“You’ll get there, but it’s time we stop avoiding it and letting you do it the slow way. You want to fly, then you’re going to do this with me every day,” she said, waiting for him to stand tall and regain his composure.
“Yeah,” he grunted, standing up straight again. “Let me try the offensive this time.”
“We’ll switch back and forth. I thought we would focus on your defenses so you could defend yourself if it’s needed.”
“Paranoid,” he muttered. Then he came forward, and the sparring began again. They switched between offensive and defensive roles every time he stumbled and lost his balance, which was often. She began to notice where he was having the most problems. If he needed to pivot, his tail would try to swing naturally to compensate and balance, but it wasn’t enough. It was just about relearning himself, and she knew only time and practice would get him there.
“What’s going on out here?” someone asked loudly.
Both of them stopped, shocked by the newcomer they hadn’t noticed. Zayden was in an awkward position, and her foot was between his feet. Somewhere in his fall, she got taken down as well, falling with him, both of them landing on their sides, staring at each other.
Mave winced in pain as she tried to push up. Zayden didn’t move at all, staring at her with a whole lot more guilt than she liked. In the process of getting up, she was over him, able to look down on him on his side, and felt her heart rate pick up as she realized the compromised position they were in.
“Well,” she said blandly, trying to ignore the attraction. He wasn’t looking at her directly, staring at the stone in annoyance and guilt. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “You need to get up so I can.”
“Yeah.” She pushed up and brushed her hands off, then reached down to help him. Once he was on his feet, she brushed the new dirt from his shoulders and side, trying to keep the abrasions from the day before clean. By the time she was done, he was breathing hard.
“I’m going in,” he said quickly. “I’ll wash up and make sure nothing gets infected. Thank you.”
He walked away before she could stop him, not that she wanted to. She knew an embarrassed male when she saw one, and since this wasn’t his fault, she wasn’t going to push him into any more for the day. If he needed to lick his wounds, he could do that.
Turning, she tried to find who had spoken. Dave was standing by the newcomer. Newcomers, actually. Mave didn’t have any reaction to seeing Trevan and Emerian next to the human.
“Good morning,” she called.
“Good morning,” Trevan said loud enough for her to hear. “We, uh, heard the swords from inside and got worried there might have been fighting. We didn’t mean to spook you. Dave explained what’s going on.”
He had a smooth voice, even when he was nervous. Mave eyed the Elvasi, still unsure of what she was going to do with him.
“It’s fine,” she said, walking closer, brushing more dirt from herself, discovering a place where something she landed on had cut her shoulder, but the bleeding was so slow, it didn’t bother her. “I should have worn my armor and remembered I had new neighbors who might get curious.” She looked between the three of them, noticing how Dave, the short-lived human, seemed the most comfortable. Trevan was nervous, but not scared. He was probably unsure, just like her. Emerian was the same anxious, submissive mess he was the day before, unable to pull his eyes off the ground.
“I’m not that dominant,” she said evenly, stepping in front of him. “And you are allowed to look at other Andinna. Just don’t challenge them with too much eye contact.”
His head came up slowly, and he nodded once their eyes met. There was a long silence as they all stood there. Mave wasn’t sure what to talk about or with who. She had questions for Trevan, but she wasn’t ready to ask them. She didn’t want to know the answers yet. One day, she would, but not yet.
“What’s next for your day?” Dave asked, stepping closer to her and cutting the tension in the group.
“I generally take a walk around the city, then…” She lifted her hands. “We can head over to the war hall, though. Most of the Company is probably over there, and I should try to be helpful.”
“Fine plan. Should I wait for you at the front door?”
“Yeah…” Mave already knew this was strange. Dave was acting like her servant now. That was something she was either going to need to get used to or fix. Never before had he asked her what she wanted. Normally, he brought orders and sympathy. This was different. “Let me get my armor on.”
She walked back inside, hissing as she pulled a small rock out of the cut. She flicked it aside, sighing. Once she was in her bathing room, she quickly washed off the cut, then pulled a clean set of her armor on.
Dave was waiting for her at the front door as promised, and they walked through Kerit together. It felt natural, walking with Dave through a city, people getting out of the way for them. The only thing they were missing was an Elvasi guard.
Should have asked Trevan to escort us. I could have recreated my entire life in Elliar for a morning.
She caught a glimpse of several gladiators wandering the streets. Some gave her hard, distrustful looks while others avoided her gaze.
When she reached the meeting building, she caught sight of Seventy-Two—Kenav—walking toward the building as well. Ducking in before he arrived, she decided it was best if she got to Alchan first. That way, if there was an altercation, she would either have back up or evidence the other gladiator couldn’t be trusted.
He’s Alchan’s cousin. Alchan didn’t seem really happy to see him on the pier, but maybe that was because of the history of the gladiators, not because they didn’t like each other before the War.
Mave went to the war room and found everyone.
“At least there’s no surprise party this time,” she said, walking up to the table. Mat immediately came to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Is something wrong?”
