Nia pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “I’m not married.”
“Right. Definitely not married. I totally agree with you.” Dee emphasized her statement with a nod. “Wait. Were you married before you came here? Had someone special?”
Nia shook her head. “No. Too busy to concentrate on that.”
Her mind went to Calvin, the last person she’d dated. It was strange, but she hadn’t thought of him in days, weeks even. Her old, CORE life seemed so far away. But now she was so removed from it, she thought of their interactions and shuddered. How had she stayed with him for so long? Why had she accepted it, taking enhancers to make it more bearable? The whole concept seemed absurd.
Nia rubbed her forehead, a headache pulsing in her frontal bone. “I’m not married,” she said again. She couldn’t get married without knowing it, right?
It was completely ridiculous, and she needed to know the truth. “Where would he be right now?”
“Who?”
“Mace,” she said between gritted teeth.
“Oh. Ah.” Dee swallowed, turning to get a good look at Nia. The pink hue of her cheeks disappeared as the color drained from her face. “Either training or the command center I would guess. The command center is off limits to civilians, so we can’t—”
“Then we’ll check this training place first.”
When Dee didn’t move, Nia gestured with her hands. “Now.”
Chapter twenty-four
Thegrapplingsessionhadturned brutal.
It was supposed to be a demonstration, but with all of Mace’s pent-up frustration, it turned into something else. Keeping his gaze locked on Grey, he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and it came away smeared with blood. Mace’s torn uniform hung from his shoulders, and he removed it entirely, throwing it to the side.
His friend had finally lost his patience with him, and the look in Grey’s eyes promised the beating of a lifetime. Mace wholly embraced it. He needed it. Maybe it would finally clear the fog hovering in his brain for the past few weeks. But he also wouldn’t take it lying down.
Cracking his bruised knuckles, then his neck, he squared off with Grey, fully aware of the tyros cloaked in tense silence, surrounding them in a loose ring. Blood trickled from near Grey’s eye and the corner of his mouth.
Equally matched, they circled each other, searching for an opening. In their emotional states, if one of them made a move, they better make sure they had an advantage.
When his movements aligned him with a clear view of the entrance, he froze. Nia gripped the railing at the top of the landing, staring at them. His eyes drank her in. Curly hair framed her face in wild disarray. She wore one of outfit styles she seemed to prefer, beige leggings and long sweater dress in burgundy. Dee stood at her side.
Mace saw the flash of movement a second too late. Grey slammed into him with the force of a Destroyer at maximum speed. They tumbled to the mat, and Mace’s instincts kicked in, not allowing Grey to get the upper hand. But the damage was already done, and within moments, Grey had Mace pinned in an unbreakable hold.
“Yield,” Mace said, slapping the mat with his free hand.
Releasing him, Grey rolled onto his feet and extended a hand. The look in his friend’s eyes said it all: distractions would get him killed. Ironic since it was something Mace spouted to the tyros almost every day.
Mace took the offered hand and jumped to his feet, wiping a frustrated hand over his face. He had no excuses.
“I hope you all learned something there,” Grey said to the spectators, but Mace had already returned his attention to the women near the door.
It had been too long since he’d seen Nia. He’d stayed away to protect her. She was too appealing, too enticing…and she shouldn’t be. Not to him. No matter what the old laws said, he had no right.
That didn’t stop the contentment pumping through him at seeing her with his eyes. Of course he knew she was fine, Elec sent him updates all the time, but his chest settled at the sight of her.
When he strode toward her, she flew down the stairs—like she couldn’t contain her excitement at seeing him. His heart leaped in his chest. But as he neared, he noticed her flushed face, clenched jaw, and fisted hands. His steps faltered.
Her shout echoed loudly across the space. “Are we married?” She stopped in front of him with her chest heaving and chin raised.
All movement, all sound, abruptly halted around them. Mace felt every eye in the matted arena.
His gaze shot to Dee trailing behind her, whose outlined eyes were widened with unease and apology. Whatever conversation she and Nia had, the damage was done.
Stepping forward to block the tyros’ inquisitive stares, he took Nia’s elbow in his hand. “Let’s go somewhere—”
