“What the fuck are you saying?”
“The surface makes them whole. I suspect it does the same for your people. But where the Nethren became too reasonable, the Aethari became too emotional. Your society runs on emotion. You buried an entire race out of fear. You scorn anyone who isn't like you and separate yourselves. You even destroy each other for petty, emotional reasons.”
“We also bond with our lovers and unite for eternity.”
“Yes, the Aethari can form destiny bonds, but it's rare. And just because you love, it doesn't make you whole. Love is a great emotion. But even love can hurt you if you don't temper it with reason. Neither the lack of reason nor the lack of emotions makes someone monstrous. Just unbalanced. Both the Nethren and the Aethari are lacking something to balance them.”
“Lacking?” Rallorival jerked her into his arms. “I'll show you lacking.”
His mouth covered hers, and Lena tossed her head to evade him. Rallorival held her waist with one hand and grabbed her head with the other to hold her still. Eyes wide, she clamped her teeth shut, refusing his tongue entry.
Rallorival growled and moved his lips along her cheek to whisper in her ear, “You are mine, Lena. You just don't know it yet.”
Lena kicked him between the legs.
Howling, Rallorival let her go and bent over, cupping himself. Lena shot away from him, fleeing across the room to the fireplace. She picked up an iron poker and held it before her like a sword. Panting, Rallorival straightened, and then he turned to face her. He stretched his shoulders and wings as his expression settled into resolve.
Lena's heart raced as she watched Rallorival stalk across the room, flashes of her dream coming to her. She lifted her weapon and swung it at his head. Rallorival grabbed the poker and tossed it aside, sending it crashing against the wall. Then she was in his arms again, struggling as he tried to hold her.
“Cease!” he roared.
Lena went still.
Rallorival sighed and leaned in for another kiss.
She punched him in the nose.
Groaning, Rallorival once more let go of Lena to stagger backward. He looked up at her, eyes wide and blood seeping through the hand that held his nose. “You punched me?”
“You were trying to do worse to me!” Lena lifted her chin, pride coursing through her. She had just held off an Aethari warrior! Her, Lena Drask, the woman who had never lifted a hand in violence in all her life. She had defended herself. And it felt damn good.
“I'm just trying to get you to calm down!” He stalked off toward the bathroom.
Lena panted and then spotted the poker on the floor near the wall. She ran for it and picked it up. Then she ran for the door. It was unlocked. Opening it as quietly as possible, Lena slipped into the corridor and crept to the right, away from the voices that still came from the other direction. She came to a kitchen, its counters laden with crates of supplies. All Lena cared about was the door on the right. She raced to the door and yanked it open, her heart pounding faster when she found it to be an outer door. Out of the house she went, closing the door behind herself with barely a snick. It was late at night, but silvery moonlight lit a path through the garden. Just beyond, a forest circled the property. A few more feet and Lena would be within the cover of the trees.
A whooshing came from behind Lena, and then Rallorival landed between her and the forest, his eyes glittering with fury. He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her back toward the house. Frantic, Lena dropped to the ground and gave him her full weight. With a snarl, Rallorival let go of her hand. His expression set in terrifying lines, he tossed Lena over his shoulder. The world spun in her sight, and her face smackedinto Rallorival's wings, pulled together to accommodate her. Not ready to give up, Lena grabbed a flight feather and yanked it out.
“You fucking bitch!” Rallorival shouted and dropped her onto the pebbled garden path.
Teeth bared like a feral beast, Rallorival fell upon Lena, pinning her to the ground with his body as he gathered her wrists in one of his huge hands above her head. His wings shivered with his fury, but there was a bulge between his legs that pressed into her thigh. The bastard was aroused!
“Oh, you like that?” Lena hissed, the strength and courage that Vor gave her rising inside her chest. “Then you'll love this!” She headbutted the Aethari.
No one had taught Lena how to headbutt someone, but she'd seen it done and figured it couldn't be all that difficult. You just bashed your forehead into someone's nose, right? No, not right. As Rallorival fell away, moaning, Lena cried out and rubbed her aching forehead. But her pain was minor compared to his, and she gained her feet before him. She might have made it to the forest if Rallorival's friends hadn't come out to see what all the commotion was about.
They surrounded Lena in a second; the women restraining her while the men tied her hands behind her back. Frustration, pain, and fear bubbled inside Lena, and she screamed, letting it all pour out. But this wasn't like her screaming in heartache over Vor. That had been a release of sorrow among people she loved and trusted. This was a collection of much darker emotions, full of violent intent toward the villains who sought to harm Lena. It triggered something inside her and poured forth in vengeance.
The Aethari warriors cried out and fell back, holding their ears. Lena stopped screaming to gape at them, her mind racing to process what had just happened. In her dream, she had screamed. Maybe it wasn't merely a warning but also a guide. Her song had affected the Nethren. Vor said she was special, but Lena hadn't believed him until she'd seen the changes in his soldiers. And him. If she could do that—give the Nethren the capacity to love—what else could she do with her voice? Could she hurt people with it? Why not? Creation and destruction were two sides of the same coin. And her father had always said it was easier to destroy than create.
The Aethari straightened, even Rallorival got to his feet, and they all stared at Lena. With her hands tied behind her back, it would be difficult to escape, but Vor would find her. Lena had never been more certain of anything in her life. He would come. So, she could risk it.
Lena darted for the trees.
The Aethari grabbed her again. And again, she screamed, shoving her fury out of her in deadly vibrations. The warriors screamed with her, blood dripping from their ears.
“Fuck!” Rallorival roared, hands over his ears.
Lena took a breath.
