Page 25 of Clash of Sin and Secret

“Bring it. Any time. Any place.”

“Fuck you, Viking.” I’m still not sure if he’s taunting me or turned on. Which only makes me angrier.

Movement brings Tucker around the corner with Jack at his side.

“Wow. What did we miss?” He glances between us and smiles at Scottie.

Huntley growls, his gaze cutting toward Tucker like a knife. “None of your business.”

Scottie stops yanking at my arm and turns away. “Hey, Jack. Tell me—what’s the best way for a squire to get the vampire king to back the fuck down when he’s being a territorial asshole?”

Jack meets her gaze directly, either uninterested or oblivious to our dysfunctional tableau. Although, having been my father’s squire for decades, he’s witnessed untold dysfunctional moments.

“Time to get along, kids. Tucker was telling me about the energy pulse that hit you last night.”

Fuck, even the mention of it is enough to liquify my bowels. Finding Scottie lying there, her heart not beating, was horrifying.

“It sounds like your powers need an outlet. For your safety and the good of the compound, it’s time we begin your training.”

Scottie blinks. “You think I caused the energy blast?”

Jack nods. “It sounds like it, but I’ll know more once we get started and I see what I’m dealing with.”

Scottie flashes me a dirty look before offering Jack a grin. “All right, then. Beating the hell out of someone sounds amazing right now. Oh, I meant sparring.”

Jack chuckles. “I’m sure you did.”

Scottie strides off to get changed, and Tucker and Jack leave to prepare for her training.

I ease back from Huntley and release my hold on his throat. “We’ll circle around to you being a lying, backstabbing dickwad later. In the meantime, I need my head of security to escort me outside the compound. We’ve got other lying, backstabbing dickwads to kill.”

Huntley rubs his hand over the red fingermarks marring his throat. “Excellent. Like the lady said, beating the hell out of someone sounds amazing right now.”

Tucker

I lean against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching Scottie train with Jack. She’s relentless, lunging at him with an intensity that feels off. Her strikes are sharp and too aggressive for atraining session. Jack dodges and counters, but I see the way he’s tiring.

“Take it down a notch, beautiful!” I call out, stepping into the room. “This isn’t a death match, and Jack isn’t your enemy.”

Jack ducks and sidesteps another blow.

“Perfect practice makes perfect.” Scottie barely glances my way, her focus locked on her target. Her next punch lands squarely on Jack’s forearm.

Jack winces slightly but shakes it off. “You’ve got fire today, kid.”

“It’s been a day.” She flips her hair back and blows at the strand in her face. “Scratch that. It’s been a week.”

Yeah, but it’s more than fire. It’s like the magic in her cells is agitated and building to blow again. I can’t let that happen. The last detonation killed her.

But how do we fix it? Scottie’s muscles are taut, her jaw clenched tight enough to crack glass. Whatever happened between her, Huntley, and Zane, it still lingers in the air like smoke after a fire.

I step closer as she throws another kick at Jack. I catch her foot in mid-air and gesture for him to step back. “Let me take over for a bit, Dad. You observe and train from the sidelines. I think our girl needs to really hit someone.”

Scottie huffs but relents, wiping sweat from her brow. “I’m fine.”

“Then you’re too close to it to see the truth.”

Scottie stands opposite me now, eyes narrowed. “Are you picking a fight?”

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