her again, she hurried away. The dagger was hidden, but that didn't mean it couldn't be found and stolen. It had nearly taken the life of a demonlord, even if he had already been weakened. It wouldn't take much more to make it capable. That could never happen.
In the quiet of sleepless nights of grieving, she had realized the full implications of that dagger and understood; it had fed her hatred of Je'Rol, blackening her heart against the truth that he had left to protect her from himself twelve years ago. In the battle with Je'Rekun's forces five months ago, Lord Je'Dron could have let it slowly steal her spirit; instead, he had helped her see that she could reach Je'Rol even in the blood rage. In the days after, Lord Je'Dron's compassion and Lord Je'Kaoron's support in her grief had shown her how wrong she had been about demonlords, as Je'Rol and Je'Surana had shown her that half-bloods deserved a chance at life. The dagger would destroy all of them.
Je'Surana.
Nadia's heart sank, pushing aside thoughts of the dagger hidden in her room. Her only consolation of the girl's wound was that it had not been caused by the vile weapon but by an ordinary dagger.
Past others in corridors lined by columns carved from the cliffside and along walkways and staircases looking out over the valley, she rushed to reach Je'Surana's quarters.
Chapter 2
In an inner corridor, Nadia spied Lord Je'Kaoron ahead of her, Je'Surana in his arms. Given the strength of demonlords, she wasn't surprised he had reached the room so quickly. Carrying the girl must have been nothing to him, made lighter by his parental affection for her. Nadia used to believe demonlord males only seduced human girls to satisfy their sexual needs, but even before meeting Je'Surana, she had seen that wasn't true. They weren't uncaring, nor only attracted to the young and innocent. They were more similar to humans than most individuals of either race were willing to admit.
"Lord Je'Kaoron." She caught up and opened the door for him.
Je'Surana lifted her head, her face pale as she was carried into the room. The red stain at her side had spread to her hand through the cloth she pressed over it.
"I'm..." At a raised eyebrow on the calm visage of the demonlord, the words stuck in Nadia's throat.
"I know," Je'Surana said in a weak voice as Lord Je'Kaoron continued to the large bed. "I should have been quicker."
He laid her carefully on the bed as an elegant woman in white and black breezed past Nadia and hurried to the bedside.
Nadia's guilt strangled her voice as the two demonlords spoke in their Lexic too low for Nadia to understand. As an Adept of Te'Mea, she had been taught the forbidden language of the masters but was sworn to never reveal her knowledge.
Lord Je'Kaoron finished with a brief swipe of hair from Je'Surana's face and stepped away to let the tigress work. He joined Nadia and took her arm to lead her out. "Leave her. She will heal."
Nadia turned to the neutral expression on his face. "But the injury—"
His eyes hardened, halting her objections.
While following the light pull on her arm, Nadia looked back at the girl.
"I'll be all right," Je'Surana said.
"The tigresses will attend to her," Lord JeKaoron said.
But she was responsible for the wound. She had thought the girl would be swifter.
They reached the door, but as another woman in white and black robes hurried past, she looked back again. Two tigresses; that couldn't be good.
Je'Kaoron closed the door behind them, cutting off her view but not the guilt clutching her heart.
"She must learn to accept the pain. In the protection of Mount Serako, she was not faced with the challenges you have presented. It could be far worse, but she did well." A hint of pride touched his face. "Come, my lady."
He wasn't angry, or if he was, he didn't show it behind that demonlord beauty and cool demeanor. And, as usual, he addressed her as an equal, as a lady.
"She's—" Nadia caught herself and lowered
In the quiet of sleepless nights of grieving, she had realized the full implications of that dagger and understood; it had fed her hatred of Je'Rol, blackening her heart against the truth that he had left to protect her from himself twelve years ago. In the battle with Je'Rekun's forces five months ago, Lord Je'Dron could have let it slowly steal her spirit; instead, he had helped her see that she could reach Je'Rol even in the blood rage. In the days after, Lord Je'Dron's compassion and Lord Je'Kaoron's support in her grief had shown her how wrong she had been about demonlords, as Je'Rol and Je'Surana had shown her that half-bloods deserved a chance at life. The dagger would destroy all of them.
Je'Surana.
Nadia's heart sank, pushing aside thoughts of the dagger hidden in her room. Her only consolation of the girl's wound was that it had not been caused by the vile weapon but by an ordinary dagger.
Past others in corridors lined by columns carved from the cliffside and along walkways and staircases looking out over the valley, she rushed to reach Je'Surana's quarters.
Chapter 2
In an inner corridor, Nadia spied Lord Je'Kaoron ahead of her, Je'Surana in his arms. Given the strength of demonlords, she wasn't surprised he had reached the room so quickly. Carrying the girl must have been nothing to him, made lighter by his parental affection for her. Nadia used to believe demonlord males only seduced human girls to satisfy their sexual needs, but even before meeting Je'Surana, she had seen that wasn't true. They weren't uncaring, nor only attracted to the young and innocent. They were more similar to humans than most individuals of either race were willing to admit.
"Lord Je'Kaoron." She caught up and opened the door for him.
Je'Surana lifted her head, her face pale as she was carried into the room. The red stain at her side had spread to her hand through the cloth she pressed over it.
"I'm..." At a raised eyebrow on the calm visage of the demonlord, the words stuck in Nadia's throat.
"I know," Je'Surana said in a weak voice as Lord Je'Kaoron continued to the large bed. "I should have been quicker."
He laid her carefully on the bed as an elegant woman in white and black breezed past Nadia and hurried to the bedside.
Nadia's guilt strangled her voice as the two demonlords spoke in their Lexic too low for Nadia to understand. As an Adept of Te'Mea, she had been taught the forbidden language of the masters but was sworn to never reveal her knowledge.
Lord Je'Kaoron finished with a brief swipe of hair from Je'Surana's face and stepped away to let the tigress work. He joined Nadia and took her arm to lead her out. "Leave her. She will heal."
Nadia turned to the neutral expression on his face. "But the injury—"
His eyes hardened, halting her objections.
While following the light pull on her arm, Nadia looked back at the girl.
"I'll be all right," Je'Surana said.
"The tigresses will attend to her," Lord JeKaoron said.
But she was responsible for the wound. She had thought the girl would be swifter.
They reached the door, but as another woman in white and black robes hurried past, she looked back again. Two tigresses; that couldn't be good.
Je'Kaoron closed the door behind them, cutting off her view but not the guilt clutching her heart.
"She must learn to accept the pain. In the protection of Mount Serako, she was not faced with the challenges you have presented. It could be far worse, but she did well." A hint of pride touched his face. "Come, my lady."
He wasn't angry, or if he was, he didn't show it behind that demonlord beauty and cool demeanor. And, as usual, he addressed her as an equal, as a lady.
"She's—" Nadia caught herself and lowered
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