Until I was sure that I could trust him, I had to keep my distance.
Chapter
Four
Bokkan
There were days that I missed being in the king’s service. And today was definitely one of them.
Since discovering what Guldan had done, I hadn’t had a moment’s respite. Between the suspicion of one tiny human, the enthusiastic pestering of my housekeeper, and the complaints of the men over taking their toy away, I was ready to go back to the palace and beg the king to allow me back into his military.
I sat back in my desk chair and glared at Talus. “Repeat that again, soldier.”
At my tone and the heated stare I was sending his way, the daemon swallowed hard. But he kept his back straight and his hands behind his back in a position of respect.
“General, if my knife isn’t to be returned to me, it is the human’s responsibility to reimburse me for the value of it.”
“And you know the human has no coin of her own because she was dragged here against her will,” I replied.
“I am willing to accept a trade.”
“You mean you’re willing to let her keep the knife if she lets you rut her.”
His cheeks darkened with a flush of embarrassment. “Yes.”
“You realize that she isn’t a servant here. She is my guest.”
He nodded, not sensing the trap. This was why he might be my best fighter and a good soldier, but he would never be a good leader unless he stopped being so godsdamned thick-headed.
“Then, that also means, as her host, I am responsible for her debts while she stays here.”
My statement hit home, and Talus flinched at my words.
“General—”
I lifted a hand, and he stopped speaking. Maybe he was capable of learning, after all. “Now, do you still want her to repay you for the knife she took from you in a fair fight? One that you didn’t even notice was missing until I pointed it out?” I put my hands on my desk and stood, leaning over the surface as I stared at him. “A weapon she was going to use to castrate you if you managed to gain the advantage over her?”
With each question, the ruddy flush in his cheeks lightened until his skin was no longer deep brown but a light beige. He looked as though he wanted to puke.
“Do you want repayment, soldier?” I prompted when he didn’t answer.
The tension went out of his shoulders, and they dropped as he shook his head. “No, sir.”
“As I said earlier, consider this a lesson. Not just in keeping an eye on your weapons, but in the fact that just because an opponent is smaller and weaker than you, it doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. Could you kill her with one blow? Absolutely. But would you have the speed and skill to do so?” When he opened his mouth to speak, I growled and shook my head. “Don’t speak without thinking, Talus. Stop and consider what I said. Remember how quickly she moved. How she took you down when only a few other men in the regiment are capable of doing so. Don’t let your ego sway your answer. The war roomhas no place for ego, so if you want to rise above grunt status, you need to learn to use your fucking brain.”
His mouth closed with a click of his teeth, practically grinding together as he stared at me, thinking. Finally, he blew out a breath and shook his head. “I’ve never fought someone like her before. She’s barely bigger than a child. When she said she would kill whoever tried to rut her first, we all laughed. I won the first turn, and she said I would have to knock her unconscious or kill her. I was trying not to harm her. That’s the only reason she gained the upper hand.”
I fought the urge to vault over the desk and shove my fist into his face repeatedly. I knew many daemons considered humans inferior and often kept them as pets or slaves if they made deals for magic or favors. That’s how most humans ended up in Penumbra. They made trades with daemons. If they did it often enough or asked for a large enough favor or amount of magic, they forfeited years of their life in servitude in our realm. Most never returned home because Penumbra changed them at a fundamental level. They gained magic with each month they spent here, growing faster and stronger. Many didn’t want to return to the human realm, even if they had the choice.
Leda clearly wasn’t one of them. If she had been, she would have made a deal with Talus or Guldan, not tried to fight Talus to the death.
What enraged me was that he talked about forcing himself on her as though it was nothing. Human or daemon, no female should ever be forced into a male’s bed.
My hands clenched the edge of the desk, my claws digging into the wood. Talus noticed my ire and shut his mouth. I stood up, leaning over the desk. His shoulders tensed, but he didn’t move.
“I’m telling you, like I told Guldan, and like I’m going to tell the rest of the men… keep your godsdamned hands to yourselfwhen you’re around Leda. She was brought here against her will and your part of the money that purchased her has been returned. Even if she walks up to you and begs you to bed her, you don’t lay a claw on her. She isn’t a pet, a slave, or a whore. She’s my guest. Am I clear?”
He nodded.
