Vengeance Born (The Light Blade #1) by Kylie Griffin Read Free Book Online

neutral tone, if she wanted to take it. He stood in the shadows of one of the trees, his arms folded, his stance wide, still wary.
    She mimicked his pose. “Why would I want to expose myself to your arrogant, narrow-minded attitude again?”
    The muscles along his shoulders bunched. His lips thinned along with his gaze. He took a deep breath, then another before inclining his head. “I deserved that.”
    The words were stilted, bitten off, grudgingly given but as close to an apology as she was going to get.
    “We need each other, Na’Chi .” His admission came from between clenched teeth.
    The idea of relying on someone who could barely stand her presence had her temper flaring again. She cast a quick glance at the forest. Three steps, that’s all it would take. Three steps and the darkness would conceal her. Without the benefit of night-sight, he wouldn’t be able to follow her, not with any speed.
    But what was she going to do once she left him? She couldn’t return to the fortress. She couldn’t enter human territory without his protection. That only left hiding in the forest. Surviving off the land was possible, but years of unending loneliness stretched before her. What sort of life would that be?
    Annika fixed her gaze on the Light Blade warrior once more. She wasn’t willing to concede anything yet. “Out here you need me, human.”
    A muscle in his cheek twitched. “And once we reach human territory, you’ll need me.” One eyebrow lifted. “Do we keep arguing until a Patrol hears us and the problem is resolved or will we begin cooperating as your friend Hesia encouraged us to do?”
    Just like that, he resurrected her long-sought-after dream.
    “Your eyes still have yellow flecks.” His reminder lacked subtlety. The last thing she wanted to do was to give him an advantage over her by answering him. He shrugged. “Have it your way,” he said and pivoted on his heel. “I’ll make it to the border without your help.”
    He was leaving her? As he reached the edge of the clearing he showed no signs of slowing. She licked dry lips and took a breath.
    “Yellow is fear.”
    He stopped. Her heart thudded so hard she could feel it against her ribs. When he turned back to her, his expression was slack with surprise. “You’re afraid of me?”
    “You’re the first Light Blade warrior I’ve met. You kill demons. How do you think I’d feel? If you’d had your sword a moment ago, would you have drawn it?”
    “You said you were hungry.”
    “There’s a lot of difference between hungry and starving.”
    “The Na’Reish aren’t known for curbing their impulses when they’re hungering for blood.”
    “I’m Na’Chi , not Na’Reish !” She bit back her anger, unable to refute the truth in his statement. Their conversation was rapidly deteriorating. Again. She wished Hesia were with her. She’d have handled this situation much better.
    Annika’s legs trembled as Kalan walked toward her and halted an arm’s length away.
    “Let’s stop bluffing one another.” Weariness leeched into the tone of his voice. “You’re the first Na’Chi I’ve met. With five hundred years of conflict between the Na’Reish and us, can you fault me for being wary of someone who has inherited their penchant for blood?”
    He had a point.
    “I’ll give you the same promise I gave your friend. I won’t harm you, if you don’t attack me.”
    Annika peered up at his shadowed face, looking for a flicker of deception. His scent remained the same but caution urged her to make sure. “Swear it by the Lady .”
    He frowned. “My word is my oath.”
    Hesia had always told her Light Blades would honor any oath they made but he’d already turned on her once. “Swear it by Her name. Now.”
    He stiffened as if offended. Too bad.
    “By the Lady I swear I won’t harm you if you don’t attack me.” Again his words were uttered from between clenched teeth. “Satisfied?”
    She gave a curt nod. “It’ll do.”
    “You