“Wait, wait.” A woman’s voice spun us around to see Kek strolling in the door, her blue hair loose and messy, with a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. “Did I miss you two rolling around together? All hot and sweaty and moaning... Can we rewind, please? I think you need to reenact every move. Without clothes.”
Both Luk and I huffed in amusement, our eyes rolling.
“You don’t even have to pretend to enjoy it. Actually, it would be hotter.” She twirled her fingers, telling us to return to the mat.
“Why don’t you go instead?” Luk indicated to her. “Be my guest.”
“Look, I have no problem rolling around naked with her.” Kek nodded to me, then scanned him up and down. “Or you... or even better, both at one time. But I don’t work out. It’s like pointless foreplay for demons. Plus, it’s against my religion.”
“You’re a demon; you don’t have a religion,” I quipped.
“Exactly!” Kek pushed back the strands of hair in her face like they annoyed her. “Just being me is enough. Show me assholes who need to be taken down right then, I’m your girl, but I don’t ‘fake’ fight or get sweaty unless there’s a point.”
“How about breakfast instead?” Lukas asked.
“How about breakfast then sex, pretty boy?” Kek padded his toned chest. “I swear I could change your mind.”
“I doubt it.” He pushed past her, heading for the door. “I really crave sausage for breakfast.”
Chapter
Three
We barely made it ten steps before a crackle sounded from above, a voice coming from a speaker. “Attention! First Unit, report for debriefing in ops room as soon as possible. I repeat, First Unit report to ops room for debriefing.” There was a slight pause. “Also report to the briefing, new member X.”
A buzz of activity came from the canteen across the way, a few people jogging out, and I saw Tracker instantly respond, grabbing his items and leaving the gym area.
“That’s us.” Luk tapped my arm. “We’ve got to go.”
“Me?”
“You’re X, right?” Luk started to turn the opposite way, waving me on. “Come on.”
“Better go, little lamb.” Kek flicked her head to follow Luk. “Looks like your test day is already here.”
“Test day?”
“Prove your loyalty to the cause,” Kek spoke over her shoulder, heading for the canteen. “Try not to die. Hate to think I spent so much energy saving your bony ass for it to die now.”
“Come on!” Luk yelled back to me, my feet moving to catch up with him, anxiety over what was going to happen tapping at the pulse in my neck.
Lukas directed me upstairs, forgoing the elevator. It was only a floor up, but the moment we pushed out onto the top floor, fatigue punched me in the gut, curving me over and rendering me breathless.
What the hell? What was going on with me? Bakos used to make us do five hundred steps twice a day. It had to be the chloroform. That stuff had wicked aftereffects. Still, I shouldn’t be this tired suddenly.
“You okay?” Luk peered back at me.
“Yeah, fine.” I forced a smile on my face, pushing through the heavy sensation.
“We’ll get some food before we head out wherever we’re going.”
“Where are we going?”
“About to find out.” He turned into a room, me right on his tail. It had a large table and creaky metal chairs. A screen was pulled down where a detailed map of what looked like a train station in Prague was projected.
Tracker, Ava, Blade, Sab, and two others I didn’t know were already settling in around the table when we walked in.
Mykel’s eyes slid to me, giving me a nod, affirming he wanted me present.