“I woke up alone. Zayden and I sparred a bit. Rain, can you go check on him? He’s…not in a good place, I think. It wasn’t the best sparring session.” She hated admitting that because she knew Zayden would want to kill her for saying anything, but there were only two people she thought could help Zayden get over his morning embarrassment, Rain or Matesh, and she wanted to keep Matesh with her. “And Seventy-Two is on his way, I think, so I would like it if you just disappeared, anyway.”
Rain stepped around Alchan, looking at the king for confirmation. Alchan looked at her before nodding to Rain, who took his chance to leave out a side door. Only a second later, her nemesis walked in. Mat’s hands on her tightened, Bryn slid to her side, and Luykas straightened up, looking just as regal as his brother. Alchan, Nevyn, Varon, and Kian all seemed as relaxed as they had when she walked in.
“Cousin,” Kenav greeted, bowing only a small amount.
“Fix that,” Luykas ordered. Kenav froze before he was done with the bow, and Mave watched his face go hard, but the bow deepened.
“Your Majesty.”
“What do you need, Kenav?” Alchan asked, ignoring the moment completely. “We’re working on the rationing right now, so if it’s about the amount of food given to the gladiators, we’re already working on it.”
“I only wanted to ask what your plans were for the future. I understand this is a rebellion, and you lead it, but I want to be prepared for any movement, or if I need to put the warriors back on their training regimen. Many of them are soft from the trip, and if you wish to use them in combat, they need time to build their strength again.”
“They didn’t practice on the ships?” Mave asked, then silently kicked herself for opening her mouth when Alchan’s eyes fell on her. They both knew she had asked to piss the male off and make him look bad. She wanted them all to look bad because to her, they were.
Warriors. Not a single one of them is a warrior. They’re bullies who got off on the bloodsport they hat
ed me for dominating.
“I’ll have more information for you tonight,” Alchan said to his cousin. “We can’t move until we figure out the rationing situation.”
“You’re going to feed the warriors enough to build their bodies back up, right?” Kenav’s entire attitude was disrespectful, and she couldn’t help but wonder the reason. There were several possibilities, either about her, about Seventy-Two himself, or even Alchan. Whatever the reason, he was addressing Alchan with the same lackadaisical attitude the Company did. It was a familiarity she didn’t think he deserved for some reason.
“We’re going to feed them what we can afford right now. Kerit had a lot of bounty, but I’ve been feeding a force for two weeks now, and we need to leave some for those who are going to defend the city.” Alchan remained calm. “Don’t worry. No one is going to starve or be severely weakened, but I can’t make promises they’ll be eating to bulk up either.”
“We’ve been living off scraps for centuries—”
“I know,” Alchan growled. “You’ve been heard, and you got my answer. You can go, cousin.”
Kenav looked struck, dismissed like that. His eyes flicked to Mave, who lifted her chin for the staredown. He obviously thought she had something to do with this by the look on his face and the rage in his eyes.
Sucks, doesn’t it? To find me standing here, yet find yourself locked on the outside of what is probably the most powerful group of Andinna in the world. I stand by the king, and you find yourself dismissed.
For the first time, Mave understood the pleasure of being included and seeing someone she hated excluded. She also understood how easy it would be to become just like him, excluding those she didn’t like because she could, not based on their own merits. She made a promise to herself in that moment of time, staring the male down.
I won’t be like you. Prove yourself worthy, Kenav, and I’ll be the first person who welcomes you into our group.
“Go, Kenav,” Alchan ordered again, this time leaving no other option for the male. Kenav walked out quickly, and Mave snarled at the door after it closed.
“I hate him,” she snapped. “Why are we putting up with him?”
“Besides the fact he’s my cousin? He obviously has some sway over the gladiators, and he’s used to leadership,” Alchan answered, sighing. “I was close to him when I was very young before my bedru tendencies became more apparent. Once Luykas moved to Anden, he and I were barely on speaking terms. It deteriorated fast after that, and eventually, we found ourselves rivals.”
“He always lost,” Luykas said with a dry chuckle. “Alchan and I beat him at everything. He’s not bad, though. He was just overshadowed by us, like a lot of other politically aspiring males around our age. It breeds a certain resentment from some.” He stepped closer to her, offering a hand. “Since you’ve arrived, you can help us with deciding their training regimen. If Kenav is stupid enough to think we’re leaving it up to him, he’s well and truly lost his mind.”
Mave laughed and took the hand.
“Don’t let them get onto you about food,” she said immediately, walking closer to Alchan. “We lived off something I called slop yet kept our muscle definition and fought well. We weren’t allowed to starve ourselves because we were expensive property. If they tell you otherwise, they’re lying.”
“Good to know,” he smirked. “My cousin is an asshole, but thank you for not picking a fight with him the moment he walked in.”
“He deserves a chance,” she said, shrugging. She only half-believed the words she was saying, but since she didn’t want to be like Seventy-Two, she would live by them. “I got one.”
10
Zayden
Zayden fought to get up the stairs, sore and disappointed in himself. He hated it. He hated not being good at the one thing he thought he would never lose. Being a warrior was part of his identity, and he’d stumbled like a child who had never held a sword before. It was embarrassing in front of Mave and had become unbearable when he’d taken her down with him when the two fucking new charges of the Company had interrupted.
