Born of Fury

CHAPTER 17

Sumi froze in the middle of dressing to stare at him as a horrid fear went through her. “They won’t actually kill you for this. Will they?”

There was no missing the sincerity in his gaze. “While another female might not, Dariana will certainly demand my life for it when she finds out.”

She straightened to frown at him. “Then don’t tell her.”

“It’s not that simple. I have no choice. To lie under Disclosure is also a death sentence.”

“They’ll never know. I won’t tell.”

His gaze sad, he sank his hands into her hair and held her in the tenderest of embraces. “Then I would damn my soul for the lie. I’m not a coward, Sumi. I knew what I was giving up for this moment with you. And I have no regrets… except for the part where I made you mad. I didn’t mean to do that.”

Tears choked her. “Then run with me, Dancer.”

“What?” he asked in confusion.

“I’m serious. We can get Thia and Darice back to their parents and leave. I’m not my sister. I’m not afraid of having your children, and I would never betray my husband’s trust. There is nothing more I would love than to hold your baby in my arms.”

“Oh, mia,” he breathed. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be with you, but we can’t. You are Omira’s sister. If Fain ever sees you, the pain of his past would destroy him. I could never buy my happiness at the expense of my brother’s agony.” He pulled her against him and dipped his head down to rest it on her shoulder. “I will get your daughter back for you and see to it that you’re both outside of Kyr’s reach. But I can’t run with you, Sumi. I can’t do that to my family. My mother would never forgive me for dishonoring her.”

She scoffed at his words. “Are you telling me that your mother would rather have you dead?”

“Yes. She would.”

“Dancer,” she chided, “I promise you, no mother would rather lose her child.”

Lifting his head, he traced the line of her jaw with his thumb while a sad smile played at the edges of his lips. “That’s you speaking. You don’t know my mother. I promise you, she would much rather see me dead than be dishonored.”

“Then tell them I raped you.”

He arched an amused brow at that.

“I could have drugged you first. I did kiss you without your consent.”

“And my lips thank you for that.”

She hated that charming tone most of all. “This isn’t funny.”

“No. It’s not.” He picked her hand up and placed it against his heart that beat a fierce rhythm under her palm. His gaze burned into hers as he spoke in that deep, lilting accent that meant everything to her. “For one touch of your precious hand, I gladly consign myself to death.”

She wanted to hate him for that. But how could she? No one had ever made her feel like this.

Cherished and beautiful. Like she mattered.

That was why she couldn’t let him go.

“I will find a way to save you, Dancer. Mark my words.”

“Then I wish you luck. Because honestly, I don’t want to die. I would rather spend the rest of my life inside you, and making you smile.”

It was only then she realized he was growing hard again and his eyes were starting to turn red. Blushing, she looked down at him.

He snorted and laughed. “It appears what they say is true.”

“And that is?”

“Once an Andarion has tasted the flesh of another, we’re insatiable.” He dipped his head to gently lave and nuzzle her neck.

“What are you doing, Dancer?”

“They can only kill me once.” He pulled her shirt off, over her head. Then he removed his boots and pants.

Her throat went dry at the sight of him fully naked. But the last thing she wanted was to add another scar or injury to him. “What about the men tracking you?”

His eyes were really glowing red now – even more luminescent than before. He wrapped her hair around his hand then brushed it against his face. “We have Illyse to warn us. And if they dare interrupt me right now, they’ll wish to whatever god they worship that they’d been more considerate.”

Sumi started to protest, but her mind went blank as he entered her again and found the perfect rhythm for her body.

Sumi came awake to the warm, luscious scent of Dancer’s skin under her cheek. Sighing contentedly, she opened her eyes to find herself still cradled in the shelter of his arms. She ran her nail over his nipple, making it pucker instantly as chills spread over his chest.

He sucked his breath in sharply. “Keep doing that, mia, and we’ll never make it to the base.”

She kissed his chest. “What does mia mean again?”

“Little mouse.”

