Read Online Defiance (Rise of the Iliri Book 3) by Auryn Hadley - Free Book Online
Authors: Auryn Hadley
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muttered.
Sal slid her curved blade into his groin. With her mind wide open, she knew Jase felt the soft glide of steel through skin and muscles. "If you kill my kind again, I will finish the job." Then she slapped her hand over his mouth, smothering the scream before she pushed him off her knife.
Before the man's body hit the ground, she moved. Behind her, someone wailed, the voice so shrill Sal didn't know if it was the man or a woman who'd witnessed it all. Near her target, the guards grabbed at their weapons, seeking the source of violence. Across from her, Jase stalked their prey.
Sal kept her knife hidden against her forearm, out of sight, her path aimed to intersect with his. Together, they walked calmly down the line of guards on opposite sides, catching glimpses of each other through the bodies. At the third man, they turned in unison.
The steel blade dropped into her hand. She pulled a second from her belt – this one ceramic and as white as her skin. Then she stepped in, plunging her offhand into the guard in front of her. Ducking his retaliation, her pale hair flew behind her. Jase slit the throat of the man closest to him with his left and thrust his right dagger into another's eye. She could feel the pop as the blade sank deep. It felt good, like victory. She grinned, spinning to open another guard across the waist. The stench of offal reeked as his entrails spilled to the ground.
This is what she was meant to do. She was a killer, designed to achieve the maximum carnage, and it felt so good. For the first time in months, the rush of bloodlust coursed through her body, driving her higher. It was like a drug, and with her lover's mind locked so closely with hers, it was pure ecstasy.
Four men were dead before the guards realized the enemy was among them. Jase leapt over the arc of a pike while Sal sliced a man's leg from hip to knee, blood spurting out in pulses. As her partner plunged his main weapon into the man beside him, another four rushed in.
The assassins glanced at each other and stood their ground calmly. Nothing could stop them. Not now, not like this. The guards met them head on, allowing the iliri to slam a blade deep into each chest. Then, like a single organism, they withdrew the weapons, letting the bodies fall in place.
Blaec could never understand this. No matter how much she loved him, there was always a hard line dividing them. His rage would have been a distraction. Her dominance would simply annoy him. Together, they might be monsters on the battlefield, but they weren't matched so perfectly. They would always be two individuals.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sal saw a sword heading at her. She dropped, slashing upward. Her knife connected, the warm blood spilling across her hand. The sweet smell drove her for more. Beside her, Jase moaned, burying his weapon in the same man's chest. Another moved to intercept him, but a flick of her wrist sent Sal's ceramic blade into his throat.
Her partner hadn't worried. He hadn't doubted that she'd protect him because they were meant to be together. Just like this. She and Jase complimented each other's weaknesses. This was perfect. This was what she'd always dreamed of, having a man who made her feel like she belonged. Like he was truly hers. Like they were two parts of the same whole.
Jase buried his offhand blade in another guard's chest, and Sal used the dying body as a step, feeling her partner just behind her. She jumped, her feet tucked close, pouncing on her next victim. Her steel blade hit first, tearing through his neck and down. Her body followed, carrying them both into the dirt. The blade caught in the man's collarbone, wrenching it from her grasp. Behind her, Jase landed on someone, killing him with a delicious snap. A quick look showed the body crumpling at his feet.
But she didn't have time to gawk. A pike shaft came at
Sal slid her curved blade into his groin. With her mind wide open, she knew Jase felt the soft glide of steel through skin and muscles. "If you kill my kind again, I will finish the job." Then she slapped her hand over his mouth, smothering the scream before she pushed him off her knife.
Before the man's body hit the ground, she moved. Behind her, someone wailed, the voice so shrill Sal didn't know if it was the man or a woman who'd witnessed it all. Near her target, the guards grabbed at their weapons, seeking the source of violence. Across from her, Jase stalked their prey.
Sal kept her knife hidden against her forearm, out of sight, her path aimed to intersect with his. Together, they walked calmly down the line of guards on opposite sides, catching glimpses of each other through the bodies. At the third man, they turned in unison.
The steel blade dropped into her hand. She pulled a second from her belt – this one ceramic and as white as her skin. Then she stepped in, plunging her offhand into the guard in front of her. Ducking his retaliation, her pale hair flew behind her. Jase slit the throat of the man closest to him with his left and thrust his right dagger into another's eye. She could feel the pop as the blade sank deep. It felt good, like victory. She grinned, spinning to open another guard across the waist. The stench of offal reeked as his entrails spilled to the ground.
This is what she was meant to do. She was a killer, designed to achieve the maximum carnage, and it felt so good. For the first time in months, the rush of bloodlust coursed through her body, driving her higher. It was like a drug, and with her lover's mind locked so closely with hers, it was pure ecstasy.
Four men were dead before the guards realized the enemy was among them. Jase leapt over the arc of a pike while Sal sliced a man's leg from hip to knee, blood spurting out in pulses. As her partner plunged his main weapon into the man beside him, another four rushed in.
The assassins glanced at each other and stood their ground calmly. Nothing could stop them. Not now, not like this. The guards met them head on, allowing the iliri to slam a blade deep into each chest. Then, like a single organism, they withdrew the weapons, letting the bodies fall in place.
Blaec could never understand this. No matter how much she loved him, there was always a hard line dividing them. His rage would have been a distraction. Her dominance would simply annoy him. Together, they might be monsters on the battlefield, but they weren't matched so perfectly. They would always be two individuals.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sal saw a sword heading at her. She dropped, slashing upward. Her knife connected, the warm blood spilling across her hand. The sweet smell drove her for more. Beside her, Jase moaned, burying his weapon in the same man's chest. Another moved to intercept him, but a flick of her wrist sent Sal's ceramic blade into his throat.
Her partner hadn't worried. He hadn't doubted that she'd protect him because they were meant to be together. Just like this. She and Jase complimented each other's weaknesses. This was perfect. This was what she'd always dreamed of, having a man who made her feel like she belonged. Like he was truly hers. Like they were two parts of the same whole.
Jase buried his offhand blade in another guard's chest, and Sal used the dying body as a step, feeling her partner just behind her. She jumped, her feet tucked close, pouncing on her next victim. Her steel blade hit first, tearing through his neck and down. Her body followed, carrying them both into the dirt. The blade caught in the man's collarbone, wrenching it from her grasp. Behind her, Jase landed on someone, killing him with a delicious snap. A quick look showed the body crumpling at his feet.
But she didn't have time to gawk. A pike shaft came at
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