LITMIR.BIZ

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out of the way herself. But the Amazon was distracted by the tail being swung at her, and didn’t hear her cry for help.

      Swiftly, Delilah withdrew one of the daggers crisscrossed at her back and tossed it. The tip wheezed through the air before embedding in the dragon’s chest. There was a chilling howl, but thankfully no fire.

      The vampire spun, and his gaze collided with hers. A sizzle of awareness swept through her, stronger than the one she’d experienced at their first encounter. He glanced at the dragon falling to his knees, then inclined his head in acknowledgment of Delilah’s action. Disappointment joined ranks with the awareness.

      What did you expect? That he’d blow you a kiss? “Your gratitude is humbling,” she called, echoing his earlier words to her.

      Without a word, he pivoted and attacked another of the fire-breathers, seeming unconcerned as flames danced over his skin, charring and blistering. The more steps she took toward him, the more opponents jumped in her way. And as Delilah fought her way to him—no, to her friend, damn it!—she saw Nola dive low, slide past a dragon that had just stabbed a vampire in the stomach and slice into its scaled ankles. There was another roar as the creature dropped, no longer able to stand.

      Delilah reached her then. The white-haired vampire had vanished.

      “Where’s Lily?” Nola asked her, panic layering her voice. Ribbons of black hair whipped across her delicate face as she searched left, then right. A loner she might be, but she loved Lily as much as the rest of them.

      Delilah followed the direction of her gaze—and finally found the cage Lily had occupied. It was empty. No. No, no, no. “Surely one of the others freed her and carried her to safety.”

      “That was not the plan. She was to be taken, cage and all to keep her safe and snug, out of harm’s way. Most likely she picked the lock herself. She knows how, we made sure of that at least.”

      “True. All right. You sweep the north, and I’ll head south. We’ll find her.”

      Nola nodded, and they were off.

      Delilah raced through trees, twigs slapping her face and arms. Rocks dug past the soles of her boots. All the while, she kept her eyes to the ground, searching…searching…there! Three sets of footprints came into view. One was delicate and bare, two were large and booted. Male.

      All three were headed toward the Amazon camp.

      The dragons wouldn’t know the way, which meant Lily was being chased.

      Enraged, Delilah increased the speed of her steps, her own haggard gasps ringing in her ears. For once, she regretted the fact that Lily had not been instructed in the art of battle like all the other Amazons.

      Sweet Lily, the queen’s only child. She’d been a tiny infant, born too soon and constantly sick. She should have been killed at birth, or at least later as it became apparent she would never be strong enough for war. But no one had been able to do it. She’d captured their hearts from the first.

      And so, sickly as she’d been, the girl had not been taken from her mother. Had not been thrust into combat training at the age of five. She hadn’t been beaten for revealing any hint of weakness, like tears and sadness. Hadn’t been slashed and hurt, then thrown into the elements to learn how to survive while her body screamed in pain and the world around her supplied nothing but bone-chilling ice or skin-melting heat.

      On her own, Lily would die.

      Violated, Lily would probably want to die.

      I’m coming, sweet. I’m coming. Where are you? Where—

      A terrified scream pierced the air, an answer to her prayers. Her nightmares.

      Lily! Still sprinting, Delilah unsheathed the remaining daggers at her waist. She burst through an emerald thicket—and found Lily being held down, her ankles tied, her arms flailing as she tried to free herself from the men subduing her.

      “Let me go!” she shouted.

      “You brought war to our doorstep, girl. Now you’re going back to our king whether you want to or not.”

      Tears streamed down her cheeks; she whimpered. “I just want to go home.”

      With a leap, Delilah was there. She elbowed one man in the temple, spun and kicked the other in the neck. Both crashed to the ground with dazed grunts. She didn’t give them time to recover. Arms crossing, she tossed her remaining blades. They embedded in each target’s chest. There was a gurgle, there was a howl, then both men slumped over, every beat of their hearts edging them closer to death.

      “Lilah,” Lily cried, removing the ties at her ankles. She scrambled up and threw herself into Delilah’s waiting arms. The girl was shaking, sobbing, those warm tears still trickling down her cheeks.

      Delilah remained on guard as she stroked a hand through the girl’s silky hair. “I’m here now. Everything will be fine.”

      “I didn’t mean…the blood…my fault…” Lily said between sobs. “I just wanted to be strong like you. Prove myself. Explore. When I stumbled upon the dragons, I decided to ambush them and bring home their claws as proof of my skill. I’ve been practicing on my own, but they wouldn’t fight me back. Just took me to their home and locked me up so I’d stop trying to hurt them and they could figure out what to do with me. I’m sorry. So sorry. I just…I’m not a child.”

      “I know, sweet. I know.” Anything to calm her. Even a lie. Lily was dissatisfied with her life? Before disappearing, Lily had offered nothing but smiles and laughter. She’d been a radiant glimmer of light among otherwise dark, violent warrioresses. She’d been doted on, coddled, and she’d seemed to soak up the attention.

      “If someone dies because of me…”

      “You know better.” Delilah cupped her jaw and lifted until they were peering at each other. Watery green eyes stared up at her, branched with red, slightly swollen from her tears. “Your sisters will be fine. They are warriors to the core, and the fire-breathers will not defeat them.” And what of the vampires?

      Her pulse gave another of those strange flutters, the blood instantly heating in her veins.

      Lily shuddered. “Promise?” she asked weakly, hopefully.

      “Your need for a promise is insulting.”

      “I’m sorry. I would never insult you on purpose, but I’m also scared for the dragons. They didn’t hurt me, were actually kind.”

      “That doesn’t matter.” Her voice hardened. “They should have let you go immediately. Instead, they kept you. Locked you up. Your mother has been wracked with worry.”

      “But—”

      “If we are lenient in this matter, other races will think such treatment of you will be tolerated. We will be seen as weaklings, and we will find ourselves under constant attack. Therefore we must fight now to prevent worse conflicts later.” The lesson had been beaten into her until it was as natural as breathing.

      A sniffle, a nod.

      “Now. It’s my turn to extract a promise from you.” As she spoke, she scanned the forest. So far, there had been no indication they were being watched or followed. That didn’t mean they were completely safe, however.

      Lily nibbled on her bottom lip but nodded.

      Oh, this girl, Delilah thought with a sigh. Tomorrow, she was going to issue a request to the queen asking that Lily be trained for combat. She didn’t want the girl fighting, but she did want her better able to protect herself. “Promise me that you will never leave our home without permission again.”

      “Promise,” was the instant reply. No hesitation. “I’ve never been so frightened, Lilah. Men are not the frail, feeble beings I thought they were.”

      No, they weren’t. The vampire…Delilah tightened her grip and tried to blank her mind. “If you break this

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