Cocking her head, she pinned him with suspicious glare. “You’re sure that’s not an insult?”

He gave her a playful pout. “Why would I insult you, munatara? You’re one of the bravest females I’ve ever known.”

“You keep sweet-talking me like that, War Hauk, and you might get lucky.”

A slow smile curved his lips before he gave her a gentle kiss. His eyes glowing, he rolled her over, taking care not to put too much weight on her body. The one thing they’d discovered last night was exactly how heavy he really was. He could easily squash her with that heavy Andarion frame. He seriously weighed a ton.

But she didn’t mind it in the least. If she had to die, she could think of no better way to go than in his arms.

She groaned in ecstasy as he entered her again and stared down at her with those glowing, beautiful eyes. “How can you still be this aroused?”

He thrust against her hips in a slow, steady rhythm that sent waves of pleasure through her. “Do you want me to stop?”

“Hardly.” She bit her lip as she met him stroke for stroke. “No wonder Andarions keep such a tight leash on themselves. Otherwise you’d never leave your bedrooms.”

He laughed harder at that than what was warranted.

“What’s that about?”

He cupped her chin and kissed her. “Last year, when Darling had himself wired with explosives, and was ready to blow himself and half his capital city to hell, Caillen and Nyk said that all we needed to do to redirect him from vengeance was get him laid. I scoffed at them for the suggestion, and they laughed at my stupidity. As much as I hate to admit those bastards were right. They’re right. I understand completely now. There is nothing sweeter than being inside you, mu tara. I would gladly give up any quest to stay here with you, like this.”

She ran her hand over his prickly cheek as he thrust faster against her hips. “I meant what I said, Dancer. I would gladly carry your lineage forward.”

“As would I with you. But the gods won’t grant us that and we both know it.”

Tears choked her as she wrapped her legs around his hips and wished she’d met him in a different time and place. If Fain was half the male and lover Dancer was, how could Omira have ever betrayed him with another? How could her sister have held so much in her hand and then callously thrown it all away?

Was she out of her mind?

“Mia?” He paused to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Am I hurting you?”

She shook her head. “It’s the future that hurts me.”

“Don’t think about it. Just look into my eyes and know that you hold a place inside me no one else has ever touched. It’s reserved solely for you.”

That made her cry harder.

Hauk let out a breath of heart-wrenching frustration.

She buried her hands in his hair and held him against her. “It’s not you, baby. I’m a woman. Not an Andarion female. I have a hard time keeping tender emotions bottled inside me sometimes. The mere thought of losing you now…” She teased his lips with hers as she rolled him over so that she straddled him. “It’s not fair that I’ve waited my whole life for you and now that I’ve finally found you, I have to let you go.”

Hauk growled as she took control of their pleasure. If he could, he would stop time so that they’d never have to leave this place. How ironic really that in this desert that had destroyed his life when it’d taken Keris’s, it had given him a new one with Sumi.

Only this one couldn’t last and he knew it. All too soon, he’d have to let her go and return for a death sentence.

How can I let her go?

But like he’d told Sumi, he didn’t want to think about the future. He only wanted to live right here and now where it was just the two of them.

Two souls bound by something far deeper than just the physical.

She tensed ever so slightly. Smiling, he knew she was on the brink of coming for him. An instant later, she threw her head back and cried out.

Grateful he pleased her, Hauk ran his hands over her breasts as he watched the ecstasy play across her face. He loved the sight of her doing that. Of her finding pleasure in his touch and body. It made him insanely possessive of her. Protective. He never wanted her to look like this for any other male. Never wanted anyone to have this part of her.

She was his.

Grinding his teeth, he lifted his hips and buried himself deep inside her as he joined her release.

Like a seductive lorina, she draped herself over his chest and sighed contentedly while she ran her hand over the scars his mother had given him so long ago. Strange how they no longer mattered to him. Unlike an Andarion female, Sumi didn’t mind his scars.

Only his fresh wounds and bruises. She’d spent hours last night, kissing and bandaging them. And he’d done the same for hers.

