Page 24 of On a Barbarian World

“You are mine now, Aurina. You have my protection.” He pressed his chin to her sunset hair. “You are not alone.”

She stood, straight and stiff in his arms, then she made a small sound and spun. She pressed her face against his chest and held on.

They stayed there for a while, until he felt her relax against him.

“Come.” He gently pulled her back, but kept ahold of her. He liked holding her, but right now, she needed a distraction. Something to take her mind off her situation. “I have jobs to attend to. You will come with me.”

Her face twisted. “Ask, barbarian. Don’t order.”

“You will come…please?”

She shook her head, but the tiniest smile peeked through her sadness. “Close enough.”

He started toward Tarm. There was no warning.

Something slammed into Kavon’s back, taking him to the ground.

He heard Aurina shout, and he twisted to see the open jaws of a wild darken cat. It was almost as big as Kavon himself, with a powerful, sleek body covered in black fur.

They were wily predators who liked to chew on Markarian bones.

“Run, Aurina!” He didn’t waste time looking. As his nanami flooded him with strength, he gripped the cat before it tried to tear his throat out. It hissed and made a loud coughing noise. Kavon shoved it and they rolled.

He ignored the rough rocks biting into his skin. He fought to get on top of the cat. He felt the brush of claws at his belly, and he moved to avoid a slash.

“Get off him.” Suddenly a rock slammed down on the cat’s head.

It yowled and spun.

A dark haze crossed Kavon’s vision. Aurina stood above them, clutching a large rock.

By the Warrior’s fist. Kavon surged upward. The cat spun back to him, hissing wildly and snapping its powerful jaws. He tossed the cat, and it landed on its feet, spinning back to face them.

“Go, Aurina.”

She wasn’t even looking at him. “No.”

Kavon growled, but as the darken cat leaped at them, all he focused on was keeping it off Aurina. He caught the cat, felt the sting of claws on his shoulders, and they spun in an unwieldy dance. He gritted his teeth, fighting the strength of the beast.

He felt a hand at his thigh. What in the hells?

Then Aurina shoved his dagger deep into the cat’s belly.

The cat yowled again and released Kavon. It fell on its side on the ground, bleeding, then it turned and raced away.

Kavon rounded on Aurina. He sucked in air, trying to find some semblance of control. “I told you to run.”

She held his dagger out. Her hands were coated in blood. “You’re welcome. Glad I could help.”

He snatched the dagger and then strode toward Tarm. With each step, he tried to calm his raging nanami. He rummaged around in the bags and grabbed a water skin and a cloth to clean the dagger. After cleaning the blade, he shoved the dagger into its sheath and turned back to Aurina.

He splashed water on her hands and started wiping.

“I helped you,” she said quietly. “Why are you angry?”

He looked up, and in her green eyes saw that she truly didn’t understand. “It is my job to protect you. To ensure your smooth skin never gets close to a darken cat’s claws. I should never have brought you out here.”

She snatched the cloth from his hands. “I can wipe my own damn hands, barbarian.” She rubbed her hands vigorously. “And I can protect my own smooth skin.”