One that would end in an entirely different, far less pleasurable way…
CHAPTER 44
EMME
It took all my focus to pull on sneakers and grab my phone before leaving my room. Slade waited at the end of the hall, a giant, intimidating shadow, expressionless and with his arms crossed, allowing no way for me judge his mood.
“So,” I chirped, forcing a smile, “training, hey? I don’t think we discussed that. Or did I zone out in the middle of a conversation again?”
The babbling filled the silence nicely while also making me look guilty. Might as well admit what I’d done in his room and get it out of the way.
Before sheer panic had me confessing, Slade turned toward the stairs, calling over his shoulder, “I always planned to teach you to protect yourself and manage your reading, but only one of those is essential while our enemies linger in shadows. Defense skills are non-negotiable.”
Hurrying to keep up with his long-ass legs, I huffed, “But I’m really not that athletically inclined. I mean, you’ve seen me swim.”
Sladealmostcracked a smile. “And run. I’m fully aware of what I’m up against.”
“Rude,” I groused, though he had a point. “Wait, when did you see me run?”
He wore no smile this time. “I gathered footage through our street’s security to follow your trajectory the day you were attacked at the guard hut. Additional cameras have been installed now, to ensure that nothing is out of my view.”
Had I scrambled all the streets cameras yesterday during my prank? How was Slade not ripping me a new one, especially with the Rogers pack still out there and apparently gunning for me?
I wasn’t even sure if he was angry, his emotions concealed behind the stoic expression. If Slade’s plan was to freak me out bynotleveling accusations at me in the hopes that I’d inadvertently reveal my own crimes… well, it was absolutely working.
Not quite ready to give in yet, I forced a smile onto my face, and chatted my ass offallthe way into the garage. Slade chose the reinforced Range Rover today, and held my door open for me and everything. I continued my random babbling about the weather, Luxuria, how many drinks I’d had last night, and the trouble I went to organizing my wardrobe into colors and material. “By season, really,” I continued, plastering the fakest smile on my face. “Because it’s important to be seasonal, you know? What if someone met me for the first time and couldn’t for the life of them figure out my season. Disaster, am I right?”
For a second, I caught a glimpse of him clenching his teeth, but he smoothed that movement just as quickly. “A true disaster,” he replied, going as far as nodding along like he was in complete agreement.
On the way to the training facility, he listened to andeven repliedto my inane chatter, driving so sedately it was almost as if he wanted to hear the ridiculous shit coming out of my mouth. This little game we played would eventually run its course, but for right now neither of us wanted to break. Mentally sparringwith Slade had my blood buzzing with adrenaline, and despite my lack of sleep, I felt alive and awake in ways I hadn’t for a long time.
When Slade pulled up at the large training facility, he was out of the car and opening my door before I could suck in a few fortifying breaths. “Out, Snow,” he commanded. “We’ve already wasted too much time.”
“Keep your panties on,” I griped, swinging my legs out the door.
“I don’t wear underwear,” he shot back, and my mouth was bone dry at the mental image of a naked, pierced Slade. It was permanently branded in my brain. “Now move your scrawny ass.”
Oh, okay, then. He’d gone too far now; my ass was perfectly… I glanced behind me to find my rather scrawny butt clad in black gym pants. It wasn’t my fault that food had come second to shelter and survival for most of my years. “For a taller female, I have plenty of curves,” I called out in false confidence, Slade already heading for the front doors. “Asshole.”
“I heard that,” he growled back, and I gulped down my next insult. “And if you want to keep those curves, you’ll eat full meals rather than picking at your food like a fucking bird shifter.”
I stumbled a little, feeling hurt that he’d criticized my looks. “I’ve been trying,” I whispered, and once again he heard what he shouldn’t have.
Slade slowed, giving me a second to catch up to his long-legged stride. “You need to be healthy,” he said to me, looking less like a sociopathic asshole. There was even a sliver of compassion on his face. “You need to be strong.”
I nodded, feeling tired again for no reason at all. My energy shouldn’t be so tied to these alphas and their moods, but here we were, the scent match once again driving me past the brink of sanity.
The rest of our journey was silent as we moved past empty reception desks and through the halls. When we reached the training field, Slade said, “Today, I’m going to assess your skill and ability level in relation to strength, endurance, reflexes, and natural fighting.”
The field looked massive without all the squads filling it, and I wondered how long we’d have the place to ourselves. “I’m not sure an assessment is necessary,” I mused, ignoring the frustrated stare and stiff shoulders from the dragon shifter. “I can easily rate myself in all of those categories.”
Slade didn’t disagree with me. “Be that as it may, I will be conducting my own set of drills. Now, let’s start with a warmup.” He dropped his arms and jogged away, gesturing for me to follow.Fuck.Was it too late to have Hunter deal with this?
Not wanting to disappoint our resident scary shifter, I put all my effort into keeping up with his long legs as we jogged around the stadium. Twenty minutes later, he was done with the initial warmup, and I was done with living.
My stomach heaved as I fought to stay on my feet, and I was fairly sure that I’d broken all the bones in my legs. There was no other reason for them to hurt this much.
“Stretching now,” Slade barked, and I coughed and wheezed, leaning forward in the hopes it would ease the sharp cramp in my side.