He closed his eyes and savored the warmth of her flesh against his. “We should probably wash and head for the base.”

“Mmm.”

“Sumi?”

“I heard you. I just want a minute more alone with you, like this.”

He wanted a lot more than a mere minute. What he craved was a lifetime spent in her arms.

But that could never be and he knew it. So he held her for as long as he dared, then he picked her up and carried her to the small stream so that they could bathe.

When he went to dress, Sumi’s light laughter made him pause. “What?”

She pressed her lips together into an adorable expression. “Since the moment I woke up in your tent, I’ve wanted to climb up that long, hard body of yours and do a pole dance. I was just thinking how glad I am that I finally had the chance to do it.”

He blushed. “I don’t know about that. You looked pretty scared to me when you woke up in my tent.”

“Oh, I was a lot scared.” She left the water to approach him slowly.

His breath caught at the sight of her naked body glistening in the morning light as she neared him. She was lithe and well muscled. Sculpted and sweet. And his mouth watered to taste more of her. But the sight of her battle scars and injuries made him want to hunt Kyr down, and beat him until he was hoarse from begging for mercy.

She raked a hungry smile over him. “Not quite as scared as I was last night when I saw the look on your face, but —”

“I’m sorry about that.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. You had every right to want me dead. I should never have agreed to come here to hurt you.”

“You weren’t exactly given a choice. I know Kyr. The words if it please Your Majesty never leave his lips. Even when he’s addressing royalty.”

“Still —”

He stopped her words with a kiss. “Fain taught me early in my life to listen with my eyes and not my ears.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Lips and tongues lie. But actions never do. No matter what words are spoken, actions betray the truth of everyone’s heart. And your actions gave me no reason to doubt you. You’ve been honorable since I met you. That’s what I should have put my faith in.”

Sumi stared up at him in wonder. He was so gorgeous, even with those strange eyes that were fast becoming normal to her. She fingered his goatee, then mustache. “It’s amazing to me how a race that is known for its rowdy brutality can hold such poetry and beauty.”

That handsome lopsided grin of his made her stomach flutter. “We are a fierce breed.”

“And the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk are the fiercest of all.”

“That we are, mu mia.” He let go of her to finish dressing.

Sumi bit her lip as he bent over to retrieve his pants. That male had the nicest butt she’d ever seen on any being. And all that lush, rippling flesh…

Damn.

Just damn. Sighing, she turned to dress and tried not to think about how much she wanted to go take another bite out of him.

Hauk paused with a frown as he pulled his shirt on. There was such a strange serenity to him now. For the first time in his life, he was at peace and he didn’t know why. He was absolutely calm.

The bitter rage that had lived inside him and driven him to war for so long was quelled and silent. Sumi had lit a joy within him the likes of which he’d never known. His heart was light and all he wanted to do was make her smile. To give her the same happiness she gave him.

She hesitated as she caught him staring at her. “What?”

He grinned. “What, what?”

A thousand expressions, all adorable, played across her beautiful face. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He gently pulled her against him and ran his hands through her pale hair before he braided it for her.

She tilted her head back to look up at him. “What are you doing?”

“Giving you the hair of an Andarion warrior.”

Sumi furrowed her brow. It was such a strange thing for him to do. And again, it seemed incongruous that a male so fierce would play like this in a woman’s hair. “Is that why League assassins braid their hair? Because they were founded by an Andarion?”

He continued to brush his hands through her hair and plait it. “Not just any Andarion, mia. The first Keris of the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk. Back then, an Andarion warrior had to earn the right to grow his or her hair long. It was kept short until Endurance. Then it was allowed to grow, but only so long as you were undefeated in battle. And no one ever defeated Keris. So when he started The League to fight against the human tyrant, all The League soldiers wore their hair long and braided to pay honor to him.”

It made sense, and she’d wondered why assassins did that. Now she knew. “So why don’t Andarions still wear their hair braided down their backs?”

“Too many humans took up the style.”

