by Heather Karn
Lee’s eyes bugged. I’d never spoken to him like that in public, in private, yes, but never in front of anyone. Like every fight, I wondered if this would be the one where Raven would see his mistake and change his mind.
“Let’s do this,” I told Avery, my voice low and cool. Raising my fists, I almost laughed. What good would these be against claws and fangs?
The snow leopard stood and rolled his shoulders, keeping eye contact with me. His blue eyes were carefully blank. It made it difficult to know what he was thinking about my statement to Lee, and I wanted to know. I also wanted him not to tell Raven, but since they were best friends, I didn’t see that happening, even if I begged.
“Don’t you dare take it easy on me,” I warned him, to which he nodded again.
His body tensed, ready to spring. Taking a good look at him, I realized he was smaller than I thought he was at first. While his body was long, he only stood about three feet tall. That didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. His claws were probably long and sharp, and he was quick. I’d seen that when he attacked the first time.
He leapt. Instead of avoiding him, I braced myself, and at the last second, ducked under him. As his body flew over me, I shoved my shoulder up into the softness of his belly, and shifted my weight, throwing him to the side. Unfortunately, he landed mere feet away from Lee, who became his next target. After that, I lost track of time, space, and what happened around us.
It became apparent that Avery wasn’t out to harm us, but to teach us how to avoid his strikes and to keep us on our toes. He knocked me on my butt more than once when he feigned attacking Lee and came at me instead before I had a chance to back away. By the time Avery strode to his pile of clothes, crossing the dreaded line my friend and his team had kept both me and Lee inside the whole time, I was a sweaty mess and my jeans were beginning to chafe. It would’ve been nice if Raven had mentioned sparring when we’d headed out this morning.
“Neither one of them did too bad for their first time in the gym,” the unknown man chuckled. I assumed he spoke to Avery, but when I looked to him, I found Raven standing beside him. “They both have great potential.”
“It’ll take time,” Raven confirmed, shaking the man’s hand. “Thank you and your team for helping them learn about the square, Benny.”
“Any time, Captain. It was a pleasure to watch. In fact, I learned a few things. We were working in the next square over and decided to watch the cadets.” Benny noticed me watching them and winked. “Good job, kid.” I supposed he could call me a kid since I was a new recruit and at least twenty years his junior.
“Thanks,” I murmured.
Now that I wasn’t being shoved back into a taped off square by a group of strangers, I took the time to study them. Two men spoke with Lee on the far side of the square. One was definitely a magic user of some kind, and the other appeared human. It was still a bit uncanny how I knew this, but I didn’t dwell on it. The woman on the team crouched next to Avery, and I sensed a feline spirit from her.
“Are you ready to visit the arsenal?” Raven asked from beside me, making me jump since I hadn’t seen or sensed him approach. “Always be aware of your surroundings.”
“Yes, Sir. And sure, but I don’t have enough money to buy anything. It would be fun to look, though.”
The Arsenal was the building next door that housed all of the Elite’s weapons when not in use and spare weapons for the college, but the most prominent part of the building was the three levels of weapons for sale. Most of the finer weapons would never be in my price range, even with an Elite discount. The normal weapons were affordable, in another five years when I’d saved enough. Anything I could afford wasn’t the best quality, though it was reliable. Every few months Lee, Oscar, and I would venture over to see if there were any new weapons available. It was window shopping at its finest, and most expensive.
“We aren’t going to look,” Raven corrected, striding to the wall to pick up the boxes containing our boots. I grabbed my box and followed Raven as he headed toward the exit.
Lee and Avery were still busy with Benny’s team, so it was Raven and I making this excursion. Once outside of the large gym, the cooler air sunk into my sweaty clothes, leaving me with a slight chill. Two women passed us in the hall, and one brushed against me on accident. The tickle at the back of my throat roared to life like it hadn’t done while I’d sparred, forcing me to retrieve the nearly empty water bottle from my box. I drained it, but spotted a drinking fountain down the hall. With it refilled, I downed half of it in a few gulps.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Raven asked, his tone ordering me to tell him some secret I didn’t know.
“I’m fine.” I coughed once more before filling the bottle again and shoving it back in the box. “I’m probably coming down with something.”
“I see.”
Raven led me out to the SUV where we deposited the boxes, and then we walked side by side to the Armory.
The first floor consisted of reception, special orders, and weapons on reserve. Instead of waiting for the elevator, Raven took us up the stairs, which was a good stretch after my sparring session. Thinking that, I tried to fix my hair, which was soaking wet with sweat. There was no way I’d look presentable, so I gave up. This hot mess was doing her job and following her trainer around. If someone had a problem with the way I looked, and smelled at this point, they could take it up with Raven.
“You already have a set of knives,” Raven stated, skipping the second floor, which was mostly knives and similar weapons. The next floor consisted of swords, spears, and other bigger weapons. He entered this floor and walked to the center of the room. Since I was here so often, I knew where I wanted to go.
When Raven stopped, I continued on into the sword section. Some of the pricier, yet also most popular, swords were famous sword replicas that had been adjusted so they had deadly accuracy. I passed these up in my search for my favorite. It lay in the back under a glass case, and it was likely the most expensive sword in the whole store, but I couldn’t not come here without looking at it.
