Mad, Bad & Dangerous

Bael felt sick. “Torturing and killing innocent people-children, even-that’s fun?”

“It is to him.” Kett shrugged. “You have to understand, Striker isn’t like normal people.”

“No shit.”

“But look. He’s formed a sort of…well, treaty, I suppose, with Dark. He won’t harm any more Nasc. He gave his word.”

“Oh, and he’ll keep it?”

“Yeah,” Kett said. “He will. He might be a psychopath, but he doesn’t lie and he doesn’t break his promises. Weird but true. Besides, if he did it’d upset Chance, and that would upset her mother, and when she’s upset she withholds sex, and Striker will do anything for sex.”

“I’m sure he could find someone else.”

“No,” Kett said with certainty. “Believe me when I say he’ll do anything to keep her.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’ve seen what happens when he loses her.” Kett looked like she was going to say something else, then thought better of it and stood. “Come on. Eat breakfast. Ignore Striker.”

“I’m not sure I can.” Those eyes, that power, it was like barbed wire-

“Don’t be a wimp,” Kett said, and the scorn in her voice brought him back to normality.

He smiled.

Chapter Twelve

Since Kett couldn’t see her father welcoming Bael back into the room, and she just didn’t want the hassle with Striker, she took him out for breakfast. There was a greasy spoon perched high above the city on the viaduct bringing the river through Elvyrn, out of the way of most tourists but in a prime spot for the men bringing their cargo along the river to the west docks.

While the cold wind whipped snow along the viaduct, the inside of the cafe was warm, the windows steamed over, the air thick with the smell of fried food.

“Eat,” Kett said to Bael, in the mood to be kind since he’d had a fairly large shock. She ordered him a large plate of everything, then another for herself since she’d left her food congealing on Nuala’s breakfast table.

“What is this?” he asked, poking at something big and yellow with his fork.

“Dodo egg.”

“Oh.” Experimentally, he dipped a finger of toast in the yolk. “Var was a dodo once. They’re pretty boring.”

They are. I’ve been one too. Kett got stuck into her fried venroots. “I didn’t figure you for a wolf.” At his look, she explained, “Last night. You were a wolf. It didn’t seem…you.”

Bael raised his eyebrows. “What is ‘me’?”

“I don’t bloody know, do I?” Kett said, annoyed. “A toad or something.”

He grinned. “Ah, see, right there. I thought you were being too nice.”

“All right, next time you throw a hissy fit, I’ll point and laugh.” She downed some coffee. “I know what effect Striker has on people. I’ve seen it before.”

“Have you seen what he’s done?” Bael asked, staring at his plate, his mouth grim.

“Firsthand.” His head shot up and her eyes met his. “I’ve known him since I was sixteen, Bael. He’s the one who brought me to my father in the first place. I’ve seen him make a sword out of fire and cut a man in half with it. I’ve seen him send a whole castle into flames, incinerating everyone inside. I’ve seen him laugh while he slaughtered people, like a child playing. I’ve smelled the charred flesh. I’ve seen him take life and occasionally, when it suits him, I’ve seen him give it. Believe me when I say I know exactly what Striker’s done.”

She started eating again but Bael was looking at her, rather disconcertingly. Kett shoved a large piece of bacon into her mouth and chewed, but he was still watching.

“What?” she asked through the food.

“Who flogged you?”

She narrowed her eyes and kept on eating.

“Come on, Kett. I can’t see you being the type to enjoy being whipped, and anyway, those scars are way too deep for anything fun.”

Kett swallowed. “Know a lot about whipping, do you?”

Bael gave her a grin that, annoyingly, made certain bits of her rather warm. “A little bit.” His grin faded. “And those are serious flogging marks. Must have hurt like hell.”

“It did.”

“Who did it?”

“Nosy bastard, ain’tcha?”

Bael’s hand covered hers. “Kett-I know you don’t believe me, and you don’t want this and you’re fighting it, but you are my mate. And if anyone ever hurts you, I will rip out his innards and shove them down his throat.”

His eyes were burning, fiercer than she’d ever seen, and for the first time in a long time, Kett was a little afraid.

“Thanks,” she said, pulling her hand back. “Good to know.”

Bael looked down at his food, then said, “I heard a rumor you were in the army.”

Her brows went up. “From?”

“Your sister’s boyfriend. Lot of rumors about you, Kett.”

“Discount any of them that say I’m sane.”

Bael grinned, and Kett wished she’d said something else. “Sergeant Almet, Royal First of Foot.”

Bael tilted his head to one side. “Sergeant?”

“Yeah, and that didn’t come easy, I can tell you. Peneggan’s got equality laws, but it also has a fuckload of fossils running the place.” She dipped some bacon in her egg. “You know, there were only two other women in the army at the time, and one of them was the Lyonette.”

“The…?”

“Lyonette. Heir to the throne. Mostly a figurehead. They’re too scared to let her fight.” Remembering her fierce step-cousin, Kett snorted. “More fool them. The other woman was in logistics or something. Of course, that’s not counting nurses. Nursing is a proper job for women.”

“Right.” Bael watched her eat, his own food apparently forgotten. “So what did you do?”

“Marched, dug trenches, you know.”

“No,” he laughed, “I mean to get flogged.”

“Oh.” Kett narrowed her eyes again. “I…assaulted a superior officer.” Bael raised his eyebrows and she clarified, “I ripped his balls off.”

Bael flinched visibly. “Ripped…?”

Kett made a tearing motion with her free hand. Of course, at the time she’d used claws, but he didn’t need to know that.

“He deserved it,” she said, shrugging. “He did try to rape me.” She looked up at Bael to see if that dark look was back in his eyes again, but instead he was shaking his head.

“What the fuck was wrong with him? I mean-hell, Kett, when was this?”

“About ten years ago.”

“I can’t see you being a weakling then. You were the only woman in a combat role in the Peneggan army, right? Bet they were merciless with you. And you’re hardly a pushover at the best of times. What the fuck was wrong with that guy that he thought he could rape you? Did he at least have a weapon?”

“Briefly,” Kett said, and they shared a smile. It warmed her more than it should have. If Bael had gone all possessive on her, she might have been able to dismiss him. But this?

He seemed proud of her. It wasn’t something Kett was particularly used to.

This was actually…kind of nice.

She shook herself. Kind of nice was not something she wanted from Bael. She didn’t want anything from Bael. In point of fact-