Oath of the Alpha - Eva Dresden Page 0,1

No matter that she came alive under his touch, exhaustion wore her down to the marrow of her bones.

“Easy now,” Rhyn whispered against her temple, adjusting her weight in his arms.

Aida sucked in a hard breath through her nose, eyes flying open. Thin rods, crammed together and woven with thick cords, formed square walls. Thick patches of dried grasses and what looked like mud peeked out between the narrow canes. Startled gaze flying around the strange structure, she squeaked as Rhyn hefted her higher against his chest with a coarse chuckle.

“You know, some tribes have a tradition where the new husband carries his bride over the threshold of his home.”

Canting her head with painful slowness to stare wide-eyed at the smiling male, Aida pulled her lips in between her teeth and bit down hard.

“Your luck that I’m not one of them, eh?” His laugh was full and warm, a belly laugh that made Aida shake with the force of it against her side.

“Now then,” Rhyn said, easing Aida to her feet. “You going to give me that knife, or am I going to have to take it from you?”

“I-I don’t have a—”

Rhyn snorted a laugh, catching Aida by the wrist. Whirling her around so she faced the back wall, he kept her tight against his front.

“You’re a bad liar, imp. Maybe even worse than you are a thief,” Rhyn murmured against her ear, tugging her back when Aida leaned forward. “Hand it over.”

“I will not use it against you,” Aida said, shrugging hard to dislodge the creeping prickle working down her shoulder from his warm breath. Though she meant the words, her hand still found the hilt tucked into the band of her skirt. It was a wonder she hadn’t sliced herself open on the ride to wherever they were. Though if Rhyn had known the entire time, perhaps he had kept that from happening.

“Means little to me, imp. I’ll not have my prize wielding a weapon. Give it over.”

“Please, don’t do this. I-I have to have it.”

A growling sigh rumbled through Rhyn’s chest. Grabbing her arms, he whipped Aida around to face him and hunched to bring their faces close so he could meet her eyes. “I’ll not hurt you unless you give me cause, imp.”

“P-Please, I need to—”

“It’s been a long night for the both of us, and my pallet calls me for nothing but sleep. I’ll not bed you this night.”

“I need it to kill myself,” Aida blurted out as Rhyn’s lips thinned.

Rhyn rocked back, keeping his hold on her so she remained at arm’s length. Indigo eyes wide, he swept his gaze over Aida with a strange mix of disbelief and horror.

“Vrazys take me,” Rhyn said with a growl, snatching the blade out of Aida’s hand and tossing it against the far wall to clatter against the rough floor. “That what he convinced you of, imp?”

“In a way,” Aida stammered out, shuffling her feet. Rhyn’s gaze continued to batter her with unspoken questions, leaving her to twist in his grasp as she grew more uncertain of everything. “I didn’t lie. I am more valuable than your gold to him, maybe any blood mage… but I can’t let them have me, you see? They’ll hurt too many people.”

“Vrazys take my soul.” Rhyn swiped a palm over his face, tipping his head back to stare at the rough-hewn timbers of the ceiling. Firming his hold on Aida’s arm, he nodded once and tugged her along behind him as he left the small structure. “Right. We’re seeing someone who knows what in the sixth level of the Sky they’re talking about.”

Out in the frigid night, a central fire threw the huddled shapes surrounding it into eerie shadows, painting their ragged forms with brilliant orange and gold. Aida choked on a scream, throwing herself back when they turned as one. Slashes of sooty darkness and inky smears showed on faces twisted by the dancing flames or the Abyss itself.

“Easy now, imp,” Rhyn murmured, pulling her back into him by the leash of her arm. Tangling her limbs with his, locking Aida against his bulk, he bore her weight while he kept his feet moving despite Aida’s balking.

One of the demonic creatures raised its face, sniffing at the cold breeze slinking through the camp. Shuffling away from its brethren to watch as Aida passed by, its gleaming black gaze was intent. Rhyn kept moving, never slowing as he headed toward the deeper shadows and a smaller version of the wicker construction