawk’s stead. She may offer her own pain as a tithe for his.”
Jack blurted, “Nando, too! It wasn’t his fault, either. This entire situation is my doing . . . it’s my fault and I should be held responsible. I-I offer belu for Nando, as well!”
The defiant, agonized, sustained scream that emitted from Hawk’s throat sent a rash of goose bumps crawling up Jack’s spine, but she was undeterred. She straightened her back, lifted her chin, and nodded at Nando, who stood gaping at her on the side of the crowd in shock.
Across the circle, Morgan stood speechless, clutching her giant male, the look on her face one of awed disbelief.
Anyone who’s stupid enough to even look at you the wrong way will have to deal with me.
Hawk had offered his protection. He’d gone to his punishment willingly, without complaint.
But it wasn’t his fault. It was hers . . . all hers.
Above all things, Jack believed in justice. She believed in an eye for an eye. She believed in “manning” up to mistakes.
She believed in honor.
