Defiance (Rise of the Iliri Book 3)

by Auryn Hadley

  Yeah, Zep said, that's how I got in here.

  "Wha?" Ilija looked around, confused. "Uh, is... am I?"

  Sal giggled. "You can't be completely shocked, man. Yes, that's the link. Both Arctic and Roo can hold it, although I'm not sure exactly how. Shift heals, as does Risk, although in different ways. Trust me, if you aren't dying, go for Shift."

  The Blades all laughed, and Roo nodded.

  "So do you all have a trick like that?"

  "Yeh," Jase told him. "It is na something all powerful, but it can be useful at times."

  "And the grauori do this?"

  Yes, Hwa replied.

  Ilija looked at the male strangely. "It's somewhat strange to not hear the accent, but I know that's Hwa."

  "Yeah," Sal told him. "It's a lot easier for us to talk like that."

  "I put you in the link for a reason, though," Arctic told him. "I'm not sure if the grauori have enough experience with human minds to do it, and it looks like we'll be fighting with them. In your position, you'll need to hear them and understand them. You'll need to touch the linkers – we need direct contact to establish a link with a human, or those without enough of the right breeding."

  Sal chuckled a bit at that. "You even had to touch me, Arctic."

  "Yeh, well that's because of me and not you, demon. I've learned, but I don't have near the power of Roo."

  "So," Ilija asked, "how do I use it?"

  Sal pointed across the camp. "Zep? That's probably easiest for you to answer?"

  "Yeh. Man, it's easy. Just think like you wish I could hear it, and I will. You can hit either the full group – although that takes a bit of practice to get right – or a single person."

  LIKE THIS? Ilija screamed into their heads, and the outfit all winced.

  "Yeh, but na so much," Jase told him.

  Ok? So like this? Ilija tried again.

  "Oh yeah," Shift said, "That's better. You could wake the dead the first time. This one's pretty good. Sal, how'd you find him, anyways?"

  She chuckled and looked over to Ilija. "He tried to stand up to me. Once."

  The men all laughed. "What'd ya do, demon, threaten to cut his balls off?" Shift asked.

  Jase and Sal shared a look, and Ilija's dark skin paled. "How'd you know?" he asked.

  Shift just winked at the big man. "She's predictable."

  He let that go. "Ok, so you heal, you can talk in your heads, and Jase, I know you did something to that border guard. Is that the limit of the tricks?"

  "No," Arctic said, sitting beside Jase and Sal. "Let's see, we have shape changing, item location, touch reading, limited future knowledge, irrational fear, and whatever it is that Geo does."

  "You still don't know?" Sal asked, glancing over at the new Blade.

  "They haven't been able to figure it out yet, Lieutenant," Geo said.

  I can help, Hwa offered, standing up and weaving between the seated men to reach Geo's side. Here, touch. He held out his paw.

  Without flinching, Geo clasped it, completely at ease with the grauori.

  "Ya know," Ilija said while the pair was silently staring at each other, "my men try, but they aren't completely comfortable with them. They either treat them like monsters or pets. But, all of you just seem to, I dunno, accept them, I guess. I thought you'd never seen grauori back in the Conglomerate?"

  "It's the smell," the pale guy, Audgan, said.

  "What?" Ilija sounded lost.

  Audgan just shrugged, so Razor explained. "I'm more human than most of them, so it's not as strong to me. Imagine something that looked like you walking right up and smelling like it was made of candy. Sweet, sticky, and unnatural. Then imagine a beast that walked up and smelled like a pretty girl. Which one would you feel safer around?"

  "Candy? Yeah, that'd probably creep me out."

  "Well, that's what humans smell like to us, kinda." Razor shrugged. "Seems to be worse for some than others." He nodded at Sal.

  "I don't think humans sense smell as well as we do?" Sal asked Zep across the fire.

  "Nah, nothing like you. Sight, sound, smell, even hearing, it's all pretty different."

  "How do you know this?" Ilija asked.

  Zep chuckled. "It's another trick of the link."

  Hwa's broke in. Kaisae, you got a rare gift in this one.

  "Not me, Hwa, that's Blaec."

  Blaec waved it away. "You have them well trained at least. So you can tell what it is, Hwa?"

  Yeah. He's a friender.

  "Maast, really?" Jase asked, impressed. "LT, that means Geo can convince people they've allus known him. Ya thought Sal was useful? Once Geo learns ta use this, there's yer spy."

