Liora broke away and shot me a bracing smile in parting. “See you soon.” She pivoted on her heel and walked out, throwing Frazer a cold, steely look on the way.
If he noticed, he didn’t react. I watched him for a full minute, daring him to meet my gaze. Other than when he turned the page, he was impossibly still—a statue.
Admitting defeat, I sat on the bed and ransacked my satchel. The barracks weren’t exactly cold, but who knew what the night would bring. Layers seemed the best way to go. My spare jacket went on while my boots came off and got packed away, just in case someone thought it’d be a good idea to steal from me. After slipping on a second pair of socks and burying my rucksack under the covers, I climbed into bed beside it, hugging it in close to my body. It didn’t take long for me to heat up. I took nothing off, though: each layer felt like armor, although I couldn’t say why.
I closed my eyelids, and the darkness beneath my lashes was comforting; certainly better than a blank, foreign wall.
My mind drifted, first to John and Viola. How were they coping? How long would it take for Hunter to give them my message?
Somewhere in between sleep and consciousness, my thoughts went to my mother. The smell of lavender and orange; the soft, smooth timbre of her voice; the feel of her fingers braiding my hair.
Another image interrupted this chain of dream and memory: the sight of gray wings in flight …
“Oi!”
Hands ripped away my sheets. My heart slammed into my chest; adrenaline flooded my system. I flung my arms in front of me, instinctively shielding my body.
“Who gave a meat bag permission to sleep here?”
I could only babble, “I’m Serena—I’m part of your pack.”
The male above me snorted. “Who says?”
He had the same almond skin and high cheekbones as Hunter, only his mouth was a cruel slash, not softened by kindness. Adding in his shorn black hair and pitch-dark wings, he looked like a minion of Death.
A second uniformed fae appeared at his shoulder. Then another, until a solid wall of muscle surrounded me. And with three males standing side by side, it didn’t take long to riddle out who they were—Tysion, Cole, and Dustin. These bullies were what I’d grown up believing the fae to be. A nightmarish image that I’d accepted to be true, until Hunter. Fear lashed against my insides. As it poured into my veins, their nostrils widened.
Shit.
Don’t show it. Stand. Now.
The strange female voice shook loose the paralyzing fear. Pushing myself off the bed, I almost came nose to nose with the inky-winged fae. He tried and failed to stare down his nose at me. I was suddenly thanking every star in the heavens that I was tall. Elain could go screw herself.
“Hilda says so.” My chin rose an inch. “I’ve just started training late, that’s all.” I cringed inside. Great idea—remind them they’ve got the advantage. As if they needed another.
“Is that right? Well, where are our manners—I’m Tysion,” said the servant of Death. “This is Cole.” He slapped the brutish fae next to him, who was tanned and easily the largest of the three with great hulking arms and a thick neck. Onyx hair hung to the nape of his neck, and a dark shadow covered his jaw.
The voice whispered, He’s the muscle.
Tysion then waved a casual hand toward the redheaded fae. “That’s Dustin on the end.”
He was the tallest one, with a head of copper, wine, and flaming strands, and amber wings to match. Something about his hollow gray eyes had that voice whispering to me again. He’s the knife in your back. The poison in your cup. Don’t underestimate him.
I said nothing, and as the silence lengthened, the redhead’s face cracked into a spider’s smile. And I was the fly caught in his web.
Have courage.
“Nice to meet you.” My reply came out in clipped tones. “Can you return my sheets?” I gestured to Tysion’s hand.
“Don’t think so,” Cole growled.
“Why not?”
I gulped as a second pair of canines inched past Cole’s gums. “Because you’re human,” he said with a snide curl of the lip.
My palms itched to clap slowly, but a sliver of self-preservation held me in check.
Tysion patted his lackey’s arm. “It wouldn’t be wise to antagonize him. Cole’s not very good at controlling his urges.”
“I wasn’t trying to annoy him. I’d like to go back to sleep—”
A sudden smack almost knocked me off my feet. My head spun, reeling as a metallic saltiness coated my tongue. Blood.
“You were warned,” Tysion said with cold amusement.
Stand strong, my dear.
Annoyed at the voice’s useless advice, my fists clenched into little balls of fury.
You’re not helping.
Forcing myself to face the fae again, I clamped down on the urge to wince and cower at Cole’s murderous stare. Dustin snickered; I shot him a glare.
“Act as saucy as you want,” Tysion mocked. “You’ll soon see that Kasi is no place for humans, especially females. A twig like you won’t last long before getting snapped in two.”
Cole cut in with a growl. “This is our pack, and we’re not letting some uppity bitch shame us. That’s our bed from now on.” He thrust a meaty finger behind me. “Your place is on the floor.”
My reply was short and swift and reckless. “You don’t need another bed.”
I didn’t see the second blow coming. My ears rang, and I got another mouthful of salt.
“It’s none of your business why we need it.” Tysion got right up in my face. “You’ll sleep on the floor, or we’ll do worse than slap you.”
A reckless rage gripped me. Enough. I bared my teeth at Tysion. “You think you’re the first of my tormentors? You’re not even the worst. And the last person who targeted me died with his chest cleaved open and his insides shredded to ribbons.”
I infused it with as much venom as possible. Dustin and Tysion seemed to hesitate, but nothing could reason with Cole.
The third hit landed. A sharp, searing pain rent my head in two. I doubled over, falling to my knees with a bone-jarring thud. On the edge of a blackout, pain erupted in my side. Iron filled my nostrils, and oblivion claimed me.
Chapter 11
A Rough Start
Stirring in darkness, my muted groan became a whimper of panic. Had they blinded me? Squinting, it took a moment but my sight adjusted enough to spot the low flicker of the lanterns. My hearing identified the muffled sounds of sleeping bodies. A sigh rushed out of me.
I sat up gingerly, assessing the damage. A burning pain lashed my entire right side. Hoping the ribs were just bruised, my hand traveled to my jaw, the source of another throbbing ache. Tracing the tender swelling, I winced and bit my lip.
Shifting onto all fours, I crawled, slowly, toward the shadowy outline of my bed. I groped and almost cried with relief when I found my satchel. Unfastening the top, I rifled around inside. Amazingly, there didn’t seem to be anything missing. Not wanting to take any chances, I pulled out the boots and stuck my feet inside—I needed to be ready for anything.
Using the bed for support, I climbed onto the edge and sat, thinking. I could risk sleeping on the mattress and hoped they wouldn’t be bothered come morning. It didn’t take long to dismiss that idea. Gus and Elain had taught me the nature of bullies—there’d be no end to this.
There was nothing for it. I’d sleep on the floor, at least for tonight. Let them think they’d won and figure out what to do later. I’d need Cai and Liora’s help, pride be damned. Then, there was my instructor, Wilder. But if they’d marked my face, they must be confident of escaping punishment. No hope there.
I yawned, and my mind collapsed under the weight of exhaustion. Looking down, I shivered just thinking about sleeping on the floor. Some stupid, defiant part of me made me snatch the sheets and wafer-thin pillow. The trio of terror obviously thought fear would be enough to stop me from taking them.