“I’m serious, Dancer.”

“As am I. We have a fierce loyalty to our homeworld that is only matched by the Phrixians. When so many offworlders began adopting our style, we changed it to the many shorter braids we now wear.” He pulled a leather tie from his bracer and used it to secure her hair.

Then, he stooped down and dipped two of his fingers into the dark soil. Smiling at her, he drew a pattern around her eye and down her cheek and jawline. “Now you look like the fierce warrior you are, munatara.” He placed a tender kiss to her other cheek before he moved away and gathered their things.

Curious, Sumi went to the water to see the beautiful swirling shape he’d drawn. “What does this signify, Dancer?”

He didn’t answer as he slung the pack over his back and secured it. “We need to hurry to catch up to the others. Once I see you safely to them and make certain they were able to contact Nyk, I’ll take one of the airbees and lead the assassins away from you.”

She started to repeat her question, until her gaze fell to the Andarion short sword he’d put across his back. There on the hilt, emblazoned in gold, was the same symbol he’d drawn on her face. It was identical to what was also stamped into his bracers. They were the swirling wings of a hawk. In that moment, she knew what he wouldn’t say.

He’d marked her as his.

Listen with your eyes…

Tears choked her. Quickening her steps, she caught up to his long strides and took his hand. He gave a light squeeze before he called for Illyse to follow them. Hand in hand, they walked while she tried to learn some Andarion. Which proved to be an extremely complicated language. It dripped like a song from his lips with that deep, resonating voice of his.

But her human tongue stumbled over all the vowels and diphthongs.

When they stopped a few hours later to rest and feed Illyse, she saw the blood running down Dancer’s leg.

“How can you walk on that without complaint?”

He glanced down and brushed at the blood then shrugged. “It’s not so bad.”

Rolling her eyes, she opened the pack and took out an antiseptic cloth. “I swear Andarions must have different pain receptors than humans.” She pulled his pants leg up to see that it was starting to fester. She grimaced. “This is looking bad, sweetie.”

He moved his leg so that he could see it. Then he made an adorable face at the wound. “I’ll be fine.”

She shook her head at his nonchalance then did her best to clean and rebandage it. “What would Syn say if he were here?”

“That I’m an idiot.”

His unexpected dry retort made her laugh. “Does he call you that a lot?”

“A good bit of the time.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I call him worse things.”

Sumi tried to imagine having friends like that. She’d never had many, and Avin had chased off the handful of people she’d once hung out with from work. In her mind, she’d already made up personalities for the men and women she’d seen in Dancer’s module. Too bad she’d never know if they were accurate or not.

Unwilling to think about the future that awaited them, she gave him a light kiss. “All done.”

Without complaint, he stood, then pulled her into his arms with her back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. She could feel him growing hard against her hip.

Hauk closed his eyes and savored the sensation of holding her like this. It was a very human thing to do. Andarions didn’t really touch in public.

Unless they were fighting, they were very circumspect.

And it made him wonder how Keris and Dariana had ever managed to be wingmen together. How they’d had a marriage without children.

All he wanted was to strip Sumi’s clothes off and spend the rest of the day inside her. To hell with everything else in the universe.

If they were married…

Hauk tensed as he remembered a flashback from his childhood.

“Are you okay?”

He tried to call back what his mind was trying to tell him. But it was gone as fast as it’d come. Straightening, he released her and wiped his forearm across his face. “Yeah, I’m just… confused.”

“By?”

“Nothing. It was a fleeting thought that left no impression.” He picked up their pack and took her hand. Yet as they continued on, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from pondering that one question —

Given as long as Keris and Dariana had been together, how had they managed to stay childless?

As they neared Aksel’s old base, Hauk pulled Sumi to a stop. He had a bad, bad feeling in his gut. Something wasn’t right.

“Dancer?”

Instead of answering, he turned a small circle and scanned the desert around them. There was nothing there.

Still the feeling persisted.

Sumi buried her hands in his hair and forced him to look at her. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on inside your head?”

