The Steele Wolf (Iron Butterfly #2)(33)

Shocked, I froze and felt my knees started to shake at the thought of hunting the Septori on purpose.

“No…um, not the only one,” I whispered nervously.

“What do you mean you’re not the only one?” He clutched my shoulders desperately. “You mean there’s someone else who can help us as well?”

“Well, if you can get him to agree to.”

“Who?” he demanded urgently.

I pointed with my chin over in the direction of Kael kneeling by the fire.

“How come you never said anything before?” he asked accusingly.

“It wasn't my place to tell his story,” I explained quietly. “Not everyone wants to the world to know what happened to them down there.”

I saw Joss’ eyes fill with pity as he looked at Kael.

“No,” I snapped. “Don't pity him. He would hate that. None of us want that. We are all stronger than that. We may be different now and changed, but please don't ever feel pity for us.” I didn't realize it, but that look he gave Kael cut me deeply.

“I'm sorry, Thalia,” he whispered as he cupped my cheek in his hand. “I won't feel sorry for either of you, even though I know what you went through.” He leaned forward and kissed each of my closed eyelids. His lips pressed lightly against them before giving me a light and reassuring peck on my nose. I was too shocked with mixed emotions to do anything and I let him give me a soft, slow kiss on my lips.

It was warm and comforting; when he pulled back I saw a soft, caring look in Joss' eyes. But not before looking over his shoulder and seeing the exact opposite emotions displayed in Kael's eyes. I stiffened at the hard, uncaring glance he shot Joss as he turned away and silently stepped into the darkness. The dark cloud followed him.

Joss felt me stiffen and turned to see the back of Kael. He let out a discouraged sigh. “Well, there went my chances of convincing Kael to help me. He's been very blunt in his feelings towards me.”

“It's okay, Joss. I will help you find your sister,” I said good-naturedly. I hated what I was about to do, but we needed to find Joss' sister and time was of the essence;. Afterwards I would help break the curse on Kael. Who knew, maybe the answer lay in hunting the Septori.

“What about Kael?” he asked. A sliver of hope came through in his voice. “I'm pretty sure he won't want to help find my sister.”

“Don't worry, if I'm with you, he will surely be close by. He can't help it.” I grinned reassuringly to Joss, but felt my gaze search the darkness for Kael's form.

Sadness overcame me, as I knew my decision to help Joss first and not Kael would hurt the stoic SwordBrother and drive an even deeper wedge of hatred between us, one that I didn't think could be repaired.





Chapter 16



“Absolutely not! By all that is holy, I refuse to allow you to travel with this heathen.” Bearen breathed in deeply as if he were trying to make himself look more intimidating. At six foot four he was a bear of a man with his black beard and hawk-like nose, and his blue eyes were intense with anger. But he was only scary until he started to cough great heaving coughs that shook the whole house, which were the after effects of breathing in smoke as he saved Aldo’s child from a fire. Then, the clan leader was reduced to being tended to like a sick child as my cousin Siobhan rushed in with water and a handkerchief.

Odin, Fenri, Joss and I didn’t tell him that when he was sick with fever and passed out from pain, that I had Joss sneak into his house and heal him of the worst of the burns and blisters from the fire. I thought it prudent to have Joss heal him this time, so if he awoke he couldn’t accuse me of disobeying him. Except that when he awoke he didn’t notice how much better he felt. I think the great warrior was trying to play up being sick to get as much sympathy as he could, except for the cough. We didn’t touch his lungs because it would draw too many unwanted questions.

But he wouldn’t let a little cough burden him when he was about to lose his only daughter that he just found again. He wasn’t about to let her leave with his greatest enemy. When his cough had settled, he once again turned those angry eyes on me. “You are still underage, and must obey my rules. That is, until you become clan leader.”

I had been, up until that point, sitting on a short three-legged stool next to my father’s bed; but I sent the stool flying as I jumped up in anger and pointed to him. “Father, you have to listen to me. You’ve ignored me every time I’ve tried to tell you about what happened. But you can’t ignore it. Not anymore, especially when it was Rayneld that had a hand in my kidnapping. It was your brother that sold me to the Septori to be used as an experiment. It’s his entire fault that this happened to me.”

Siobhan, who had only a few days ago betrayed me and handed me over to my Uncle and cousin to be killed, stilled at my words. I don’t believe she would have done it if they hadn’t beaten her into submission. She had redeemed herself in my eyes when she rushed to the waterfall, sword in hand, and tried to save me from her brother. I glanced at her quickly to see if I offended her by bringing up her father’s involvement. But she seemed unaffected by my words and went on changing the bandages on Bearen’s almost healed wounds. It was as if, in her grief of losing her father and brother, she had sought comfort in caring for her uncle.