  Ya, he can be the officer or the best friend, and people will remember knowing him for years, making him safe to talk to. We don't see this much in the grauori, and it's not very well trusted. Often seen in loners.

  "Yeah, but which comes first?" Sal asked, gesturing to Roo and the pups. "The loner, or the distrust. From what I've seen, the grauori have some strange ideas of proper."

  Good point.

  "So how do I use it?" Geo sounded thrilled.

  "Can he turn it off?" Blaec asked. "Or is it that once he's made a friend, they always believe they know him?"

  He should be able to release it. Just like with the form shift, it'll take concentration to maintain the idea.

  "Try it," Jase said. "Sal and I have been gone long 'nough. See if ya can convince one a us."

  Geo nodded, staring at them. Hwa sat beside him, gesturing and nodding as if talking, and Sal knew he was directing the man in the use of his talent. The two of them kept their discussion private, though. Sal caught Geo's eye, aware of the embarrassed look on his face. She figured it was because they didn't know each other well yet. She'd left shortly after the new recruits had been chosen, but she remembered his trials. He'd gone out of his way to be noticed, and while Audgan had been shy, Geo had always been a bit flamboyant. She remembered how he'd stumbled upon her one night and gone out of his way to introduce himself. Ever since they'd been close friends, Sal respecting him for his tenacity. Even back then, she'd thought he was so attractive, and as he went through the training, she found herself secretly wishing they were more than just friends. She knew that she'd chosen Jase as her Ahnor, but maybe she should make Geo her Dernor, and not Blaec. Geo was strong, he was charming, and he was cunning. She was the Kaisae. All she needed to do was claim him, and none of them would stop her.

  Across the fire, Geo smiled at her, and Sal smiled back. Why hadn't she done this before? She stood and crossed the campsite to claim her new mate. With a strange smile, Geo waited. He said nothing, his teal eyes meeting hers as his hand rose to her cheek. Behind her, Jase growled as her lips met his, but this wasn't Jase's choice.

  Geo's kiss was clumsy but passionate. If he pleased her well enough, she would...

  Suddenly, with her mouth pressed to his, she remembered that she barely knew this man. Sal bit – hard – her teeth slicing into his tongue and lip. He tried to pull away, but not before Sal's hand grabbed his throat. With a push, she dropped him onto the ground.

  "That's a very dangerous way to get a kiss," she snarled, her knee in his chest.

  "Yes, Kaisae," he said, his head turned to the side submissively, "Sae umso, Kaisae. But I figured if I could do that then it would be proof it worked. Sae umso," he gasped under her.

  "Let him up, kitten," Jase told her.

  She snarled at Geo again. He flinched, expecting the worst. The blood trickling from his lip proved why.

  "Lieutenant," Blaec commanded, "let him up. He was under orders."

  Sal released her hold begrudgingly. With her lips pulled back, she snarled, "Nas gern suma!"

  "What just happened?" Ilija whispered beside Jase.

  "Geo tried his talent. Sal basically just told him never ta do it again," Jase explained. "Kitten, we told him ta try. Do na blame him."

  She nodded, and with a harsh glance at the recruit, moved back
beside Jase. Lifting her hands to her face, she rubbed away the memory.

  "What happened, Sal?" Blaec asked. "What do you remember?"

  "I was watching Hwa and him, and then I started thinking about how I had known him during his trials, and how I'd thought about making him Dernor -"

  Jase laughed, cutting her off. "LT, guess I'm more terrifying than ya are."

  Blaec smiled and gestured for Sal to continue.

  "Well, the longer I watched, the more the idea seemed like a good one," Sal admitted. "It started with what I knew, and then new memories were added, but there was no sudden switch in my head!"

  "I'm sorry, Kaisae," Geo said, "I thought that Dernor was safer because LT wanted to see what I could do. Ahnor, I don't know you well enough, but I've been warned not to cross you, so I figured if I could make the Kaisae – everyone said she's strong – feel that way about me, then it would be proof, but I dropped it." He blushed, desperate to explain. "I've never kissed an iliri before, Kaisae, I thought you'd be more like a human," he said before looking to Blaec. "When she kissed me, I forgot to hold the concept, and I dropped it, and she remembered." He touched the punctures on his lip, checking his fingers for blood.

