Evanughed, “We all agree, Brother, but the argument stands.”


    I had to smile despite my circumstance. It was not a rant I’d ever thought I’d hear Damien utter.


    “They think the General will kill IT and they want to watch. If IT isn’t killed they think there may be an auction,” Damien said.


    The transport stopped dead and they turned to look at Kein. He looked stricken.


    “We have waited patiently,” Kein said. “She promised us-”


    Bane turned so I couldn’t see anything but I heard him talking soothingly to Kein.


    “Little Brother, it was a promise from Nu-reeh. She wants us happy. Ciara will not be killed. Even if it is an auction we have more stones than any man here,” he reassured.


    Transports swirled around and stopped to watch us. I was really ufortable being toted upside down, so I cursed Bane loudly for the position he held me in. It sounded real because having his shoulder driven into my midsection was bing painful.


    “The ve will learn manners once it is cored again, Brother,” Damien said loudly. “Take us to the General.”


    “Put me down,” I said with authority once we were a decent distance from the other transports. “Seriously Bane, this is really ufortable.”


    “Sorry, little Sister,” Bane called over his shoulder patting my bottom, “has to look real, but keep struggling, you’ve been perfect.”


    The term little Sister shut me up for a moment and I looked up at Christof’s grinning face. He dipped closer to me and spoke.


    “You are family, but we can’t call you Brother,” he exined.


    I smiled and was dumbstruck for a moment. Sister wasn’t really appropriate for what our rtionship was. They werehusbandsto me and I was awife, but those things did not exist here. The intent was genuine and a very nice gesture from them.


    We soared through the dark rocky terrain. The men instructed me to continue to struggle, which I did. I could feel the eyes of the other Warriors burning into me.


    When the transport finally slowed, I heard the General’s booming voice and felt my hair stand on end.


    Please, please, please tell me they didn’t expect me to act like a brat to him, I thought.


    “Damien what did you find?” the General asked as we stepped off the transport.


    “A run away ve,” Damien said cooly.


    The General asked a few questions and noted the tattoo peeking out on my leg. I felt his hands pull the skins on my foot down and the dress up to look at it. He knew exactly what ve I was. There was recognition in his eyes as he grabbed my hair and pulled me to look at him.


    “Well,” the General said, “did your family find it alone?”


    Damien answered affirmatively.


    “As per ourw, a run away ve belongs to those who find it. What will you do with this ve, Damien? It has run twice,” the General reminded the men. “It appears dirty and sickly now. Not the ve it once was at all.”


    I felt ashamed to be seen like this. Dirty and unkempt, I looked a little ragged I knew. It was embarrassing the General had chosen to bring that up.


    “My Brothers and I are strong men,” Damien said slowly, “and we enjoy a challenge. We will keep the ve.”


    A voice broke the silence around us, “They have a talent to track with the sense of taste, General. They have tasted that ve. It wasn’t fair,” the anonymous Warrior proimed.


    A rumble of agreement went through the men. My breath stuck in my throat and I felt terror for a moment. Even if Damien thought he could buy me, I couldn’t deal with being auctioned again.


    “Yes, they do,” the General mused and my heart went into my throat. “However, I know how well that particr trait works in the mountains. It is disrupted like all our bonding and tracking senses… No, my boys, to track in the mountains, you just have to be a good tracker. Who found the ve, Damien?”


    “My Brother, Kein, sir,” Damien said patting the smaller man on the shoulder.


    “Well, there you have it,” the General said decisively, “the best tracker in the field found the ve, not the Brother with the sense of taste.”


    I saw Evan’s face darken slightly and I knew he wanted to say he had been right there with Kein. I smiled at him through my hanging hair. He saw it and his shoulders rxed some.


    “Cor and tame the ve quickly, Damien,” the General said. “The Barcas outpost is not far from here. You may leave the ve there. Keep to your regr schedule,” and then the General turned to the crowd with a warning. “No one is to touch what belongs to Damien. If the ve acts untamed around you, report the infraction. All punishment is left to the owners.”


    The General’s Brother spoke next. He ordered the second search teams out and told the first teams to take a break. I assumed Damien and his Brothers were the first search team, because they walked toward the transport with me still draped over Bane’s shoulder.


    Once we had flown some ways away, Bane lowered me to the floor of the transport. I almost fell, because my feet were still tied. After Christof had cut those ties, I thanked them for finding me.


    “Akisswould be a nice way to thank us,” Bane said leaning toward me.


    “If you can find her mouth with all that dirt,” Evan said with a smirk, “I’ll give you a stone.”Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    “Dirt doesn’t bother me,” Baneughed leaning in tokissmy lips. “I guess it must bother that delicate and easily bested sense of taste you have.”


    That got him. Evan grinned evilly punching Bane in the shoulder and pulled me to face him.


    “You are absolutely filthy,” Evan told me before he pressed his lips to mine. He pulled away from my mouth with an awful look on his face. “How much calming cream did she use?” he asked incredulously smudging a thumb across my cheek. “Did Nu-reeh wish you to never wake up?”