He crumpled to the ground instantly, a one-hit kill.
Caius and Liam leaped back like they didn’t know what had just happened. Liam figured it out quicker than Caius did and pointed to where Hanne stood on top of the cabin. Both men looked as shocked as I had a moment ago.
“Two down, ten more to go.”
Hanne missed her target more than she landed her hits, but she was still able to take down at least half of the Knives by herself. She distracted several of them once they understood what washappening, and when they rushed to the cabin to climb on top of it, we were able to attack from the rear.
We hacked and cut into their armor, stabbing swords into the openings between their arms and torsos and daggers into their calves and legs. We took them down quickly, leaving them in a pile against Hanne’s cabin.
I backed away once it was done, allowing myself to feel tired for the first time since the battle started. I let myself breathe until my lungs felt refilled, and then I returned my blade to the sheath across my back.
I looked around at the dead and saw ten of my own men. Victories made me sad because they always came at a price. This price was good men who didn’t deserve to die. I came out of the battle mostly unharmed except for the break in my cheekbone. It hurt, but it wasn’t terrible. It would heal on its own eventually.
At least I was alive.
Hanne squatted down and dropped the bow so the guys could catch it. She tossed the arrows too then started to climb down, the men grabbing her then transferring her to her feet on the ground.
I wasn’t sure how she’d climbed up there to begin with.
They patted her on the shoulder and thanked her with enthusiasm. She became the hero of the battle, and the story of her participation would make it through the tribe within hours.
Her eyes came to me with hesitancy, unsure what version of me she would receive when she came close. She began her journey across the space between us, making it twenty feet until we wereclose together. Instead of moving into my arms, she remained cautious like she expected a punishment rather than praise.
I wanted to be angry. I really did. But I couldn’t. “Thank you.”
Her features softened in relief.
“You saved many lives today. You may have saved us all.”
Her eyes flicked away like she couldn’t accept that level of honor. “I would do anything for my people. But I have to be honest…your mother told me to come.”
“She did?”
“She asked if I knew how to use the bow. When I said yes, she told me to use it.”
My mother wanted to ensure my survival, but she also believed Hanne could contribute to the battle. She believed in her as much as I did. “You were the one brave enough to come. Praise still rests with you.”
“I couldn’t stay in that hall and wait.” Her eyes began to turn emotional at the sight of me. “Not that I don’t believe in you or the power you wield with your sword. I would just rather die with you than live without you.”
Her declaration scorched my heart in flames, and my obsession for this woman deepened further than the chasm she’d fallen through. I’d desired many women, had deeper feelings for some, but it’d never been anything like this. This feeling was beyond my heart—it consumed every fiber of my being, was encased in my strong chest, and spread deep under the skin.
I dragged her into me and kissed her, pulled her tight against my body as I kissed her in front of the men I’d just fought with,beside the dead of friend and foe that lay upon the ground. I only let her go because I had to.
“Chief.”
I turned away from her to speak to Delvin.
“This one is still alive.” He stood over one of the Knives. He lay there and bled out into the dirt, several wounds from where a sword had cut him.
I walked over and looked down at him, a beast unworthy of a name.
He stared up at me with those angry eyes, eyes that wanted to strangle me, but he wasn’t able to move.
Hanne came to my side and looked at him too, and her face was suddenly the palest it’d ever been.
The Knife switched his stare to her and remained locked in place.
A silent staredown ensured, almost as if they knew each other. “I know those eyes…” The Knife continued to stare at her with the same focused look, like he saw something in her face. “Barclay Blue.”