Lying in a bed of silk, the sword resembled a medieval style blade, except that it was nowhere near as heavy as an original medieval blade. Runes were marked into the blade and handle, a spell of protection for the blade and the reason the blade was lightweight. The runes on the handle had something to do with that, but the card listing the swords qualities didn’t go into any explanations besides the blade would never rust, break, or be damaged in any way and it was both heavy and light enough for the user.
“Of all the weapons in this room, you gravitate to this?” Raven asked over my shoulder as I all but drooled over the sword.
“It’s beautiful.”
“And expensive.”
I leaned back and shot him an impatient glare. “I know that. I’ll never afford it, but it’s kind of tradition to see this baby whenever I come here.”
Raven snorted and smirked. “You ever ask to hold it?”
I mimicked his reaction. “You honestly think they’d let me touch it? I’m nobody, and I can’t afford it, so there’s no reason to even pay me any attention. They’d never take me seriously. But I get your point. Start looking for a reasonable weapon. Got it. Gone.”
One step was all I managed before Raven’s hand closed around my shoulder. “Stay here,” he growled and disappeared between a few display cases. Since I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere, or face Raven’s bad attitude again, I spent my time staring at the blade.
Raven returned a few minutes later being followed by an Armory associate who kept casting Raven nervous glances. When he saw me, his mood shifted to add irritation. I’d told Raven they’d never let me near the sword.
“Open the case,” Raven ordered when the man didn’t move to automatically do so.
“Sir, I don’t care who you are. I’m only authorized to open this case for anyone who is seriously interested in purchasing this sword. If you only want to touch it, you’ll ne
ed to speak to my manager because I won’t open it.”
Raven turned fully to the man, who was a year or two older than I was, and folded his arms across his chest which made his biceps bulge. “Open that case.” If the size of his arms and chest weren’t enough, the threat of bodily harm in Raven’s voice made it clear what the outcome would be if the man didn’t follow his instructions.
“Yes, Sir.” The associate fumbled with the keys, but finally managed to stick the key in the lock and turn it. Once the case was unlocked, he opened it to reveal a clear path to the sword.
Both men took a step back, anticipating me stepping forward to take the blade. The associate murmured a warning for me to not cut myself when I positioned my body in front of the sword, breathless with wonder and anticipation. I didn’t need the warning about cutting myself because my hands were shaking so bad that I’d be keeping them as far from all sharp edges as possible.
Reaching my hand out, it hovered over the hilt for a good thirty seconds before I wrapped my hand around it. The runes on the handle glowed a bright, light blue before dimming. It was almost like they flashed, but I’d seen them, and I had an inclination I knew what had occurred.
I tightened my grip a second before lifting the sword from its silky bed. The weight was perfect. Even the length of the hilt and blade was optimal for my hand and height. With no glass case surrounding the sword to keep me out, I brought it closer to my face to inspect. I’d had my nose plastered to that case so many times, and at no point had I ever believed I would have the opportunity to touch the majestic piece of weaponry art.
“Wow,” I breathed, studying the blade with far more intensity than I’d studied any textbook in my life. “This is…wow, this is amazing.”
“How much is it?” Raven asked the associate. It was general knowledge that no price was listed on the display to keep anyone from knowing its true worth. We all knew we’d never be able to afford the beautiful piece.
“Sir,-.”
“How much?” Raven’s growl stilled the man, who swallowed hard as his face paled under my trainer’s burning magenta stare.
The Armory associate rattled off a number with so many zeros I nearly lost my grip on the blade. Sure, I’d known it was expensive, but I hadn’t realized until this moment how much it was worth. While all I wanted to do was toss the thing back into the case where it belonged, Raven’s next words stopped me.
“I’ll take it.”
My breath hitched in my throat. Raven was buying this sword? Was it even worth that much money? Didn’t he have more than enough weapons already?
“You want to hold it before you buy it?” I squeaked, extending my hand to offer it to him, but he was already shaking his head.
“It’s not for me.”
Even the associate stared dumbfounded at the Captain. If the sword wasn’t for him, then it was for me. It had to be, but I couldn’t wrap my head around why he’d do something like this.
“Captain-.” I stared at him, then the sword, and back at him, any other words lost. My brain couldn’t come up with any more than that.
Raven quirked his lips into a wicked grin that sent a chill up my spine. “Don’t worry. You’ll pay me back with your blood, sweat, and tears as we perfect your sword mastery. I’ll enjoy every drop.”
And I was sure he would.
Chapter 15
With the sword tucked away into the fanciest, most high-tech security case I’d ever witnessed, complete with fingerprint scanner, we were all set to check out at the register. This was after Raven had found more items to purchase for me, including a few small axes that I could hang at my hip, a crossbow and bolts, and a complete set of throwing knives. When he took us into a side shop of exercise equipment and clothes, I beat him to the check-out counter in that area and paid for those supplies. The amount of money he’d already spent on me was staggering, and my pride couldn’t take anymore.
“What’s this?” Avery chuckled, waiting with Lee beside the SUV while we approached with arms loaded down with several bags and a sword case. “Did you buy the entire Armory?”
