Wolf's-own: Weregild Read Online Free PDF

though offering an excuse. Leu caught Malick's glower, leaned to the side to spit again, then turned back. “We were sent to watch for the Catalyst, and take the earth-bound while he watched. Asai said the Catalyst would fight us and that he would follow—I was to let him. That's all I know. I don't want to know anything else. I don't want anything to do with this. Nothing he offered could be worth.... Just let me walk away."
    Teeth clenched, Malick growled then shoved her back. “Yeah, walk away, Leu. And if you've got a brain in your head, you'll keep bloody walking. You don't want to find yourself on the wrong side of me in this."
    Leu backed away, gaze wary, hazel eyes never leaving Malick as she drifted backward toward the trees. “No,” she said, “I don't,” and then she was gone, a lazy whirl of shadows covering her as she vanished into mist and rain.
    Silence fell for a brief moment, the transitory brilliance of distant lightning marking the still figures of Malick's little band like bright-lit sentinels. The rain was steady but light now, its constant patter a soft contradiction to the sporadic blat of thunder rolling overhead. Then, low but nearly vicious: “Who the fuck was that ?"
    Malick turned to Fen, still held tight against Samin's chest, a wide burst of sheet lightning making his eyes glint and glitter as they bored into Malick's. “That,” Malick sighed as he wiped the rain from his face then raked his hand through his hair as he turned to survey the surrounding trees, “was apparently Asai's first sally.” And he'd gone right for the jugular, first thing.
    "I thought he wanted you ."
    "Yeah, well—"
    "You said he wanted you . You said they'd be safe . You said Umeia was protecting them."
    It was, quite possibly, the most words he'd ever heard Fen put together all at once.
    "I did, they are, and she is.” Malick turned around again to see that Samin hadn't released his hold on Fen yet, though Fen had gone still—stiff, really. The rage and suspicion were almost tangible things. “Look, what d'you want from me? I'm not a bloody seer."
    "Why not?"
    "Why...?” Malick sheathed his sword to stall. “Because—” He ground his teeth.
    He knew what Fen was thinking—the distrust and hostility were all over his face—and he was probably at least half-right in his dubious assumptions. Because yes, Malick had certainly calculated the value of using the annoying, possessive twin as bait, and hadn't yet discarded the notion. Not that he'd let Fen in on that one; not if he didn't want a knife to the ribs. Right now, Malick should probably be trying to soothe and placate.
    He wasn't in the mood. All his careful caution to keep who he was, and exactly where he was, from Asai had just been blown to shit. And now he'd put Umeia right in the middle of it, too, along with Samin, Shig, Yori, and everyone he knew named “Fen.” Not to mention everyone at the Girou, because now that Asai knew who Malick was, he'd know how to look for him. It was only a matter of time.
    The next time Malick saw Husao, he was going to fucking kill him. Slowly and with a smile.
    "Joori,” Fen said, “get Caidi back in the cart. We're going. Samin, let me the fuck go. Now ."
    Malick shot a quick glance over, relieved when he saw that Fen's knives were in their sheaths. Still, he would have felt even better if Samin had managed to disarm Fen entirely.
    "Mal?” Samin said, waiting for an order from Malick before he did as Fen demanded.
    "Where you gonna go, Fen?” Shig asked, her voice quiet beneath the drum of the rain, honeyed in that singsong way she had when she was going all spirit-bound on them.
    Terrific. Just what Malick needed.
    "Not now, Shig,” Fen warned.
    "Back to the little hut in the wilderness?"
    "Samin, let me go !"
    "Not ‘til Mal says so,” Samin answered calmly.
    Shig snorted. “If he lets you go, you'll fall over."
    "Fuck off, Shig,” Fen snapped.
    A slippery little giggle warbled up from Shig's