Adrani was fuming, anger clawing its way up from her stomach, though her face remained expressionless as she ordered the slaves to bring a chair for Voldrak. She could faintly smell blood and knew the exact moment Murra and Ophari had died. The only thing keeping her hands off her blade was watching him step out without a scratch on his body.
He had defeated them effortlessly—something she herself would have found difficult but not impossible. Instead of causing a fuss with a strong opponent she wasn't sure she could kill, she preferred to stand on the sidelines and watch him go against the other clan leaders.
Voldrak had just sat down on the provided chair when he spoke. "You had something to say!" he sneered, his tone dripping with condescension. He knew that any sign of weakness would make him prey.
"Yes, you might not know, but my clan is the smallest and weakest. There are four others much more powerful than mine. I can help you defeat them."
"What's stopping me from taking your head and doing that myself?" Voldrak replied, his tone dry, his dark eyes locked on her as the sky brightened, allowing him to take in her appearance. She was stunning but nothing compared to the immortals he was used to seeing. Her chin was too sharp, her nose a little too long, and despite her slenderness and seductive aura, he seemed completely unaffected, even when she responded with a sly smile, crossing her legs to reveal most of her thighs to his gaze.
"You are powerful, I won't deny that, but you forget I'm not alone," she said, gesturing to the two old men behind her.
"Even if you defeat us, we won't go down easily. All it would take is a single order for them to release their internal energy. From here to five houses down, the air will burn, and smoke will cover the skies. You'll need time to recover, and the other clans would move in immediately. Are you willing to take that risk?" she asked, satisfaction flickering in her eyes, though she tried to conceal it—something Voldrak saw through with ease.
Yes! He wanted to respond, but he held back. Pushing her further might lead to a fight, and he couldn't afford that just yet. He could sense the internal energy within the old men standing behind her and had no doubt they could carry out her threat.
"You want a temporary alliance," he stated, his expression cold as he let his gaze drift, almost as if staring at something she couldn't see.
"A more permanent one, if you wish," Adrani responded. Despite her many faults, she wasn't blind to the benefits of having the man in front of her kill the other clan leaders. He might rule, but he would need someone to unite the clans, and who better than her? Moreover, the potential rewards of bringing him to her bed were more than she allowed herself to imagine.
'Patience, patience, Adrani,' she mentally told herself, suppressing her anticipation and excitement as she gazed at him with a solemn expression, hoping to convey sincerity.
"We can make an oath now!" she quickly offered, knowing it would be nothing more than words to solidify their alliance. But instead of responding, she watched as Voldrak rose to his feet. Her body tensed ever so slightly in her chair, prepared to give the signal to Rumena behind her if he made any aggressive moves.
Her eyes sharpened as she stared at him, unease creeping in when his gaze shifted to Huma, who stood to her left. Tension filled the air as she struggled to interpret the meaning behind his focus.
'Is he attacking? Did I push too hard? Can I backtrack?' Questions flashed through her mind, but she kept her aura contained. She knew once she released it, there would be no going back, and it could end in her death, given the deadly force she had sensed the night before.
As much as Voldrak enjoyed making her squirm, he knew he couldn't push her too far. The power she feared wasn't his to wield.
"I'll get back to you tonight. It seems we have more to discuss," he said at last, a smug smirk spreading across his face as he watched her rise to her feet and approach him, stopping just two feet away with an earnest look in her eyes.
"I'm glad," she said, her voice soft, her posture fragile—a performance only a fool would believe. Voldrak had heard enough and was about to leave when she spoke again.
"I'll have your slave healed as a gesture of goodwill," she said, gesturing to the old man on her right, the one with the longer beard. He approached with surprising speed, raising his hand toward Flonda, who was still kneeling on the ground. A green light streamed from his palm, enveloping her from head to toe.
Within moments, the pain had vanished from Flonda's face, though she remained kneeling. Voldrak noticed but said nothing, instead turning his gaze back to Adrani. "We'll see each other again," he said before walking toward the entrance without looking back.
Once outside, Voldrak continued down the road, Flonda's footsteps matching his pace. They walked until they reached a sparsely populated area with green fields and a few trees. Only then did he turn to face Flonda, not surprised when she flinched at his gaze. The dark, sinister aura he unleashed was enough to make her knees tremble, yet she stood, waiting for him to speak.
"If I ever see you kneel again," he began, his tone light and calm, which only made his words more terrifying, "for anyone but me, for any reason other than the one I give you, I'll slit your throat myself!" He left out the part about tossing her bones to any beast that would have them, but he was satisfied to see that she understood even what he didn't say.