Broken by the Horde King (Horde Kings of Dakkar #4) - Zoey Draven Page 0,128

to lead him back to the enclosure.

“Vorakkar, I take full responsibility for what happened,” Danir said, his tone grim and tight. “I…I cannot express how relieved I am that she is…”

“She was still injured,” I growled, my fists clenching at my sides. “I assigned you as her guard, Danir, do you know why? Because you are one of my best darukkars in the horde.”

His eyes widened slightly. Then came his shame.

“And I would only trust her safety with those I trust,” I told him. “If anything had happened to her tonight…if her wounds had been fatal…vok!”

Danir stood still, no doubt hearing the worry and fury in my voice. Very rarely did I lose my temper. Very rarely did those in my horde witness emotion from me. But if my father taught me anything, it was that a horde king needed to be cruel sometimes.

“You broke my trust tonight. After I trusted that you would protect her at all costs,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “That you would keep her safe when I was not here.”

“I know, Vorakkar,” came his low voice. “And I will accept any punishment you decide to give me. I never should have let her step out of the horde. If you wish to send me back to Dothik, I will go.”

I was tempted.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted.

Because looking at him right now made me so vokking furious.

In the end, I said, “I will not send you back to Dothik.”

A relieved breath escaped him, one he probably didn’t mean for me to hear. He straightened.

“But I am removing you as her guard and dropping you in rank among the darukkars,” I growled.

His face paled further but he nodded. “I understand, Vorakkar.”

I tilted my chin towards the voliki. “Go. Get out of my sight.”

Danir didn’t hesitate. He ducked inside the mokkira’s voliki. I couldn’t hear anything within but I couldn’t go back in quite yet. The frigid air stung my nostrils, froze my flesh, but it was welcome to the stifling heat inside.

I almost lost her tonight, I realized, tilting my head back towards the stars in the sky.

And it was something I never wanted to experience again.

Chapter Forty-Three

“Go, Essir,” I murmured late into the night. “I’ll finish up here.”

“Nik, you go, mokkira,” Essir replied. “I’ll clean up. Rest.”

I hesitated but only briefly. It was hours after we’d returned from the forest. My arm was throbbing though I’d taken a pain tonic. Since it didn’t have begalia in it, it wouldn’t work as effectively but it still helped to dull the sharpest of the pain.

“Kakkira vor,” I told him. “You did well tonight.”

He flushed with my praise and I gave him a tired smile, seeing him spread out the mashed adiri on the workbench. We would keep the heat high in the voliki as it dried.

When I stepped from the voliki, I froze. Because Kiran was still there and I thought he’d left. Roon was gone but Kiran was leaning against the voliki, his arms crossed over his chest. When he saw me, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he swung me up in his arms as I gasped. He was careful of my left arm, however, being sure not to jar the tight bandages Essir had wrapped around the wound.

“Kiran,” I whispered.

He didn’t say anything as he strode through the quiet encampment. His fur pelt was icy against me. He’d been standing outside the voliki all this time? In the cold?

My heart began to pound once we reached his voliki. I couldn’t read him. For once, I had no idea what was running through his mind and that made me nervous.

Inside, the fire was burning hot and the heat was welcome. A bath, still steaming, was in the corner and food was laid out at the table. But Kiran didn’t go towards the food.

Instead, he began to undress me carefully until I was naked and exposed before him in nothing more than my bandage. Afterwards, he undressed himself too and brought us both to the bath. Though I kept my arm along the edge of the washing tub, I sighed as the heat enveloped me.

He had my back to his chest. He had me tucked between his broad, massive thighs. Safe. Warm. For the first time all night, I relaxed, feeling that bundle of tightness in my chest begin to unravel.

The only sounds in the voliki were the trickling water as he gently scrubbed at my flesh and the intermittent sparks