“I wanted to make sure you ate something,” he finally said.
Nia’s arms dropped to her sides, her stomach fluttering.
His eyes narrowed “Did you?”
She shook her head slowly.
He scowled. “Then eat.”
“Okay.” She pursed her lips. “That’s it?”
“Yeah. Eat.” He spun around and left.
Nia blinked and stared at the closed door. Mace’s appearance, his demand, muddled her already turbulent emotions. She pressed a hand to her stomach. What the hell was happening to her?
Turning around, she realized everyone stared. Nia grimaced, then returned to Kilian’s side.
“Rather intense fellow,” Sorley said, a pucker of concern marring his brow.
Ignoring the comment, she started to explain Kilian’s rehabilitation process and tried to invalidate the way her heart beat uncomfortably in her chest.
Chapter sixteen
Macewatchedthetyrosgrapple, giving pointers when someone did something truly asinine, but couldn’t stop glancing at his vambrace every other minute to check the time. As soon as he realized what he was doing, he made himself stop.
“Distracted?” Grey asked, jogging past him with one of the tyros.
Mace didn’t bother answering. Grey was already halfway across the arena by the time he’d thought of a suitable response. That last pass had marked the second time he and the student had been around.
“Parry, stop dancing and hit your opponent,” Mace ordered.
The tyro straightened and received a shot to the head for it. Mace shrugged. He’d sort of deserved it.
“Keep low,” Mace added. Though flat on his back, Parry couldn’t get any lower.
His eyes might be on his students, but his mind remained in Nia’s medical bay. He couldn’t get her face out of his head. She’d challenged him like a fierce mouse. To see her embrace her own authority, to act like a Tellusian…it did something to him he couldn’t explain.
“I feel as if your mind is elsewhere,” Grey said as he jogged by again, the tyro trying to keep up. Earlier, Grey had barked something about stamina to the kid.
Mace glanced at his vambrace again. Nia’s green light remained in the med bay. Elec gave him regular updates. He needn’t have the desire to return and make sure she’d eaten.
He shouldn’t be thinking of her at all.
“Is there a worry on your thoughts?” Grey asked, jogging by once more, this time the tyro lagging behind a few meters.
Mace shook his head, tracking his friend’s movements as he circled the perimeter of the sparring area, timing Grey’s pace.
“Good hit, Parry,” Mace barked. “Now don’t get cocky.”
The boy got cocky, and his opponent laid him out on the mat with a punch to the gut. She stood above him, smile wide. “Don’t get cocky either,” he said to her as she helped Parry off the mats.
Mace stuck out his foot.
Whatever Grey had been about to say, garbled into a whoosh of air and a half laugh as he tumbled, tucked, and somersaulted to his feet.
“Took you long enough,” Grey said, rolling his shoulders like he was working out a kink.
Mace shook his head at his friend. “Back at it!” he yelled to the sparring tyros who’d gotten distracted by their instructor’s almost-inelegant fall. The tyro who’d been running with Grey kept going.Smart.The boy hadn’t been dismissed yet.
