Page 43 of Failed State

“Sydney, come lift with me,” I say as she studies the various machines in puzzlement. “I will help with your regimen.”

She looks at me for a moment, then shrugs. “I suppose since you’re built like a tank, you know what you’re doing.”

“Exactly.”

“Sweet pea, Thad and I are plenty good with weights. You don’t have to?—”

I give the demon a wry look. “Huck, you are not even half my size. I am not saying you are deficient; I am suggesting I might have the advantage in this one skill set.”

For a second, I think he’s going to protest, but the bear steps in. “He’s right, Huck. I’m big, but not like him. Hell, we could all use his expertise.”

That was very humble, and I appreciate supes who know their limits.

“Thank you,” I reply as I walk over to a bench press to set it up for Sydney. “It will be much easier to maximize our combined knowledge if we are not always at war with one another.”

“Damn it, he’s right,” she grumbles. “I hate when men are right.”

“Said like someone who believes it’s infrequent,” Stormbringer says from his spot doing bicep curls. “I see how you are, Vicious.”

She rolls her eyes at him, then turns to me. “Okay, big guy. Tell me what to do.”

“First, we will test the weight of the bar. You seem to have neglected this aspect, so you will do three sets of ten reps with just the bar. It will tire you out, but starting small is the best way to build a foundation.”

I wait for her to comply, watching the first few before I move to a leg press where I can work as I keep my eyes on her. She learns quickly, but I was right about her being unbalanced. I’m barely through my first few sets before she lets out a groan. She’s paused with the bar down, breathing slowly.

“Already, little Rebel?”

Giving me an annoyed look, she shakes her head. “Brief rest. I’m not cooked.”

The corner of my mouth lifts and I go back to my presses, my gaze skirting the room to see how the rest of them are doing. Rory obviously knows what he’s doing, and so doesthe vampire. The bear is strong, but he’s not pushing himself enough. I will have to address that with him. His added bulk is very advantageous to our team, and we should not waste it. Huck is playing at the weights, but I know that’s because his powers are far more useful when he’s in demon form, and that does not require this sort of work.

I’ll let him piddle around until I know what his other skills are; if they are not up to snuff, I will push him.

Pleased with my assessment, I finish the leg press, slurping down some water as I wait for Sydney to complete her sets. It takes longer than I’d prefer, but once she does, I repeat the process of setting up the machine and showing her the leg press, then switch to the bench. My tolerance is far greater, so I put as much weight as I can bear on the bar, then settle in. I won’t have a spotter in our team—not for this kind of heft—so I whistle loud enough for Brick to hear. He strolls over, giving me a knowing expression as he stands by the bench.

He and Lancaster might be good allies, but I have to be certain before I engage in any conversations that could hurt our team. They were angry and younger when we met; I don’t know how beaten down they’ve become in the past four years. They could have chosen to come here to get away from their captivity, or they could have assimilated into the FHSA’s brainwashed supes. I won’t be able to tell from this limited exposure. It will take time, and sessions where Krista isn’t in the corner on her phone.

I assume she’s not going to follow us to every single thing forever, but who the fuck knows?

“Leveled up since we last crossed paths, mmm, Dante?”

Nodding at Brick, I wait for him to get in position, then grunt as I lift the enormous weight and hold it up. It’s not too much, which is good, so I continue my reps slowly. My eyes stay onour rebellious leader, making sure she’s still doing okay, but my body goes on autopilot—up, down, up, down, repeat.

“She seems like she’s pretty tough.”

I snort. “So far, I’d agree.”

“Shecan hear you assholes,” Sydney replies. “My ears work just fine, guys.”

“Actually her hearing isspectacular,” Thad adds. “It’s very annoying.”

Good to know. Perhaps someone should do some research on the supes with excellent hearing.

“You two are just loud. You yammer on about dude shit and I get bored. It’s not my fault you can’t take objective criticism.”

“Objective?” Sebastian pauses his quadriceps work to snort at her. “Somehow, I don’t believe you.”

“As if I give a shit whatyouthink.” Syd sniffs, then goes back to the leg press, gritting her teeth. It’s probably starting to burn, but she’s not done yet.

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