“No, I didn’t lie to you. That sword does everything I said it will. I should know—I made it, after all.”
I blinked hard. “Um, what?”
She motioned for me to unsheathe the sword, which I did. Holding it in my left hand and unwilling to let her have it back. For all my venom, I wanted to keep the damn thing.
“Do you feel the power in it yet?” She ran her finger against the tip, drawing a line of blood in its wake.
Ever since Lance had re-bonded with me, I’d been feeling something. A buzzing that made me giddy. I’d thought it had been my own powers coming back, but as I held the sword, looking at its shining metal, the vow engraved into the hilt, I felt something more. “Yes.”
“Imagine that power amplified by a thousand and you’ll begin to understand what it can do in the right hands.”
“With a sacrifice,” I said as I glanced in Lance’s general direction.
“All worthy things come with sacrifice.” Ella nodded. “I made that sword at Lazarus’s bidding centuries ago.”
I pulled the sword back, sheathing it so I could concentrate on Ella’s words. The power made my stomach flutter, making me think it was the only destiny for me—a sword with power that came at a cost.
“He wanted a talisman that would help him locate Huntresses.”
“So that’s how he did it,” Lance said as he came from behind a tree.
I startled at his appearance. Fuck.
“The Order could never figure out how he was able to get to the Huntresses before us.” Lance motioned in my direction. “You gave him the means though, didn’t you?”
“I’m afraid so.” Ella nodded. “Gladly. It meant a reprieve for a while from the hell that was my existence. Being in Lazarus’s good graces was something many strived for. I used it too. There is much Huntress blood on my hands.” Ella closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a deep breath, blowing it out. “I have much to atone for.”
“And so you gave it to Ariana.” Lance clenched his jaw for a moment. “Why?”
“No,” I said as panic surged. “No reason other than to aid in my own battle.”
Lance cocked his head, studying me. “Now it’s you who’s lying, Huntress.”
“I created the sword and I enhanced it,” Ella said. “I didn’t lie to you, Ariana. The tribe needs a champion for all of us who have been brutalized in some way. Maybe that champion is you. Maybe it isn’t. The decision, as with everything, is yours. You know my feelings about keeping the stakeholders in the dark, though.” Ella gave me one last knowing look and then nodded toward camp. “I’ve got what I need to build the spell.”
With a nod at each of us in turn, she left. Lance needed to know. That was what she was saying.
“What decision?” Lance demanded, his eyes flashing. “You’re keeping something from me, something big. I can feel it through the bond.”
Damn Ella. Damn Lance. Damn the queasy feeling I had in the pit of my stomach making me want to retch, the truth as hateful to me suddenly as the reality.
“The sword,” I said as I drew it once again, this time to show Lance. “Offers me a choice.”
Lance folded his arms his expression showing impatience, his mouth opening to speak.
“When Artemis…Ella gave it to me, she said that it can be used to sever a bad bond between Hunter and Huntress. Freeing an abused woman, granting her powers without the cost of violence or emotional trauma.”
Lance’s expression softened a little, his arms losing some of their tension. “And she thinks you can be a champion for those women?”
“I am. Or I may be.” I gulped, knowing that I couldn’t leave it at that. “But…”
“But?” He reached for me, bypassing the sword, latching onto my wrists and forcing me to look at him. “Ariana, tell me the truth. Is this what you want? Do you want to become the champion to wronged Huntresses? Because if you do, I think that it’s a noble and honorable thing and I will stand by your side if you chose that path. We can leave the tribe, the Order, whatever you need to do, just as long as we are together.”
No. No, he did not just do that! I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. How could he say something so damn perfect in such an imperfect situation?
Tears burned my eyes, my vision swam.
“Ariana?” Lance frowned. “Whatever you want, I’m there, at your side.”
“Stop,” I croaked as I tore my wrists away, sheathing my sword as I stumbled from him, wiping the tears that streaked down my cheeks.
“Ariana!” He gripped my arm, pulled me back.
