“We’d all done a couple shots, but that’s no different from any other day. We really can’t figure out what set him off. One second it was drills, the next second it was just…more than drills. Shattered my cousin’s jaw and smashed half another guy’s ribs to powder. They’re still working on him right now.”
“I’m really sorry. If there’s anything I can do…”
“The Princess just wants him away from our people. Your Prince said that you’d agree to make sure of that.” He seemed genuinely sad as he pushed open a door that actually led to a set of cages constructed from wood rather than from iron. There were a few Skyborn in some of them, some of their own offenders, and Ziem was in the furthest one. “Shame to lose the guy. I kinda like him.”
Some of the others went and pulled Ziem out and led him over to her, where she looked at him with a sad expression. “Come on, let’s go home, Z.”
He was completely docile under their care as they led him out. “Tell Cantri and Robb I’m sorry, please? I didn’t mean…”
“Yeah, we know, Z.” The friendly Skyborn guard said with a pat on his shoulder. “See you on the front line sometime, maybe.”
“Maybe.” He said sadly and walked out beside Aura, his hands bound in nylon cords behind his back.
She didn’t say anything until they were able to talk privately, and she stopped to turn one of her bracelets into a knife and cut his hands free. After that she slapped the knife back into a bracelet on her arm and shook her head. “What happened?”
He rubbed his wrists as they walked, looking quieter than she’d ever seen him. “We were going back and forth in exercises with mama jokes.” He shrugged at the look she gave him. “What? They were funny.” He wasn’t laughing, though. “I fired off a few, they fired off a few, whoever told the lamest one had to fight the guy who told the last lame one. I apparently suck at mama jokes, just FYI. Anyway, one of them changed the game and ripped one off about you being a whore, except he wasn’t joking. And of course everybody laughed.”
Aura sighed heavily and she took one of his hands and caressed his wrists where they had been bound. “This place is filled with people like that, Z. You lost your job because of me. It’s not worth it.”
“Yeah, well, the guy’s not gonna be talking shit on anybody or anything for a while, least of all you.” He said as though that was excuse enough for his actions. “Anyway, when push comes to war, they’ll still let me fight.”
Aura leaned in and kissed the side of his neck and then his cheek lovingly. She should have known that Ziem would only fight so viciously for someone he cared about. “William tried to convince me I’m in danger.”
“In danger? From what? Somebody wanting to assassinate you now?” Ziem asked curiously, obviously very confused.
“Danger from you.” Aura clarified, even though she didn’t agree.
He looked affronted by that for a minute, then the look on his face just darkened to the point of despondency. “Yeah, well, you wouldn’t be the first one to be told that.”
She stopped walking so that she tug him close and could kiss him properly, and then she hugged him as tightly as she could even with the basketball underneath her shirt. “I know I’m not in danger, and our children aren’t in danger. I love you.”
“I love you too.” He kissed her back with heat and a growl, but he didn’t move any further from where they were. “But I can’t act like he doesn’t have a point. If I ever did lose my cool and hit you, you wouldn’t be the first.”
“If you hit me, I’ll hit you back. Anyway, what reason would you possibly have to hurt me? And what do you mean that I wouldn’t be the first?” She was surprised to hear his confession about his anger and violence, since she never envisioned he would be violent other than brawling with other wolves.
“I mean humans can be even bigger bitches than wolves sometimes.” He sighed. “Irish girls always seem to like to mess around like they’re one of the guys. Couple of ‘em pushed me a little too far a few times. I’m not saying I meant to do ‘em any real harm, just…they were human.” And therefore a great deal more fragile than wolves. A push from him, a wolf, might send a human female sprawling across the room unintentionally. Most wolves had to make a concentrated effort around humans.
She didn’t really see humans as equals to wolves, and though she didn’t exactly condone hitting any of them, she could understand that something that didn’t seem like a big deal to a wolf would hurt a human easily. Aura kissed him again and she waited until he met her eyes before she said anything else. “The only bruises I want are from you shoving me down on the bed or against the wall. If I get anything else, you better be damn sure I deserve it or I may castrate you in the middle of the night. That or tattoo the word ‘asshole’ on your forehead.”
He looked at her for a moment to make sure she wasn’t kidding, which she wasn’t, and then just set his head to the side a little. “You know, coming from anybody else, I’d take that as a joke, but I’ve seen where you keep your gun.” By which he meant her tattoo gun, of course.
Aura smirked and kissed him again. “So you know I’ll do it.” She held his face in her hands. “I’m not afraid of you, Z. I’m not worried or concerned about my life with
