Read Online Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1) by Kylie Griffin - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kylie Griffin
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starting one. He had no idea how far they’d traveled from the fortress, and he couldn’t risk the scent of smoke giving away their position.
Spreading out one of the blankets, he laid Annika on it, shook out another to cover her, then hesitated. Blood coated her upper body and soaked the material of her bodice. He should check the claw marks along her ribs. All his efforts so far could be wasted if he didn’t see to those wounds.
Kalan paused, his fingers tangled in the laces on the front of her dress. Usually the sight of a naked woman didn’t bother him but the memory of her disrobing earlier during their escape from the underground prison had aroused and unsettled him.
He smoothed a long strand of hair away from her pale face. Fighting his aversion to the skin markings, he lightly traced those trailing down the side of her face. Other than in battle, this was the first time he’d seen the demon markings up close.
Annika’s were less prominent than those he’d seen on Na’Reish warriors, darker than freckles and smooth to the touch. Curious, he nudged her top lip up a fraction. She hadn’t inherited her father’s pointed teeth; hers were as square and white as Kalan’s.
The Blade Council’s archives contained accounts of demons siring children with human-slaves but they’d been based on rumor and speculation, not fact. She was living proof that those rumors were true. Hesia and Annika had hinted at the existence of other Na’Chi and both had mentioned the Na’Reish ’s intolerance for her heritage.
Kalan ran a hand over his face. Lady of Light , her existence would shock many, including those on the Blade Council. No, shock was too mild a word. History and centuries of beliefs would be challenged , maybe even threatened, by her existence.
Her actions of the last few hours had left him feeling confused and unsure, a state he’d rarely allowed himself to fall prey to and one he disliked intensely. Her compassion and her Gift from the Lady were traits he’d never expected a demon to possess.
Kalan grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. Her motives in helping him were self-serving, but assisting others seemed to be an innate part of her nature. There was more to her than there appeared on first glance.
How had she survived past childhood? That she had survived hinted at an independence bolstered by an incredibly strong will, one developed from a very young age. Logic told him her father had to be Na’Reish , a demon lord. The whim of raising a child of mixed blood belonged to the upper caste, not underlings.
How much of an influence had her father had on her? How Na’Reish was she? And there lay the problem. How would her presence affect his people? By bringing her back to Sacred Lake, he could be risking not only the safety of his people but the stability of their culture, too.
He sighed. The unknown was too much right now for his tired mind to grapple with. Perhaps if he was more sure of her, trusted her more, the future wouldn’t seem as uncertain. But he wasn’t sure if he could learn to trust someone like her.
She healed you, helped you escape. She is Na’Chi , not Na’Reish . He shivered, the difference not as reassuring as he’d hoped it would be. Mother of Mercy , he’d drive himself insane trying to solve this now. Perhaps after some sleep he’d think more clearly, but first he had to deal with Annika’s wounds.
Inhaling, he plucked at the knot in the laces of her dress. Getting it over her head wasn’t an option, not without reopening her shoulder wounds, but with the top of it torn he’d be able to slide it off her body and down her legs.
He tried to keep his gaze averted as he tugged the dress downward over her shoulders but he couldn’t avoid touching her when the fabric stuck. Even though his fingertips barely grazed her breasts, he knew they were soft and full, and from the corner of his eye he could see dusky nipples puckering and hardening in the cold morning air.
Spreading out one of the blankets, he laid Annika on it, shook out another to cover her, then hesitated. Blood coated her upper body and soaked the material of her bodice. He should check the claw marks along her ribs. All his efforts so far could be wasted if he didn’t see to those wounds.
Kalan paused, his fingers tangled in the laces on the front of her dress. Usually the sight of a naked woman didn’t bother him but the memory of her disrobing earlier during their escape from the underground prison had aroused and unsettled him.
He smoothed a long strand of hair away from her pale face. Fighting his aversion to the skin markings, he lightly traced those trailing down the side of her face. Other than in battle, this was the first time he’d seen the demon markings up close.
Annika’s were less prominent than those he’d seen on Na’Reish warriors, darker than freckles and smooth to the touch. Curious, he nudged her top lip up a fraction. She hadn’t inherited her father’s pointed teeth; hers were as square and white as Kalan’s.
The Blade Council’s archives contained accounts of demons siring children with human-slaves but they’d been based on rumor and speculation, not fact. She was living proof that those rumors were true. Hesia and Annika had hinted at the existence of other Na’Chi and both had mentioned the Na’Reish ’s intolerance for her heritage.
Kalan ran a hand over his face. Lady of Light , her existence would shock many, including those on the Blade Council. No, shock was too mild a word. History and centuries of beliefs would be challenged , maybe even threatened, by her existence.
Her actions of the last few hours had left him feeling confused and unsure, a state he’d rarely allowed himself to fall prey to and one he disliked intensely. Her compassion and her Gift from the Lady were traits he’d never expected a demon to possess.
Kalan grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. Her motives in helping him were self-serving, but assisting others seemed to be an innate part of her nature. There was more to her than there appeared on first glance.
How had she survived past childhood? That she had survived hinted at an independence bolstered by an incredibly strong will, one developed from a very young age. Logic told him her father had to be Na’Reish , a demon lord. The whim of raising a child of mixed blood belonged to the upper caste, not underlings.
How much of an influence had her father had on her? How Na’Reish was she? And there lay the problem. How would her presence affect his people? By bringing her back to Sacred Lake, he could be risking not only the safety of his people but the stability of their culture, too.
He sighed. The unknown was too much right now for his tired mind to grapple with. Perhaps if he was more sure of her, trusted her more, the future wouldn’t seem as uncertain. But he wasn’t sure if he could learn to trust someone like her.
She healed you, helped you escape. She is Na’Chi , not Na’Reish . He shivered, the difference not as reassuring as he’d hoped it would be. Mother of Mercy , he’d drive himself insane trying to solve this now. Perhaps after some sleep he’d think more clearly, but first he had to deal with Annika’s wounds.
Inhaling, he plucked at the knot in the laces of her dress. Getting it over her head wasn’t an option, not without reopening her shoulder wounds, but with the top of it torn he’d be able to slide it off her body and down her legs.
He tried to keep his gaze averted as he tugged the dress downward over her shoulders but he couldn’t avoid touching her when the fabric stuck. Even though his fingertips barely grazed her breasts, he knew they were soft and full, and from the corner of his eye he could see dusky nipples puckering and hardening in the cold morning air.
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