The grand total of Raven’s purchases today likely looked like it.
Raven shook his head at his best friend. “No. I wanted Koda to have more weapons. It can’t hurt.”
“No, probably not with her fighting skills.” Avery took the sword case from me before crawling into the SUV. He placed it on the backseat along with my other purchases. Okay, yes my skills needed work, but I wasn’t sure how a sword the price of an expensive sportscar would help me.
“Let’s head out,” Raven called, sliding into the passenger seat, waking me from a daydream of me being choked to death by a ghoul, sword in hand but useless since I couldn’t use it well enough.
Yet, I reminded myself. I couldn’t use it up to the standard Raven required, yet.
Climbing in behind the wheel, I buckled up, and with no exciting distractions, the rawness in my throat was back. The tickle was now a light burn, and I tried to keep from clearing my throat. That would only bring more attention to the problem, but even without noise, I caught Raven staring from the corner of my eye. I chose to ignore his stare, concentrating on backing out of the stall instead.
“Next time back in,” Raven instructed. “Or find a pull through space.”
“Yes, Sir,” I grumbled, aiming the SUV toward the headquarters driveway.
“Do you want to swing by your old home to grab some pajamas, or do you want to keep sleeping in my shirt?” Raven asked, arching a brow at me. It wasn’t a suggestive move, but a flush crept up my neck and into my cheeks anyway. Every time I pulled his shirt over my head, I caught a whiff of Raven on it, which was a bit too intimate, but it was that or nothing, and I preferred sleeping in at least a shirt, especially since he could wake me any time of night for a new mission.
Lee, who sat behind me, sputtered for words. “Wait? What’s going on? You’re sleeping in his shirt?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I ignored Lee. “Can we go home so I can grab some? That way you can have your shirt back.”
Raven nodded while Avery chuckled behind him. Lee repeated his questions a few times, but I deflected them, or plain ignored them. If he couldn’t figure out what happened, I wasn’t going to spell it out for him in front of Avery. Well, I likely wouldn’t even if Avery wasn’t around. Sure, Lee was likely just trying to protect me, but it wasn’t helping.
We parked in the same spot as we had the last time we’d been here, and I was shocked to think that it hadn’t been that long since this new adventure had begun. That was insane. Hopping out of the truck, I led the way to the front door.
It was locked. Go figure, and I didn’t have my house key on me. It was safely tucked away back at the team’s mansion. Crossing my fingers, I rang the doorbell, hoping one of the two current residents would be home.
Luck was on our side. Oscar opened the door, and when he saw me, and Lee right behind me, his smile grew. Opening the door wide, he launched himself at us to squeeze us so tight in a hug I was almost sure he’d just cracked one of my ribs, or several. It wasn’t until he released us that he noticed the two Elite standing off to the side, watching our reunion.
“So, the rumors are true,” Oscar breathed, his voice breathless. “You two really did make it into Elite training.” His eyes fell on me, and I knew he was thinking the same thing everyone else did: how had I made it? I didn’t want to explain the new revelation about my genetics, which were the only reason I was standing here, so I nudged Oscar in the arm.
“Can we come in?”
The panther shifter chuckled, a bit embarrassed, and led the way inside. Once I’d entered, I raced up the stairs two at a time, heading straight to my room. I wouldn’t leave Raven waiting.
My room was as I’d left it, but it didn’t feel the same. Something was wrong. This space was no longer mine, even less than a week away. A few nights of not sleeping in my own bed had changed things so much. I’d need to talk to Raven about boxi
ng up my belongings. Whatever I couldn’t take to the mansion, I needed stored away so that my parents wouldn’t have to do it for me. It wouldn’t be fair to make them have to do that for me.
The pajamas were easy to find, and since I loved wearing them whenever I could, I grabbed four pairs. Mom had always laughed at me, saying I collected pajamas like some women collected shoes. It was true, and the thought brought a smile to my face as I shoved them into a small backpack. For good measure, I looked through each drawer in the dresser and through the closet to see if there was anything else important that I missed. A few more articles of clothing made their way into the bag, as well as a few other personal items.
Nearly five minutes had passed when I reappeared and trotted down the stairs, entering an awkward silence. No one spoke, but Oscar eyed the Elite with wonder, especially Raven. We’d learned about vamlures in college, but there were also lots of rumors and speculation about the race. As he watched Raven, I wondered what he was thinking.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Oscar turned to me. “Your mom called this morning. She wants you to call her as soon as you can.”
My insides twisted. “Is everything all right? Did she say if something’s wrong at home?”
Oscar shook his head, rolling his eyes. “No, ya big dummy. She’s the one worried about you. The school called and told her you’d been chosen, and she hasn’t heard from you. Either of you.” He gave Lee the same hard stare he was giving me. My brother’s face fell to the same guilty expression I was sure I wore now.
“Oh.” I turned to Raven. I’d had my cell phone with me the entire time at the mansion, but I’d been so busy in my new world that I hadn’t thought about calling my mom, or even to wonder if it was allowed. Lee’s slumped shoulders said he’d thought the same thing. “Captain, are we allowed to call home?”
