Page 82 of Fractured Memories

“Or we can go home if it’s too much,” I offer. I don’t want her to feel like I’m forcing her. I know I pushed too hard when I first brought her home, so I try to give her the option of taking more time when I can.

But she wanted more pieces of herself. The cages and the training grounds were a huge part of her. They could be again, if she wanted. If she still wants to fight.

Eden shakes her head at me. “I want to be here.”

As she straightens, her body vibrating with anticipation, I almost laugh at the understatement. I try to tamp down how good it feels to see my girl acting like herself, but given the look Jude gives me, it’s written all over my face.

Not that I care. I’ll do anything for Eden.

Even if I haven’t told her, even if everything has changed, I love her more than the air in my lungs. And winning her over again has only made that feel more real.

Something I know Jude understands as he nudges me and starts toward the training grounds.

CHAPTER 27

EDEN

Iknow this place. I don’t know how, but I can feel how familiar it is to me. And if that hadn’t told me, the way everyone has greeted me would have been all I needed.

It’s been getting easier to discern what feels right and what’s new. When I first woke up in that camp, everything was so muddled that I was lost. But now, I know when I’ve been somewhere without Kieran even having to tell me.

I wasn’t prepared for how everyone was going to treat me, though. Kieran and Jude say that I was the lead trainer here, that I put everyone through grueling sessions but would also check on them after to make sure they were healing properly. Clearly, I’ve created bonds given how happy everyone seems to see me.

We step outside one of the main buildings, and Ash loops her arm through mine. Her hair is braided back, her dark skin glistening from whatever session she just finished. “I didn’t know you were gracing us with your presence today.”

“I thought a surprise would be more fun.” I lean in conspiratorially. “I couldn’t have you warn everyone.”

She rolls her eyes, smile bright. “I would never. It was too fun to see everyone freak when they heard you were here.”

“Sounds like everyone has been getting lazy.” My eyes sweep the open space in the center of the grounds, where five open-air fighting circles currently have matches going on. “Who’s been letting that happen?”

Ash peeks around me to look at Jude. “Yeah, Jude. Who has been letting that happen?”

His shoulders stiffen, but he doesn’t look over at her. “Certainly hasn’t been me.”

“No?” She hums thoughtfully. “I’m pretty sure you’re the one that has stepped into Eden’s role.”

I glance over at him, flicking my eyes over his frame. “Is that so?”

“It is.” He shifts, crossing his arms. “Is that a problem?”

“If everything isn’t up to my standards, it will be.”

I see him fight a smile, even if he still doesn’t meet my gaze. “Are you looking for a fight, Eden?”

Dropping Ash’s arm, I shift in front of Jude, forcing him to look at me. Ice blue eyes that feel more and more familiar every time I see them. That same safety I feel around Lochlan and Rohan. Yet, he’s still being closed off around me.

“Yeah, Jude. Let’s clear a mat.”

He chuckles, but I notice it sounds forced. “I’m not fighting you.”

“I want to see how well you do,” I argue. I’m tired of him holding back when it comes to me. I’m certain he would never have shied away before I was taken, but now he can barely look at me.

Kieran nudges him. “Since when do you turn down a challenge?”

Jude’s jaw clenches. “You want me to fight your wife?”

Those green eyes are filled with heat when they meet mine, and his sexy accent thickens around his next words. “Jude, you know firsthand how much I love to see her fight.”