Born of Fire (The League #2)(60)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Adron tsked at Devyn’s CO who’d done nothing but rag on him for the last two months since he’d been reassigned to this unit. The man really was lucky Devyn had learned to control his temper.

Most days anyway.

Adron clapped the CO on the back so hard, Quills actually staggered from the blow. “Yeah, that’s what he wants you to think. But trust me. I know his skills firsthand. His father was the notorious filch and assassin C.I. Syn. His mother the legendary Seax Shahara Dagan.”

Devyn clamped his jaw tight to keep from drawing his blaster and shooting his best friend for letting out a secret he’d done his damnedest to keep. You ass**le.

Quills gaped at them both. “He is their son?”

“Oh, yeah. And I’ll do you one better. He was trained from birth to fight by the best assassin The League ever created.”

Quills scoffed. “You mean there’s someone out there better than your father?”

Adron shook his head as he shoved Quills away from him. “No, idiot. My father trained him.” He flashed an evil grin at Quills. “Just FYI, my father is also his godfather. So you want to be real nice to Dev. All of us take it personally when people aren’t.”

Devyn rose to his feet as Adron closed the distance between them. He held his hand out and let his friend pull him into a tight man-hug. “It’s good to see you again, aridos. But really . . . some discretion would have been nice. Out of character for your rotten ass, but nice.”

Adron laughed good-naturedly as he released him. “C’mon, Dev. You need to let these ass**les know what you can do. Who you really are. They think you’re weak, they’ll step all over you.”

A true assassin’s philosophy, but it wasn’t in Devyn’s nature to push people around. He was too easygoing for that.

Well . . . again, most days.

Devyn glanced around the room, noting they were the recipients of way too much attention.

Yet true to Adron’s words, the soldiers around him held a respect in their gazes that they’d never had before. “Being an arrogant braggart just doesn’t work for me.”

Adron took his insult in stride. “You should try it. It really does grow on you, trust me.”

Devyn laughed at his friend who was much more like an older brother to him. “So what brings you here?”

“People need killing.” Adron’s tone was completely stoic about his brutal trade. “I was actually on my way back to The League and heard your unit had been dropped here. I just wanted to say hi before I left.”

“Who was your target?”

Adron leaned in to whisper so that no one else would know who he’d killed. “Emperor Abenbi.”

Devyn was surprised by the name. “The Probekein leader?” Abenbi had once ordered the rape and death of Adron’s mother. It was a story they all knew well and it was how Adron’s parents, as well as his own, had met. “Was it personal?”

“It was an assignment . . .” A tic worked in Adron’s jaw. “And it was personal for what he did to my mother. Too long in coming, in my opinion, but it was legal so my father should be proud.”

“He’s always proud of you, Adron.”

Adron didn’t comment. “How long are you here for?”

“We’re evacing troops out of a hot zone and have some supplies for the civs. A few days and we’re clear.”

“Good. I don’t want to be taking your body home to your mother.”

“Yeah, she’d probably hurt you if you did.”

“Probably so.” He grinned roguishly. “In all the universe, your mother is the only thing that truly scares me, especially where you’re concerned. I don’t ever want to be on that dark side.”

“Ha-ha. And need I remind you my mother wasn’t the one screaming at the pool when you got shoved in?”

“Yeah, all right, so we both have screwed-up, irrational mothers. Anyway, I’ve got to get out of here. I took a little longer on assignment than I should have and if I don’t make check-in . . . I don’t want to be hunted and have to take out another assassin dumb enough to come at me.” He gave Devyn another quick hug. “Take care, little brother.”

“You, too, A. I’ll see you around.”

Adron inclined his head to him before he made his way back toward the doors.

As soon as Adron was gone, Quills stepped forward. “Was he full of total shit, Kell?”

“No, sir.”

“Then if your parents are Syn and Dagan, why is your name Kell?”

Because he was the grandson of one of the most ruthless criminals ever born, and his parents had done everything they could to shield him from people who would judge him based on his name alone.

But that was none of Commander Quills’s business. “Have to ask my father, sir. I didn’t pick my name. He and my mother did.” Gods, how he hated being obsequious to these pricks. Why had he joined the military again?

To help people . . .

Yeah, but it was getting harder and harder to take their crap and thank them for ramming it down his throat.

His CO narrowed his gaze at him. “Are you being smart with me, Captain?”

