“Up early today?” I ask, and they both look up at me.
“Jayme was having a hard time sleeping,” Branson says. “So I offered to bring him out here to hone some of his defensive strategies.”
“How long have you two been out here?”
“Only since a little before dawn, Commander,” Jayme says. He’s standing with his hands on his hips as he tries to catch his breath.
“Is insomnia an ongoing problem for you?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Not at all. This was just an isolated incident, Commander. That’s all. Exercise usually helps me.”
I nod with approval. “Good to hear, because I can promise you’ll be getting plenty of it this morning.”
As the day progresses, I make good on that promise. I do my best to focus as everyone practices the forms and defensive techniques we’ve been working hard on lately. All the while, I do everything I can to ignore Ethan without seeming too suspicious about it. He’s doing well for once. He’s not nearly as fast or as strong as any of us, but he’s getting good at anticipating attacks.
He’s a fast learner. Thea was right about his intelligence. I thought he would have gladly quit by this point, but he hasn’t. He just keeps adapting. If he was one of us, he’d be unstoppable.
Toward the end of training, I decide to step in and help Jayme correct his stances. He’s not as large as Branson, but he lacks grace. Branson kept tripping him up while Jayme stumbled to keep pace.
As I move toward Jayme, I notice a figure up on the hill above the training grounds. It’s the younger Shaman male, Holden. His face tracks our movements with decisive interest, particularly focusing on me and Jayme.
His presence triggers my wolf to give a defensive snarl beneath my skin, as the presence of any Shaman would. I assume he’s gathering intelligence about our fighting techniques to share with his fellow Shamans. Whatever his reasons, I don’t have time to dwell on them now. I’m hardly revealing our entire battle strategy during one training session.
Planting my feet wide, I drop my center of gravity and lock in. “This is a rock stance,” I tell Jayme. “It’s designed to keep you on your feet at all times. Now I want you to charge me. Try to knock me down.”
A laugh catches my ear. Ethan’s laugh. I glance over my shoulder to see him taking off his shirt while he talks to Conan. He tosses it to one side and stretches, the lean muscles developing on his ribs stretching with him.
And then I remember the scratches. Long and prominent, all over his back and part of his chest.Shit.
At that moment, Conan notices them too, pausing and asking him to turn around. It’s only seconds of distraction, but it’s long enough for Jayme to sweep my feet from under me. I fall, hitting the ground hard.
Everything screeches to a halt all around me, and Jayme’s eyes grow large, the fear of imminent death in them. “Commander! I-I’m sorry.”
I get to my feet as Ethan starts jogging over. “I’m fine,” I say, brushing off my clothes. Ethan’s standing next to Jayme now with worry in his eyes.
“It was a clean hit,” I say to Jayme. “I was distracted, and you took advantage of it. Very good. Let’s try that again, shall we?”
I don’t look Ethan’s way again. I can’t imagine what he told Conan about those marks, but if he’s bragging about what happened between us, I’ll strangle him with my bare hands.
Chapter 13 — Ethan
Tonight is the special feast for the Elder Shaman and his children, and I am more than a little nervous. Typically, I do fine at big social gatherings, but this one is a little more high-pressure than I’m accustomed to. Important people will be looking to me, an outsider of another species, for my analysis of their attempt to end a generations-long feud. Crazy.
After yesterday’s reception, Thea said that the Shaman came across as friendly and assured me everything would be fine if I just be myself. But here, being myself is the one thing that keeps getting me into trouble.
I’m still miffed about what Rhiannon said about us. Or the lack of an “us.” It only makes it worse that I know she’s right. If the Alpha King decides I’m not worth keeping around after the summit, then it’s game over for me. How can I expect her to get attached knowing my days might be numbered?
Not to mention, I didn’t do myself any favors by distracting her this morning. I’m almost certain that’s why Jayme got the drop on her.
I often take my shirt off during training. I thought nothing of it until Conan said, “You’re itching to break every law in Clarion, aren’t you?”
“What?”Shit.That’s when I remembered the souvenirs Rhiannon left on my back last night.
“Who’s the lucky wolf?” he joked.
“I wish there was one.” I kept my voice easy, unbothered. “I fell into one of those fucking thorny bush things in the garden yesterday.”
The opportunity to see if Conan bought it never came, because a second later, Rhiannon was lying in the dust with Jayme standing over her.
