Warrior Blind (2 page)

“Danae is not his mate. She doesn’t want him.” Any more than Bron wanted this creature anywhere near her.

“Be that so, she has birthed the heir to this kingdom. Until that heir reaches the age of majority the child’s mother is bound by Lothicano law to remain near the father.”

“But is that the High King’s law?”

“He will honor it, or risk a war. There is too much at stake for him now.”

Bronwen understood what he was saying. Rathan was busy preparing for the war, and with relocating Dardaptoan refugees from not one but two realms. How could Rath split his attention between that and something as trivial as one missing woman from his house?

“Come. I have been long gone from my home. I have things I must do and soon.”

“What is to happen to me? Please…don’t send me back to Ramorakin. I’ll do anything…” She did not know what the slave keeper had had against her, or Danae, but he had seemed to hate them far more than he had any of the other females in his keeping.

He had struck Bronwen multiple times. Danae far less, being that she was a princess who would most likely be ransomed back quickly. But Bronwen…she had drawn his ire almost hourly in the time she’d been kept in the prison wing of the Lothicano castle.

She would do
anything
to avoid being near that monster again—even beg.

***

Her fear tore at him, filling his soul with his guilt. What had Ramorakin done to her? The slave keeper had been in Koios’ employee for nearly six hundred years, and they had never had a single problem from him. Of course, most of that time the slaves in Ramorakin’s keeping had been political in nature, destined for ransoming back to their families. As such they were to be treated well, and they had been.

Until this girl and the Relaklonos princess.

And with both females refusing to speak of what they had endured, no punishment could be appropriately rendered.

Koios did not understand it; if they had been so abused by the slave keeper, why did they not speak it so? Did they not understand that he and Sinrik would see they were treated honorably, and avenged if needed?

He pulled her glasses from her face; he did not like it when she hid from him. Any part of her. He pocketed the glasses, then tilted her chin up toward him. Could she not see him at all, then? That was what the people of Malickus’s castle had said months ago. But had he ever checked for himself? Her eyes, once the dark yellow of the Lothicano rose, were now far too pale. The pupils were almost non-existent. He waved a hand in front of her face, and there was no reaction from her eyes to the changing light. None at all.

She pulled away. “Don’t do that. I’m not a freak show for your amusement.”

So she had some spirit. That surprised him; she had been just a timid little waif each time he had been with her. “I do not think you are a freak, in any manner. But there will be truth between us from now on. Tell me, how much do you see?”

She pushed at him, her tiny hands near the medallion his mother had placed around his neck hours after his birth to denote his royal heritage. He barely felt it, so small and weak was she. “I see
 
nothing.
 
And I never will again.”

“I am sorry. That is unfortunate.”

“You think? I can’t even see to tell you which way I should walk. I could fall down the stairs, or run into the walls, or fall out a window. I can even cut myself eating my own dinner. So tell me, how unfortunate that is? Do you even care? It is your fault I am like this in the first place.”

That he could not deny. Had he just left the girl alone months ago, had his arrogance and thirst for a small amount of vengeance against the High King not gotten the best of him, this girl would be safe and secure in her former life. Instead she was dependent upon him for everything now. He was a monster at times, wasn’t he?

His honor demanded he make his restitution to her directly, the one whom he had most wronged. “Come. We shall get you to your new suite. You can settle in.”

“Why bother? My brothers will be coming for me. And Auri.
 
She
 
won’t rest until she has me back.” Of that Bronwen was certain. And Auri was now one of the most powerful creatures in any of the realms. “Do you really want to battle against a Laquazzeana? She can strike you dead with just a thought!”

“And she will not dare. To do so would bring her brother-in-law’s kingdom into certain war with mine. And my allies. Which are not inconsiderable. Do you think that is something he would wish? Something this Auri of yours would? Many lives would be lost in exchange for returning you to that drafty wreck of a castle.” Politics and diplomacy irritated him at times, but he understood the necessity for both. And had been trained by his father to use them when needed to achieve his goals.

“You are despicable.” The vitriol in her voice surprised him. Weren’t healers of her Kind supposed to be compassionate and loving in manner, even to their enemies?

That had him frowning. Was that what he was to her, an enemy? He did not wish that, not at all. He tangled one hand in her hair. It was softer than he’d expected. One of the softest things his sword-roughened hand had touched, in his recent memory. He tilted her head back, then ran a finger from his free hand down her thin neck. She shivered and her face showed real surprise. He did it again; her shivering increased.

“Stop.”

He thought about it for a moment. It was just a simple touch. Why had she reacted in such a manner? Koios surprised himself by leaning down and nipping the same small bit of skin. Her breath rushed out.

He felt his lower body harden in a distinctive sexual reaction. It was the first he’d ever reacted to
 
her
 
that way, wasn’t it?

He didn’t see her as a sexual being. How could he? She was too small, too weak and defenseless, too dependent on him for everything for there to be a sexual attraction to her. He far preferred strong warrior females of his own Kind. He’d never been with a creature of another Kind. The entire idea was almost abhorrent for a
 
Beskre warrior
such as himself, wasn’t it?

But then again…what had he and Sinrik been told nearly fifteen months ago by a prognosticating Druidic when she had visited their castle in her travels?

