Page 135 of Ashborne: Defiance

I prayed it wasn’t so.

“…Koa is a powerhouse—you better watch out, Voski. She might steal Kham’s balls before too long.”

“Kham’s balls will remain firmly in place, though the same won’t be said for yours if you suggest otherwise to him,” Voski drawled from the other end of the table.

I grinned. I knew Koa was desperately in love with Kham, and admired him greatly. She often talked haltingly about the mate, and sent me images or memories of Kham with Voski, and while she didn’t seem to have the words, I was pretty certain she was showing him off—reminding me of his strength and beauty. And I couldn’t disagree. The gold-scaled male was stunning to look at and, according to Koa, very kind and loving.

I couldn’t help wondering why he’d chosen Voski, who seemed so sour.

Perhaps the light gleaming on his scales was supposed to brighten Voski’s dark countenance?

I was glad Voski spoke, because it gave me a reason to look at him without being obvious. He made the comment without looking up at his brothers, then stabbed at a green vegetable on his plate and shoved it into his mouth, chewing without a smile.

“Well, if our Grace was Chosen by a female of Koa’s strength, I think we can look forward to even greater things from both of them,” Ronen said, with a smile at me. “Perhaps take things a little slower the next few weeks, Grace. Otherwise, we’ll struggle to keep up.”

I giggled. I still couldn’t quite understand how falling had impressed them, but I was glad it was so.

But as I laughed and scanned the table, I caught the dark gaze of Voski, staring at me through strands of black hair, his eyes as black as his leathers.

I closed my mouth with a snap and quickly scooped up a forkful of potatoes, hunching, waiting for him to tell the others something I’d done wrong, or some way that I’d embarrassed myself so they wouldn’t think I could make a good Furyknight.

But he didn’t speak.

“Grace?” Bren murmured. I looked at her. She sat next to me, frowning.

“Yes?”

Her brows pinched and she turned back to Voski, opening her mouth, but before she could speak, he leaped to his feet, picking up his empty plate and pushing his chair back to squeeze out from between his brothers.

“I need to get Kham unharnessed and resting. We’ve had a lot of travel lately and we’ve only got a couple of days until we’re on patrol.”

A chorus of boos and teasing jabs rose from the men, but Bren just frowned at him, and Ronen stayed quiet.

“Congratulations, Grace. You did well today.” His voice was flat and he didn’t look at me as he passed behind his brothers’ chairs on the other side of the table.

“Th-thank you,” I said.

The men called after him, and someone threw a green bean that hit him in the head. He hunched, but didn’t turn on them, which surprised me. Just took his plate to the cleaning station, then strode out of the dining hall.

I wasn’t aware that I watched him until I heard his name murmured to my left.

Bren. Muttering to Ronen.

I didn’t catch what she’d said, but Ronen’s jaw was tight. He nodded, then shook his head when she leaned closer.

“Everyone is different. He needs space. Give it to him. That’s an order.”

Bren sat back, sighing, but she didn’t argue.

By the time we’d finished eating, my chest ached horribly, as if the muscles behind my ribs pulled away from the bone.

The men all had responsibilities, or plans, so we farewelled outside the dining hall. Bren stayed with me, but I caught her glance over her shoulder and would have gambled coin that she was looking in the direction of Donavyn.

“Thank you,” I said to her, squeezing her hand. “Your tip about how to stand on the net was very helpful.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you anything ahead of time. It’s all supposed to be a surprise.”

I shrugged. I didn’t mind. I’d enjoyed it.