Mutual Trust by Lea Linnett

Author:Lea Linnett [Linnett, Lea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-17T16:00:00+00:00

19

“What was your human doing outside her room?” Urek snarled when Marek entered his office.

Your human… The words shouldn’t have sparked satisfaction in Marek, especially coming from his brother, but they did nonetheless. Not an hour earlier, she’d been in his arms, and he had been able to forget that there was a world outside that cared about his blood and his status.

Urek leaned against his desk, vibrating with an energy that Marek had seldom seen since his brother’s days as a soldier. He almost seemed excited, his claws digging into the metal edge of the desk and his eyes lighting up with fury.

“I decided the human needed more exer—”

“Needed? Or wanted?” Urek spat. “It hardly seems necessary after you took the human outside against direct orders. And that’s after the countless excursions and tours and your time in the gym.”

Marek fought to keep his composure, his jaw locked as he said, “You agreed that we would do this my way. I still believe that the best way to get results from the humans is to give them allowances. To make them feel like we could be allies.”

“And what results would those be?” Urek surged up from the desk, advancing on Marek. “What have your theories and your hypotheses really gotten me, little brother? Because so far, I know that the humans live to the north and build their shacks out of wood and not much else.”

“I need time.”

“You’ve had time! You’ve had hours and hours alone with her, speaking in that ancient, backward tongue of hers, and she has told you nothing.”

“It is not so simple to secure trust when—”

“Trust!” Urek said disbelievingly. He leaned in close, his dark eyes blazing. “Does she trust you, Marek? Or has this all been for nothing?”

Marek swallowed the lump in his throat, his pulse hammering. Did Bree trust him? He couldn’t answer that, but a part of him thought that maybe she did. She had been so vulnerable with him so often, even if their parting had been tense.

But did he want Urek to know that?

“Because if it’s nothing,” Urek went on, “then I fail to see how you are of use, anymore.”

“She trusts me.” Grinding out the words was like trying to break rock with a claw trimmer, but he managed it. “She will still be receptive to me, even after you attacked her friend.”

“The intruder?” Urek’s lip curled in a way that Marek didn’t like. “You make a good point. It is obvious that she came here looking for your human. Maybe their tongues will loosen now that they have each other’s safety to worry about, if the new one doesn’t crack from hunger, that is.”

“You will not harm them!” Marek snapped before he could think better of it. “They are soldiers, Urek. Threatening them will do nothing. You should know that, of all people.”

But Urek’s eyes had narrowed. “Again, I do not know if your advice comes from logic or emotion. Why do you defend them?”

Anger boiled in Marek’s stomach, loosening his tongue.

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