Chapter 591: The Secret of Thane’s Power (Part Two)
"Would you dare to take it?"
Her offer was a challenge, but it also required Thane to believe that the strange woman who had come to him several nights a week for sword lessons was actually capable of threatening the height of power within Lothian March.
"You’ve never told who you really are, your ladyship," Thane said, relaxing casually with one foot on a low bench while he used a towel to wipe sweat from his neck and broad, muscular chest. "You’re quicker than me and surprisingly strong for your size, but it will take more than that to threaten the Lothians. What gives you the confidence to deliver on your promise?"
"It’s simple," Nyrielle said, summoning the darkness and shadows of the dimly lit school to wrap around her like a cloak before slowly unfolding her dark, feathered wings. "I’ve killed one Marquis already," she said with a smile that bore a hint of wickedly pointed fangs. "With you fighting at my side, I have every confidence in killing another."
"One bite," she said, appearing behind him faster than his eyes could follow her motion. "One bite on your neck, and one drink of my blood and you’ll gain strength like few humans have ever possessed. Strength enough not only to destroy the Marquis who condemned your sister, but to destroy the barony that fostered a vile beast who tried to defile her. Your enemies are my enemies, Thane," she whispered against his neck.
"Say the word, and everything will change," she promised. "You can have your vengeance, and an eternity of days afterward to live free of the oppression and disdain that the rulers of this wretched place subject you to," she said, gesturing at the rundown school that he’d barely been able to keep open without her assistance.
"You," he started to say before his voice caught in his throat and it felt like the beads of sweat on his body turned into tiny crystals of ice. "You’re the Demon Lady of the Vale..."
"Shhh," Nyrielle whispered against his neck. "We don’t like the word ’Demon.’ But you, if you accept my offer, can call me ’Nyrielle.’"
"And if I refuse," Thane asked as his heart beat wildly in his chest, urging him to run, to flee, to escape the monster whose mere presence meant certain death. "Will you kill me to hide your secret?"