“Yeah. I gave you time to see past the vampirism and settle in at The Hollow. That time is up. Thank fuck. I want you. You want me. And yeah, I’ll have you. You won’t be able to move by the time I’m done with you, and there’ll be only one thing you want.”
Her eyes glimmered with both need and uncertainty. “What?”
I dipped my head again and replied, “More.”
Standing opposite me the following evening, Maya blew out a preparatory breath and rolled back her shoulders. She slid Sam a brief look and declared, “I’m ready.”
My squad didn’t always train with Sam’s all-female squad. In fact, the two trained separately more often than not. But Sam and Jared liked us to mix occasionally because some of the females were in relationships with guys from mine. The Grand High Pair thought it best that the couples got used to fighting while close to each other so that it wouldn’t feel so foreign on a battlefield. None of us could afford to be distracted.
Sometimes we trained out in the rainforest, but mostly we used this indoor arena near the mansion. With the sand on the ground, it resembled a large horse paddock, and the main sides of the building were marked with the letters A, B, C, and D—representing north, east, south and west respectively. The stands were currently empty, as was the VIP box.
Tonight, Sam insisted that Maya work on her shapeshifting speed. In her jaguar form, Maya was fast and vicious and explosive. But Sam wanted her to be able to shift mid-lunge so that she could dive on an enemy as a jaguar. Due to my gift, I was an ideal person for Maya to practice on.
Sam moved into our peripheral vision. “Go!”
Maya took a run and jump. She shifted shape while in the air, but not quite fast enough, so she wasn’t fully jaguar when she landed on me. I grunted as I hit the ground hard, her claws digging into my shoulders deep enough to draw blood. But she didn’t draw blood, and I felt no pain. Because it was my astral form she’d taken down.
I quickly leaped to my feet. Astral projection wasn’t a common vampiric gift, and it was incredibly rare for someone’s astral form to be solid. I couldn’t keep it solid for long periods of time, so Sam didn’t have me take hits for others during battle unless truly necessary, because my squad could otherwise subconsciously begin to depend on me to shield them. Just because I looked solid didn’t mean I always was.
Back in her human form, Maya swore beneath her breath. “I can do better, I know,” she said to Sam.
“Yes, you can,” Sam easily agreed. “So let’s see you do it.”
Over and over, Maya charged at me and shifted shape while lunging. Over and over, I hit the ground. She shifted faster each time. But then she began to slow again, obviously tiring.
The training session soon reached its end, and everyone began filing out of the arena. I was almost at the door when Sam called out my name. Turning to her, I lifted my brow in question.
“Can we have a quick word?” she asked, standing beside Jared.
“Sure, Coach.” I headed over to the pair. “What’s up?”
“I was just hoping you could give me the full story about what happened last night between Castor and the human waitress, Lexi,” replied Sam.
Folding my arms, I relayed what I’d seen and heard.
Sam’s nostrils flared. “That bloke is a bloody prick.”
“No argument there,” said Jared. “The rest of his nest are no better in terms of attitude, but they at least follow the rules. Castor doesn’t seem to think any rules apply to him, or he just doesn’t care about the consequences.”
“He seemed shocked when Harvey and I took him to the containment area last night,” I said. “As if it really hadn’t occurred to him that he’d be held accountable for his actions. He might have thought you’d never take the side of a human over a fellow vampire.”
“Maybe,” agreed Jared.
“Has Castor received his punishment yet?” I asked.
Sam shook her head. “We left him in a cell during the day to sweat about what’s coming. I like it when they sweat. Plus, I wanted all the details before I went apeshit on his arse tonight.”
Jared sighed, scrubbing at his jaw. “I thought the warnings we gave him after his previous missteps would be enough. It’s not as if it isn’t well known that Sam is a little too fond of torture and maiming.”
She shrugged. “I find it relaxing.”
His mouth curved. “I’ve noticed.” He looked at me. “How’s Lexi?”
“She claimed she was fine,” I replied. “But I think the incident with Castor shook her up a little.”
“I like that she twisted his balls,” said Sam with a grin. “My kind of girl.”