“I’m not leaving you, baby,” he said gently as he rocked her against him. “Your father would kill me in a most painful way.”
“No. I mean don’t die on me. You can’t! You hear me?”
His jaw slackened. Then he pinned a murderous glare on Sumi. “What did you say to her?”
“Nothing. I swear.”
Suddenly, a younger version of Hauk stuck his head into the tent to check on what was happening. Instead of Andarion warrior’s braids, he wore his black hair pulled back into a ponytail. But other than that and his size, he looked enough like Hauk to be his clone. It was adorable.
Until he spoke.
“Ah gah,” Darice groaned. “Human emotional females. What has her stirred up now? Is she ragging?”
That succeeded in drying Thia’s tears as she lunged at him.
Hauk held her fast against his chest. “Don’t. He has to live, too.”
“Oh please, Uncle. It’s a moral imperative that I kill him!”
Darice rolled his eyes before he gave Sumi a gimlet stare that was eerily similar to the one Hauk often used. “Are you fully human?”
“Yes.”
“Shit,” he breathed.
“Darice!” Hauk snapped. “Watch your tongue.”
He bared his fangs at Hauk. “How much worse is this trip going to blow, huh?” He gestured angrily at Hauk. “First, I’m stuck with you, then…” His voice trailed off as if he realized what he’d just said.
Hauk looked as if he’d been slapped. When he recovered, it was with a furious glower that made Darice step back and Thia suck her breath in sharply.
Without a word, Hauk brushed roughly past his nephew and went outside.
Thia glared at her cousin. “You’re such an ungrateful bastard, Darice.”
“You know nothing about it, human.”
Thia grabbed the front of his shirt and snatched him to stand in front of her so that they were nose to nose. “Do not make the mistake of thinking I don’t have enough Andarion in me to spill your entrails, little worm. I do. And you better well remember exactly who my father is. His is the blood that flows thickest through my veins. Much more so than any human gene I might carry.”
Darice’s eyes widened at her threat.
“And you know nothing of your uncle’s skills,” Thia continued. “Instead of insulting him, you should consider this. Your father was twice Uncle Hauk’s age and size when he died. Yet Hauk survived. Alone and injured. For three weeks.”
“Because he killed my father!”
“You don’t know that.”
He lifted his chin defiantly. “My mother told me so. It’s why he has yet to marry her when he should have married her long ago. He’s a coward who shirks his responsibilities. Rather than save my father, he saved himself. If he were really Andarion, he’d have killed himself, instead of returning home in shame.”
Thia shoved him away so forcefully, he stumbled and fell to the ground. “You know nothing about being Andarion. You shame your ancestors and taint both your parents’ bloodlines.” She kicked at the dirt next to him before making an angry exit.
“At least I’m not the one tainted with human blood!” he snarled after her. He cast a feral lip curl at Sumi before he pushed himself up and stormed out.
Okay then.
Sumi released a slow, steady breath. She didn’t know why, but she felt bad for all of them. And honestly, rather intimidated by Thia. For a little thing, she was ferocious and highly unpredictable.
Who was her father?
To her knowledge, Hauk only had Fain and Keris as brothers. But then she hadn’t done that extensive a dig into his family. Only enough to get the parameters of this mission straight in her mind. And Fain had never said much of anything about his family. Since he’d been disowned by them, he’d told everyone, even her, that he was an orphan with no blood lineage whatsoever.
“What do you mean, we’re staying here another day?” Darice whined outside. “Gah! It’s not fair! This is supposed to be my Endurance, not an exercise in learning to tolerate humans!”
“And it’s not supposed to be an exercise in my learning to tolerate you,” Hauk shot back. “Now do what I told you.”
“You’re not my father! I don’t have to do what you tell me.” There was no missing the hatred beneath those words.
Thia let out a tired sigh. “And all this wondrous joy because my father can’t stand the thought that I’m a grown woman and he can’t rule my entire life anymore.”
“Not a word against your father, Thee. That’s my brother you’re talking about, and I will not have you disparage him in my presence.”
“Disparage him? Excuse me? Have you met my father, Uncle Hauk? The man who smiles with a grimace and has perpetual PMS and an itchy trigger finger? Try dating with that…” When she spoke again, it was in a falsetto. “Why yes, hon, my father is the legendary killer with a higher body count than the top three League assassins combined. No, he’s not planning to eat you or hide your body, dear. That’s his version of a smile, and yes, we’re all well aware of the fact that he looks like he’s in extreme pain when he does it. Just don’t make any sudden moves and you might live long enough to get to the front door…” She made a shriek of indignation. “Really, I should just go ahead and join a convent now.”
Hauk snorted at her tirade. “Be glad you have a father who loves you.”
“I am delirious that he loves me. I just wish he’d loosen the noose once in a while so that I can breathe around the choke hold.”
Sumi swallowed hard as she realized who Thia’s father was. Given that tirade, there was only one male it could be. Nykyrian Quiakides. Crowned prince of both the Andarion and Triosan empires.
And the most wanted being in the history of The League.
Holy gods…
Nykyrian was the assassin who’d taken the eye of the prime commander. The one creature Kyr Zemin would sell his soul to have in custody.
And his prized daughter was standing just outside this tent. A daughter Nykyrian would do anything to protect.
Even die for her.
If Sumi handed Thia over with Hauk, Kyr would give her anything she wanted. Not only would she be able to negotiate Kalea’s freedom from League custody, Sumi might be able to bargain for her own.
Her conscience balked at the idea of making such a trade. But Kyr wouldn’t hurt Thia… and as Thia had pointed out, she was full grown.
Unlike her baby.
Kalea was barely three. Still young enough that she would have no memory of being in League custody. If Sumi could get her back now, they could finally be a family. It was the only thing she’d ever wanted. The only thing she’d ever craved.
Closing her eyes, she cherished the thought of finally knowing what her baby girl looked like. Of being able to hold and rock her to sleep at night.
Those strangers outside were her key to that dream.
She was going to get her baby back. No matter who or what she had to betray. Nothing and no one came before her Kalea.
CHAPTER 7
Sumi froze as she uncovered the only personal item of Hauk’s, other than clothes, she’d found during her thorough search of his meager belongings. It was a palm-sized device that held his rowdy native Andarion music, a few videos and photos, and files written in the strangest alphabet she’d ever seen. It might be from encryption, but she’d lay money that was what the Andarion language looked like. She’d never seen their written language before, however it only made sense that he’d keep files in his native tongue. And if it contained anything so sensitive that it needed encrypting, she was sure Hauk wouldn’t have left it where she might find it. Rather he’d have it on him.