Page 25 of Tender Thorns
“I’ll keep her safe, but I need your word that you won’t kill him yet. A quick death is too easy for him.”
“The tale of his death will be passed down for generations to instill fear into hearts and minds. He will know suffering the likes of which don’t yet exist.” I could mistake the male before me for a true god in the moment, but the darkness of his words proves what he really is instead—one of the most dangerous beings to walk among us.
“I will make sure she is safe,” I concede, but he already knew I would anyway.
“See that you do, demon, or I will hunt you down next.” He strides toward the door but stops before reaching for the handle. “You should know, she bit me during training.”
His threat goes ignored, but it would be impossible not to acknowledge what he just said. “You bonded?” I accuse, wondering how the hell I could have missed that.
“Not fully, she wasn’t…” He shakes his head, and I watch his hands ball into tight fists. “Neither of us will be able to hold off much longer though. The pull to be near her is already unbearable.”
“I will always protect her, even from you.”
Ziv lets out a relieved breath, conveying I said what he needed to hear. We understand each other. There may come atime when he needs to protect my creature from me. “When I return, there are things we must discuss.”
“Yes, there are. I need to know more about her ability and why Syrinx is so interested in her.”
He glances over his shoulder to deliver a hard glare in my direction. “Do not let her out of your sight. I’ll be back in two days, sooner if possible.” Ziv departs just as abruptly as he arrived.
I look around the room I’ve been living in for the past two years for anything I might need before heading to Briar’s dorm for the foreseeable future, and then I realize just how empty it feels. There is nothing here I need other than clothing, and even that is easily expendable.
I don’t bother closing the door when I exit. The room I once thought sacred for offering me solitude is useless to me now, because there’s only one place I want to be—with my creature.
BRIAR
A gust of warm wind stirs the curtains, drawing my attention to the fluttering fabric. The room has darkened, yet the sun is still high in the sky. I rise from the bed, and a groan flies from my lips. I’m sore from the training I did with Ziv. The moment I allow myself to think of him, his image fills my head. Gods, theway his lips felt on my neck… I never imagined something could feel so good. What would his mouth feel like in other places?
I cover my face with my hands to hide from the things I’m thinking and feeling, but nothing works. I can’t get him out of my head. I need a distraction.
Torn, I glance at the window, then back at the door. One of these options will surely work better than the other. I’m several floors up, which means I can only look out on the grounds unless I want to risk breaking my neck by trying to get out through the window, and that’s not the distraction I’m looking for, but leaving my room is risky too. Ziv warned me not to, but I could really use a bath, and no one else seems to be sequestered to their rooms. The halls are always occupied with other novices—that’s what he calls them. I tend to think we’re all sacrifices, especially now, knowing what the true meaning of this place is.
It’s strange that no one ever told me as much or of the Undertaking. In the off chance Ivy Institute was brought up, it was in whispers, as if even acknowledging the place could somehow put you on their radar. The people here, though, or at least the ones I’ve seen, don’t seem to be frightened or unhappy. Ziv made it seem like it was a privilege to attend, so maybe my father and brothers were wrong. I snort at the thought. Of course they were wrong. They were wrong about everything, I just never had a reason to question their opinions.
That doesn’t mean I trust this place or anyone here, except maybe Ziv, not that I should trust him. He’s abrupt and too strong for his own good, and he knows it. Plus, he smells like he just walked out of heaven, and that’s not fair. It should be funny that he, a male his size, smells of cherries and almonds, like a sweet tart I’ve only gotten whiffs of from the bakery, but it’s not at all funny. In fact, I can’t think of anything that would be more appealing to me than food. It’s as if he was designed to drive me insane, and that might be true, if I can believe what he said aboutme being his… I can’t even think the word. It feels wrong, like I’m besmirching him with just the idea of Ziv being tied to me.
I make a break for the door. I have to get out of this room and get him out of my head, or I’m going to lose it. I disengage the lock, but my hand is frozen on the knob. He’ll probably be mad if he finds out I left my room. I start to release the metal—there’s something very distasteful about the thought of displeasing Ziv—but before my fingers slide off the knob, I wrench the door open.
The hall is empty and quiet, just like all the other times I’ve been out of my room, but I can hear the chatter of other voices farther down the corridor. I look left then right before taking the first step into the hall. When Ziv doesn’t magically appear, tempting me to bite him, I let the door close quietly behind me and head toward the bathing room. It’s a valid reason to be out of my room… I think.
It’s not until I’m pushing into the bathing chamber that I realize I have nothing with me—not even a clean pair of underclothes. Committed to at least check it out, I peer into the room, finding it occupied. A yelp leaves my lips before I slam my eyes shut and spin around. Unable to see, I feel for the door handle like I’m fucking blind.
“No need to rush away, newbie,” a male voice calls. If I’m not mistaken, it sounds like there’s a grin on his lips. Panic starts to set in, and I open my eyes wide to find the exit. His dark laugh follows me out the door. I wish I could get the sight of his naked body out of my head. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t even know what his face looks like, but I could probably pick his dick out of a lineup, and it makes me want to puke.
I almost run back to my room, and when I slam my back to the door, I realize much too late I should have checked before entering…again. The skin on the back of my neck tingles, and for a moment, I think it’s Ziv, but I know that’s not correct.
I scan the space, fully expecting to see someone, but there’s no one—no one I can see anyway. “Hello?” I bend down to peer under the bed, but it’s too shadowy to really see anything. Hesitantly, I step forward, still bent over to get a closer look. My heart is beating a mile a minute, but I’m more afraid not to look. I can feel someone watching me.
Still far enough from the bed that I can make an escape if I need to, I crouch down and peer into the shadows. It takes a blink or two for my eyes to adjust, but I find nothing except empty space. It seems a little darker than it should be, considering the light in the room coming from the window, but there’s no one waiting to break my neck. Still, the feeling of being watched doesn’t dissipate. In fact, I would swear thereis, or maybewas, someone here. There’s a scent in the air I don’t recognize. It’s woodsy, like the forest after it rains. I back up slowly, still not convinced I’m alone, and do another visual check of the room, even going so far as to check the drawers to make sure the clothing Ziv got me didn’t get taken or ruined.
Once I’ve slinked around and checked every crevice and found nothing out of place, I force myself to sit down and relax. Getting out of the room was a bust. All it did was allow someone else time to infiltrate my space, and for me to see someone else in the bath. I groan with embarrassment. Clearly he knew me, even though I have no idea who he was. Hopefully, he’ll be too embarrassed to tell anyone what happened, but I doubt it. He didn’t have anything to be ashamed of—my face flames thinking about seeing him naked again—and it almost seemed like he wanted me to stick around.
Instead of looking for a distraction, I decide going to bed will be much better. One, it’s not going to get me in trouble, and two, I don’t have to think about anything—not Ziv, not some creep’s nakedness, and certainly not why it still feels like someone is in my room.
ZIV
It takes no time for me to arrive near her tiny village. All I have to do is think about the town, and I’m standing on the edge of a forest on a muddy lane, smelling horse shit and decay. The village is still a mile or two away, but I can see a smattering of dwellings in the distance. Rale is on the very edge of the realm and so close to the border, it feels nearly forgotten.
I set out on foot to find my prey. It could mean alerting him of my approach, but I doubt anyone would associate my arrival with him. There is a part of me, though, that would like nothing more than to imagine him stewing in fear with the knowledge that I was coming for him.
