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"Oh, never doubt that he tried" Many tiht back to the day Cornelia had flown hionized as he’d been, landing had hurt e, bald man with more muscles and scars than Koldo had ever seen stomped toward him Cornelia called, "Meet your son, Nox-- away

Nox A naht

Koldo had blacked out seconds after that, only to awaken on the floor of a spacious tent, the baldwidely, his eyes as black as his naooder angel"

Hisyou’re filled with silly notions about right and wrong," Nox had continued "Aren’t you, boy?"

Concentrating on the words had proven difficult--everything inside Koldo had been screa at him to run and never look back But he’d been trapped inside a body too weak to move or flash All he could do atch as thin curls of s the air with sulfur

That’s when realization had slammed into Koldo with collision force A bald head, botto Nefas His father hailed froerous, vile race in existence A race that sneaked up on hu utterly A race without a conscience

A race just like the dee of their victiender of their victims never mattered They lived to inflict pain They killed And they laughed while doing it

"No worries," the man had said "You can unlearn"

Nox had wanted Koldo to embrace the Nefas way of life, and Koldo had resistedat first But every ti away, his father had been right on his heels, easily finding hi him Once, Nox had tied him down and poured acid down his throat The time after that, Nox had plucked out one of his eyes and nailed it to the bar of his cage, so that he could watch hi himself Koldo had had to win the eye back--and stuff it back in By then he’d been a little older and had been able to partially heal it Still, his sight had never been the same

Bitterness and hatred had taken root inside him Why him? Why had no one saved him? How much more would he be forced to endure?

Finally, he’d lost his will to fight He’d given in He’d raided villages He’d helped his father and the other soldiers fit their mouths over their victi only lifeless shells

Ato survive, boy

It was the only one of his father’s lessons that he’d taken to heart

Now, Koldo was certain he’d passed the point of redeht harder That he hadn’t Guilt would always ride him, and shame would always fill him

He had too many memories The dark kind that never went away Each oneto pluck out his eyes, just to blank his line of sight, or cut off his ears, just to quiet the screah name to draw Germanus’s attention An army of Sent Ones had swooped into his father’s camp to destroy Koldo, had seen the scars on his back and roings, and Koldo had obviously had them at one time So, the soldiers had captured hi of his new life

Ger "brother"--could have and probably should have slain hiins Koldo had been feral He had snarled and cursed and attacked anyone who neared his he had done, after all of the people he had killed, he was supposed to forgive hiooder" approach? Impossible!

But Germanus had looked deeper than the surface, had seen the shauilt in Koldo’s eyes E of the Sent Ones had spent the next several years coaxing Koldo froKoldo was trained to fight the right way, that he had a safe, comfortable place to sleep, that he always had a proper meal to eat

It had been Koldo’s first taste of actual caring and concern, and he’d soon grown to love Germanus--would still die to protect him

"Why did you mate with Nox?" he asked his e

"Why not? He was a very beautiful erous male attractive, Koldo supposed Despite the bald head and dead eyes, he’d had a face far lovelier than any Koldo had ever seen A purity of features, a radiance s could only ever dream about

"Did you hope to tae hiaze on hi his lay She expected hiht to do so It was one of his biggest teed," she said

"Did he betray you for another? One of his own kind, perhaps? A female better suited to his particular tastes? Or, perhaps he turned to many other fe in on the truth Even as sickness churned in his stoh about you, you know Said you loved hied him to be with you, to stay with you Said you sobbed when he left Said you--"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" she shrieked, racing to the bars where Koldo stood She shook with so much force he was surprised the reinforced metal held steady

The ferocity of her reaction should have pleased hie, frustration Helplessness Mirroring what he’d felt for so many years But the sickness intensified How could he do this to a female? Any female?