Page 51 of Specter Bred

"Fuck!" I cried out.

I jerked back. Years of bullet impacts had chewed apart the target's edge, leaving a jagged strip of twisted metal sharp as a blade. It sliced through my forearm like butter. Blood immediately spilled, dripping down my fingertips and splattering the dirt below.

For a moment, time seemed to slow.

And all hell broke loose.

Before anyone could react, someone slammed into Redwood. One second he was standing over me. The next, he was airborne.

A growl ripped through the training field. Not a yell or a command. It was a growl so low and guttural, vibrating with such raw and primal power that for a second, it didn’t sound human at all.

Redwood hit the side of a blind, hard enough to rattle the plywood.

Then Graves was on him.

One massive hand wrapped around the front of Redwood's shirt, pinning him against the structure before he could even catch his breath.

"What the fuck was that, Redwood?"

The entire training ground fell silent. Every recruit froze. Even Teller and Long looked as if they wanted to disappear.

"Sir, Archer was—"

The excuse died halfway out of his mouth. Graves didn't look interested in explanations. He looked interested in murder. And Redwood knew it. More importantly, he knew exactly what it would sound like if he finished that sentence.

Archer called me names.

Archer hurt my feelings.

Archer made me mad.

It wouldn't make him look justified. It would make him look weak. A grown man losing control because a woman got under his skin. His lips snapped shut.

Smart.

Unfortunately for him, Graves didn't seem any calmer.

His grip tightened.

"Did I ask what Archer said?"

"No, sir."

"Did I ask who started it?"

"No, sir."

Graves's voice dropped lower.

"What I asked was why I just watched you put your hands on another recruit."

Redwood swallowed.

For the first time since I'd met him, Miles actually looked nervous. All his cocky bravado melted away, and his posture became submissive. Graves's grip tightened on the front of Redwood's shirt, bunching the fabric in his fist as he pinned him against the side of the blind.

"I need men who can lead," he said, his voice low and deadly calm. "Men with enough aggression to battle and enough brains to recognize when they're being baited."

Redwood swallowed hard.