“You think you’re so perfect! So understanding! You don’t understand a damn thing!” I spun on him, anger flashing. “The sword demands loyalty, Lance! Pure, uninhibited loyalty. Being the champion comes with a sacrifice! It demands a pound of flesh, a heart’s desire, whatever your greatest love may be, now or in the future. From a Huntress, it demands her Hunter. Yes, I can be the champion, but the first cut must be mine. I will have to sever my bond to you and force you back to being a human. Is that what you want? Really, Lance? Do you really want what will make me happiest?”
Once the words were out I wanted to take them back, suck them in like a giant vacuum. Lance deflated, his shoulders slumped, his eyes glazed and he didn’t say a word.
“So, yes, Lance, that’s what I want. More than anything in the world, I want to be a champion…or at least that’s what I want to say, but in my heart.” I tapped my chest angrily. “I have a battle raging for you. You and your damn bond are making me think that the sacrifice is too great.”
He flinched, and then his eyes grew cold, frozen over by my confession. “Well, if that’s what you want, don’t let me stand in your way. Sever the bond. Being a human is preferable to being shackled to a woman with a heart of stone anyway.”
And then it was my turn to flinch. He held my gaze for a heartbeat longer and then turned and left.
And I didn’t try to stop him.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The Mission
“Do me a favor. Before you sever our bond, give me the chance to get Kelly to safety,” Lance hissed in my ear.
I tried to keep any reaction from my face, not wanting to give him the satisfaction that he was hurting me with his jabs. Jabs that just kept on coming.
I closed my eyes, ready to lash back at him when Greer rounded the corner of the trail. I’d moved ahead of the group, determined to distance myself from all reminders of Lance, but he’d kept pace with me the whole way, muttering shitty little comments every few minutes. Not that I didn’t deserve them.
“You two still bickering?” Greer gave us both a scathing look in turn. “You better lock it down before we get to the beast’s camp or I’m going to pull you out of the game.”
I shook my head. Pull us out of the game? Idle threat. Or was it? She’d shackled Melonie and Ella both, essentially minimizing our strength as a tribe by taking out two warriors. I’d argued the sense of it only to be met with cold disdain, a look that said she’d shackle me too if she could think of a reason.
“Ella said the territory markers are just ahead. She believes her sister is holding alpha position over the tribe with Andrew’s help, but it’s a tenuous grasp of power. The beasts are restless, skirmishes frequent. Everyone wants to be in charge,” Greer said.
The rest of the warriors came into view, dragged back by Ella and Melonie, who were no better than human in strength and speed. Where Melonie walked freely, Ella was tied and gagged, nudged along at a quicker pace by the Huntress assigned to guard her.
“You both understand the plan?” Greer motioned for us to keep going.
The plan. Lance and I would continue west, skirting the encampment and coming from behind while Greer’s group split in two, flanking east and south. Our numbers were laughable but we were organized, which was more than the beasts cou
ld say. At least according to Ella. We would use her bombs to distract, perhaps take out a few of the beasts if we were lucky. The goal was to get Kelly and Andrew away while Greer went for Saska.
“Wait for our move. Do not engage without us.”
Her words were meant for Lance, but I needed to heed them as well. Rushing headfirst into a battle with fifty beasts was not wise and could end up getting Kelly killed along with both of us.
“When I get Kelly in sight, I’m going after her,” Lance said over his shoulder as he walked away.
“Keep him locked down until we get there, Ariana.” Greer’s eyes were cold as she watched Lance walk away. “If he becomes a liability, you know what you have to do. Remember our mission. If you are still a member of this tribe, that is, and haven’t completely turned traitor.”
I flinched. Low blow. She meant kill Lance. Or at least incapacitate him. Whatever it took to get Kelly back. And Greer did mean it—whatever the cost as long as we got the Huntress with the power of prophecy. That had always been the agenda. Our mission, to bring Kelly back to the Queen so that we would have the power to portend. Now the stakes were higher but the goal was no different. At least as far as Greer’s tribe was concerned.
