possible."
"So, you can't kill him first, then. We have to find out about that power."
Levi ground his jaw. Every second Merk lived, he was a danger to both of them. If he'd targeted Maya, he wouldn't hesitate to claim her. Would Levi let him live long enough to hurt Maya? He looked down into Maya's blue eyes, and he knew the answer was no. If he had to make a choice, he would choose her over her kingdom. But if there was a way... "I think it's time to get some answers," he said quietly, intentionally not giving her the answer she wanted, that he wouldn't kill Merk until they had acquired their information.
She stared at him so long that he knew she'd realized his evasion. But to her credit, she didn't push it. "So, how do we do that?"
Levi looked up at the dark mountain. "I'm not sure yet." Merk was insane, but his security was impressive. At one time, Levi had known how to get through every safeguard, but he was sure they'd changed. "We'll assess as we get closer—" A sudden chill drifted across his flesh, and he spun around, calling out both weapons.
Maya paled. "They're here, aren't they? The shadows? They got past Rohan and Thano in the caverns?"
"Something is." Levi reached out with his mind, and he touched the rankest of evil. There was nothing about ancient protectors in what he felt. It was pure, predatory evil, and it was coming for Maya. Urgency coursing through him, he scanned the woods swiftly, searching for the wolves. They were coming fast, and he knew he couldn't outrun them.
He had to fight them, and from what Rohan said, his Calydon weapons weren't going to get the job done. He was going to have to go deep, to the places he didn't want to go. He spun around rapidly, trying to find a place to stash Maya. There was a small opening in a nearby rock, and he raced over to it. He crouched in front of the opening and reached out with his mind, assessing the interior the same way he'd inspected the tunnels around his prison while he'd been hung up there. It was small, empty, and enclosed. "There's only one entrance. Go in there." He pulled back and gestured to Maya. "Get in there."
She paused, looking at him. "What are you going to do?"
"Make me a promise," he said softly, as he handed her one of his axes. "If I cross the line and I don't come back, kill me. I won't live like I once did. Do you swear?"
She looked down at the axe in her hand. "You're going to kill them with your powers, aren't you?"
"It's all I can think of." He gripped her shoulders and dragged her against him. "There is only one way to kill me," he said urgently, searching her face. "Even as my sheva , you'll have to do it this way. Even if you do it, only the fact you're my sheva will make it work, because I won't be able to hurt you to defend myself." He jerked one side of his pants down, revealing a small, cross-shaped mark burned on the front of his hip, just below his pelvic bone. "You have to attack here," he said. "It's my weakest spot. You have to stab me there. Getting hit there can cause serious damage to me, but when fate helps you, I think you'll be able to kill me if you get me there. Got it?"
Her eyes widened. "Seriously? What are you? And how do you know that?"
The night grew colder, and he gripped her arms more tightly. He didn't have time to answer questions, or to think about the fact that he'd just given her information he'd never given anyone in his life. No one knew how to kill him, no one except Maya. "Do you understand?"
She nodded quickly. "I've got it." She grabbed his wrists. "But don't lose yourself! I need you!"
"I know you do." He kissed her once, hard, and then broke away, shoving her into the crevice in the wall. As she crawled out of sight, as a deep sense of rightness settled over him. He knew he'd just completed his half of the trust stage by giving her the power to kill him. As he turned to face the night, he knew that there was another line being drawn on her arm, binding them closer together.
A
"So, you can't kill him first, then. We have to find out about that power."
Levi ground his jaw. Every second Merk lived, he was a danger to both of them. If he'd targeted Maya, he wouldn't hesitate to claim her. Would Levi let him live long enough to hurt Maya? He looked down into Maya's blue eyes, and he knew the answer was no. If he had to make a choice, he would choose her over her kingdom. But if there was a way... "I think it's time to get some answers," he said quietly, intentionally not giving her the answer she wanted, that he wouldn't kill Merk until they had acquired their information.
She stared at him so long that he knew she'd realized his evasion. But to her credit, she didn't push it. "So, how do we do that?"
Levi looked up at the dark mountain. "I'm not sure yet." Merk was insane, but his security was impressive. At one time, Levi had known how to get through every safeguard, but he was sure they'd changed. "We'll assess as we get closer—" A sudden chill drifted across his flesh, and he spun around, calling out both weapons.
Maya paled. "They're here, aren't they? The shadows? They got past Rohan and Thano in the caverns?"
"Something is." Levi reached out with his mind, and he touched the rankest of evil. There was nothing about ancient protectors in what he felt. It was pure, predatory evil, and it was coming for Maya. Urgency coursing through him, he scanned the woods swiftly, searching for the wolves. They were coming fast, and he knew he couldn't outrun them.
He had to fight them, and from what Rohan said, his Calydon weapons weren't going to get the job done. He was going to have to go deep, to the places he didn't want to go. He spun around rapidly, trying to find a place to stash Maya. There was a small opening in a nearby rock, and he raced over to it. He crouched in front of the opening and reached out with his mind, assessing the interior the same way he'd inspected the tunnels around his prison while he'd been hung up there. It was small, empty, and enclosed. "There's only one entrance. Go in there." He pulled back and gestured to Maya. "Get in there."
She paused, looking at him. "What are you going to do?"
"Make me a promise," he said softly, as he handed her one of his axes. "If I cross the line and I don't come back, kill me. I won't live like I once did. Do you swear?"
She looked down at the axe in her hand. "You're going to kill them with your powers, aren't you?"
"It's all I can think of." He gripped her shoulders and dragged her against him. "There is only one way to kill me," he said urgently, searching her face. "Even as my sheva , you'll have to do it this way. Even if you do it, only the fact you're my sheva will make it work, because I won't be able to hurt you to defend myself." He jerked one side of his pants down, revealing a small, cross-shaped mark burned on the front of his hip, just below his pelvic bone. "You have to attack here," he said. "It's my weakest spot. You have to stab me there. Getting hit there can cause serious damage to me, but when fate helps you, I think you'll be able to kill me if you get me there. Got it?"
Her eyes widened. "Seriously? What are you? And how do you know that?"
The night grew colder, and he gripped her arms more tightly. He didn't have time to answer questions, or to think about the fact that he'd just given her information he'd never given anyone in his life. No one knew how to kill him, no one except Maya. "Do you understand?"
She nodded quickly. "I've got it." She grabbed his wrists. "But don't lose yourself! I need you!"
"I know you do." He kissed her once, hard, and then broke away, shoving her into the crevice in the wall. As she crawled out of sight, as a deep sense of rightness settled over him. He knew he'd just completed his half of the trust stage by giving her the power to kill him. As he turned to face the night, he knew that there was another line being drawn on her arm, binding them closer together.
A
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