Free Hunters (Spirit Blade Part 1) by M. A. Nilles Page A

voice.
    Kaelen's eyes narrowed and he stood rigid and ready to fight.
    The lady's lips curved into a malevolent smile. "Your pets may leave."
    "No." The word left Nadia's lips without hesitation, the dagger hilt biting into her tightening fingers.
    Je'Diri scowled. "Do not argue, Huntress." A second later, her expression changed as she looked Nadia up and down. "You are the one I heard about. Did you too betray High Lord Je'Rekun?"
    "I am a demon hunter," she said with confidence. "I serve no demonlord. I only do what must be done, whether it be for Je'Rekun or Je'Dron."
    The lady's lips curled in disdain. "So you say, yet you travel with this traitor."
    Nadia clamped her jaw on a rebuke. Her only defense would get her killed.
    "Adepts claim no alliance to any demonlord," Kaelen said with a warning glance to her.
    "This is not your fight, Hunters." Lord Je'Kaoron gave her a scolding look, but she knew him better than that.
    "But it is." Nadia searched her head for an excuse. "You have a promise to keep."
    His face darkened. "You cannot force a promise from a dead man."
    Je'Diri snickered. "None of us are indebted to any human." Her face darkened. "Leave, Hunters, before I change my mind."
    "Nadia—" Kaelen reached for her.
    "No." She stepped away, unafraid of her own mortality or the air of superiority of the lady, typical of most demonlords. She had almost taken her own life in her grief for taking Je'Rol's life, when Lord Je'Kaoron had lifted her from that despair. It would mean nothing if she let him suffer.
    "Go, Huntress," Je'Kaoron growled. He shoved her away so hard that her feet tangled and she fell to the soft grass.
    Kaelen rushed to her side. "Nadia," he murmured.
    She shoved his hands from her and sat up herself while the demonlords closed in on Je'Kaoron and secured his arms.
    Pale blue eyes caught hers for only a second before they escorted him away. She saw the sorrow in that instant. He didn't want to go, but he couldn't fight that many and win, nor could she; but she would find a way to rescue him.
    "We have no supplies. At least return our horses," Kaelen said.
    The demonlords said nothing but continued away with Lord Je'Kaoron at the center as others gathered around them in tiger and in human form, many bloody and injured.
    Kaelen helped her to her feet. "Let them go."
    Nadia stood and shook off his hands. "They'll kill him."
    "What's one less demonlord?"
    An orange tiger passing them snarled but continued on its way.
    Nadia grabbed the cloak at his throat and pulled him close. "One less demonlord ready for peace. Do you want a war we can't win? That's what we'll get if Je'Rekun's allies take over. Lord Je'Kaoron is working to make this world better for everyone."
    His eyes studied her with the same disgust she had seen when she first admitted her feelings for Je'Rol, after she had mistakenly trusted Kaelen enough to reveal that.
    If that's how he felt, he could stay there. She shoved him back and started after the demonlords through the killing fields. Bloody orange and white tigers lay strewn about the area, their bodies already attracting swarms of insects. It wouldn't take the natters long to catch the scent of fresh blood. The bodies would likely be gone within a couple of days. She didn't intend to be anywhere near it to be attacked as fresh meat.
    "Nadia."
    She ignored him, determined to stand up for Je'Kaoron…somehow. Even returning to tell High Lord Je'Dron might be too late.
    But that didn't mean Kaelen couldn't.
    She halted and turned to see him marching through the grass to meet her. "Return to High Lord Je'Dron and inform him what's happened."
    "I'm not leaving you."
    "Hah! You've already proven that's not true." She turned and hurried after the retreating demonlords, as much to do something for Je'Kaoron as to get away from Kaelen and the threat of succumbing to the ghosts of the past that returned with him to haunt her.
    Heavy steps crunched through grass behind her.
    "That wasn't my