Blue Venom (Blue Wolf Book 4) by Brad Magnarella

Author:Brad Magnarella [Magnarella, Brad]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Croftverse Press
Published: 2019-05-01T06:00:00+00:00

21

I stepped between Princess Halia and Takara.

“What in the hell are you talking about?”

“That’s the counteroffer,” she said. “Accept it or leave our sanctuary.”

Rusty came up beside my right hip, shoulders thrown back. “Takara’s life? How is that any kind of counteroffer?”

Sarah moved in on my other side so that the three of us formed a barrier in front of our teammate.

“She’s committed an unspeakable offense for which the penalty is death,” Princess Halia said. “It seems she eluded her fate once, but fate spins an incomprehensible web that few see and even fewer actually escape. It was just a matter of time.” She glanced over at Kaito, who was still grasping his long katana.

“What offense?” I demanded.

Takara stepped around us. “I accept the offer.”

I grasped her arm. “Are you out of your mind?”

She shook me off and strode up to Princess Halia and Kaito. “In exchange for refuge and assistance for my teammates, I give my life.”

“T-cakes!” Rusty cried.

I watched her, stunned. Had the poison zone gotten to her?

“But I have my own condition,” Takara said.

“And what is that?” the princess asked.

“That I be allowed to complete the mission with my team.”

The princess turned to Kaito. They went back and forth in Japanese, Kaito speaking in a harsh bark. Several times, flames licked from his katana. I steeled myself to gun him down. Takara watched the exchange between them stoically.

At last, Halia nodded. “That will be acceptable.”

Kaito grunted, sheathed his katana, and strode away. As he disappeared into the largest tent, Princess Halia addressed the other samurai. I tensed when several swarmed toward us, but Takara showed me a staying hand.

“They’re taking Yoofi into their care,” she explained.

I watched the inscrutable eyes in the samurais’ faces as they lifted Yoofi from my shoulder and carried him toward the tents. Sarah looked up at me, brow taut. I signaled for her to go with them.

“Our medic will attend to him too,” I said.

Princess Halia nodded and relayed the message to the samurai. As Sarah joined them, I grasped Takara’s arm again. This time she didn’t shake me off. I walked her to the edge of the encampment, sensing the same resignation I’d felt yesterday.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” My lowered voice was almost a growl.

“It was the only way they would help us.”

“For your life? That’s a hell of a give, Takara.”

“We weren’t going to make it out of the jungle otherwise.”

“We’re not sacrificing you. No way in hell are we sacrificing you.”

“I’m honor bound.”

“To what?” I thundered.

“My clan.”

I looked past her at the samurai. “That’s your clan?”

“They’re a branch of the Sukumis. I belonged to them once.”

“Yeah, past tense. And you were what, fourteen, when you left? What offense could you have possibly committed at that age that they’d hold against you eighty years later?”

“There is a lot about me you don’t know.”

“Look, your past is your business,” I said in a lowered voice. “Just tell me this is a bluff.”

Takara’s gaze slid toward the tents before locking on mine again.

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