I didn't even know him. Hadn't spoken to him beyond those few desperate words during the trial. He was just anotherDrakarn warrior, another member of the Blade Council, another obstacle I'd had to overcome.
So why couldn't I stop dreaming about him?
I paced the small space of my quarters, trying to burn off the restless energy. My rock collection sat on the narrow shelf carved into the wall. I used to have a collection on Earth and had sadly left it behind when I decided to leave on the Nostos. All that was left of my collection from home was a piece of purple quartz from my first duty station, a perfect circle of shale I'd found in a river, and the first rock I'd ever collected—an unassuming gray thing I'd picked up outside as a kid.
I would have lost them too if I hadn't been wearing the collection in a pouch around my throat when we crashed.
I'd started collecting Volcaryth stones now. A piece of red desert glass, smooth and warm. A chunk of volcanic rock from near the lava flows. A palm-sized river stone, worn smooth by the underground current.
I picked up the river stone, turned it over in my hand. The weight and texture grounded me, pulled me back into my body and out of the dream-space.
I had to face him eventually. Scalvaris wasn't that big. The training grounds, the Council chambers, the communal areas. Our paths would cross.
How the hell was I supposed to look at him knowing what my subconscious wanted to do to him?
Wanted him to do tome.
I set the stone down harder than necessary. It clicked against the shelf.
This was ridiculous. I was a demolitions expert, a trained soldier. I'd faced enemy fire, disarmed explosives with seconds on the clock, survived a crash landing on an alien planet. I'd endured the Skalanth, fought my way through Scalvaris's most brutal trial.
I could handle some inconvenient dreams about a warrior I barely knew.
Except they felt like so much more than just dreams. My body knew the difference. The ache between my legs, the phantom sensation of his touch, the way my pulse kicked up just thinking about him.
Something was happening. Something I didn't understand and couldn't control.
I hated not being in control.
I needed to do something. Channel this restless energy into something useful. The training grounds would be empty this early. I could run drills, practice with my blade, exhaust myself enough that maybe tonight I'd sleep without dreams.
2
LEXA
I hitthe practice dummy hard enough to rattle my teeth, the impact jarring up through my wrists and into my shoulders. Then I did it again. The leather-wrapped post absorbed the blow without comment.
I needed this. The burn in my muscles, the sweat stinging my eyes, the simple clarity of violence against an object that couldn't fight back or invade my dreams.
The place was empty. Too early for most warriors. Perfect.
I shifted my stance, rolled my shoulders, and drove my fist into the dummy's midsection. The satisfying thud echoed off stone walls. My knuckles protested, already tender from yesterday's session. I ignored them.
I was losing my mind.
What the hell was I supposed to be doing here? My entire skill set revolved around controlled destruction. Breaching walls, disarming explosives, tactical demolitions. None of which had any application in a city carved from volcanic rock that had stood for centuries.
I was useless.
The other women had found their places. Terra led, obviously. She'd been born for command, and getting withDarrokar had just amplified what was already there. Selene worked with the healers. Orla tinkered with every Drakarn gadget she came across. Hawk was so eager to fly with her mate I thought she might actually grow wings. Even Vega, suspicious and prickly as she was, had started contributing to intelligence analysis. All of the others seemed to be doing fine … or fine-ish.
And me? I collected rocks and beat the shit out of training dummies.
I threw a combination, left jab, right cross, uppercut. The dummy swayed on its base. Sweat dripped down my spine, soaked into my thin training leathers.
At least I hadn't run into Nyx.
The thought of him made my stomach clench. Heat that had nothing to do with exertion spread through my core.
