Page 79 of Cheating Fate

“Enough!” I shouted, as Curok was jumping back on his feet.

Startled by the sound of my voice, Gavin jerked his head towards me just as his opponent was throwing his fist at him. It hadn’t been an underhanded attack. The timing simply sucked. Despite catching the movement in his peripheral vision and attempting to dodge, my poor man still got solidly struck on the side of his jaw.

He turned to glare at Curok with a murderous look that would have liquefied anyone else’s innards. But the wretch merely raised his palms in surrender with a shit-eating grin.

“That’s enough training for you tonight,” I said to Gavin as I closed the distance with him. “You need your rest.”

Gavin made a face at me as if he’d just bitten into something foul. But before he could argue, his companions started mocking him.

“Ooh, is it nap time, big boy?” Vintor taunted.

“Nah, he’s just past his curfew. He’s not allowed to stay outside past 8:00,” Brenor said mockingly.

“Actually, it’s more like he’s probably whipped,” Nolar quipped.

“Fuck off! I’ll flatten you all tomorrow,” Gavin growled.

His companions snickered, totally unfazed even though they knew he not only could but also probably would.

“Come on. Get moving!” I said with false severity.

Still grimacing with annoyance, he complied, glaring as he fell in step with me.

“I need to get back in shape,” he grumbled as we exited the holodeck.

“You already are,” I countered.

“You’re still healing me. So clearly I’m not fully recovered,” he argued.

“I’m not healing you. That part is done. I just help you speed up the process of rebuilding your muscle mass. You’re fully healed now. Not only that, but I also regularly review your performance levels. And they are top tier,” I replied as if speaking to a difficult child who stubbornly refused to accept reality.

“But I could do better with more training,” he whined.

I rolled my eyes. “Everyone can always do better. Improvement is a lifelong commitment. Considering you were spanking your companions, you really have nothing to complain about.”

“I always spank them,” he replied haughtily, sounding almost offended that I would imply the contrary could even be a possibility.

“See?! Then stop whining,” I said mockingly as we reached our quarters.

Still grumpy, Gavin opened the door and let me in before following me inside.

“But I—”

“No buts,” I said, interrupting him as I turned to face him, my fists on my hips. “Whatever happened to not challenging each other’s authority in our respective fields?”

He huffed. “I didn’t challenge you publicly. We’re in private.”

“Fair,” I conceded with a mischievous expression. “But I’m still right.”

To my surprise, instead of making a face at me, Gavin took a vulnerable expression.

“I just don’t want to fail my first official mission,” he said in a subdued voice.

I recoiled. “You won’t fail! You’re only meeting with the Divine.”

“No, I’m not talking about that. I mean I don’t want to fail your brother,” he corrected.

I closed the distance between us and wrapped my arms around his waist. He reciprocated the gesture, making me feel cocooned and protected.