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one dead prince. Now for the others. Which way did our scouts say the farm
was?"
"Laetus wants his head." Pio toed Branduff over onto his back.
"Take it."
Pio sheathed his sword and drew the big hunting knife at his hip. He knelt,
tangled his fingers in Branduff's hair, and pulled his head around to expose
the lycan's throat so that he could saw through it.
If Truth Dies [Lycan Blood Vol III]
by Janrae Frank
271
Rage and grief overrode Trevor's training. The big lycan charged from the
schoolhouse.
Pio's knife came up to guard as he reached for his sword.
Before the long blade could clear the sheath, Trevor's blade cut deep into his
neck and struck bone. Pio fell across Bran.
Tarchon yelled a curse and, as Trevor swung around to face him, slashed
Trevor's sword arm to the bone. Trevor cried out, his sword falling from his
numb fingers. Yulus shoved his blade into Trevor's chest; and Tarchon's blade
entered just below it at a cross-angle. Trevor stiffened for an instant, pain
and weakness overwhelming him. The two sa'necari widened the wounds with a
turn of their blades and yanked them free. Trevor's head bobbed as he sank to
his knees, and then collapsed across his brother.
Something shattered inside Trevor that went beyond his heart and mind and
body. It reached into his soul and kindled the talents he had so long
repressed. His mother had always told him that she sensed a tiny vestige of
her mage gifts within him, but they had never fully manifested until that
moment. The talents had leaked around the edges at times, just enough to
frighten him like a scary tale on a stormy night, and he had closed them down
with ruthless resolve.
Lying there across his dying brother, aware that he was also dying, Trevor's
mind filled with the image of the one person who represented safety and
healing: his mother, Cahira.
Golden energy swept through him. It shimmered around him.
Trevor, Bran, and Pio vanished.
Tarchon gave a startled yelp. "Mage."
If Truth Dies [Lycan Blood Vol III]
by Janrae Frank
272
"Dying mage. It's no matter. Mount up; we've six bitches and their cubs to
kill."
Page 130
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* * * *
Since it had been a busy morning and someone needed to watch the shop, Cahira
decided to have the afternoon tea at the table in the rear of the main room so
that they could all be together. The three cubs sat at the end of the table
and
Todd sat at the head with Cahira at his right hand and Kady at his left. Finn
sat on the other side of Kady. He would be returning to the manor tomorrow,
although he would be kept on light duty for a few weeks more.
Finn tugged a strand of Kady's short hair. "Ran with the scissors, did you?"
She slapped his hand and he let go with an exaggerated yelp of dismay. "Stop
that and pass the cookies to the cubs."
Kady shoved the platter at him.
Finn slid the platter toward Cooley. All three cubs leaned forward in their
chairs, hands poised to snag the crisp treats.
Finn jerked the platter back at the last moment, wiggling his eyebrows at them
as they glowered.
"Finn!" Kady punched him in the shoulder, careful to avoid areas still tender
from his half-healed wounds. The Devil's
Silver on the arrows that wounded Finn had slowed the healing process down to
a crawl.
"Oh, all right." Finn pushed the plate of cookies down, shifted in his seat,
and regarded Kady with an impish gleam in his eyes. "You know, even with the
hatchet job on your hair
... you're still kind of pretty."
If Truth Dies [Lycan Blood Vol III]
by Janrae Frank
273
Kady bristled at that, turned more fully toward him with a non-sequitur poised
on her lips, and let out a shrill scream, pointing at the center of the shop.
A pile of bleeding myn had materialized on the floor.
Kady's chair toppled over as she jumped to her feet. Todd, however, reached
them first, settled on the floor, and cradled his eldest son against his
chest.
Trevor's eyes, dulled by pain and blood loss, fixed on his father's face. He
coughed hard and blood ran from the corner of his mouth mixed with white
froth. His lips moved, but no words emerged. Trevor's eyes closed and he
sagged in his father's arms. Only the slight movement of his chest and the
froth oozing from his wounds with each struggling breath showed that he
lived.
Finn pulled Pio off Branduff, took one look at Pio's eyes, and cursed. "Bloody
sa'necari." He snapped his fingers at
Kady and opened his hand. "Give me your knife."
Kady laid her knife in his hands. "They rise don't they?"
"This one's not gonna." Finn set to finishing the job that
Trevor's earlier blow had started.
The three cubs clustered behind Kady and Finn, watching with macabre
fascination as Finn sawed through Pio's neck.
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