That they would have to seek out females of
 
other.
 
Witches and healers and peoples not yet named if they wished to preserve their dying Kind.

Healers and witches.

Why had he not remembered that?

It was why Sinrik had kept captive the first witch to visit their kingdom after that day. Malickus’s young sister had arrived within weeks after that prediction. It hadn’t been much longer before Koios had taken this young healer, as well. Had
 
she
 
been a part of that Druidic foretelling? Why had he not realized?

Because he had not believed that foretelling, that was why.
 

Beskre warrior
s were trained early on that their Kind was to be preserved through pure mating.

That was the way of their peoples. The Druidic prediction had directly countered his lifelong teachings, so he had discounted it.

Even though his brother hadn’t, and had impregnated the first witch female to come within range.

But perhaps the Druid had had the way of things?

The
 
Beskre warrior
Kind was dying out for one main reason, and Koios was well aware of it. No female had been born of their Kind in nearly one thousand years—until the wee Zephra, his brother’s daughter.

A thousand years, and then a year after the Druidic prediction, the brother who had believed had fathered a daughter.

There had to be great stock in that.

Perhaps that was what he would keep this young healer girl for. A consort, and possible mother to a few of his spawn over the years? Not many, maybe four every couple of hundred years. That was a good number for just a consort, and he would be free to find a
 
Beskre
 
mate, when the time came as well. Perhaps
 
two
 
spawn would be better. One every hundred years? Warrior spawn were large and hearty, and she was small and slim and delicate. Could she even carry a warrior spawn safely?

The High Queen had. He had been in the Malickus castle when the High King’s heir was delivered. This girl had assisted the delivery, hadn’t she? So she would know what to expect.

It was far more expedient to lift her into his arms and carry her than to wait for her to follow. Or to even lead her by the hand, her stumbling along behind him. Instead of the suite he’d had prepared in the opposite wing as his, he took her directly to his quarters.

Best start out as he meant to continue, after all. She would needst get used to his much larger body, wouldn’t she? He was probably a bit larger than any she had been with before.

He lowered her to the bed and the instant her back touched the silk blanket she erupted, arms and legs waving wildly as she tried to push him away.

It surprised him. He thought her incapable of such fighting. She hadn’t fought him when he’d taken her from Malickus’s castle before. She’d been so meek, then. “Stop. I do not plan to mate you yet. You will hurt yourself if you continue in this manner. We have much to discuss.”

MATE
her
 
yet
? Dear
Goddess
, what was he intending? “Stop. Get off of me!”

His weight was pushing her back into his bed, and he was crushing her. Like Ramorakin had tried that first day in his keeping…

Ramorakin had come into the small cold room he’d shoved her in after Koios had given her to him and left. The slaver had grabbed her by the
 
vestis
 
and lifted her straight off her feet. He’d been at least eighteen inches and two hundred pounds heavier than Bronwen. And she’d barely been able to see him.

Facts he’d used well.

He hadn’t raped her during those two weeks she’d been in his keeping, but he’d touched her and hit her and starved her. When he had fed her it had been with poisoned, tainted food. He’d known what her Healer’s body could take and he’d pushed it to the very limits. Just to see what would happen. To see her writhing in more pain than she had ever experienced before.

Only Danae had kept her sane. The other woman had been in the room next to Bron’s and had used what witchy power she still possessed to open a hole in the wall between them. Ramorakin hadn’t known, had been busy for two days with other slaves and prisoners. By the time he’d learned of the opening, Danae had already eaten some of Bron’s tainted food. And had been so ill…her newly pregnant body hadn’t been able to withstand the poison.

Bron’s body had been able to fight the strange poison, but Danae’s had not. So Bron had healed her new friend, had poured every bit of strength she possessed into keeping Danae and the babe inside her alive.

She had succeeded, though it had damaged her sight to the point of permanency. And it had weakened her to this day. Danae had somehow found the power to encircle both of them in a light of protection, wrapping their bodies in that soft blue glow. It had kept Ramorakin out for the last four days of their captivity. But the previous ten days had been enough to do permanent damage. And Ramorakin had certainly tried to break Danae’s protection. Thank the Goddess he hadn’t succeeded, for Danae and little Zephra’s sakes, if nothing else.

By the time Danae’s cousin Phelius had arrived to ransom Danae, Bron was hanging on by only the Healer’s soul within her. It had been that close. Phelius had a healer with him that day, and
 
that
 
woman had somehow saved Bron’s life.

She would never forget that. Or forget Ramorakin and his promised threats. If she was in this castle when Koios tired of whatever game he now sought to play with her, Ramorakin would make good on those threats. And she would be at his mercy.

She could not count on her
 
Rajni
 
to protect her; he had already proven that. “You cannot do this,
 
please!”

***

He heard the panic and that was all that had him slipping to the mattress beside her. Some of the fear in her body lessened, almost immediately. Was that what it was? She did not like him atop her?

He tested his theory, returning to his original position. Her struggles increased, and she started begging him to get off of her. To not hurt her anymore. Koios moved, and quickly. He rolled them both until she was atop him, and he was leaning against the headboard.

Some
 
of her panic subsided. Her breathing slowed enough that he did not have to fear her hyperventilating—if such a thing was even possible for her Kind.