nothing but stood with a frown, brooding under that black hood. He hadn't even heard what she said about the goblins. She had mentioned Je'Rol, and that was all he'd heard. He had always hated her mentioning Je'Rol.
"I killed him, you know…Je'Rol," she said quietly, to get a reaction.
"You always said you would."
Typical. He had never accepted that she could love a half-blood. Her hatred of Je'Rol had been another matter, usually one Kaelen had supported. But this was something else. Kaelen had always been jealous, saying that her vehemence to Je'Rol had hurt her because of how deeply she had loved him and that she had been naive to believe a half-blood could love and that she had mistaken her awe of Je'Rol saving her from natters as an act of love. None of it had been real, according to him, and she had believed him, which had only fed her hatred of Je'Rol for tricking her. Only upon seeing him again had she learned otherwise. Half-bloods and demonlords were indistinguishable from humans with perhaps more humanity in some cases. "At least he left to protect me, not to hurt me."
"That wasn't what you said eight years ago." He muttered the words in a neutral tone, but that he had said it confirmed that any mention of Je'Rol still bothered him. Good. Maybe he'd leave her alone if he had to hear the truth.
"I was young and stupid then. I've changed."
"But you don't want to listen to me?"
"I said I was young and stupid. And what you did is unforgivable." She had done all she could to forget.
"But you could forgive a half-blood. Hm?"
"Shut it, Kaelen! It's not the same." Nadia clenched her fists and stepped away to let her temper cool. First Je'Rol and then him returning to her life. It couldn't get any worse. "I'm not talking about this now. We have a job."
"You're the one who brought it up."
To test him, and he showed no remorse for what he had done. After all those years, he hadn't changed. There were no excuses for the way he had mistreated her.
Or perhaps he was angry that she had finished her training and he couldn't accept that she had proven herself a worthy demon hunter. That would explain why he was so adamant about claiming the dagger himself. He thought her unworthy of any of it.
Damn him. Damn them all for trying to force her to comply with their version of what they thought she should be.
The demonlords respected her. Why couldn't he?
She stopped near the goblin and knelt to his level. "Can you speak now?" She'd rather hear the piercing voice of a goblin than relive the pain of her past. Of all the other hunters they could have sent, they had chosen the one who had ripped apart her soul.
The goblin opened his mouth but, when nothing came out, he put a hand to his throat and shook his head.
Damn. That meant Kaelen would want to talk.
"Do you have a message?" she asked.
The goblin nodded.
Hopefully the demonlords went out of range soon. She had never determined the distance of the curse to prevent goblins speaking in the presence of demonlords. Supposedly, the first demonlords had set the curse upon all goblins and their descendants. From her experience with Skar, she could only guess that it had been to spare their ears from the shrill voices of the goblins. Or maybe it had been to make dominating them easier. Then again, the goblins seemed to serve demonlords willingly, taking abuse by the commands of some.
"I wish you could tell me who sent the message." She hated waiting, especially with Kaelen's eyes burning through her.
The goblin looked from her to him and crossed its arms.
That it waited meant the message must have been important.
Kaelen stepped away from her, drawing his sword as his eyes fixed on a rustle among the trees.
"I—"
The squeak from the goblin stole her attention from whatever Kaelen stalked.
In a blur of motion, the goblin whirled and hissed at something in the trees. A high-pitched shriek accompanied the squish of something soft.
"Natters," Kaelen confirmed. The
"I killed him, you know…Je'Rol," she said quietly, to get a reaction.
"You always said you would."
Typical. He had never accepted that she could love a half-blood. Her hatred of Je'Rol had been another matter, usually one Kaelen had supported. But this was something else. Kaelen had always been jealous, saying that her vehemence to Je'Rol had hurt her because of how deeply she had loved him and that she had been naive to believe a half-blood could love and that she had mistaken her awe of Je'Rol saving her from natters as an act of love. None of it had been real, according to him, and she had believed him, which had only fed her hatred of Je'Rol for tricking her. Only upon seeing him again had she learned otherwise. Half-bloods and demonlords were indistinguishable from humans with perhaps more humanity in some cases. "At least he left to protect me, not to hurt me."
"That wasn't what you said eight years ago." He muttered the words in a neutral tone, but that he had said it confirmed that any mention of Je'Rol still bothered him. Good. Maybe he'd leave her alone if he had to hear the truth.
"I was young and stupid then. I've changed."
"But you don't want to listen to me?"
"I said I was young and stupid. And what you did is unforgivable." She had done all she could to forget.
"But you could forgive a half-blood. Hm?"
"Shut it, Kaelen! It's not the same." Nadia clenched her fists and stepped away to let her temper cool. First Je'Rol and then him returning to her life. It couldn't get any worse. "I'm not talking about this now. We have a job."
"You're the one who brought it up."
To test him, and he showed no remorse for what he had done. After all those years, he hadn't changed. There were no excuses for the way he had mistreated her.
Or perhaps he was angry that she had finished her training and he couldn't accept that she had proven herself a worthy demon hunter. That would explain why he was so adamant about claiming the dagger himself. He thought her unworthy of any of it.
Damn him. Damn them all for trying to force her to comply with their version of what they thought she should be.
The demonlords respected her. Why couldn't he?
She stopped near the goblin and knelt to his level. "Can you speak now?" She'd rather hear the piercing voice of a goblin than relive the pain of her past. Of all the other hunters they could have sent, they had chosen the one who had ripped apart her soul.
The goblin opened his mouth but, when nothing came out, he put a hand to his throat and shook his head.
Damn. That meant Kaelen would want to talk.
"Do you have a message?" she asked.
The goblin nodded.
Hopefully the demonlords went out of range soon. She had never determined the distance of the curse to prevent goblins speaking in the presence of demonlords. Supposedly, the first demonlords had set the curse upon all goblins and their descendants. From her experience with Skar, she could only guess that it had been to spare their ears from the shrill voices of the goblins. Or maybe it had been to make dominating them easier. Then again, the goblins seemed to serve demonlords willingly, taking abuse by the commands of some.
"I wish you could tell me who sent the message." She hated waiting, especially with Kaelen's eyes burning through her.
The goblin looked from her to him and crossed its arms.
That it waited meant the message must have been important.
Kaelen stepped away from her, drawing his sword as his eyes fixed on a rustle among the trees.
"I—"
The squeak from the goblin stole her attention from whatever Kaelen stalked.
In a blur of motion, the goblin whirled and hissed at something in the trees. A high-pitched shriek accompanied the squish of something soft.
"Natters," Kaelen confirmed. The
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