And for the first time in years, he slept soundly.
Chapter Twelve
With the calendar rolling into March, Kajwas starting to get restless. More so than usual.
He figured it had a lot to do with the fact he’d yet to fully integrate himself in the new role as Alpha of his race, choosing to come up with one excuse after another: Michael’s request for him to pledge his loyalty, the insistence that he resurrect the original vampire, the notion of his daughter mating that ancient fanged creature. All those weighed heavily on his mind, making it impossible to address the important issues facing his race.
His main focus these past few days had been building his strength. When he wasn’t spending time in the gym, he was at Acadia’s vein, utilizing her blood for its potency. Not to mention, a reason to be in her presence. Though they had yet to consummate their newfound relationship, Kaj had been working in that direction. Albeit slower than he would’ve liked.
But he wanted to think that things were looking up in all aspects of his world. Hence the reason he’d been summoned.
Of course, he would’ve preferred his Fae had called for him, rather than Obsidian requesting his presence, but hey, he wasn’t going to bitch. Right now, he needed something to focus on, and the male’s current pet project was as good as any.
When Obsidian finally offered up an invitation to the new training facility, Kaj had eagerly accepted. Why the male had been so secretive up to this point, he wasn’t sure, but he was eager to get a look-see and offer to contribute in any way necessary. Yes, another excuse to put off the inevitable. So what.
Now, as Kaj stood within the walls of what looked to be nothing more than an enormous concrete box, he had to wonder what all the fuss was about.
“This?” Kaj asked, peering over at Obsidian. “This is your idea of a training facility?”
The great expanse before him was nothing more than stone and concrete at the moment. A section of the mountain that had been dredged out, shored up, and cemented in so that it resembled a usable, albeit uninspired space. Where were the walls? The equipment? The tools necessary to create the next generation of warriors?
“Keep an open mind, vampire,” Obsidian quipped.
Open mind. Right.
“How big is it?” Kaj inquired.
“Roughly ten acres,” the male answered. “So, in square feet, that’s…”
“Four hundred thirty-five thousand, six hundred,” Blaz noted. “Give or take based on your ‘roughly.’”
Obsidian smirked. “Exactly.”
“So, what? Half the size of Angel Central?” Kaj teased.
Obsidian smirked. “We do what we can.”
Kaj studied the space. There were absolutely no windows because of its location within the mountain, which was crucial. No risk of attacks from the exterior, nor concerns they’d be incinerated by the sun by accident, something Kaj was all too familiar with after the first shutter malfunction they’d encountered at the Lair. According to Blaz, they no longer had to worry, but Kaj was skeptical. Last thing he wanted was to wake up dead.
Obsidian motioned him toward a table. “Miklós and Huracan finalized the blueprint early this morning. We are officially a go.”
Kaj scanned the sheet of paper covering the entire table. From the looks of it, they’d thought of pretty much everything. Workout space, equipment and physical therapy rooms, a two-story weapons training area, mess hall, sleeping quarters with attached bathrooms, recreation room, separate locker rooms for males and females including shower stalls and changing areas. Plus a—
“You’re putting a pool down here?”
Obsidian grinned. “Of course. Olympic-sized with eight lanes. Pivotal to training, don’t you think?”
Not quite the training Kaj had undergone, but hey, when there was no expense to be spared, he figured there was no need to go medieval.
“Trainees will reside in the dorm.” Obsidian pointed to a section on the page. “We can house fifty trainees at a time.”
“Fifty?”
The male peered over at him. “Michael’s rather optimistic. I’d prefer we keep the classes to somewhere in the vicinity of twenty-five max. But the extra space will allow the graduates a place to reside.”
As for the size of the classes, Kaj had to agree with him. When it came to building a powerful force, it wasn’t about quantity but rather quality.
“We’ve also added classrooms, offices, and three gun ranges.”
