“No luck today, I take it?”
Yri twitches in his sleep, groaning and starting to wake up. “Maybe we should trade, I’m fucking exhausted. You should be the blacksmith instead.”
I grab a beer from the fridge, sitting down across from Caius and grin. “Can’t, I already have a job; bodyguard.”
Cai snorts out a surprised laugh. “What type of wimp would actually hire a bodyguard? Wouldn’t people want to kick his ass on principle? What sort of men do they raise in this country?”
I take a long pull of my beer. “Who said it was for a guy?”
Yri’s eyes fly open, fully awake now. “You brilliant motherfucker. Why didn’t I think of that?”
I laugh heartily. “I wouldn’t feel too upset, Yri. She was hiding your shirt under her pillow, so looks like you made an impression.”
He sits up, rolling his shoulders and practically skipping to the fridge to get his own drink before coming back to relax on the couch. “Looks like you get to suck your own dick, Cai,” he jabs, taking a long drink from his beer.
I try to smother my laughter. “Now, now, Yri, give him some more credit than that. After spending the evening in her home, it would seem she and Caius have something in common beyond the races.” I pointedly take the time to go get another beer, drawing out the suspense and waiting to see if he’ll bite. Cai may be cynical, but it’s with good reason. It’s dangerous to get your hopes up, especially in this day and age.
“You going to spit it out or what?” he finally snaps, caving to his curiosity.
I twist off the cap and take one more drink, drawing out his torture like the sick bastard I am. “She has an entire model gauntlet taking over her room. Made completely out of Legos.”
Caius narrows his eyes at me. “You swore you’d never say anything.”
I laugh. “And I didn’t, just enjoyed the discovery.”
Yri claps his hands. “It’s official. She’s perfect.”
“Wait a minute, why did she agree to let you be her bodyguard? After the way she acted after the race, that doesn’t make sense,” Caius asks, so I fill them in on everything they missed and it casts a shadow over the room as memories threaten to resurface.
“She seriously had no idea about mating heats?” Caius asks incredulously. “Just how sheltered did her brothers keep her?”
I grunt. “Pretty sheltered, and it seems the whole town is in cahoots. At first, I couldn’t reconcile that with letting her run the death race, but I get it now.”
Vyrian nods sadly. “It’s the only freedom they had to give her. She’s never left the city, has she?”
I shake my head. “Doesn’t sound like it. Seems she thinks it’s like this everywhere.”
Cai sighs, swiping a hand over his face. “I hate to admit it, and hate the way they’re going about it, but it might just give her a fighting chance.”
“I toned it back when her brother gave me a warning kick, scaling back the severity of the problem. I made it sound like it was just the beginning of a rebel group instead of telling her the truth.”
That once she’s mated, she’s going to have to make it to a Sanctuary if she hopes to survive.
