by Donna Grant
He didn’t think so. There was much that had been out of anyone’s control, and while he knew how powerful witches could be, he didn’t imagine Runa was capable of that. Brom shook his head, wondering how he had gone from never trusting anyone, to barely knowing Runa and revealing his deepest secret.
What he felt in his heart couldn’t be wrong, though. Could it?
No doubt, plenty of other men had claimed the same thing, only to be betrayed. He didn’t want to believe that could happen to him, but just to be safe, he would be prepared either way.
If he had chosen the Varroki when Asa gave him the choice, he could be with them now. Of course, that assumed they allowed him into their city. Even if they had, there was no guarantee they would have granted him access to everything they were. Not that he needed it. He’d listened and learned enough through the years to gain sufficient knowledge. He would like more, but if he never got it, he’d survive. He’d come this far, hadn’t he?
That didn’t solve his current predicament, however. Somehow, he’d lost Runa, and he had a hunch that she had done it on purpose. She was too smart to just accept how he hadn’t argued more about going with her. Not to mention, he’d warned her that he’d follow her. If she were trying to keep him off her trail, then doing something like disappearing would undoubtedly do the trick.
Brom turned in a slow circle, taking in the direction he’d come to where he was now and where the trail stopped. He looked at each tree, hoping one of them would tell him something, but it wasn’t as if he could talk to the foliage.
He had to pick a direction. Runa had been on a direct route, headed straight on this course. It could be because she was trying to make up time. She had crossed terrain that most would’ve bypassed, but she had been in a hurry. Or, she could’ve done it to trick him, making him believe that she would continue on in the same direction. After he passed her, she would alter her course and turn another way.
There was only one way to find out if that was the case. Brom would have to continue on his present course for a little bit, then backtrack and see if she came out of hiding to continue on. Brom adjusted the pack across his body and started walking. He desperately tried to keep her out of his thoughts, but memories of their night together kept replaying in his head. Her words, her sighs, her smiles.
Her touch.
He was so lost in thought that he wasn’t paying attention. Brom paused and looked behind him to see that he had traveled quite a significant distance, and he hadn’t deviated from his course. But something had pulled him from his thoughts. He scanned the forest, noting how still everything had become.
Earlier, birds had flown, squirrels searched for food, and even a fox had darted across his path. Now, the very air seemed to stand still. Fear and alarm dripped from every tree and plant around him.
That’s what had caught his attention. He had no idea how long that had been going on before it finally penetrated his mind, and that didn’t matter now. All he cared about was discovering what was there and how to get away from it. If he could.
Just as he thought about slowly backing up, he heard it. A whisper. It was so faint that for an instant, he thought he had imagined it. Then he heard it again. Brom couldn’t make out the words, but he didn’t need to. He knew exactly what was there—Gira.
Brom could use magic and get away from them, but that would only alert them that a warlock was near. No doubt they would tell any witches nearby, and then he would be on the run from the Coven.
But if he didn’t use magic, they would try to take him. He knew the ugly truth of what the nymphs did to anyone who got too close. They enveloped them, and while some toyed with them, tortured them with sex, it was only a matter of time before the Gira ate them. Brom would rather the Coven chase him for the rest of his life than be taken by a nymph.
His gaze moved to a tree to his right. He watched as the bark moved. The Gira turned, revealing herself. She was naked, her flesh resembling bark. Her hair was piled atop her head and also resembled the bark of a tree. Eyes as black as pitch met his as she smiled and beckoned him closer with a finger.
Magic gathered within him as he saw four more Gira show themselves. Just as he was about to release a spell that would kill them, something hit him in the back of the head. Pain radiated, and then there was nothing but blackness.
Runa waited until she knew Brom was unconscious before she moved away from the tree. The Giras’ gazes snapped to her. The five didn’t know what to do with her. Then the first who had shown herself to Brom pulled back her lips in a snarl.
Runa smiled as the attack came.
Brom grunted as he came awake. He pushed up on his hands and knees and winced at the pain that shot through his body. Gingerly, he reached up and felt the small knot forming on his head. Then it all came back to him.
He jumped to his feet, the world spinning for just a moment until he got his bearings. He had his magic ready to dole out punishment to the nymphs but there was no one there. No bodies, no Gira, no…nothing. Brom frowned as he turned in a circle, trying to piece it all together. Finally, he dropped his arms to his sides and shook his head. He hadn’t imagined it. He knew the Gira had been there. His magic had been at the ready to kill them when something hit him from behind. Whatever it was had knocked him out cold. The nymphs never would’ve just left him there.
Unless something had come for them.
Brom dusted the snow from the front of his body and his hair and then carefully looked at the trampled snow. It was difficult to pick up footprints, but something had happened. Too much ground had been disturbed for him not to see that there had been an altercation of some kind.
What happened to the Gira and whoever came for them, he didn’t know. For all intents and purposes, it appeared as if someone had saved his life. He just wished he knew who it was. And why had they wanted him unconscious?
Because they didn’t want me to see them.
