Chapter 4

Worry colors my entire being, my nerves strung so taut they'd sing if plucked. It's clear from the way my woman lurches about in the saddle that she is not the experienced rider she lied about being. I do not know what a nee-sahn is, but it's clearly not the same thing as a warhorse of Molmith's caliber.

My knuckles whiten on my own reins, the dapple charger smoothly eating up the ground on long legs beneath me.

Ali will not back down though, won't admit she is out of her element. I bite back a smile. I shouldn't like that she's put herself in more danger by riding my warhorse alone. I should hate that she pretended she knew what she was doing, but… I'm proud of her. I like that she challenged me, was clever enough to wriggle her way out of the vow and make it work for her.

She won't be able to worm so easily from the rest of it.

Sand kicks up from Molmith's heels, his black fur glinting in the sunlight as he trots across dunes. Koa trees demarcate the end of Ulson, where my land meets the other Houses' territories.

The tether that binds me to Ulson stretches tight the further we ride from my keep, the old magic bubbling up under my skin, the need to change as the safety of home spreads thin. I close my eyes, forcing it beneath the surface, the oath I swore to Ali keeping the change at bay.

I used to have more control.

Now, it seems I have close to none.

A startled cry drags me back to the present. Molmith challenges Ali for dominance, prancing sideways and kicking out his back legs. She's going to fall. Terror grips me, and I urge my horse forward. Stars above and below, I should have insisted I ride with her.

"Fucking stop that, murder horse!" Ali grunts, her eyes wide as Molmith stills beneath her, his nostrils flaring. Great breaths huff from the horse, his sides heaving.

I pause, pulling up short in surprise. Molmith… it's almost as if he's listening to her. He's stopped, and she graces me with a vicious smile of triumph before patting him on the neck.

"Good, now that we've come to an understanding?—"

Molmith rears up halfway, his eyes rolling. Power roils under my skin, threatening the shift, the shift I promised Ali I wouldn't make. Instinctively, Ali shifts her weight forward, somehow managing to stay seated.

"Something's wrong," she whispers, "there's something out there, in the forest." Her brown scarf waves in a sudden breeze, some of her hair flitting loose around her fae-like features.

The wind brings an uncanny scent with it.

I freeze. My eyes scan the thicket of trees. There's life in this forest, sunshine and space. It practically crackles and vibrates with creatures, so unlike the dark and forbidding Alsewood forests of House Sagittarius.

But she's right. There's something else there, too. Something that shouldn't be.

"How did you…" I don't finish the question. It doesn't matter how. Could be early Starbound powers manifesting, could be another innate sensitivity.

What matters is that Ali, my mate, could be in danger again.

Thanks to me.

"Stay here," I command.

"Fuck that," she says, her gaze indignant. "And what, be a sitting duck while you leave me again? No. I'm coming with you. A fact you should be grateful for, considering I was planning on making a break for it."

I rake a hand through my hair, frustrated but unable to deny her. My charger prances under me, disquieted by the same thing that's upset Molmith. Molmith, who's now still under Ali. Calm.

I narrow my eyes at them.

"Well? Are we just going to sit out here in the open, while you make up your mind? Give whatever's in there time to spot us and take us out? Some strategist you are." Ali sounds brave, but her eyes are darting across the treeline, as though she expects something to emerge at any moment. "Besides, what if more of those nasty bat things appear and snatch me into the sky again?"

She might not be wrong. Bringing her with me to Donnora is the most selfish thing I've ever done.

My teeth grind against each other, my jaw twitching. "Follow me, then."

I urge the horse into a canter and listen as Ali manages to convince Molmith to follow… by speaking to him. Not the normal clucking and kissing some riders make, but by asking him. I file that information away for later, set on getting her to safety and uncovering the source of the threat, setting off my magic and Molmith alike. There will be time enough to figure out the mystery of the girl and the horse later, on the road to Donnora. Because we will not be taking the short route, no. I will take her the long, winding scenic route, dragging our journey out until she warms to me.

The wind kicks up again, bringing an unmistakable stale scent with it. The blood drinkers. They're in the woods. A snarl lodges in my throat, one I don't dare release for fear of bringing them on Ali, a Starbound woman and their ultimate quarry.

"What is it?" Ali asks in a low voice. Her blue eyes are wide, her face paler than usual. Under the dappled shade of the trees, she practically glows. She's so beautiful, and my fear for her grows. I will not endanger her again. I cannot.

I hold up a hand, signaling for quiet, half-expecting her to challenge me again, to argue.

She doesn't.