I stuttered over that last thought. Greer’s tribe but not mine? I gave my head a hard shake then turned and followed Lance into the denser part of the woods.
Lance was mad and hurt, wanting to smash his fist into the nearest tree and also grab Ariana and kiss her so passionately that she wouldn’t dare think about leaving him. Wouldn’t dare flirt with the idea of severing their bond. But he was always competing with something when it came to her. No easy match for him. No loving Order Huntress to warm his bed and fight by his side. No. That was never meant to be his destiny. He had to get the feral cat, the one with claws. Wild, untamed, and he loved her for it. Damn it.
Destiny or not, if he had to choose, Ariana was the only one he wanted.
But how could he fight against her unyielding need to be free of him? He thought he’d melted her enough. He thought he’d proven just how much he needed her. What could he do to prove to the stubborn woman that being together was the only way? He knew it in his gut, in his heart. How?
By proving that she can’t live without you.
But she could live without him. She just shouldn’t want to.
“There,” Ariana whispered as she pointed through a thicket of bushes. “Do you see?”
Lance snapped his full attention to the scene ahead, then had to stifle his urge to bolt through the makeshift cover to Kelly.
He crouched in lower, shoving past the first layer of branches and leaves, heaving forward to get a better look.
There were beasts everywhere. Lance counted at least twenty, but he was sure there were more out of view. The camp wasn’t exactly a clearing, more like a conglomeration of pits, dead logs, hastily built lean-tos, canopies of leaves jutting in at odd angles where tree branches had been warped and twisted. There wasn’t a completely clear view of the entire space, which didn’t bode well for them in terms of straight attack.
The beasts themselves were grotesque as would be expected. Walking bipedally, as was Lazarus’s preferred form. These creatures had all learned from him, presumably. Ranging in size from gigantic to monstrous, they were each proportionally unreal, with huge, fanged gaping mouths, and gnarled limbs that ended with deadly looking claws. The beasts were covered in coarse fur, long and matted in most cases, grunting and growling their way around the camp.
And amongst all of the beasts, was Kelly, gagged, her screams muffled, eyes wide with terror as a beast loomed over her. The monster ran a distorted, taloned finger down her cheek, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to send the message home. Kelly’s screams grew more frantic. She writhed against the bonds that held her in place, bound to a pole, arms latched behind her, legs tied at the ankle.
“She’s fucking terrified,” Lance growled. “I need to get to her.”
Ariana slipped her hand over his shoulder, hauling him back an inch so she could cram in next to him. “You’ll do no such thing, Hunter,” she hissed. “You know the plan. If you charge in there, you’ll ruin everything. Possibly get Kelly killed. Is that what you want?”
Lance grumbled to himself. She was right of course. Greer’s plan wasn’t one he would have come up with but it had sound reasoning, in theory anyway. At least if Ella’s bombs worked.
“Shhh,” she hissed again as another woman came into view.
Short, stocky build, her profile suggesting a similarity in appearance to Ella.
“Saska,” Lance whispered.
It had to be. There was no mistaking the family resemblance, even more so as she faced them briefly while moving around Kelly and the pole. She was Ella’s twin but with marked differences. Long flowing hair for one, a scar running from forehead to chin, straight along the contour of her brow, cheek and chin, bubbled and white, an old wound that hadn’t been healed properly. Worse, though, were her eyes. If the eyes were the windows to the soul, Saska’s was all corruption and evil. The look she had for Kelly was pure malice, the sneer she wore only adding to the effect.
“What’s the matter, Huntress, is your beast not to your liking? Should I cut you down from here and give you to him?” She cackled when Kelly’s screams grew more frenzied.
“That can’t be Andrew.” Lance fisted his hands before reaching awkwardly to pull his sword, his brain refusing to accept that he was seeing his old friend.
Ariana nudged him to stay still. “Calm yourself, Hunter. It’s almost time.”
