face was flushed. A sheen of perspiration covered his skin. His claws were extended, and his eyes were wild. “And I could never run from you.” His gaze shifted to Berke. “Don’t hurt her, Chamele. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“No.” Lea couldn’t allow that trade. “What he wants is your death.”
“Then he can have that.” Tolui’s gaze remained locked with Berke’s. “Give me your word you won’t harm my gerel, and my lifespan is yours to do with as you wish.”
“You would trust my word?” The Chamele’s eyebrows lifted. “Some would say I have no honor.” His gaze flicked to Lea.
“He doesn’t have any honor.” She looked up at her Warlord. “I’m dead, Tolui. Nothing you do or say will change that. Save yourself.”
“I can’t save myself.” Her male’s stark countenance softened. “Because there’s nothing left of me without you. Your heart is my heart. Your pain is my pain. Your death will be my death. I would place my trust in anything, even in the word of my source’s beloved first son, if it meant you lived.”
“I have honor.” Berke murmured that unsubstantiated claim.
Ignoring the Chamele, Lea focused on the words she’d heard, yet Tolui hadn’t said. “You love me.”
“I love you.” Her Warlord’s nod was curt. “And I will always protect you. Because you’re mine.” His focus returned to Berke. “Give me your word.”
“I give you my word.” The Chamele retracted his claws. “I won’t harm your gerel as you once, twice, didn’t harm my gerel.”
“If Tolui didn’t harm your gerel once, twice, some honorable males might say you owe him two lives.” Lea leaped to her booted feet. “And I owe you nothing, have given no one my word.”
“Gerel.” Her Warlord rumbled with unhappiness.
She stood protectively in front of him as he had shielded her in the past.
Her gaze met Berke’s.
“You have a choice, Chamele. Walk away now and allow us both to live, or break your vow and harm me.” She drew two daggers and spread her arms wide, blocking his access to his target. “Because you’ll have to go through me to reach him. I won’t allow you to hurt the male I love.”
She had been prepared to die for Tolui.
Now she would kill for him.
Chapter Sixteen
His brave loyal clever gerel was determined to shave solar cycles off his lifespan.
When Tolui arrived at the tunnel and found Lea sprawled on the stone floor, his enemy’s claws pointed at her delicate neck, a horrible howl had risen in his throat. He had to press his lips together until his jaw ached to suppress it.
He had almost lost her, and that had made him wild with emotion.
If he had arrived one heartbeat later, if he hadn’t missed her so much he had been compelled to search for her, if one of his warriors hadn’t seen her venture in this direction, she would have been dead.
And he would have died with her. Because he had told her the truth—he couldn’t live without his little human.
Now, she stood protectively in front of him like his very own exquisitely beautiful and extremely vengeful deity, determined to battle one of the best warriors in the universe, a male almost twice her size.
Because she loved him.
Him. A clone.
No. He wiped that descriptor from his brain.
Him. A unique male who had failed to safeguard the female he adored.
He couldn’t allow her to sacrifice herself for him. “Get behind me, gerel.”
“No.” His normally submissive human stood her ground. “This time, I’m not running either. If you die, I die, and I will face my end with daggers in my hands.”
Zondoo. She was fierce. He gazed at the back of her with admiration.
“If she fights to the death, I fight also.” Berke’s gerel pushed herself forward. “I’m not missing out on any kill-or-be-killed matches.”
“You’ll have to fight Ellie to the death, Tolui.” Lea assigned him that task. “I can’t fight two beings at one time.”
He grunted, not at all happy with the prospect of her fighting one being.
His newly appointed opponent looked up at him. “You might be able to kill me.” Berke’s gerel grinned at him. She must be as intent on ending her lifespan as his little human was. “I’ll have to use all my skills to survive our battle. If I make one wrong move, I’ll die.”
“No one is dying.” Berke roared that statement.
Everyone, including Tolui, turned their head and stared at the Chamele Warlord.
“Tolui and I will fight.” Berke disarmed, lowering his guns, his daggers, his sword, to the stone