Page 97 of Sands of Atonement

Gabriel twisted his arm, and the sword slashed into my side, but I barely felt it as I lunged for his chest. His sword met mine, brilliantly, and I backed my horse a foot, hearing a sound to my right. The third man was to my right—a flash of moonlight danced from his sword toward me. Without a moment’s hesitation, I swung my sword across his throat and ignored the feeling of darkness wavering over my eyes.

The man’s head tumbled from his shoulders, blood painting the sand it landed on.

I threw my head back to Gabriel, who didn’t look quite as affected by it as any leader should.

In fact, he looked as if he might have enjoyed it.

Pulling on my reins, I faced him, my free arm at my side.

“Give Norrah my regards. I look forward to seeing her again.” Gabriel backed his horse up and galloped into the sands, dust clouding in the moonlight glow.

I would have finished what I started if it weren’t for the wound that gashed in my side. I was seeing dark stars in my vision and began slipping from my saddle.

Letting go of my horse, I approached the paralyzed man, hunger for death still ringing in my veins. The man’s eyes bulged out, his mouth pleading without saying a word.

The cool sands parted beneath my boots as I reached him.

I promised myself when I saw his eyes grazing over Eshe that his death would be mine. It was written in the stars right then.

I dug into his sputtering eyeballs and plucked them out with my bloody dagger. He screamed and screamed but could do nothing to stop it. I shoved his large white eyeballs into his mouth and locked his chin up, shutting out most of his screams as he choked. Then, when I was over it, I plunged my dagger into his chest to stop his beating heart.

I didn’t know what bothered me so much about this man.

I plunged my dagger again.

Maybe it was because he looked at Eshe as if she were already his.

I lifted the blade from his heart. Blood bloomed across his chest.

Maybe it was because he was right. Not only had I never satisfied Eshe, but I would never be able to. Not now, not ever.

Not stopping, I stabbed him, again and again. There were no more sounds other than the thumping of the blade slicing through flesh.

I realized then that I would want to please Eshe, but I couldn’t.

Once an Atrovian, always an Atrovian.

Although, there was one young man who had escaped from being an Atrovian and no one had been able to find him since then. It didn’t help that Atrovians purposefully maintained a different persona outside of it. He was one of the best killers the Atrove had seen in a long time. But this was almost nine years before I became one myself when I heard the story of the teenage Atrovian who had managed to slip from the laws of the Atrove.

No one believed he had died. He was alive, knowing full well everything about the Atrove, leaving us vulnerable. But what could we do?

Regardless of the young man, it was our vow. Our sacred duty to guard and protect, to conquer and spread. To place an order among the living. To rule behind the rulers.

We didn’t have time for relationships. In addition, caring for someone made you weak. It gave someone leverage over you.

Maybe I could admit to myself that I wanted Eshe. To own her, and not just her life, but her soul. That didn’t change anything except for the way my heart beats around her. Her life was mine, but her soul never will be.

After stabbing his chest more than I needed to, I picked up my reins and began to stumble back in the direction of Eshe.

After a while, my legs gave out, and I dropped into the sands, breathless. Stars began to really dance in my vision before all went black.

I heard my name in the darkness from the woman I unapologetically killed for.

Hands were felt on my core, and my awareness slowly came back.

“Ezra,” she whispered again. The voice was much more tender than I was used to.

Most likely, she was here for my horse. She wanted to leave. My eyes pried open a crack, and I saw her brows furrowed and worried. “You’re hurt. Ezra, can you get up? Here, put your arm around my neck.”