[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Again the soft knock sounded so I rose and walked to the door. As it opened, I
stared at the cloaked figure, her familiar scent filling me. She took a step forward into
the doorway, the hood of the cloak opening to the light that flooded from overhead and
my throat closed.
57
Amon Bieste
Her face was discolored with old and new bruises, her bottom lip split open and
her eyes blackened. She swayed slightly and I instantly reached out, scooped her up,
and carried her inside. The door shut behind me. As it sounded against the walls of the
small unit, I placed her on my bed and pushed the cloak away from her head and body.
What I found pounded rage into my veins.
Ganslought! What has happened to her? Jaru s voice lifted when he neared,
bringing Karo rushing forward at his side. I had no words. My throat had closed and I
was having a hard enough time dragging air into my lungs.
Aves, she whispered. He would not let me come to you. Her voice was weak
and my hands shook as I quickly ripped her clothes from her body. As I suspected, the
skin that had been covered by the uniform was also bruised. A few cuts marred her rib
cage, though there seemed to be no broken bones. A thin rope burn reddened the
delicate flesh of her neck.
I told him I would not be his slave. She was trying to explain why she had not
come, but she needn t. I could see from her injuries what had happened. He had his
guards waiting for me. He bound me and would not release me. He beat me.
She looked at me as if she wanted me to understand. I never submitted. I never
gave him that power. Her words touched me deep inside and I forced myself to incline
my head, offering her the approval she sought.
Ganslought! Jaru moved to one side of the bed while Karo hurried to bring a
medical kit. How did you escape?
Her gaze swept to Jaru, and her expression hardened slightly, as if it were natural
for her to share his anger. I am an admiral. I did not become so because I am weak.
Eventually, he let his guard down. When he unfastened me to try to make me submit, I
kicked him in the face. She groaned in pain despite her efforts to remain strong against
it. Hard enough to slip from the building before he could call his guards. I had a cadet
fly me here in her Porsche x869.
Good. Jaru nodded with approval.
58
Latharian Review
Help me. She reached for his thick arm. I hurt. I must roll to the side. Please.
His frown deepened, and when he reached forward to help her roll to the side, I lost my
composure and shouted. Her entire back was crisscrossed with sharp cuts. She d not
just been beaten; she d been whipped.
I was upon my feet instantly. Rage pounded within me at a dangerous speed. I
could not control it. As I took a few steps backward, my skin suit paled and then
disappeared. My muddy-colored scales extended to the point of pain.
Karo s own suit looked thinned as he brought the medical kit from his casing and
knelt next to the bed. Jaru s jaw clenched, working angrily, while we watched Karo
retrieve a tube of ointment in silence. Tenderly, he applied the cream to the pad of his
fingers. He touched the whip marks with care, but still Corral s body flinched and she
cried out. My entire body shook with fury.
How dare someone do this to someone I d trained. She didn t deserve it. No one
did. Humans were stupid creatures. They had no concept of how to go about getting
what they wanted. They used violence and anger when the rest of the universe
understood harmony and working together. But at that moment, I felt the fury of
injustice and the primitive need for revenge.
Though the anger was evident on Jaru s face, he kept his voice low and fought to
keep his skin suit from thinning with his own fury. Is there anything you need?
Food. Corral spoke in a weak voice through clenched teeth as Karo continued to
spread the ointment over her back. I ve not eaten for two days. When I kicked him, it
was the last bit of strength I had. That was it. I d heard enough.
Stay with her. I spoke in my native tongue. Feed her and tend her wounds.
I will go with you. Jaru stepped forward.
No. Stay with her. I turned and stalked to the door. When it slid open, I leapt into
the night on all fours. I moved with Latharian speed, covering several miles in just
minutes. My muscles burned and pain seared through me as my structure shifted.
59
Amon Bieste
Latharians rarely transform to full beasts. Normally we walk upright as humans do.
It is only when in situations like hand-to-hand combat, when adrenaline and bloodthirst
pump in our veins that we are commonly seen on all fours. But I had that bloodthirst in
my body now as I raced toward the counsel headquarters.
It only took me an hour and a half to cross the landscape. I barely noticed the
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]