Witches and Gira weren’t friends, but they weren’t enemies either. The fact that the Gira had decided to join Sybbyl spoke of how fluid that relationship was. Witch Hunters were known to kill Gira when they encountered them. Anyone who knew of magic knew of the nymphs, so whoever it was had to know about magic, too.
His thoughts turned to Runa, but he realized that him simply wanting her to be near didn’t make it so. For one, she would’ve had no reason to knock him out. If anything, they would’ve worked better together to take out the Gira.
After going through the list of possibilities, he was no closer to knowing who it was than before. He realized he might never know. He’d gotten away from the Gira without having to reveal that he was a warlock. He was thankful for that, but he would have to pay better attention to not be caught unawares by the nymphs again.
Brom walked a few paces before he stopped and turned back to the area. From his vantage point, it was clear that there had been quite a scuffle. Something on a tree caught his attention. He walked to the side to investigate and noticed something dark. When he touched it, his finger came back red.
“Blood.”
He looked around again, specifically searching for more blood. That’s when he saw it on several other trees. Brom returned to where he’d been and kicked some of the snow aside. It didn’t take long for him to find the copious amounts of red that stained the ground.
There hadn’t just been an attack. Someone had been killed. The fact that he hadn’t woken to find himself being held by a tree told him that whatever or whoever had knocked him out had killed at least one of the Gira—if not all of them.
Brom was glad that he didn’t have to worry about those Gira again, but what bothered him now was that someone had gone to a lot of trouble to hide the fact that nymphs had been killed. Was it for his benefit? Or was it to conceal the signs from other Gira who might come through here looking for their companions?
It could be either one. Frankly, he was grateful to be alive, and the Coven unaware of his magic. That might be his only chance to scr
ape by, by the skin of his teeth. He might not be so lucky next time. Which meant, he had to get his head on right. He could think about Runa while asleep. For now, he had to imagine that everything and everyone was after him. It was the only way he’d stay alive as he looked for Runa.
14
Everything had nearly worked as Runa planned. Nearly.
She blew out a breath as she ran as fast as she could through the thick snow. The Gira who had gotten away traveled as swiftly as the wind. Runa was gaining ground, but not quickly enough. If she didn’t do something soon, the nymph would reach the others and alert them to what Runa had done.
Twice already, Runa had thrown one of her blades at the Gira, but the nymph had managed to dodge the throws. Runa had gathered her swords as she ran past, her gaze moving ahead of the Gira. She had one last chance. The nymph was headed to a section of the forest where the trees narrowed. It was the perfect place for a Gira to disappear.
Or for Runa to find her target.
Runa tossed her sword into the air. The sun glinted off the blade as it flipped end over end with the blade landing in her palm. Her fingers closed around it, the sharp edges slicing her fingers. She ignored the pain as she locked her sights on the nymph’s back. Then Runa reared back her arm and let the sword fly through the air.
She didn’t stop running as the weapon somersaulted to land with a thunk in the Gira’s back. The nymph collapsed, unmoving in the snow. Runa stopped beside her, breathing hard. Her gaze scanned the area, looking for anything that seemed out of place. Only then did she squat beside the nymph to see if her quarry had been eliminated.
Satisfied, Runa pulled her blade free and cleaned it off in the snow. She didn’t bother to cover up the blood or remove any evidence of the attack to hide it from Brom. If he found his way here, it would be long after the animals had had their way with the Gira’s body.
She looked back the way she had come. The last thing she wanted was to leave Brom, but there hadn’t been another choice. Once she’d knocked him out and attacked the nymphs, the battle had been quick and vicious. She had sustained wounds that had impacted her ability to kill all five of the Gira, which was how this one had been able to make a run for it.
Runa closed her eyes as she leaned back against a tree. She hurt everywhere. From the battle, from the run, from nearly having everything blow up in her face. She slowly sank down to sit on the ground, resting against the tree. It didn’t even matter that she was in the snow. Her body was exhausted, and she needed some time to regroup and see to her wounds.
But she couldn’t stay here. Runa opened her eyes and forced herself to her feet. She put her swords in their sheaths and collected herself before she thought about what to do next. The Gira weren’t far. She couldn’t quite detect them, which meant they couldn’t perceive her either. That was her only saving grace right now, but she’d take it.
If she had time, Runa would make a perimeter around the Gira to pinpoint exactly where they were and see approximately how many were with Sybbyl. Unfortunately, she didn’t have that kind of time. It would make planning a decent attack even harder. In fact, Runa wasn’t sure how she could do it at all. She was one against a horde—of Gira. She didn’t stand a chance.
Even knowing that, she wasn’t going to give up.
Then she thought about Brom and the life she might have had with him. She was most likely going to her death, choosing her family over him. She wanted nothing more than to rush back to him and fling her arms around his neck. To grow old with him. However, her origins prevented that. Not to mention, she’d never forgive herself for not going to her family.
She might not have been raised by Asrail, but neither had her sister. Her grandmother deserved to know that her family knew of her sacrifice and respected her for it. If that was all she could do, Runa would gladly do it. And if she were able to somehow make sure her sister stayed out of this mess, then their family line could continue. In Runa’s book, that was a win.
