sighed and his shoulders bowed slightly. “I didn’t want you out here alone. You and I are bonded now. As much as you may hate it, I plan to do whatever it takes to keep you safe for the rest of my life. Even if it means locking you away at Dabyr.”
“Well, at least you’re aware I wasn’t going to enjoy hearing the truth. Points for that, I guess.”
He wiped her cheek dry with his thumb, staring over her shoulder at the rough wooden grave markers. “I won’t let you end up like them.”
“I’m too tired to fight you, Joseph. Please don’t make me.”
“I don’t suppose there’s any sense in knocking you unconscious and dragging you back home, is there?”
She looked around at the charred logs and poisoned earth. “This is my home. And there’s no way in hell I’m letting what was done here go unpunished. I’m finding those kids. I’m finding Eric. I’m killing those responsible. You can help or you can get the fuck out of my way.”
“I figured that’s what you’d say.”
“And?”
“I brought enough supplies and gear to launch a small war against the Synestryn.”
Relief fluttered through her, but died a swift death when he opened his mouth again.
“But it won’t be enough,” he said. “If you really want to be able to take these demons down, you need to use every advantage you have.”
“You think I won’t?”
He stared at her pointedly. “I know so.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You have access to more power than most people ever dream about. It’s right here.” He tapped his chest. “But you don’t like the way you reach it, so you’re just walking away. Pretending it isn’t real or that you don’t need it.”
“I’ve heard all the stories. Heard the bonded women talk. They all love their men. Trust them. You know as well as I do that I could never trust you like that.”
He flinched as if she’d kicked him in the crotch. “Why not? I’ve never harmed you or your people. Even when we were at war, I ordered my men to defend themselves from attack but never initiate one. Never provoke the Slayers.”
“Because you were afraid we’d kill you.”
“No, because we’re spread thin, and the only way we’re ever going to beat the Synestryn is if we focus all our efforts and resources on them, rather than each other.”
“Andreas feels the same way. Under his rule our people never attacked yours. It is forbidden.”
“Good. Then we can move on from this animosity you’ve got going here, and do what we both want: find Eric and the kids.”
He made it sound so simple.
Maybe it was. Maybe she was complicating it by bringing in generations of baggage.
Still, he didn’t understand what he was asking. “I know things, Joseph. Secrets. Strategies and tactics. If you go poking around in my head, you’re going to see them. What if the treaty doesn’t work out? What if the next leader after Andreas sends us to war against you again?”
He went quiet for a moment, simply staring at her. “Which side would you take, kitten?”
“I’m a Slayer,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t make her be any clearer. She really didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she couldn’t lie to him about it, either—not something this important. Her loyalty was to her own kind, and the little bit of Theronai blood running through her veins wasn’t going to change that.
He pressed his lips together so hard, they turned pale. “We’ll talk about that again later. Right now you and I have bigger problems. So do those kids. Those are the people we need to be worried about. They are the reason you need to open up a little—just enough to do what needs to be done to save them.”
“You really think that tapping into your power is going to make that much of a difference?” she asked.
“It’s the kind of thing that could mean the difference between life and death.”
She sighed. He was probably right. “Can’t I find another way to access it? Some kind of shortcut?”
“You bonded yourself to me permanently. There’s no getting around that. Eventually, you’ll realize that you can trust me.”
But not in time for her to find her people. That was the part he didn’t say. “Some of the other Theronai women have learned to channel magic in just a few days. I’ve heard the stories.”
“Yes, but they let their mates in.” He tapped her temple. “You won’t.”
“There’s got to be another way.”
He shifted