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“What’re you gonna do about it?” Barrett barked.
She threw him a glare. “Put you in your place.”
I tried not to laugh, but I would honestly pay money to see Thalia kick Barrett’s ass any day. It was good to see someone could get under Barrett’s skin as much as he did to others.
Barrett approached us, his eyes falling on Thalia. “You wanna go toe to toe with me?”
Thalia stepped in front of me, and I could hear the smile in her voice as she met his gaze. “Go on, pretty boy. I’ll let you have the first shot.”
The air was electric around them, and before I knew it, they were in such close proximity that I believed a fight might actually break out.
“Knock it off you two. Go wreck someone else’s house. Or get a room, I don’t care which,” Damien chided, and the moment he spoke the energy fell, gone without a trace. Barrett quieted, rolling his eyes, and for a moment, I noticed a faint blush decorate Thalia’s cheeks as she turned her head, eyes falling.
Damien stood. “Alright, we’ve discussed enough. Let me know if you find anything new.”
Thalia leaned in before passing me. “See ya later, Cas. I can’t wait to train with you.”
As the others filtered out of the room, Damien turned back to me. His expression softened and he tamped out the embers of his cigar. The front door shut, echoing through the walls as the house emptied.
“What’s that?” I asked, nodding toward the cigar-like roll.
He glanced at it. “This is Brierleaf. It’s… kind of like a really strong tobacco.”
“I’ve never heard of that. Is it from Selene’s realm?”
“Yeah. It’s a nasty habit. I really should quit.” He pushed off the mantel, walking over to me. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to this,mea luna? We can start training tomorrow.”
“No. You said so yourself, we don’t have a lot of time. If it will help, I want to do everything I can.” I needed to learn as much as I could, wanted to help them get Marcus. Whether it was truly for them or for me I’d yet to fully grasp. Regardless, I was useless in my current state.
He sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. “I’m sorry,mea luna. We’ve never had to rush your training like this. There’s always been time to move at a safer pace.”
I reached out, gripping his hand tightly. “I’ll be fine. I promise,mea sol.” I pushed myself up to kiss his cheek. “How long have you known Thalia?”
“She became a recruit around the same time as Barrett and Vincent. They trained and pledged their vows together, but Gods, she and Barrett are obnoxious when they’re in the same room,” he grumbled.
I giggled. “I think she likes him. You should have seen how red her face for when you called them out.”
“And to make matters worse, Barrett likesher. He won’t admit it, but I’m not stupid.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Really? You think so?”
“I know she was once mated, but I didn’t know the male or under what circumstances their mating ended.”
“Did he…” I was afraid to ask if her mate might have been killed.
“I don’t know. I’d rather not pry, and neither of them have ever volunteered that information. The only person I think might know would be Vincent. He’s Barrett’s cousin and they’re close.” Damien sighed. “I wish they’d just admit it already.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Miterashould be done making lunch soon. We’ll eat, and then I’m taking you to The Outpost.”
“The Outpost?”
“It’s the other headquarters. It’s where we’ll begin your formal training.”
25
We’d driven far into the woods when Damien finally parked his car. Before us stood a small building. It was nowhere near the size of the apartment complex, only a single story high. I opened the car door and stepped out, eyes drifting across the dense forest that surrounded us.
Farther down the road behind us, we’d passed through a gate that connected to tall chain link fences that stretched farther than I could see. I didn’t know how many acres of forest surrounded us. It could have easily been hundreds to keep this place so well hidden from human eyes.
I followed closely behind Damien as he approached a steel door. There were no windows on the building, and I didn’t see any other entrance outside of the door we now stood before. My eyes drifted over the grounds surrounding the building. Where grass may have once been was worn to dirt and nearby sat benches, training dummies, and a covered area with an assortment of tools and weapons. He told me The Outpost was used for training, so it made sense. I wondered what the other warriors in The Order looked like, how many there were.