  Sal sighed. "Ok, I'll forgive you, Geo. Just be glad Blaec was there because Jase can't stop me," she warned him.

  Geo nodded.

  "Damn, Sal," Ilija teased, breaking the tension. "I guess you're pretty damned good if that's his reaction." The men around them chuckled. "But what did he say to you?"

  "Sae umso?" Sal asked, and he nodded. "It means he submits. I'm pretty sure it works with grauori, too. If you're ever attacked, look away, give access to your vital areas, and scream 'umso'. It's not respectable for us to kill you if you submit. It's basically the same as surrendering."

  "Is that something the humans should know?"

  Probably, Hwa said. With this many grauori around, a disagreement could get bad. Knowing when to submit and when a grauori submits? That could save some problems.

  "Ok, I'll make sure they know it."

  The men began to discuss other inter-species things to be aware of, but Sal felt a brush against her mind. I am sorry, Kaisae, Geo told her again.

  She caught his eyes with hers and held them. I'm angry, but I understand.

  She sighed, and Jase glanced at her. Sal tipped her head toward the fire, and Jase saw Geo watching her. He kissed her head, looked once more at Geo, then focused on the other conversation.

  You're beautiful, Kaisae, Geo told her, but I only thought that if I could make a Kaisae change her opinion, then it would be proof. That is all, he swore. Sal could feel that he believed it.

  You're ok, Geo. I know what I did with my ability. I won't resent you for what you tried. Ok?

  Thank you. I didn't expect your mind. I'm sorry.

  And what would you have done if I'd been less iliri? she asked.

  Geo blushed. Enjoyed a kiss from my Kaisae and stepped away before I released it. I swear to you, that was all. You know Cyno never would have let me go further. That's why I left him out of it.

  Sal nodded. Ok, Geo. I can't blame you. I seduced a Lieutenant my first time, too. We good?

  Yes, Kaisae, he sent.

  Try calling me Sal. I'm only the Kaisae to the Anglians. Here, I'm just another Blade.

  Geo ducked his head to hide a grin. Fair 'nough... Sal.

  One by one, the men began to yawn. The newer members were the first to make their way to their beds. Geo bowed to Roo and offered his words of respect to the Gerus before slipping inside his tent. Audgan only left when Shift woke him, the kid having fallen asleep by the fire. Roo stood and handed Raast to Razor, nodded at Zep, who held Rhyx, and then she moved to the fire. The little bitch curled into a small ball, and Hwa moved beside her.

  "I have room, you know," Zep offered, pulling aside his tent flap, "and enough blankets to share."

  Hwa looked up at him, nudging Roo. She'll need a night without the pups, Hwa thought, dropping his eyes to the bundle Zep held.

  "Man, that's a tough call. Man-eating beasts, or a bundle of fuzz." Zep sighed dramatically and kissed the pup gently before passing her to Risk.

  "Well, that's my hint," Risk said, standing. He looked into the pup's face, then cuddled her close to his chest. With a protective smile, the golden man disappeared into his own tent.

  Soon, only Ilija, Jase, Sal, and Blaec were left beside the fire.

  "Ilija, why are you still here?" Blaec asked.

  "Evidently," Ilija said, "there was a mess on the King's bed. Something about grauori blood. I gave him my tent, so I'm homeless for the night. Besides, I was curious about the iliri."

  Blaec chuckled. "And not a spare spot in the Shields for you?"

  Ilija shook his head. "We aren't that tight yet, sir."

  "It's Blaec, or LT, Colonel – and you outrank me."

  Ilija just laughed. "I've been around Sal long enough to know that iliri ranks and human ones aren't the same. Sir, I will never outrank you, and I have no interest in it. If Sal respects you, then I do as well. That's all there is to it."

  Jase kissed the top of her head. "He's got a point, ya know," he said to Blaec. "Sal has a way a putting things in perspective."

  "Yeah," Blaec agreed, and the look on his face made Sal realize that the men weren't talking about ranks. "There's something about her that changes things."

  Jase nodded. "Dernor," he said simply, meeting Blaec's eyes.

  "Ahnor" Blaec replied, smiling as he said it.

  "C'mon, Ilija," Jase said, shuffling to his feet. "I have some extra room, and I'm pretty sure I have 'nough blankets fer two." He bent down and kissed Sal sweetly, then looked at the human.

  "No offense," Ilija said, as Sal stood and dusted off her rump, "but, three's a crowd."

