Blood Lust - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,15
a dog when she didn’t move fast enough. “Once we reached the ranch where they lived I was tossed down a mine shaft.”
His brows snapped together in confusion. “A mine shaft?”
She wrinkled her nose. At the time she hadn’t understood either. If they truly believed her vision enough to buy her from her family, then it didn’t make sense to keep her in a hole in the middle of nowhere.
It was only after she’d overheard a conversation between two of the Brotherhood that she’d understood their delusional plot.
“They assumed by keeping me isolated and in constant discomfort, I’d use my magic to create the mystical weapon from my vision.”
“What magic?”
She snorted. “The Brotherhood assumes that every high-blood has magic.”
“Idiots,” he growled.
He wasn’t wrong. Most of the jackasses who had brought her meals and occasionally clean clothes had clearly been incapable of original thought. They were sheep that had to be herded or they would have spent their lives wandering in aimless circles.
Still, they’d been deeply indoctrinated by their leaders, and had fully signed on to the crazy-train.
“Not only idiots, but true fanatics,” she muttered.
His nose curled with disgust. “A lethal combination.”
“Yes.”
“How did you escape?”
“Nothing very exciting,” she admitted, grimly fighting back the memories. What was the point of reliving the nagging terror that she would die alone in that dark, desolate prison? “I spent most of my days digging a small tunnel into an adjoining cave.” She lowered her head, her gaze locking on her clenched hands. “Once I was free I stole one of the trucks they kept near the stables and took off.”
She heard him suck in a sharp breath. “Christ. You had to dig your way out?”
“There weren’t a lot of choices,” she muttered.
Bas knelt in front of her, his hand cupping her cheek as he studied her with a brooding gaze. She quivered, tiny tingles racing through her body.
“I can’t imagine how much courage that must have taken.”
Her lips parted. Was this lethally dangerous assassin actually implying that she was brave?
Good Lord. Something warm spread through her heart.
Something that was treacherously close to pride.
It was stupid. What did it matter what this male thought of her?
But abruptly she recognized that it did. She didn’t want him thinking of her as the spineless female who’d abandoned her own daughter.
Then just as quickly her pride was smothered by the heavy sense of destiny that followed her like a constant cloud.
“No.” She gave a sharp shake of her head, knocking away his hand. “I’m a coward.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why would you say that?”
Somewhere in the back of Myst’s brain was a voice warning her to shut her mouth.
She’d already put herself at risk just by admitting the truth. For all she knew, Bas might be plotting to get rid of her by hauling her to Valhalla.
After all, if the Mave discovered she was destined to harm Valhalla, the powerful leader would most certainly try to lock her away. Then Bas would never have to worry about her bothering Molly again.
But now that she’d revealed her dark secret, she couldn’t seem to stop herself from sharing the fear that had plagued her since she’d first had her vision.
“If I had true courage I would do what was necessary to ensure that I never create a weapon that could be used against our people,” she pointed out.
It took a second before Bas realized precisely what she was saying. Then his eyes blazed with a bronze fire.
“Stop.” His tone was hard, uncompromising.
She ignored his warning.
“I told myself that I could alter the future,” she continued, the words spilling over each other in a need to get them out. “That I had time to discover what my vision meant before I had to do anything drastic. But there are days when I think I’m just being a selfish coward. If I truly cared about our people, about Molly, I would . . .”
“I told you to stop.” He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “If I hear those words again I’m going to chain you to my bed.”
She licked her dry lips. “We’ll see.”
His jaw tightened, the heat in the air so intense it caused a thin layer of sweat to coat her skin.
“No, we won’t,” he informed her, his voice harsh even as his thumb tenderly stroked the curve of her lower lip. “I’m not going to let you hurt yourself. We’re going to figure out what the vision means.”
For a crazed moment she allowed herself to be swayed by