Darn. Much as she would have liked that, she wanted to see Nate more. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”
Shae sighed. “With Echo gone, it’s hard to get sparring partners. All right, maybe tomorrow.”
The females here worked out mostly for fun and to keep fit. But the underlying thought was that one never knew when they could be attacked while their mates were out on patrol.
“What about, oh, I don’t know, say a certain yellow-eyed warrior, who’d be awesome to duel with?” she teased.
Shae rolled her gray-gold eyes, cheeks reddening. “That doesn’t always turn out the way I like.”
“And you’re complaining because…?” The gods knew she’d give anything to have Nate with her when she wasn’t working, to be dueling with him…kissing…making love.
“Hardly complaining.” Shae grinned. “But I seriously want to put in some time with swords.” She snapped her fingers. “I know, Kira!”
Ely burst out laughing. “She’s not going to be happy. You know she hates that kind of workout.”
Shae thought about it for a second, then snorted. “She uses the gym, so how is training in the arena different?” she asked in a tone of innocence.
Grinning at her friend’s antics, Ely wiggled her fingers in goodbye, sprinted up the stairs, and stopped on the landing. Wait, she had nothing pressing going on until she left to see Nate at noon. She could train with Shaenow, give Kira a break, and hopefully, this cursed temperature problem would be worked out of her body, giving her a modicum of peace.
“Shae!” she called out, pivoting.
A second later, her friend appeared on the bottom step. “Please say you’ve changed your mind?”
Ely laughed. “I can spar with younowif you like?”
A smile lit Shae’s pale features. “Excellent. Let me go change.” She hurried back up the stairs. “Meet you here in ten?”
Ely nodded—
A massive wave of heat shot through her, stealing her breath. She wavered and slapped a palm on the wall for purchase.Shit!
“Whoa—” Hands grabbed her. “Ely, you okay?” Shae’s voice came from a distance.
She shook her dizzy head. Tingles spread from her fingertips through her body. Power zinged, prickles of pain darting through her. The shadows on the stairwell trembled, or maybe that was her…
“I don’t know…” She swayed. Every part of her hurt. Gods, even her eyeballs felt like it was on fire.
“Oh, shit!” Shae gasped. “The shadows here are going crazy. C’mon!” she yelled, tightening her grip. “Let’s get out of here!”
Shadows?Fear constricted Ely like a noose. While those things were harmless to her, they could terrify her friend if they trapped her. Shae had never witnessed this side of Ely’s powers.
Hastily, she stepped back, and the shadows moved, too, swirling around her, keeping a worried Shae at bay. Panting now, Ely rubbed her hot eyes. “It’s just my powers,” she brushed it off. “I have to go and cool down.”
Ely dematerialized, reforming again on the snowy banks of a slow-moving river, her boots sinking into a snow pile. Tearing free of her clothes, boots unzipped and kicked off, she dove naked into the freezing river scattered with floating ice. She submerged herself deep under and slowed her breathing, grateful it was something else she could do for long periods…
It was the chill that finally had her pushing to the surface. How long she remained in there, she had no idea—
“Ely!”
At the frantic yell, she wiped the water from her face with numbed fingers, her head snapping toward the voice.
Nate?
He stood on the bank, her scattered clothes in his hands.
Breathing rapidly, happy to see him, she swam over, and the pile of clothes he held fell to the snow-covered ground. He grasped her hands and hauled her out, his gaze doing a frantic up-down search of her naked body as water ran down to seep into the snow. Then she frowned, taking in his sodden hair and clothes.
“What the hell happened?” he demanded. “I found your things scattered on the banks, and when you didn’t surface, I swam the damn freezing river searching for you for hours!—I thought you had a meeting? Did something happen? I’ll kill those bastards!”