He gave her a dry stare. “You don’t scare.”

“I do on occasion. Now, what is it?”

“Just the ghosts of the past haunting me.” He glanced back to the base, a shoddy, broken-down husk of what it’d been the last time he’d seen it.

A lot had changed in eight years. Then, Kiara had been kidnapped by Aksel and brought here to die. Nykyrian had come on a suicide run to save her life. Hauk’s mission had been to secure Kiara at any cost while Nyk played decoy for Aksel and his men.

Even now, he could see the anguished look on Nykyrian’s face right before they’d left to come here. “If I don’t get the chance, tell her I love her, that I’ve always loved her, and that I couldn’t have been more thrilled about the baby.” Nykyrian’s heartfelt words still ran a chill up his spine. His best friend had given him one hell of a bad day back then. He still owed Nyk a beating for that.

But this was an entirely different time. It was an entirely different enemy breathing down his neck, trying to kill him. One whose face and name he didn’t know.

Shrugging the feeling away, he took Sumi’s hand and led her toward the dilapidated building.

They’d only taken three steps when Sumi pulled him to a stop. He glanced at her with a frown.

She dropped and tugged at his arm for him to do the same. He obeyed without question.

Sumi narrowed her gaze on the shadow that stood in the doorway of the base. Wanting a better vantage point, she crawled along the ground to a small rise. She pulled her rifle from Hauk’s shoulder and used the scope to survey the building.

“We have a problem,” she whispered, handing the rifle for Hauk to use.

He looked through the scope, then cursed under his breath as he saw what had alarmed her.

“Incas?”

He shook his head. “Boldorians.”

“How do you know?”

“The sheer number of them. Incas travel in smaller groups and they don’t set traps. They’re cowardly raiders.”

“All right… Let me get a closer look. See what I can recon.”

He grabbed her arm as she started away. “I’ll do it.”

She smiled at his offer and patted his arm. “You’re too big to hide, sweetie. You know that. This requires someone who can actually vanish into a shadow… not cast a big one.”

“Sumi…”

She looked back at him expectantly.

Hauk hesitated as he stared into those hazel eyes that seared him. Funny, eight years ago, he’d thought Nykyrian was an idiot for not telling Kiara himself what he wanted her to know. For wasting their time together in silence.

Now he understood. It was hard to let someone that deep into your life. To admit out loud to them that they, alone, held a place inside you where only they could destroy you. And Sumi definitely held his heart and soul in her delicate hands. One harsh look or word from her lips could break him even worse than any enemy assault.

Just say it.

Tell her.

The words choked him. You’re not a coward.

“I’ll be right back.”

Before he could speak, she was gone. Hauk couldn’t breathe as he realized he’d let her go without telling her to be safe. And every minute that ticked by was sheer torture for him as he imagined all manner of atrocities befalling her.

Please come back.

If anyone harmed her, he would tear them apart and relish doing it. No one better lay a single finger on her body. They better not even cast an evil glare in her direction.

Desperate pain swelled inside him as his mind tortured him with horrid possibilities. The Andarion in him wanted to storm the complex right now, and burn it to the ground.

But the saner part of himself knew that if he did that, the Boldorians would kill every being he loved in that building before he got through the door.

She’s a trained assassin, not a civ. Give her time for recon.

That was a lot easier said than done. He hated not having an earwig to stay in touch with her. To not know what was going on.

Screw this shit…

He was just about to go in anyway when he felt a hand on his leg. Rolling, he intended to cut his attacker’s throat.

Until he looked into a pair of loving hazel eyes. He grabbed her into his arms and held her tight against him.

“Can’t. Breathe.”

He loosened his hold. A little.

Sumi laid her head down on his chest and smiled as warmth filled her. He might not say she was important to him, but this hug told her just how worried he’d been. “Still can’t breathe.”

He finally released her. “What did you find out?”

“It’s uglier than hell. Definitely your kind of place. Filled with undesirables, who have way too much training and ammunition… and not enough soap.” She handed him a small knapsack.