“Beast, return to your human state. Your Huntress can’t handle this transformation. You’ll get no prophecy from her when she’s this scared,” Saska said with a wave of her hand.
The beast grunted, bared its fangs in Saska’s direction, but ultimately did as she asked. In a blazing flash, the beast disappeared and there stood Andrew, a little disheveled, hair longer, a beard growing wildly, but Andrew all the same. Well, at least until he shifted so Lance could see his eyes.
And what he saw there made him shudder.
“Kelly,” Andrew cooed, his tone bordering on taunting. “My sweetest treasure, do stop your screaming.” He moved toward her, hand raised as if he was going to caress her face, but instead slapped her so hard her head snapped to the side and a spray of blood splattered through the air.
Lance jolted; once again Ariana held him in place. “Soon, Lance, soon.” She pointed toward the opposite side of the encampment, directing him to see movement he hadn’t noticed before. Greer and her women, ready, waiting.
And a good thing too because Lance was set to take Andrew out and end this shit once and for all.
“Andrew,” Kelly moaned as she pulled her head back. “Give me a chance, let me help you.”
Andrew’s smile was sick and twisted. He moved closer to Kelly once again, this time caressing her face, a thumb rubbing over her brow. “You can help me, sweetheart, if you let me into your head.” He tapped her forehead. “We’ve talked about this already. You stop fighting me, let me in and you can help me.”
“Andrew, I—”
He tapped her forehead again, harder this time. “No, Kelly, no more talking.” He gripped the sides of her face, squeezing so her features compressed and she let out a strangled scream. “Let. Me. In,” he bellowed.
Lance rose from his crouch with a yell of his own, his sword in his hand as he barreled through the brushes.
He heard Ariana swear from behind him as she crashed through as well.
“Get your motherfucking hands off her, Andrew!”
Everyone looked at him—Saska, Andrew, and Kelly. Each with their own expression of mild shock.
Andrew was the first to recover. “Lance, old friend, I can’t say this is totally unexpected, nor that it’s a pleasant surprise.”
“Boys, you
know what to do,” Saska yelled.
The beasts in the vicinity turned full attention to them, stalking like it was a game. Lance braced himself for the defensive, his hand going back to make sure Ariana was behind him. When he met only air, he shifted to find her, only to see that she had come up next to him, her own sword in her hand.
“You just had to be the hero, huh?” she said as she, too, braced for attack.
Lance whipped his head back to the beasts, ready as they launched.
“Hold!” Saska held her hand up and the beasts froze. She cocked her head to the side, eyeing Ariana intently. “You have my sword.” Although her tone was calm, her eyes blazed with barely contained fury.
“It’s not your sword anymore,” Lance said as he shifted closer to Ariana.
Saska flashed him a sneer before returning her gaze to Ariana. “It’s not her sword yet either. She hasn’t committed herself to it. Bring it to me, girl, and I’ll spare your life.”
“There is no fucking way I’m giving up this sword to you,” Ariana said with a hard laugh. “Let Kelly go and I’ll spare your life.”
Lance heard the lie in her words.
Apparently, so could Saska. “It seems we’re at an impasse.” She moved back a few paces, her proximity to Kelly making Lance tense all the more. “Unless I motivate you in a different way.” She pulled a blade from the folds of her shirt and moved so that she could press it to Kelly’s throat.
“No!” Lance took a step toward them, stopping in his tracks when Saska made a quick slicing motion with the knife, barely cutting skin but the message was received.
“If I give you the sword, you’ll spare Kelly’s life?” Ariana held the sword out.
“Ariana, she can’t take the sword from you unless you give it willingly,” Kelly’s trembling voice burst out. “Don’t give it to her. She’ll use it to find more Huntresses, and it’s the Huntresses’ deaths that give her the power to open the portal to Tartarus!”
Lance held his arm out to stop Ariana’s movement. She snapped a look at him that was part what the fuck and part oh fuck.
Valiant Heart Page 21