She told herself that the influx of people was definitely to blame for the low simmer of agitation coursing through her veins.
Not Connor.
Not the painful, betrayed look in his eyes when she’d told him the truth—that given the choice, she’d choose to remain guardian.
Not the fact that he hadn’t kissed her or touched her since.
Or the realization that knowing Raiden didn’t translate fully to understanding the fully healed warrior who was with her now.
Raiden would have given her a sad smile and then taken every opportunity to caress her braid or kiss her neck as they traveled home and tended to the children.Stolen every tiny moment and assured her it was worth the impending hurt.Not looked at her with veiled green eyes as she’d passed him and said that their borrowed time was at an end.
Nope.None of those things.
Approaching the long stretch of clear ground she used as an archery yard, Daya stifled the wayward thoughts and emotions plaguing her and focused on the golden-brown head of her young charge.
Veda stood with Rodric’s soul-daughter Brenna, a dark-haired girl with a spitfire attitude that seemed to bolster the other children, and a teenager named Maren who was still looking fragile and wary.They took turns aiming and throwing knives under Cass’s supervision.The warrior gave her a nod as she moved past.
“Daya.”
“Cass.”
A small smirk touched the woman’s serious face.She’d regarded Daya easily from the beginning, looking at her without the curiosity the others had, instead with immediate respect and a nonchalance that made her feel less like an outsider.Now that she’d spent some time with the other woman, she decided they were cut from similar cloth.
It was why she’d sought the other woman out.She needed to talk to someone, and Connor was currently avoiding her, working through his own problems.Standing out of the way, she settled into a comfortable stance to watch the lessons.
Brenna stepped forward for her turn, brimming with a confidence the others lacked.She threw the knife straight, but it bounced off the target.Frustration flashed as she went to retrieve the blade.
Cass motioned her back into place.“Rodric taught you using one of his heavier blades, right?”The girl nodded.“Your new knife is a little lighter and balanced differently.It fits in your hand better, but it’s going to throw a little differently.Try again.”
The second try sunk the blade into the target, but just barely.Brenna grinned anyway, an extra bounce in her step.The other two girls continued in turn with much less success.Veda was visibly uncomfortable with the weapon.After a few more rounds, Cass stopped them.
“You know, Daya here is pretty good with a bow.”
“Better than you?”Brenna’s allegiance had clearly been won over already.
“Yes.”Cass chuckled, not at all offended.“Because it’s her primary weapon.Remember that.If you ever challenge someone, don’t pick their primary weapon for the competition unless you’re comfortable with it.Who wants to try archery?”
Veda’s eyes lit with an excitement the others lacked, though they all agreed.Taking the opportunity Cass had just given her to bond with Veda, Daya gamely went to fetch her practice equipment out of the nearby container.It was large for the younger girls but would be fine for an introductory session.
Cass took one of the bows and herded Maren and Brenna a few feet away, nodding meaningfully at Veda.
“Have you ever used a bow?”Daya asked as she offered Veda the bow.
The girl nodded.“Da was a hunter.He took me with him a lot, after ma died.”
“And your da?Is he gone now too?”
“Last winter.That’s how I ended up at the orphanage and met Opal.Then…” She trailed off and clutched at a pendant around her neck.
Daya just bet the orphanage had been eager to get rid of mouths to feed.Probably happily accepted the reward and handed the girls directly over to the mercenaries.
Though her muscles were still weak, Veda took the string Daya offered her and connected it to the bow, pulling the string taut and securing it with less effort than Daya had expected.
“You remember how to aim?”she asked the girl.
Veda showed her that she did, notching the arrow properly on the first try.Her arm shook when she pulled the string back, barely making it past her nose.The arrow flew well for the short distance her release allowed.
“Keep working at it.Your strength will come back.”Daya handed her another arrow.“Connor’s did.”