Though her heart wept for the life she could’ve had.
Unfortunately, her road had been decided long ago. She wasn’t sure how Synne had been able to find a place with the humans, but she was glad for it. Runa was tired of living between two worlds, never belonging to either.
Except with Brom.
“But I never told him who and what I am.”
She couldn’t help but wonder how he might have reacted if she had. The part of her that still held hope imagined that he would have accepted her. The other part, the cynical piece filled with despondency, knew exactly what would’ve happened. What had always happened.
Runa turned away, angry at herself for even going down that road with her thoughts. It only led to more heartache and sorrow, and she had suffered enough of that for two lifetimes. Maybe in her next life, she would find Brom and have the life she wished so desperately for.
But how could she—part human, part Gira—ever truly be content?
“I was. With Brom.”
Saying the words aloud only made the situation worse. Runa had to stop. She couldn’t allow her mind to keep dragging her into such despair. Squaring her shoulders, she turned back to face the direction the nymph had been running. It was the same route she had been on since she decided to help her family. If she kept going, she knew she would soon run into the Gira.
Runa turned to the right and decided to skirt around where she knew the Gira were grouped. There would be other scouts waiting to alert the nymphs and witches of any intruders. In order to stay ahead of things, Runa would have to be extra cautious.
She longed to look back over her shoulder for Brom, but she didn’t allow herself that small indulgence. She made her way from the dead Gira, covering her tracks as she did. Only when she was far enough away did she pause to see to her wounds. The scratches on her arms throbbed. She packed some ice on them to deaden the torn tissue before she dug into her bag and pulled out her other shirt. She ripped it into pieces with one of her swords and used the material to wrap around each arm from her wrist to her shoulder.
Then she removed her sheaths and cloak and lay back in the snow. Runa hissed at the mix of cold and pain from the wound running down her right side. It would’ve been worse, but her sheaths had taken most of the damage given the marks on the leather. She couldn’t see the injury properly, so she wasn’t sure how deep the laceration was. It hurt like hell, but all back wounds did. When she could stand the snow no more, she sat up and did her best to wrap more of the strips of material around and across the wound. It wasn’t a good job, but she didn’t have much choice. Leaving it uncovered was an invitation for infection.
“I probably won’t live long enough for that,” she mumbled and forced a laugh as if to try and kid herself.
It didn’t work.
Runa used the few remaining pieces of material to wrap around a slice on her left thigh. She was banged up more than she had ever been before. It wouldn’t be her first time going after someone while injured, but it would be the first time she’d faced a mass of Gira while hurt.
Actually, it would be her first time facing a horde of nymphs period.
That made her laugh because she knew if Morea had the option, she would’ve been right here.
Runa gingerly fastened her cloak and returned her sheaths to lay against her back. Every breath made pain shoot through her. She longed for Brom, though not because he could heal her. Because she wanted to be with him.
Runa set out again, noting that she was losing daylight quickly. Her toes were so cold from walking in so much snow that she could no longer feel them. There would be no fire that night to warm her. There would only be planning and scouting.
15
Brom was about to give up on his route and backtrack when he saw the track. It had been hastily covered, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was Runa’s. Once he found it, he uncovered a few more as he continued on his way. Then, all of a sudden, there were tracks to follow.
Runa must have figured that he w
ould never get this far so she’d stopped covering her tracks. He squatted down beside the newest footprint, noting how deep in the snow it was, as if she had slammed her foot down. The snow was kicked up around it, a sign that she had been running.
He felt the back of his head that still pounded and knew then that Runa had knocked him out. But why? Why hadn’t she allowed him to fight with her? Did she not think him capable? No, he realized. The only reason he had been unconscious was because she hadn’t wanted him to see her. Though he still wasn’t sure why.
She hadn’t hesitated in pulling her blades on him.
That made him think as he followed the tracks with his gaze until they faded into the trees. He slowly straightened and wondered if she might have made sure he couldn’t follow her because she really was worried about his safety.
The idea rankled him tremendously. And, somehow, it didn’t quite fit.
Brom finally had to admit that he wasn’t sure of anything. He didn’t know Runa well enough. People sharing their bodies knocked down some boundaries, but that didn’t mean they were open books to be read at will. Brom had made the conscious choice to tell her about his magic. If there had been any doubt in his mind that she would use it against him, it was gone now. Runa could’ve easily watched as he used his magic against the Gira and then made sure at least one of them got back to Sybbyl with the news. But Runa hadn’t.
He looked at the tracks again. She had been running, that much was clear. Was she getting as far from him as she could? Or had she been chasing something? The fact that the area of the attack around him had been covered, and the bodies of the Gira were gone, told him that she was most likely getting away from him.
Unless…. He flattened his lips. There had been five nymphs. That was a lot for someone to take on alone, even using magic like he would have. There was a really good chance that one of the Gira had gotten away. It might have been injured, making it slow enough for Runa to clear the area where he’d woken up and cover her tracks as she chased the nymph.