Page 38 of Darkness I Become
But as soon as Cade stood by her side in front of them, arms crossed with a commanding expression on his face, they immediately stood at attention, single-file, emptying their expressions. The instant effect on them was remarkable.
“We have a new recruit,” Cade announced, looking down the line at each man’s face. “Asha will be joining the Blackguard on all future missions. She’s done a few weeks of basic training, but as a rookie, she’ll need your help to find her place with us.”
A long pause ensued, where the men couldn’t help glancing at each other awkwardly. The redheaded man scoffed quietly.
“Do you have something to share with the group, Garett?” Cade demanded, fixing him with that piercing, grey-eyed stare that Asha had found both so unsettling and compelling.
Garett shook his head. “No, sir, it’s just—”
“Do tell,” Cade cut in. “I’m interested.”
His tone was frosty, and Asha was glad to not be on the receiving end of it. He’d never spoken that way to her, even during training.
Garett scoffed again. “You really gonna make me say it, Cap? She’s a woman!”
“And?” Cade lifted his eyebrows.
“We don’t allow women to join,” the curly-haired man said with a shrug. “You can’t just bring your girlfriend here and expect us to take her seriously.”
Asha chewed her lip. “I’ve been working hard on—”
“Women don’t belong here unless they’re spreading their legs,” Garett interrupted, shooting her a glare.
“That’s enough,” Cade snapped. “Garett, you’ll be spendingyourafternoon cleaning out the latrines instead of training. Same with you, Tom.”
Both men opened their mouths to protest, but Cade talked over them.
“And if you can’t shape up before tomorrow, don’t fucking bother coming back. You can settle for guard duty at the gate, or whatever useless busywork Angel sees fit to assign you. Closed-minded dipshits do not belong in the Blackguard.”
Amid much muttering and cursing, Garett and Tom left, staring daggers at Asha on their way out. She couldn’t help but gulp.
“This applies to the rest of you as well,” Cade continued, looking back to the rest of the men. “I expect that every person here will treat Asha with the basic respect you give to all your fellow soldiers. Is that understood?”
The general chorus ofyes, sirsurprised Asha again. The rest of the men may not have cared for Asha, but it was clear that they respected Cade and his authority. They seemed somewhat doubtful but willing to give her a shot, and that was the best she could’ve hoped for.
They went down the line, introducing themselves to her. A tall, pale, lanky man in the middle identified himself as Raph, their chief navigator on missions, and a shorter, playful-looking man with copper skin and honey-coloured eyes told her his name was Davy. He looked like the youngest of the group, barely out of his teens.
“We’ll start with our usual drills,” Cade said. “You know what to do.”
The men, including Dom and Leo, headed for the equipment. Cade nodded at Davy and beckoned him over.
“Davy’s our former rookie before you,” Cade said to Asha, in the same businesslike way he spoke to the others. She supposed she had to appreciate that he was treating her the same as anyone else there. “He’ll help you figure out the drills. Understood?”
“Yes,” Asha said, nervous but eager to prove herself.
“Yes,sir,” Cade corrected. “When you’re here with the others, you’ll refer to me bysir,like everyone else.”
Asha nearly laughed at him, but caught herself just in time. She couldn’t imagine referring to him as sir. It was too formal and so unlike him.
“I’m not gonna call you that,” she said with a wry smile.
“Oh yes, you will,” he replied firmly. “Or there’ll be…consequences.”
Asha was briefly tempted to ask exactly what kind of consequences, but his steely glare convinced her that she didn’t want to die that day. Still, there was an undeniable spark of amusement in his eye.
She gave a single nod. “Fine. Can I get to work now?”
“Fine,sir.”