I’m a failure. I couldn’t protect Alchan, I got my own tail cut off, and now I’m a worthless warrior. All I have is…
I have nothing. Rain is living away from me. Mave doesn’t need me here. Her males are all together. What am I even doing anymore?
He felt old. Earlier in the winter, he’d felt hopeful for some fucking reason. He’d felt like he could claim a future again, move on and build something new in the wake of his son growing up. He was even moving on from Summer. He would always love his first wife, but he missed being part of an Andinna family. It was one of the reasons he had enjoyed living with Mat and Mave and the rest of them. He could remember everything he’d loved about life a long time ago.
No female is going to want a cripple who can’t do the one thing he’s supposed to be skilled at. And Skies know I don’t have a winning personality. Never have.
He stumbled into his room and fell onto his furs, groaning as he remembered that many of them, he’d hunted and retrieved ages ago for him and Summer. Something about that pissed him off, so he got back up and took those out, leaving him with only a third of his furs, and even some of those were so old, they had to be replaced soon. There was a lot of treatments Andinna used to keep furs healthy and clean for so long, but those eventually failed, especially when the furs were constantly moved around and exposed to the elements as his had been.
It felt like his life was falling apart. Everything he had taken comfort in for centuries was failing him. Even his bed brought no comfort, and he knew he wouldn’t find any way to sleep and heal while he was in it.
Deciding on a different course of action, he went into the bathing room across the hall from his room and began to prepare a hot bath. He hated it too. He liked bathing in hot springs or even cold mountain streams. This was all too much for him, but it was convenient, and leaving the city to clean himself was impossible for him now. Once the bath was full enough, he sank in, pulling his wings close and looking down.
How the hell is that still there?
He was still hard. He had been the moment Mave rose above him outside, giving him the view of a lifetime, her body stretched over him while he laid bare-chested at her mercy. His cock had risen to attention, and he was glad no one had been cruel enough to point it out. He didn’t even know if she had noticed it.
The attraction he had toward her had begun building during their trip to Ellantia. It was getting worse. The close quarters with her were slowly driving him mad. She was the reason Summer was becoming a distant memory of fondness and not the aching hole he’d had for so long. And her relationship with Rainev didn’t hamper his attraction. No, he loved that she was close to his son. Very few females could claim that since Rain naturally avoided the dominant females Zayden would have had any interest in. If Rainev liked her, that was just another positive—in an extensive and thorough list of positives.
He grabbed the base of his shaft, groaning. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want the same female as his oldest friend. He didn’t want Mave. He couldn’t. She’d made it clear that any attraction he could have for her was unwanted and distasteful, but that didn’t stop his cock from jumping to attention the moment he found himself in a compromised position with her.
He finished quickly, trying not to think about how he could hear her at nights with the rest of them. Sadly, it was the very thing he could imagine every time he tried to close his eyes. They were having typical Andinna sex, something Zayden had actually never been a part of. He’d never had a chance to engage in that worshiping group sex of a large Andinna family.
He’d loved Summer, but he’d fallen for her in spite of himself. He’d always wanted to be a part of a large family—a couple of kids running around, other males to enjoy a familial bond and friendship, and a female they all revolved around. He’d wanted it for most of his life.
Now, he lived on the outside of one, able to pretend a l
ittle, with a female he was attracted to. He’d known shortly after Al Moro Nat, he needed to move out quickly. With Bryn back and Luykas joining her family, it was only becoming more tempting to approach her again. He couldn’t, not unless he wanted to be crushed by her rejection for a second time.
He finished and hated himself, glad he was in the water and didn’t have to do the shameful act of cleaning up after that.
Something is very wrong with me.
He cleaned off his newest injuries, accidental cuts from Mave and a fresh bit of open skin from the last fall, then jumped out of the tub, angry with himself. He leaned on the counter in the bathing room and turned on the fancy plumbing to start the water, then threw cold water over his face. When he looked up, he froze in shock.
Is that…me?
He reached out and touched the mirror. They weren’t common in Anden, and the Andinna didn’t make it a point to put them in their homes. It was a vain Elvasi addition to the house. He wasn’t shocked by the mirror, though. He was shocked by what he saw in it.
Youth—he saw the face of a man who was thousands of years younger than how he felt. Zayden knew he wasn’t old. He wasn’t even middle-aged. But most days? He felt older than Leshaun, who was well past his prime.
Zayden had no wrinkles, no telltale marks of time, no blemishes on his skin. His sapphire eyes were like pristine jewels, and he suddenly realized what everyone said when they claimed Rain had gotten his eyes. They weren’t lying. He’d always thought they were flattering him because his son came out looking like he was meant for amazing things.
Zayden had never considered they were being honest.
His body was broad and well-muscled. His tatua was appealing in shape around his eyes and curled around his cheekbones.
He didn’t know the male staring back at him in the mirror. He didn’t understand the youthful, attractive Andinna everyone apparently saw.
He heard stomping on the stairs, shaking him out of his confusion for a moment.
The Enemy's Triumph Page 11
