Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

His brother scowled; he had evidently hoped the arakar heart incident had been forgotten. “No matter how we get around her security, we’ll need to work quickly,” he said tersely. “We’re running out of time.”

I swallowed, my heart sinking like a stone at the reminder. There were only three weeks remaining until Orion carried out his threat to kill my parents. Now, more than ever before, the pressure was on.

This was a deadline we couldn’t afford to miss.





Chapter Five





I hit the deck, my lungs burning as the impact forced the air out of me. Already, every single muscle in my body hurt and ached beyond anything I’d ever felt before, but it didn’t matter. I had to get up. I had to keep fighting.

Grimacing, I dug my fingers into the floor and pulled myself back up, raising my fists to my face as I prepared for another onslaught. I had been paired with a coldblood female named Iskra who seemed hellbent on knocking me to the ground every five seconds. Even so, I was determined not to stay down. There was no way I’d give any coldblood the satisfaction of seeing me surrender.

My legs were shaking as I faced Iskra once more. Her face was a mask of fury as I squared up to her. With each defiance of her blows, I knew I was annoying her more, getting under her skin. It was exactly as I’d planned. She would slip up once frustration set in.

With her teeth bared, she lunged for me, offering me the opportunity I’d been waiting for. It was a clumsy assault, her muscles not quite braced for my sudden burst in speed. Sidestepping swiftly, I stuck out my foot, and she stumbled over it. With her knocked off balance, I brought my elbow down hard against the softest part of her shoulder, adding the last bit of weight I needed to send her sprawling forward on the ground. She fell with a grunt, her eyes flashing back at me as I knelt against the small of her back, pinning her there for a moment as she flailed, trying to swipe at me. I knew it wouldn’t last, considering her superior strength, but I was happy to have floored her, even once.

I sprang back as she twisted around, her eyes burning with hatred. All around me, the other recruits were watching, amused expressions on their faces, as Iskra leapt back to her feet. It would’ve been embarrassing for any of them to have been knocked down by an inferior species, and I could see they were glad someone else had taken the fall.

“You’ll pay for that, leech!” she snarled, the muscle rippling beneath her ashen skin. This time, I knew she’d be better prepared when she came for me. In truth, I wasn’t sure how many more knocks I could take before I was forced to stay on the ground. I was already feeling pretty broken, and we were only halfway through the day’s training, with sixty circuits of the brutal assault course to look forward to after lunch.

“Your embarrassment will last longer than my bruises,” I taunted, lifting my fists again. I was getting better at preempting the movements of my opponent, though it took each beating to learn the motion she was going to use next, and my mind was starting to get foggy with all the blows I’d taken to the head.

Before Iskra could spring at me again, a voice cut through the dull acoustics of the training room. “Take five minutes!” Pandora shouted, bringing the training to a sudden halt. I hadn’t seen her watching the proceedings, nor had I seen the figure who was descending the stairs to the observation room, walking a few steps behind Pandora.

The coldblood recruits bowed low as Queen Brisha swept through the group, then dispersed to fetch water, gathering in smaller clusters so they could discuss the events of the morning. A few looked over in my direction, but I ignored them. The queen came to a stop beside my training square. I followed Iskra’s lead, dipping low from the waist as the queen waved her hand, dismissing my opponent.

“Very impressive, Riley,” she remarked with a smile.

“I didn’t realize you were watching, Your Highness,” I replied politely, trying not to grimace against the throbbing pain in my elbow, where I was pretty sure I’d cracked something.

She nodded. “I occasionally enjoy observing my new recruits unawares. I feel as though trainees try too hard if they know they are being watched.”

“I might have tried a little harder if I had known, Your Highness,” I joked, wiping my brow with a towel I’d left to one side.

“Nonsense, you seem to be doing marvelously!” she said. “Although, I haven’t seen you use your wings, even though other trainees are attempting aerial combat. Have you tried out your gift yet?” A curious flicker of emotion glittered in her silver eyes as she awaited my answer. I felt as though I was letting down an aunt whose present I had pretended to like.

“I have taken a few sips, Your Highness, but nothing seemed to happen. Maybe it just doesn’t work on me,” I replied, hoping she couldn’t see through my lies. In all honesty, the vials of wing serum had worried me so much in the end that I had simply chosen to ignore them. Navan’s nerves had gotten to me. I didn’t know how it might affect me, given that it was still in a very experimental phase of production, and, after my last struggle with Vysanthean potions, I didn’t feel like risking my health on it unless I could be more hopeful about the outcome.

“A few sips?” The queen narrowed her eyes at me.

I nodded, though I couldn’t meet her gaze.

“Impossible, Riley. A few sips and you would have wings as strong and wide as anyone in this training room. Why are you lying to me? Do you know the punishment for lying to your queen?” she asked, though her tone didn’t seem angry. It was something closer to disappointed. It didn’t take a genius to see that she was offended by my rejection of her gift, just as Bashrik had warned she would be.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I didn’t mean to lie to you. It’s just that I’m… Well, I’m embarrassed,” I replied, thinking quickly. “I’m embarrassed because I’m worried I won’t be any good. I’m nervous about how difficult it will be to learn to fly.”

For a moment, Queen Brisha said nothing, her face a blank mask. Then, a burst of laughter erupted from her throat. I was off the hook. I didn’t know how, but I was.

“Have you not offered to teach your lover, Navan?” she chided, gesturing toward Navan, who had been standing not far from my training square. “You surprise me. I thought you would have been eager to teach your partner how to be more like one of us!” She smiled coyly, making me wonder if she was thinking about Bashrik.

Meanwhile, I found myself looking around the training room, hoping nobody had overheard Brisha revealing our relationship in such a carefree, open manner. I was pretty sure everyone already suspected by now, but I didn’t want to give them any more ammunition than they already had against me.

“I would have offered had she told me she’d received such a gift, Your Highness,” he replied coolly, snaking his arm around my waist. “How come you didn’t say anything?” he asked, frowning down at me.