His jaw went slack as he opened it to find a bevy of electronics. “How’d you get this?”

She winked at him. “Assassin, remember? Took out two of their burliest in the back. Hope they weren’t anyone’s girlfriend. Anyway, that’s what they had on them. I couldn’t even begin to get a body count. There’s at least twenty on the first floor. Sounded like more upstairs. They are trained. They are savage. And they’re loaded for Andarion.”

“You’re right. Sounds like my kind of party. Let’s fall back and plan the festivities.”

“Yes, sir. Captain, sir. On your six, sir.”

Hauk scowled at her use of a rank no one had called him by in years. It sounded so strange and yet, he adored the teasing light in her eyes. Before he could stop himself, he kissed her lips again, then crawled away from their spot to a safe area where they could tie up Illyse, and make plans.

Sumi followed Dancer back to the cliffs. They found a small cubby to use for cover. She sat quietly as he ran over the layout of the facility.

“No doubt they’d have them in or around Aksel’s old office.” He showed her where that would be on the second floor of the diagram he’d drawn on his e-tab.

“How long ago was your strike?”

“Eight years.”

She widened her eyes. “Are you sure about the locations?”

“Yeah. I have scary recall for floor plans. It’s why Darling and I work as a team. He can’t remember shite without a diagram of it in front of his face.”

But what really impressed her was the fact that even though he had a ton more experience with strikes and planning such events, he still listened to her suggestions and advice. Nor did he get angry or defensive when she asked questions such as the one about his recall. It said a lot about him that he didn’t let his ego get in the way. He treated her like a partner.

And that meant everything to her. No one had ever held her opinions with much regard.

Sighing, he turned the tablet around. “There was a munitions dump here when Aksel ran the place. I’m thinking if it’s still stocked and we raid it, it’ll give us a lot of firepower.”

“That’s a big if.”

“I know.” He rubbed his thumb thoughtfully against his goatee.

“But I like the idea of making a timer to cut the power. What if we go in a standard League two-assassin team and take them out systematically? We can grab weapons as we find them. What do you think?”

Dancer considered it. “Another big if. We won’t know the capacity of the weapons they’re using or their charge levels. Been there, got my ass flambéed. Not looking for a repeat. However… I like your idea best, so far. We can combine that with the strikes I make with Darling. You said you saw the raid on the prison?”

She nodded. “But… you two were a little on the brazen side when you did that. And we don’t have a Sentella-Tavali army backing us.”

“Yeah, well, Darling and I aren’t normally that suicidal. He was a little bended by the fact he thought they’d killed his wife, and he was out for blood vengeance. But that being said, our normal mode of attack is a subtler version. If you’ve studied my moves, then you’ll know what I need for anchor.”

“You’re taking point?”

“Yeah. I know the layout.”

Sumi hesitated. Point was the most dangerous position. It would leave him completely exposed.

Dancer met her gaze. “It makes the most sense. I draw. You sweep.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I’m not sure I can let you do that.”

Hauk froze as he heard the most precious words in the universe. While he loved his friends, they’d never been that reticent to put his ass on the line for a mission. “We do our part. We all go home.”

Her lips quivered. “You better. I won’t forgive you if you die on me.”

He pulled her against him and held her tight. “I’m not going anywhere, mia. I have a promise to keep for you.”

Her hot tears fell against his skin as she kept her arms wrapped around his neck. “I love you, Dancer,” she whispered. “I really do. And I’ve never said that to anyone. Not even Kalea’s father.”

For a full minute, he couldn’t speak as his heart shattered and was left jagged and bleeding by those words. There had been a time once when he’d dreamed of hearing a female say that to him. But that dream had died along with Keris.

Now…

He couldn’t believe he’d actually found someone who could tolerate him.

“I love you, too, munatara a la frah.”

Sumi pulled back to stare up at him. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. Not until she saw the truth in his eyes. No one had ever looked at her like that.

Like she was the air he breathed.