I motion for her to follow, our horses picking their way carefully through the underbrush, making no more noise than any other woodland creature. A rare feat, one that should be impossible for their size, but one of the many allures of a Westshear warhorse.

When I chance a glance back at her, she's worrying her lower lip, clearly unnerved. Molmith's ears are pricked forward, and I can tell from how he holds himself that he senses a fight brewing, too.

Not an ideal start to my plan to win her over.

Fuck.

The scent of the blood drinkers grows stronger the further we tread into the forest. I raise my closed fist in the air, trying to make sure Ali knows to stay put. Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply, trying to sense how many there are.

What hits me, assaults me, even, are not just the scents of the five or so blood drinkers, but of what they have with them. The bitter tang of fear coats the others like a cloak.

Starbound women. At least two, maybe more.

"Fuck," I mutter, out loud this time. I'd planned to ignore my enemies, to wait until they'd passed or skirt around them.

But the Starbound women change everything.

Ali's face is tense with fear. I cannot let these women stay with the blood drinkers, victims of the Butcher King and his minions. I cannot let them face a fate worse than death, and I refuse to stand by while women, like Ali, are hurt.

"What is it?" Ali asks, and the question is free of the normal acid and hate. She must be scared to death.

My grip on the reins tightens. "If I tell you to stay here, will you listen?"

She narrows her eyes.

I sigh, squinting up at the translucent green leaves overhead. "If I tell you Molmith knows what to do, can you hang on to him?"

Her mouth twists to the side, and I hate this. I hate the fear and distrust etched across her pretty face. Gritting my teeth, I turn my horse to face hers, coming alongside her. Twisting, I tug a sheathed dagger out of one of our saddlebags.

"Strap this to your waist." I hand the weapon out to her.

Her surprised gaze cuts to mine, then the dagger before her.

"What's out there?"

There's no reason to lie. It won't protect her like the knowledge of the evil that roams this land will. She's a survivor. She only needs to know that what she must survive isn't me, like she thinks, but these creatures.

"Blood drinkers. They have more of your kind with them. We're going to break them out."

"How many… wait. More of my kind?"

"Starbound women," I clarify, watching her expression carefully. "And four. Maybe five."

Her throat bobs. "What do… what do they want with them?"

"Nothing good," I hedge. Now's not the time to terrorize her with the truth. "We're going to set them free."

"But you promised not to shift," she objects, her eyes still unnaturally wide.

A brutal smile curves my lips. "I will not need to shift."

"What does that?—"

In one swift motion, I pull my cloak off, wrapping it around her shoulders. In one smooth, practiced motion, I unsheathe the broadsword strapped to my back. Dappled light reflects on the edge, razor sharp and deadly.

"Oh," she says.

"Oh," I agree, sheathing the sword again.

Her careful fingers fasten the closing at her throat, and my eyes dip to the smooth expanse of skin, the graceful collarbones and enticing curve of her breasts.

"Pull the hood up deep around your face, keep the cloak around you, and do not speak." If she stays downwind, she has a chance at not being discovered. It's a slim chance, but I will take it.

"What do you mean don't speak? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ali's face screws up to one side, her glare threatening violence.

I blink at her. "Only so you don't draw their attention. As another Starbound woman." What in the name of the stars was she upset about now?

"You want them to think I'm a man?" She huffs but seems slightly less irritated.

"No one could ever think you're a man," I respond without thinking, and when my gaze darts to her face, a faint flush is rising there. "I want you to be safe. Let Molmith defend you, use the dagger if you fall. I would tell you to stay out of the fray, but I know you won't listen."

It's true enough. The woman is impossible. Normally, I love that about her, her fire and cleverness… but I don't want it to get her killed. With the blood drinkers in the mix, it certainly could. Or worse.

"Will you keep safe and away from the fight if I tell you to?" My heart beats against the confines of my chest, my pulse thrumming in my neck.

"I'm not an idiot," she spits the words out.

"That's not what I asked."

For a moment, her expression hardens, her blue eyes flinty. "Probably not."

A small chuckle escapes me. I expected no less. "Then be careful. They will take you if they can."

Her mouth opens on an exhalation, as if this surprises her, and I mentally curse myself as I remember how little she knows.

I flick the reins and dig my heels into the gray charger, wheeling us around until we're thundering through the underbrush, branches snagging at my arms and head. It's noisy and reckless and I'm sure I'll draw the attention of the blood drinkers.

I find I don't care much about the element of surprise. As long as they are focused on me and not Ali.

Besides, there's only five of them. I'm fairly sure.

I can take them. Even if I can't change, they're no match for me.