  She rolled her eyes. "Ilija, you'll have to spend some time learning Iliran customs. Blaec and Jase just came to an agreement. There'll be room for you." She walked over to Blaec and wrapped her arms around him.

  "I have missed you," he said, holding her close.

  Sal smiled up at him, stepped back, and entwined her fingers in his. With a nod at Jase, Blaec escorted her into his own tent, the flap slipping closed behind them.

  "And you're ok with that?" Ilija asked.

  "Yeh, I'm good, man. It's been almost ten months since they've seen each other."

  Ilija just looked at Jase strangely. "This is one of those things I'll never quite understand isn't it."

  Jase shrugged. "There's na ta understand. She loves him. She loves me. We love her. Maast, ya know how't is. We all love her, it's the vis. They both have it, and there's na a thing we can do ta stop it."

  "Yeah, but..." Ilija massaged the bridge of his nose. "We've been friends for a bit, right? I don't mean to be out of line Ahnor, but, your woman is sleeping with another man tonight, and you're just fine with that? Even if he is your officer. I couldn't do it, man."

  Jase patted Ilija on the shoulder. "I did it ta him first, but it does na really work like that. Sal chooses. I know how much she's missed LT, otherwise what I did tonight would likely have gotten my throat ripped out. When we left, I was Dernor, and he was Ahnor. She made the change in our status clear t'night, but I knew what she wanted. I just told her it was ok ta act on it without hurting my feelings. I can na stop her, man."

  "Stopping her isn't the same as being ok with it."

  "Nah, it's na, but it's different with us. We do na claim our women, we enjoy them. Fer us," and Jase gestured to the Black Blades' camp as a whole, "it's even more strange because we're led by a Kaisor, but our instincts tell us ta respect the Kaisae. It's like Dominik and Sal, but Blaec's the commander and Sal's the King. I dunno, man. I guess it's like you being upset because Dom thinks she's a good soldier. Does na mean he thinks less of ya, just that she did somethan ta get noticed."

  "What is vis?" Ilija asked trying to understand.

  "Yeh. Glish has no word fer it," Jase said. "Charisma is the closest, but it is n
a right. It's the thing that makes her so different. It's why we'd die fer her."

  "Is it just an iliri thing?"

  "I dunno. I have na seen it in a grauori yet, but Rragri may have it. Dom may, too."

  "Yeah," Ilija muttered. "Because, you know, I'd die for her too."

  Jase nodded. "Ilija, I saw the soldiers. They all would. Sal is special. LT is too, but it's diff'rent. Together..." He looked up at Ilija's dark eyes. "Ya realize we're gonna win, right? Ya know that together, na a thing can stop those two. Why would I be jealous a that?"

  Chapter 34

  The next morning, Sal snuggled closer to Blaec's chest, shocked at how much larger he was than Jase. Pale light was turning the edges of the tent grey, and Sal tried to convince herself that it was ok to sleep in and enjoy this. Never mind that she'd stayed up a bit too late proving how much she'd missed him. Blaec's gentle lovemaking had been exactly what she needed to erase the anguish of battle, but she hated that he kept his mind locked tight. After so many months alone with her assassin, laying next to her commander felt strange – and the silence didn't help.

  "You've changed, you know?" Blaec said softly, his voice rumbling through his chest into her ear.

  "Too iliri for you now?" Sal joked, her voice just a whisper.

  "More iliri – but love, you can't be too iliri. That's not what I meant, though."

  "Then what?"

  He chuckled softly. "You're more. That's how Zep always describes you, ya know. He says your like the rest of us, but you make us all more." He paused to yawn. "You're a true Kaisae, Sal, not kaisae by default. You've embraced something and become just a bit more wild – the same way the wind is wild. Damn, I missed you. But I'm also glad I sent you."

  "Really?"

  "Mhm." He shifted, turning slightly so he could kiss the top of her head. "Don't take this wrong, but it feels like you've grown up. Kinda nice to have a woman around to help me keep this pack in line."

  She giggled, burrowing her face against his strong chest. "So are we going to take Dom's offer?"

  "Staying in Anglia? We can't, not now. Terric isn't done. You pulled the grauori into this, and the Conglomerate is filled with crossbreds, but iliri? We're the only ones – the ten of us – that truly follow the old ways. We're the only ones that have any chance of ending this."