“I am not going to let Dariana have you, Dancer. If I have to cut her fucking throat to keep you safe, I will. And I will relish her blood flowing over my hands.”

A smile spread across his face, exposing his fangs. “Spoken like a true Andarion warrior.” He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a tender kiss across her palm. “I am, and will always be yours and yours alone, Sumi.” He pressed his cheek to hers before he stepped away.

Fear for him ripped her apart as she watched him prepare for their attack. But she knew she’d have to let that go. In the coming hours, she couldn’t allow any emotion to cloud her judgments or make her hesitate.

This was about battle, and Dancer needed an assassin at his back. Not an emotional woman distracting him.

They removed all color from their bodies except for the black and brown that would help hide them in the shadows.

Hauk frowned at her hair as he noted the pale color. That would definitely stand out. “I understand now why you wore the black wig.”

Sumi nodded at his statement. “Hard to hide pale blond hair in the darkness.”

He handed her his scarf to wrap around her hair to help conceal it. He’d already applied more dirt and a reddish clay to her skin for camouflage. Likewise, he wore some over the shiny areas of his face – across his forehead and along his cheekbones and chin. In true Andarion fashion, he’d applied it in a geometric pattern that was as beautiful as it was serviceable. And this time, she definitely saw the marks of his family in it.

Before he gave approval to her wardrobe, he shrugged his shirt off and put it on her.

She scowled at his actions. “What are you doing?”

“It’s blast resistant. Your poncho isn’t.”

“That’s great for me. Sucks for you, and I’m not walking in there with you unprotected.”

He grinned at her anger as he pulled a Sentella coat out of his pack. “I won’t be unprotected.”

When she arched a curious brow as to why he hadn’t given her the coat, he handed it to her. The instant he let go, the weight of it caused her to stumble forward. “Oh my God! What’s it made of? Rock?”

He laughed. “It’s what we wear into battle.”

Well, that certainly explained the size of his build. That thing had to weigh a hundred pounds.

At least.

Winking at her, he shrugged it on then secured his braids back from his face.

She lightly ran her hand over the black swirling pattern that swung up from his eye and across his cheek. “It’s the wings of a hawk, isn’t it?”

He inclined his head to her. “A sparn hauk. It was what my family was named for.”

The fiercest winged predator known in any world. They were said to be lethal whenever their nest was threatened. Territorial and vicious. But those rare few who’d domesticated them had claimed that no creature was more loyal or a better companion. None more intelligent.

“Is that why your Endurance is held here?” This was the sparn’s native lands.

“In part. But also because it was the Oksanans my family held back from enslaving our world. During Endurance, we’re to climb the tallest mountain on Oksana to retrieve a single sparn feather or bone to remind ourselves of the sacrifice our family made for our homeworld. To show our young that they can achieve any goal and climb any obstacle. And that no matter how high they ascend, there will always be family with them to catch them should they fall.”

But no one had caught him when he fell. He’d been left alone and then abandoned and ridiculed.

And she knew from Thia that Dancer hadn’t made it to the top before Keris had died. Instead, Dancer had learned that his family would turn on him if he wasn’t the son he was supposed to be.

In that moment, she realized it was why he fought the way he did. Like he was proving himself worthy to everyone.

Even himself.

She kissed his lips. “You are the strongest male I have ever known, Dancer. No one is more worthy of your noble lineage. You honor your family and your ancestors. And you are a treasure for Andaria. I know the first Dancer of the Warring Blood Clan of Hauk smiles whenever he looks down and sees the strength and beauty of his namesake.”

Hauk couldn’t breathe as those words echoed in his head. No one had ever made him feel like she did. Like he could do anything. Even fly. “I will not allow you to be harmed.”

“Nor I you.” She pulled out her knife and unwound the scarf from her head.

He didn’t understand what she was doing until she cut it in half and secured it around his face and head. It was how Andarions battled. They never exposed their faces to their enemies.

When she was finished, he returned the favor to her. He tied Illyse to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Then together, side by side, they headed to war.