Devyn arched a sardonic brow. How stupid was he that he couldn’t tell that was a major affirmative?

Before he could answer, Quills’s comlink went off. “Commander? There’s an attack on the road twelve miles down. We have orders to move out. Now.”

Quills took off and left Devyn alone with the lieutenant who’d joined them. The young man’s face was pale and drawn.

Devyn frowned at him. “You all right?”

“I’ve never been in a battle before.”

Poor kid, but he’d learn. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. Your training will kick in and you’ll be fine.”

“And if not, I’ll have you there to patch me back up. Right, Doc?”

“Absolutely.”

Inclining his head, the kid took off.

Devyn grabbed his pack and weapon. He didn’t like battle anymore than the rookie, but this was what he’d signed up for . . .

* * *

This was so not what he’d signed up for.

Devyn was furious as he knelt down on the ground where a boy lay in a bloody mess. No older then ten, his body had been shredded by a mine as the kid and his town had been caught by League troops trying to flush out a group of rebels. One arm was missing and his left leg would never be the same again . . .

Provided he didn’t lose it.

“I don’t want to die,” the boy cried. “I want my mommy.”

Unfortunately, Devyn was pretty sure she lay among the bodies that littered the road and village.

His hands shook as he tried to slow the boy’s bleeding. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Omari.”

“How old are you?”

“Nine.” He sobbed, trying to rub the blood out of his hazel eyes. His dark brown skin was ragged from his injuries. “My birthday’s next month. I’m not going to die before my birthday, am I? My mom said I could finally have a puppy.”

Devyn’s throat tightened at the boy’s panic and fear. He had to get him calmed down. “You go to school, Omari?”

He shook his head. “The League blew it up. I was home that day, but all my friends were killed.”

Devyn had to bite back a curse. He’d joined The League to protect people. To keep predators from doing what their own soldiers had done.

Anger burned through him so raw and fetid that he could taste it.

“Kell? What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

He looked up at his CO. “Trying to save a life.” He had to force himself to finish the sentence. “Sir.” But there was no way to keep the venom and disgust he felt out of his tone.

Quills kicked dirt at them. “He’s nothing to us. We have soldiers bleeding. Get your ass moving and tend them.”

Devyn glanced to the men who were hurt, but nowhere nearly as bad as the kid in front of him. If he didn’t stop the bleeding, the kid didn’t stand a chance. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“You will do as you are told, soldier. Now move!”

Devyn refused to budge. “In a minute.”

Then Quills made the worst mistake of his life.

He pointed his rifle at Devyn. “Move or die.”

Devyn laughed bitterly as his mother’s wisdom went through his head. He narrowed his gaze at his CO. “Never give a man a choice that doesn’t bode well for you.”

“What?”

“You want me to move?” Devyn shot to his feet and had the rifle out of Quills’s hands faster than he could blink.

“Arrest him!”

League enforcers came at him from all directions. But Devyn didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to him was the kid at his feet.

Omari.

He hadn’t donned his uniform to slaughter innocents. To cut off town supplies and punish innocent miners who were protesting The League’s cruelty to them. This was wrong and he refused to be a part of a system this corrupt.

He slammed the butt of his rifle into the first man to reach him. Another shot at him. He dodged the blast that cut down two other men before he blasted the man aiming for him. He pulled out his knives and went for the next one who tried to kill him.

Turning around, he caught one in his chest and the next in his arm and throat.

One by one, using the skills his parents and uncles had taught him, he brought down every soldier dumb enough to attack him until he stood alone.

His conviction solid steel, he moved back to his commander. “You should have listened to what Adron said. I am the meanest son of a bitch ever born. And you . . .” He shot his commander into unconsciousness. “Are so not.”

He paused as he looked over the men he’d wounded. Those who weren’t dead anyway. They lay holding their wounds, but made no more moves to attack.

No one else would challenge him. At least not tonight.

Tonight . . .

He growled as he realized what he’d just done. He’d declared war on The League. There would be no going back. They would hunt him like an animal and come for him, night and day.

So be it.

After all, he was a Wade, through and through. And if Wades were anything, they were staunch survivors.

May the gods have mercy on anyone dumb enough to come at him because he wouldn’t.

Turning around, he picked Omari up from the ground. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll protect you. No one’s going to hurt you on my watch.”