Willing Sacrifice
Page 44

Tori didn’t know what color her baby’s eyes had been before it died. She hadn’t bothered to look.
A surge of rage swelled beneath her skin. Her hold on the child tightened. But instead of screaming in pain and dragging Tori’s guard in here, the child yawned.
She hadn’t hurt it. Her vow had kept it safe.
Tori backed up to the only chair in the hut and sat. The chair rocked beneath her, reminding her of a time when she’d rocked her dolls to sleep as a child. She’d been a real girl then, not the empty, pitiful thing she was now.
Whatever she was, the baby didn’t seem to mind. It just stared up at her as she cradled it in one arm and began rocking.
The slow, rhythmic motion had a calming effect. After a few minutes, the rage she lived with every day trickled away, leaving an odd blank feeling.
If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought it was peace.
Tori leaned her head back and kept rocking. She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally looked down.
The baby was asleep. Tori was freed from her punishment. All she had to do now was stand up and set the child in its box.
Why, then, didn’t she get up? Why was she still sitting here when there was hunting to do? Killing was more fun than this torture.
Wasn’t it?
She wasn’t sure anymore. All she knew was that there was a kind of quiet inside her for the first time in years. Even the screaming in her head was silent, and that had been part of her for so long that she hadn’t even realized it was there until now.
Maybe hunting could wait. There were always going to be things for her to kill. This precious silence was going to end soon. Then it would be just her and the tortured screams in her skull.
•   •   •
It had been a long time since Torr had practiced with any weapons other than his sword, but he went through the motions of fighting with a war hammer, repeating drills from his youth. His technique was a bit rusty, but the knowledge was still there. With each swing, his body flowed more easily, settling into a familiar rhythm.
When the time came, he would be ready to face the Warden.
Dawn spread through the sky, turning it from black to crimson. The animals of the forest began to quiet, and the scent of dew-damp leaves filled the air.
Grace lay sleeping on the far side of the dead fire. As soon as he’d sensed she’d fallen asleep, he put it out so as not to attract company.
She’d barely shifted through the night, but every time she did, she let out small pain-filled sounds that tore at his heart.
She wasn’t meant for this life. She deserved to be safe, surrounded by soft, beautiful things that made her happy.
Once again he was reminded of just how wrong he was for her—how far apart their worlds really were.
He didn’t know how to let her go.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. His whole body reacted to her gaze. A slight shiver of pleasure raced across his skin, and a sizzle of excitement coursed along his spine, vibrating the carved disk as it passed. He wanted to slide in beside her and take her in his arms, while at the same time he felt the need to push her away for her own safety.
“Sleep well?” he asked.
She stretched and yawned. The move thrust her breasts toward him in a completely innocent, completely intoxicating way. The urge to peel that tunic down and suckle her nipples was strong enough to make his legs shake.
“I did. Did you get any rest?”
“I don’t need much.”
“Must be nice.” She sat up and ran her fingers through her tousled hair. She looked like he imagined she would after a long night of marathon sex. The image had his cock swelling with painful speed.
When he spoke, his voice was thick with lust he couldn’t control. “It’s time to head back to the village as soon as you can see well enough to travel.”
“What about the crystals?”
“I’ll use them after I drop you off,” said Torr.
“What are you going to do with them?”
“Close the portal.”
“You don’t even know where it is.”
“I’ll find it.”
“How?”
“I’ll follow the Masons. They were sent here to build it. My guess is that they will only spend as much time as they must building Hunters. Once they think they have enough to protect them and their work, they’ll go back to their primary task.”
“Do you think they’re going to open a doorway to Earth?”
“Maybe. It could open to Athanasia, but I promise you that wherever it leads, there are all kinds of nasty things we don’t want coming here. Brenya controls the Sentinel Stone in the village, but she won’t have any control over what flows through this one.”
“Once we destroy the portal, what’s to stop the Solarc from sending another group?”
“Brenya seems to think that if she has no direct hand in destroying them, the Solarc will assume she’s not here.”
“Because if she was here, she’d fight back.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t like it,” said Grace.
“Neither do I, but I tend to believe that Brenya knows what she’s doing. If she thinks this is our best shot, then that’s my plan.”
“I want to help.”
“I know, but the way you do that best is by staying out of danger. If I’m worried about you, I can’t think straight.”
She looked at the forest floor, frowning. “That’s the way I feel, too.” When her gaze lifted, it was blazing with determination. “Which is why I’m going with you to follow the Masons. I know you think I’m weak, but I can help. I will help, Torr.”
“I don’t think you’re weak, but there are some jobs that you’re not suited to. Battle is one of them.”
“The lives of everyone I love are in danger. You can’t ask me to just sit around and hope for the best.”
“And you can’t ask me to put you in harm’s way.”
“What if you get injured? Or worse? How will Brenya even know she needs to summon reinforcements?”
Torr decided it was best not to tell her that he didn’t think Brenya still had enough juice to summon anyone. “I’m sure she has her ways.”
“She’s weak, Torr—stretched too thin from keeping the village protected.”