The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (pdf to ebook reader txt) 📗

her sword just as readily as she had on Lilly’s fangs.

The Wolfen’s tears abated as she remembered the sweet taste of the arms dealer’s blood flooding her mouth, the feeling of her teeth sinking into her flesh.

She growled again, but this time not at Volka.

“Not a chance.” She stated firmly.

The angel nodded, her expression softening as she reached down with her sword-arm.

“Then stand again, Lilly. The Aegis may have given up on you but I have not, and neither has your pack. Gather them and follow me, so that the next time an innocent is in danger you can act like the proud Wolfen I know you to be and protect them.”

Lilly sniffed once, a bit petulantly as she took the angel’s hand and got back to her feet, wincing from the pain of the bruises that Volka had so easily handed out to her.

“Couldn’t you have said all of that before mopping the street with me?”

She flinched when the Valkyrie leaned closer, but Volka simply leaned up on her toes to kiss her on the cheek, the warmth of her compassion making the bigger girl’s throat close with emotion.

“You weren’t ready to listen. Now come along. We have a world to save.”

__________

Back at the party, the number of people clamoring to meet Nameless had tapered off, and in the lull that followed he and the girls were left alone.

“I need to visit the washroom.” Ophelia announced, handing her glass of sparkling cider off to Nameless and tugging at Erica’s arm.

“Uh, what do you want me to do about it?” The Katje asked as she tried to wriggle free of her bond-sister.

“Silly girl! Women don’t pee alone at functions like this.” Ophelia looked around at the Flutterby moving through the crowd.

None of them missed the pitying looks she had been receiving from them; evidently her lavender gown, however much Nameless liked it, wasn’t up to their high standards.

Through their bond he gathered that she was a mite worried about getting mobbed in the lavatory.

As a man who would never have to face such a dilemma in his life, Nameless conceded to himself that women were really fucking weird.

Not far away Nina was getting louder by the minute with her new friend at the bar; she couldn’t get drunk, but he certainly could, and the louder the pair of them got the more people were distracted from Nameless and the others.

 And now that Ophelia and Erica were off to the loo, Milly was the last girl standing at Nameless’s side, the pair of them both too self-conscious at the party to risk going it alone.

Having greeted most of the people that wanted to talk to him, they soon found themselves standing in the middle of the room, feeling a bit out of place and even lonely now without Ophelia’s calming presence.

“I think maybe we shouldn’t have come here after all.” He sighed as he took Milly’s hand in his; “A long time ago Miranda warned me about people trying to use me. But I didn’t expect them to be so obvious about it.”

He’d been fairly good at deflecting the various interests that had descended on them; from relatively minor things like someone trying to negotiate with him regarding the sale of Milly’s milk, to a pushy man who wanted him to intercede with the Amazons on his behalf concerning a territorial dispute his trading company was having in the wilds the to the south of Bramblewood.

“It is the nature of those in power to exploit every angle they can find.” A rich male voice sounded from behind him.

Nameless and Milly turned to face a tall gentleman with neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper hair, his hand outstretched with a platter of appetizers that he’d evidently swiped from one of the numerous servers.

“These are really good, assuming you like mango.”

“Never had it. Thank you.” Nameless said carefully as he measured the stranger.

Out of reflexive politeness he and Milly each took one of the tiny ornate leaf boats filled with a mixture of diced mango and sharp cheese.

The mystery man smiled as they bit into the appetizers, taking a moment to pop one into his own mouth as well.

“These people know how to get some things right, at least.”

Milly chewed and swallowed the richly flavoured treat, then pursed her lips at the man who provided it.

“You talk as if you aren’t one of them.” She observed.

He let out a disarming laugh.

“I assure you, I am not a businessman, and I am certainly no politician! But where are my manners? Tiberius Augendus.” He shook Nameless’s hand, but oddly never extended the courtesy to his bond-mate; “And I know well who you are, Aegis Armstrong and... Milly, I believe?”

The Minotaur nodded.

“An unusual name, Mister Augendus.” Nameless remarked as the other man popped another mango leaf-boat into his mouth.

“A hand-me-down.” Tiberius said with a strange smirk; “A relic of the past. Some things need to be preserved.”

“I... see.”

Given that Nameless had officially adopted his father’s, on paper if not in practice, he could understand the desire to carry on the family name.

But he still found himself at something of a loss. Tiberius’s bearing was proud, but he lacked the casual arrogance that the wealthy people around the room all possessed.

His suit was well-made, even if the cut of it was simple and functional, but the way he wore it was almost akin to a uniform: his back straight even when his posture seemed relaxed.

Like a soldier.

He extended the platter to them again, but neither of them took another appetizer from it, so he passed it off to a nearby server and wiped his hands and mouth with a cloth napkin.

“In any case, I’m here much like you, by invitation of our hostess. Kathryn is an old