Page 11 of Warrior's Reign
“I was wondering if you talked,” Reign said pleasantly. “You might have taken a Vow of Silence. I knew a male like that once. I’m bettingyou’rejust an ass, though.”
. . .hell. She hadn’t meant to say that. Might as well roll with it now.
Ibukay inhaled.
“Respect is also required in a member of theBdakhun’sguard.” He pushed back his hood, revealing his face. Not what she had expected. No wonder he kept the hood on. He looked like one of the vid celebrities her younger sisters hung in their rooms.
Uptilted eyes a deep azure, set in a face with a perfect symmetry of slashing cheekbones and a hook of a nose. Strong jaw and firm lips, silky dark hair tied back at his nape.
“He does that to most females,” Ibukay said with a knowing look when the silence matched Reign’s staring. “It’s why we keep the hood on him in public.”
Reign tore her gaze away from Vykhan. “I wouldn’t, though. If people are looking at him, they aren’t looking at you.” Her gaze drifted back towards the male. She stared, giving into the inevitable—he was probably used to it, anyway. “Are you sure he knows what he’s doing? The pretty ones usually go in for modeling or vid dramas.”
Vykhan’s lip curled slightly—not in a smile—as Ibukay snickered. “Don’t tease him. He’ll wreck vengeance later.”
Reign settled on one of the couches, ignoring the male’s unblinking regard. That aura of chilly danger must work on most people, but she’d endured just as scary in the first few weeks of basic at the academy. Some in her cohort had tried really hard to get her to wash out before Numar put a stop to all the extra love—after she put a student in the medbay for a week.
Besides, her fears took a different shape. If he thought that elementary technique would rattle her, he didn’t think much of Numar’s training. Let him stare. He’d get sick of her face soon enough.
“Where’s the rest of the team?” She considered propping her not so clean boots on the low table, smudging the gleaming glass for the entertainment value of watching his eyelid twitch.
“We have the whole floor,” Ibu said, approaching a wall panel. “What do you want to eat?”
“I don’t care. Where are you planning on putting me? Inner, middle, or outer ring?”
“I expect you and Vykhan will discuss the details.”
“Great.”
Reign didn’t bother to hide the sourness in her voice. The consequences of failure in this job chilled her, and she had to take orders from a walking icicle to boot. The male didn’t even look like he had a sense of humor.
“If you serve under me,” Vykhan said, voice chilly, “you will learn obedience as well as respect. I will expect you to engage in rigorous advanced training. I have reviewed your Yna Ipaluk transcripts.”
Reign stilled. “Who gave authorization for that?”
“You did.”
“Haeemah’s ass I did.”
A withering look in his eyes. “When you entered Yna Ipaluk, the permissions would have been among the requisite paperwork. The palace has blanket permission to request records on potential staff, from any and all facilities on Beysikan soil.”
She certainly hadn’t read that fine print.
He must have read her sour expression. “All my warriors strive for Silence, and demonstrate proper respect for their commanding superiors. I find myself doubtful of your capabilities in that area.”
Reign held his gaze, settling her heels on the low table. “Respect has to be earned.”
Vykhan still hadn’t moved, gaze trained on her with unsettling intensity. “Allow me to earn your respect then.”
It sounded like a threat. It sounded personal. Had they tangled in a former life? Was it because she was human?
She refused to spiral down into feeling like the second best grubby human again, damnit. If she were blue, she wouldn’t have to deal with this kind of attitude. He’d be automatically extending her a certain level of courtesy as a fellow alumni, even if she had just done one six-year cycle.
Ibukay coughed into her hand. “I have to take a private comm. I’ll return shortly.” The door slid shut, leaving Reign in the silence of the suite.
“Now we may speak freely,” he said, a fresh chill entering his tone.
5
