Born of Legend by Sherrilyn Kenyon Read Free Book Online

at his nose. “Okay.”
    â€œWhy are you so attached to the tiziran?”
    Shrugging, Vasili screwed up his face. “He had no reason to care, Mum. And he did. He gave me his link, blaster, and wallet to go home to you and then was willing to die so that I could get away. I don’t know. It just meant something to me the way he did it. No one but you has ever stood and fought for me like that before. He was like a real-life hero. Like the War Hauks you used to read to me about.”
    And that meant everything to her. Smiling, she drew Vasili into her arms and kissed his head. “You’re getting so tall. Soon I’ll be looking up at you.”
    â€œGod, I hope so. I’d hate to be this short as a grown-up. You think I’ll be as tall as Basha Dimitri?”
    â€œTaller.”
    He smiled. “I’ll go get the tiziran some food.”
    â€œOkay, and Vas?”
    He paused to look back at her.
    â€œYou probably shouldn’t keep calling him that. It could get him into trouble. Just call him Dagger like he said, okay?”
    Nodding, he headed for the galley while she went to the infirmary to check on their guest.
    As she opened the door, she caught Jullien with his shirt pulled up, examining his wound. “Is everything all right?”
    He jerked the shirt over it. “Fine.”
    She didn’t believe that for an instant. “How bad is it?” She crossed the room and reached to see for herself.
    He stepped out of her way. “It’s fine.”
    â€œLet me see what you’ve done.”
    â€œI’d rather you not.”
    â€œWhy?”
    With an irritated growl, Jullien turned her to face the small mirror over the sink. The anguished pain in his eyes was searing as he met her gaze. “I have enough reminders of things I can’t have. The last thing I need or want is to feel the hands of a beautiful female touching me when I know how repugnant I am to you, especially that intimately. I’d rather bleed to death first.” He glanced down at her hair with such bitter longing that it actually brought a lump to her throat before he stepped back and looked away.
    Sitting down, he pulled out his link and stared at it. “Just let me know when it’s time to leave.”
    â€œYou’re not repugnant.”
    He snorted a rude contradiction.
    â€œWhat’s that about?”
    â€œIt means I don’t believe you, mu tara . I have much evidence to the contrary, including the way your lip involuntarily curls every time you glance in my general direction, as if I’m a pile of flaming excrement someone has lit on fire and placed on your doorstep.”
    Ushara hated how much those words made her ache for him. Worse? She hated the fact that she’d done that to him, at all. And here she’d thought she’d been hiding her distaste for his birthright and family. Apparently, she was as bad as everyone else, and just as quick to judge.
    She swept her gaze over his long, lean body. Over his clean, shoddy clothes that were so old and torn, and yet he wore them with masculine swagger and wounded pride.
    Only he could carry off something that shabby and still make it look sexy and lethal.
    â€œWhen was the last time you slept in an actual bed?”
    The fact he had to stop and consider it broke her heart. But not as much as the answer. “I don’t know.”
    â€œA month?”
    He sighed before he answered. “Longer.… at least.”
    She winced at his whispered words. And before she could stop herself, her sympathy spoke for her. “Then how about you come back with us?”
    He scowled up at her. “Back where?”
    â€œTo our base. You can find work there. Safe housing where no one will hunt you. Do you have any skills?”
    He gave her a cocky grin. “I’m particularly skilled at pissing off everyone around me. Quite exceptional at it, point of fact. Been known to do so by merely entering