Page 64 of Shadow Warrior
Twenty
Afucking obstacle course? Were they taking the piss? I stared at the course that stretched out beyond the hound paddock. To the right was woodland—thick trees that clustered together to block out the light—and to our left were the low, long buildings that housed the hounds.
Unlike the last time I’d been here, the paddock was empty. The hounds were probably in their stables. Jemima, the faeblood who ran the place, was also nowhere to be seen. Just as well, because the last thing I needed was her making googly eyes at Brady.
I glanced over at the stables and then looked up at Brady, who was standing next to me in full armor. Yeah, we were meant to complete the obstacle course in full armor carrying our weapons. He hadn’t shaved today and was sporting a sexy five o’clock shadow, which I wanted to feel rasping against my inner thighs. A surge of desire washed over me.
Damn. Get it under control, Justice.
Brady made a low rumbling sound in his chest. “Do you want to throw me off my game, Justice?”
Shit. “Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Have you visited Athos since the Rage attack?”
Brady smiled at the clumsy change in subject. “Twice, with an extra-large bucket of meat. He deserved a treat after what he did to help you.”
“Would it be okay for me to visit him from time to time?”
Brady looked down at me with a slightly bewildered look on his face. “Indigo, you can see him whenever you want. You’re my mate, and what’s mine is yours.”
My cheeks were suddenly all warm. I’d never been a blusher, but the last two days, since mating with Brady, I couldn’t seem to stop. The mating had added an extra layer to our relationship, one that made me hyperaware of his presence. I’d been able to locate him easily the past few days, and I’d even caught a flash or two of his moods. This was the mating bond, Brady had said. Stronger for him than it was for me, due to his ogre-tainted nature, but still. Like right now, there was a spike in my pulse that I wasn’t sure was entirely mine, and then Brady leaned in.
“You need to feed soon,” he said. “I want you to take my blood tonight.”
We’d be staying in the fortress dorms tonight, which meant a little more privacy, which meant a bed to fuck on.
The spike in his pulse, the spike that I could feel as if it were my own, had my fangs peeking out from my gums in response to his excitement. I slipped my hand into his and ran my thumb over the back of his knuckles.
I still needed to tell him about Kash, but right now wasn’t the time. This was our time to enjoy our new couple status, kick ass in the trial, and graduate to shadow knights. After that, I’d deal with my growing feelings for Kash and speak to Madam Latrou about quitting weaver class. I had a handle on my power now. A connection to the weave. The shit that had happened in Lunar Creek was probably a twist on my power, limited to that reality. Plus, if I wanted to speak to her about it, I’d have to explain how and when it had manifested.
Not an option.
Carlo joined us, flipping a dagger in his hand. He tucked it into a thigh holster when he reached us. His hair was sleek and brushed back off his face today. Looked like he’d shaved down the sides of his head to neaten up the mohawk, and the indigo blue glinted in the sunlight strikingly.
He pouted and scanned the course up ahead. “Looks like fun.”
“Would be for you,” Devon said. “You hardly weigh anything. Pulling your body weight over that wall isn’t going to be hard.”
“Ah, stop bitching, big guy,” Carlo said. “I’ll give you a hand. Or maybe a finger?” He flipped Devon off.
Devon bared his teeth, but it was all in jest. The mood was light today; the course, which the knights called training, was nothing. I could take these fucking obstacles in my sleep.
“This can’t be right …” Brady rubbed his chin.
More cadets appeared around us. Where were the knights who were running the training?
Lloyd appeared to our left, jogging around the side of the stables to join us. He’d cut his golden, floppy hair much shorter into a look that was more Hyde than Lloyd. It made the chiseled planes of his face stand out, and his ice-blue eyes pop.
“Heads up,” he said. “Stables are empty. Knights AWOL. Something is off.”
A horn cut through the air, and then a voice we all recognized blasted over our heads.
“Cadets, welcome to final training,” Henrich said.
Where was he? I glanced about, but there was no sign of him. Hidden speakers? But there was no electricity up here at the fortress. A prickle of awareness ran over my skin, and the weaver thread at my solar plexus pulsed. Magic. They were using weaver mojo.
“Tomorrow, you take the trial,” Henrich said. “Tomorrow, you prove yourself worthy of being a knight. But today, you are prey. Today you will be hunted by your own. If you’re caught, you will be penalized, three points taken off your final score for tomorrow.”
What? What the fuck was this?
