Reign Of Gods (Book #1 in 'Vampire God Trilogy') [COMPLETED]

Chapter 18

Hoyt expected to find her in bed when he came in. He‟d hoped she‟d be sleeping, so that he could put her under more deeply and work on her
injuries.
But she was standing by the window in the dark.

“Don‟t turn on the light,” she said with her back to him. “Cian was
right, there are more outside still. If you pay attention, you can sense them. They move like shadows, but there‟s movement—more a sense of
movement. They‟ll go soon, I think. To whatever hole they burrow in during
the day.”

“You should rest.”

“I know you say that because you‟re concerned, and I‟m calm enough
now not to take your head off for it. I know I behaved poorly upstairs. I don‟t really care.”

“You‟re tired, as I am. I want to wash, and I want to sleep.”

“You have your own room. And that was uncalled for,” she continued
before he could speak. Now she turned. Her face seemed very pale in the dark, pale against the dark robe she wore. “I‟m not as calm as I thought. You had no right, no right, to stand in front of me up there.”

“Every right. Love gives me the right. And even without that, if a man
doesn‟t shield a woman from harm—”

“Stop right there.” She held up a
hand, palm out, as if to block his
words. “This isn‟t about men and women. It‟s about humans. The seconds you took to think of me, to worry for me could have cost you your life. We can‟t spare it, neither of us. Any of us. If you don‟t trust that I can defend myself—that all of us can, we‟re nowhere.”

That her words made sense didn‟t matter a whit as far as he was
concerned. He could still see the way that monster had leaped on her. “And
where would you be if I hadn‟t destroyed that thing?”

“Different. A different matter.” She moved closer now so that he could
scent her, the lotions she used on her skin. So utterly female.

“This is foolishness, and a waste of time.” said Hoyt.

“It‟s not foolish to me, so listen up. Fighting with and protecting
fellow soldiers is one thing, a vital thing. We all have to be able to count on each other. But to brush me back from battle is another. You have to
understand and accept the difference.”

“How can I, when it‟s you, Glenna? If I lost you—”

“Hoyt.” She gripped his arms, a kind of impatient comfort. “Any or all
of us might die in this. I‟m fighting to understand and accept that. But if you
die, I won‟t live with the responsibility of knowing it was for me. I won‟t do it.”

She sat on the side of the bed. “I killed tonight. I know how it feels to end something. To use my power to do that, something I never thought I‟d
do, need to do.” She held out her hands to study them. “I did it to save
another human being, and still it weighs on me. I know that if I‟d done it with stake or sword I‟d accept it more easily. But I used magic to destroy.”

She lifted her face to his, and the sorrow was deep in her eyes. “This gift was always so bright, and now there‟s a darkness in it. I have to understand and accept that, too. And you have to let me.”

“I accept your power, Glenna, and what you can and will do with it. I think all of us would be better served by it if you worked solely on the magics.”

“And left the bloody work to you? Off the front line, out of harm‟s way, stirring my cauldron?”

“Twice this night I nearly lost you. So you‟ll do as I say.”