Read Online Defiance (Rise of the Iliri Book 3) by Auryn Hadley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Auryn Hadley
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her. Feeling Jase in her mind like an extension of her own body, she darted inside the man's reach. The pikeman became her weapon, spearing the fool Jase pushed her way, then her partner moved in. Using her dagger – which Jase must have retrieved from the corpse she'd left it in – he slit the man's throat. Flashing a boyish smile, he wiped the blade on the dying man's shoulder and offered it back.
This was how killing should be. Sal wasn't afraid of dying. These men were their prey, the challenge of the hunt made it exciting, and she wasn't alone. In the back of her mind, she could feel Jase's need. His desire battered alongside her own, but their fun was almost over. The last two guards had pulled back to the Jonkheer, each brandishing a pike and sword before him. A nicely matched set waiting to die.
The assassins walked in step, making a show of it for the crowd. Their shoulders just touched, blood stained their pale clothes, and they snarled, showing off their inhuman teeth. Just outside the range of the pikes, they paused without a word. A low growl thrummed from both of their throats.
Jase was red across the left side of his body, the splatters on his face nearly as thick as paint. Her own hands were crimson to well above the elbows. When she licked her lips, she could taste the sweetness of humans.
"What do you want?" The Jonkheer cried over the heads of his last two guards, his back pressed to a stone building behind him.
"Leave the grauori alone," Jase said calmly, his voice deep and rough, but Sal could hear his passion. "Kill another of us, and we will do the same ta one of ya."
"For each of us you kill," Sal added, "a human will die. Your lives are already forfeit, but the rest of them may still learn."
And that was the ruse. Let these people think the carnage was about the grauori. If it saved one of their lives, even better. The real purpose was simply to destroy the Jonkheer – and Sal wanted it so badly. Entwined deep in Jase's mind, with their every action synchronized, the predators rushed forward.
Effortlessly, they stepped inside the pikes, grabbing the guards' sword arms in their off-hands to pin the weapons. In unison, they brought their knives together – Jase with his left and Sal with her right – and then they cut. The spectacle was meant to make a lasting impression. The blades sliced deep into the throats in perfect unison.
As soon as the men stopped struggling, the assassins dropped their corpses and stepped toward the Jonkheer. Behind them, humans screamed. Sal's desire overcame her. Jase buried his blade in the man's heart, but she reached for the Jonkheer's shoulder. Pulling his throat closer, she bit into his sweet, soft flesh. Her teeth sliced through tendons and a sudden gush of warm fluid made her growl in pleasure. She managed two gulps before Jase wrenched her away. They locked gazes, his twilight meeting her ice. It was time to go. Soon, more men would come, and two iliri couldn't stop them all.
Mentally, they checked for the grauori and felt another mind slide into their link. Hwa. His touch in their heads was warm and soft, yet lethal. Wrapped in their mental link, the grauori's passions rose to match theirs, the taste different but welcome. This was what it meant to have a pack. Ducking through the streets, aiming for the feel of Roo's soft presence, Sal knew this was what her species was meant to do. Kill. She was a predator.
Time to split up, Hwa said.
Sal felt the beast fall in beside them. Jase changed direction slightly, stepping onto a rain barrel and leaping, his hands just making the rooftop as Sal ran on with her new partner. Above them, Jase scrambled across the roofs, his mind showing her the way.
The beast beside her kept pace easily, yet Hwa was truly running. He sent a surge of sensations into her mind. Sal suddenly knew the smell of human: leather and stale
This was how killing should be. Sal wasn't afraid of dying. These men were their prey, the challenge of the hunt made it exciting, and she wasn't alone. In the back of her mind, she could feel Jase's need. His desire battered alongside her own, but their fun was almost over. The last two guards had pulled back to the Jonkheer, each brandishing a pike and sword before him. A nicely matched set waiting to die.
The assassins walked in step, making a show of it for the crowd. Their shoulders just touched, blood stained their pale clothes, and they snarled, showing off their inhuman teeth. Just outside the range of the pikes, they paused without a word. A low growl thrummed from both of their throats.
Jase was red across the left side of his body, the splatters on his face nearly as thick as paint. Her own hands were crimson to well above the elbows. When she licked her lips, she could taste the sweetness of humans.
"What do you want?" The Jonkheer cried over the heads of his last two guards, his back pressed to a stone building behind him.
"Leave the grauori alone," Jase said calmly, his voice deep and rough, but Sal could hear his passion. "Kill another of us, and we will do the same ta one of ya."
"For each of us you kill," Sal added, "a human will die. Your lives are already forfeit, but the rest of them may still learn."
And that was the ruse. Let these people think the carnage was about the grauori. If it saved one of their lives, even better. The real purpose was simply to destroy the Jonkheer – and Sal wanted it so badly. Entwined deep in Jase's mind, with their every action synchronized, the predators rushed forward.
Effortlessly, they stepped inside the pikes, grabbing the guards' sword arms in their off-hands to pin the weapons. In unison, they brought their knives together – Jase with his left and Sal with her right – and then they cut. The spectacle was meant to make a lasting impression. The blades sliced deep into the throats in perfect unison.
As soon as the men stopped struggling, the assassins dropped their corpses and stepped toward the Jonkheer. Behind them, humans screamed. Sal's desire overcame her. Jase buried his blade in the man's heart, but she reached for the Jonkheer's shoulder. Pulling his throat closer, she bit into his sweet, soft flesh. Her teeth sliced through tendons and a sudden gush of warm fluid made her growl in pleasure. She managed two gulps before Jase wrenched her away. They locked gazes, his twilight meeting her ice. It was time to go. Soon, more men would come, and two iliri couldn't stop them all.
Mentally, they checked for the grauori and felt another mind slide into their link. Hwa. His touch in their heads was warm and soft, yet lethal. Wrapped in their mental link, the grauori's passions rose to match theirs, the taste different but welcome. This was what it meant to have a pack. Ducking through the streets, aiming for the feel of Roo's soft presence, Sal knew this was what her species was meant to do. Kill. She was a predator.
Time to split up, Hwa said.
Sal felt the beast fall in beside them. Jase changed direction slightly, stepping onto a rain barrel and leaping, his hands just making the rooftop as Sal ran on with her new partner. Above them, Jase scrambled across the roofs, his mind showing her the way.
The beast beside her kept pace easily, yet Hwa was truly running. He sent a surge of sensations into her mind. Sal suddenly knew the smell of human: leather and stale
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