Damn. I should have been running more in Port.
I groaned as I rolled out of bed at the dinner bell. My hair was still wet from my shower, and I wore my pajamas—a simple pair of loose cotton pants and a tank top. I grabbed Godric’s sweater as an afterthought and shoved it on over my head since the top of my shoulder still looked gruesome from his bite. Little scabs had formed, but it would scar. His teeth had sunk in too deep not to.
My slippers whispered on the hardwood floor, my feet dragging as I walked. The girls next to me weren’t any better. We had lost two women, now down to eight female recruits, when the major had decided the last three miles were to be a sprint to the finish line. The two at the back had fallen and not gotten up, just lying on the concrete sidewalk and crying.
The men still looked in prime form around us.
They hadn’t done anything extra after the tour.
I didn’t even want to think about the test tonight.
Godric had acted as if it would be brutal.
And I was exhausted.
That wasn’t a great combination.
I rubbed the back of my neck under my damp hair and ambled into the dining hall with the rest of the herd. When we were all inside, the doors locked behind us. I glanced around in confusion when there were no tables inside the room, much less food that I needed.
Whispers started around me, and a few men pointed to the far end of the room. My brows furrowed. I used my small size to squeeze between candidates, turning my shoulders, and brushing against their sides until I edged through the crowd to see what they were staring at.
Major Wilcox and her four counterparts were ignoring all of us as they spoke together near the far wall. But they weren’t alone. Godric and Finn were both with them. All seven wore black martial arts pants. The male chests were bare while Major Wilcox wore a black tank top. They had no shoes on either.
There were weapons along the wall behind them.
Many different forms of weaponry. All deadly.
I tugged on the bottom of my sweater and attempted to keep my features blank, the skin on my cheeks tight with strain at seeing Godric here. If he was interfering with my chance to be part of the Corporate Army, I would have his damn balls. And if he was here to help me…
He would need help after I was done with him.
The kind of help that requires men to carry his casket.
Godric didn’t look in our direction as he grinned at something one of the instructors had said, easily carrying on his conversation while a roomful of people waited.
Finn glanced at us and scratched at his chin, his eyes carrying over all the recruits he could see, evaluating them with experienced eyes. When his attention stopped on me, it was no different from all of the others he had assessed. Then he was on to the next individual.
He leaned in and said something to their group.
Every person laughed.
Yes, we were green.
I was in my damn pajamas, appearing for all the world like I was ready for a sleepover with a friend. Not at all like I needed to with a roomful of weapons. I was happy I had remembered to slide a hair tie over my wrist after showering.
The instructor in the middle eventually stepped forward when all of the candidates shut up about Godric being here. And Finn too. They had been arguing about who had the most impressive physique for fighting. No one had agreed on that one while I kept my mouth shut.
In my opinion, it was obviously Godric.
But they were both built like beasts.
The instructor stated loudly. “It’s test time.”
No shit.
“At least half of you will be leaving tonight.”
That was nice of him to say.
“We will be calling names randomly. When your name is called, you can choose one weapon. Pick wisely because you will fight with it.”
Hmm. That wasn’t so bad.
“There will be no fatal blows.”
Even better.
“The first person to draw blood wins.”
Not so good.
“And the loser is out of the program.”
That would definitely be bad.
There still had to be a catch. One on one was easy.
“Any questions?”
The man next to me raised his hand. “Will Mr. King and Mr. Baker be staying the entire time?”
I dropped my forehead into my right hand and rubbed at my temples. I could not believe the first question asked was that.
Baker. Baker, Baker, Baker…
It came to me quickly.
Baker Corporation. They were the largest weapons corporation, building and supplying the world’s needs in the finest and deadliest weapons. I had thought Finn was the quietest and most reserved of Godric’s friends. Perhaps he had a dark side he hid from the world running a dangerous business like that.
The instructor snorted. “Yes, they will.”
I sighed and raised my hand before any other idiots could raise theirs. I asked in a bored tone, “Who will we be fighting?”
The instructor grinned. “Us.”
I kept my hand in the air. “How many?”
“Our two against your one.”
My hand loved high places. “How will you pick?”
“Randomly.”
I wiggled my fingers still up there. “Do we need to bleed both people or just one?”
He snickered, amused with my persistence. “Both.”
I finally lowered my hand.
Then I raised it fast with a thought. “Will we get dinner afterward?”
Finn’s shoulders shook ever so slightly.
The amusement fled from the instructor’s face. “Are you so sure you’ll win?”
“Yes.” I kept my hand up. “You didn’t answer my question.”
He sighed. “Dinner will be served afterward for those still here.” His eyes scanned left to right on our group, skipping over me. “Does anyone else have any questions?”
My freaking hand was still in the air.
I lowered it and scowled.
When no one said anything, he nodded. “Good. Now please move to the outer edges of the wall and take a seat to wait your turn.” Then he pivoted and chatted with their group once again, ignoring us all.