She met my eye, standing as the room was flooded with soldiers once more. “Isn’t it just?”
Chapter 19
Marco burst into the room, slipping around Jackson and seizing my arm. Without a word, he spun me toward the door, jaw flexing with what I assumed was unspoken anger.
“Where you off to in such a hurry?” Jackson asked, inspecting the Lotus Regula and its silent tale of a Triloth of moderate potential. “I thought the captain’s girl was supposed to audit an infirmary shift?”
“She got the tour when we came in,” Marco replied. “And Tilcot said he wants her at HQ before first rotation ends. Look, mate”—he clapped his left hand on Jackson’s forearm— “General’s already in a pissy mood on account of the captain claiming her without permission. I’m not about to catch any of that shit for bringing her over late. Besides, do you really wanthertending to any of the wounded? Wildcat’s more likely to laugh when someone begs for help, than work any Priestess magic.”
“Depends on the patient,” I purred, given that the inside of the Grandmother’s ribs were etched with countless scores of refugees ferried to safety, and that I had never sworn an oath to give of myself without discretion.
Jackson reeled back, watching as I licked my modified canines with a leisurely sweep of my tongue. “Point taken. Off with you, then.”
Hand to heart, Marco backed from the room, keeping a tight grip on my elbow as he steered me through narrow isles separating the cots. In fact, he didn’t speak a word until we’d reached the exit and stood in the bright mid-morning sunlight outside.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” he hissed, voice a harsh whisper against my ear. “What happened to keeping a low profile, huh?”
“I have no such agreement with you, idiot.”
He shook my arm, pressing close enough to fill my vision—but in spite of my newfound cocoon, his touch yielded nothing. “And if someone were to see your sprint through the infirmary as an assault on the general’s Priestess? What then? Neither Captain Rawlings nor I can protect you if you insist upon—”
“Keep your pathetic protection,” I snapped, trying to pry my arm free, teeth bared. “And get your hands off me.”
“Oh, no, wildcat. I’m not taking any more chances with you today.” And with fingers that shook, Marco flicked the clasp on his belt buckle.
Taking a step back, I eyed the strip of leather as he pulled it free from his pants. Uneasy. “What are you doing?”
“Preventing you from getting flighty on me again. And”—he gathered my hands, jerking me toward him and looping the leather around my wrists, cinching it tight—“I have no intention of being disciplined because of you.” He tugged on the makeshift leash. “Now you can either walk or I can hogtie you, throw you over my shoulder, and drop you at the captain’s feet. Which would you prefer?”
Lip curled, I twisted until gold was concealed by leather. “You know,” I said, gesturing for him to lead on, “I get the distinct impression that you’re not a fan of mine, Marco.”
Marco nodded, setting a cigarette at the corner of his lips without lighting it, one hand tight on the end of my leash. “Wonder why that might be,” he drawled. And then, under his breath, he said, “Don’t know what he was thinkin’, puttingmeon babysitting duty. ‘Cause that wentso wellthe last time.”
“Yes, you poor thing. How vexing for you.”
He snorted. “Don’t you worry, wildcat. I’ll have you back in the captain’s care in no time. Safer this way, y’know? Better that the captain himself has his eye on you, eh?”
A laugh burst from my lips. Safer? Withhim?Sure. And Kas was a devout vegetarian. But I schooled my voice, and said, “Aren’t the headquarters on the front lines?”
“Sure.” With a shrug, he tugged the smoke free of his lips and began to roll it between forefinger and thumb.
“And I presume the front lines is where the rebels gather? Where the warfare is?”
“Yep. And they seem to have a real hard-on for punishment of late, too.”
Despite bound wrists, I smiled. For who else but Belle would attack the Empire? Wasting no time and sparing no expense to reclaim the Trila-Glís and her treacherous lead scientist. With exaggerated patience, I pressed on, bobbing along beside Marco. “So, by your definition, safety isclosestto the fighting?”
Grinning now, he patted the weapon at his hip, loaded with a blend of ki. “Safer forme.”
I flashed my modified canines, baring the sharpened points. “If youreallywant to be safe,” I drawled, “you’ll take me back to the forest before it’s too late.”
“Come now, wildcat. If I did that, who would get to enjoy all your creepy death threats?”
Thumbing the brand, I smothered an answering smile.
Was I not a rare and dangerous thing? A Trila-Glís the likes of which had never been seen, tainted by darkness and willing to do what my softer counterparts would not?
An Empath who had tasted death.
