The Revelation of Light and Dark (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 1)

CHAPTER 18

Finley

“You’re not paying attention,” Titus challenges, then punctuates that statement by letting his hand fly to give me an open-palmed slap against the side of my head. It’s not hard enough to hurt, but I’m not wearing protective gear like I normally would with Duane, so the skin-on-skin contact is a little jarring.

It’s also humiliating I didn’t even attempt to block it.

But as Titus said this morning when he told me we were sparring and I asked for protective gear, I need to stop being a pansy.

I took immediate offense to it, but then quickly realized he was right. For all of my MMA training with Duane, it was never done with any real intention I’d have to use my skills. It was fun—a way to blow off steam and stay in shape at the same time.

But as Carrick has made sure I understand very clearly, I could be a target for some extremely dangerous fae who would want to use me or kill me for outright pleasure. If I have to fight my way out of a bad situation, I won’t have time to don protective gear.

It’s when my mind turns to the potential danger my life might now be in is when I miss Duane the most. I haven’t been back to see him since the day I had my meeting with Olympic Dreams because my schedule is just too full. We’ve shared some texts—mostly me using the excuse I’m working too hard, which is why I haven’t been able to come in. I didn’t elucidate that part of me working too hard was training with someone other than Duane, which might have hurt his feelings.

I feel extra guilt for not training with Duane because I’ve started to develop a good friendship with Titus during the hours we’ve spent together in the gym. He’s the only one in this new world I’ve stumbled into that seems to genuinely care about me. Sadly, I’m just not sure anything Duane can teach me is of valuable help in my newfound reality.

Carrick, of course, continues to be a conundrum.

Most of the ride to my home last night was done in silence. I was fuming over the way he shuts me out, and I was also disappointed my experience with Echo produced nothing. Not that I wanted her to find something odd as I am happy being decidedly human.

As we got closer to my house, Carrick broke the silence. “I have a lead on someone else who might be able to help us figure out more about your abilities, which could then tell us if you have a purpose or you’re just an anomaly.”

Interesting choice. Have purpose or be a weirdo? Not sure which one I was aspiring to be.

“What makes you think I have a purpose?” I asked.

Carrick swiveled my way, seeming almost disappointed in my question. “Don’t you think you’re destined for something with this power?”

“Power or curse? You called it a curse once.”

Carrick shrugged. “You’re able to do something that, as far as we’ve been able to find out, no other human in the world can. And if Echo’s abilities are to be trusted, you are definitely human. Whatever you have is unique and special.”

I pull out the attitude of a fourteen-year-old and mutter, “Whatever.”

I’m tired of hypothesizing, Carrick ordering me around, and Titus beating me up under the guise of training, and all for what?

To prove I’m special?

“It’s important you continue your training,” Carrick said as we approached my home. “I expect you at my home tomorrow to train with Titus.”

I grit my teeth over his authoritarianism—the way he thinks he has the absolute right to dictate my time. “I have a date tomorrow,” I reminded him. “I told you I was taking the day off.”

“You’re taking the night off,” he replied smoothly. “Not the day. Be there at noon.”

“That won’t do.” A push against his authority is necessary. I can’t let him have complete control of me. “The morning will be better.”

“Fine,” he says through gritted teeth, as if the words taste bad in his mouth. “Come at ten. That should give you plenty of time to train, then you can go home and do whatever it is you need to do to get ready for your date.”

Odd that I take glee in causing him discomfort, as I’m sure he just hates the fact I’m not blindly following his orders.

But I could work with that, and truth be told, I love training with Titus. He’s been teaching me things the last few days—bringing out natural abilities I didn’t know I had—far more than Duane ever did.

At any rate, knowing Carrick was on the defensive with me when it’s normally the other way around, I couldn’t help but poke the bear as his driver pulled in front of my house.