“That I want you near me.”
This was not where I’d thought he was going with this flirty line of conversation. I blinked in astonishment, and blabbered, “You can’t just say that to me.”
“Does that frighten you, pet?”
A little.
“No.” I huffed. “But if I do have to go home, I won’t live in New City. None of my father’s soldiers do. Brandon certainly won’t.”
“You’re correct about Mr. Moore.” Those tiny circles he kept drawing on my back were so slow and lovely. “I believe General Carvene is grooming him to eventually take his place, so the next general would live primarily in Port, as is typical of the LA.”
I had suspected as much.
I was like a torch passed down to the next leader of the Liberated Army, a prized filly for the great men who opposed the corporations.
My stomach churned at the thought.
“You don’t like what I said.”
I made a face at him. “Quit analyzing me.”
He grinned, his eyes on my lips. “It comes naturally to me. I can’t help it.”
I peered back out at the buildings across the street.
He fully relaxed, staring at the sunrise.
We sat side-by-side in the early morning quiet.
It was incredibly peaceful.
Eventually, I whispered, “This is heading in a bad direction, Godric.”
“I know,” he stated smoothly. He continued to enjoy the view of the glorious sky. “I’ll figure it out, though, pet. Just focus on passing the last test today. You’re the only female remaining now.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The same male instructor was leading today. He stood at the front of the train while we sat in our seats like obedient little recruits, all eyes on him. There was only a total of forty-four remaining candidates. And it was judgment day.
“This is your final test. Half of you will be invited to the Corporate Army, half of you will go home with your tail between your legs.” He said it all with a smile too. “Today, you will be tested on your strength and endurance. As soon as we arrive, you will participate in an obstacle course.”
I was the smallest here.
This wasn’t going to be fun.
“First, you will each cut down a tree in the designated area. Once you have finished with that, you will swim across the lake. There you will find an agility course. The first half of you to cross the finish line will pass.” He was still grinning. “The rest of you will need to find your own mode of transportation back to the Military House to remove your belongings. If you don’t pick up your items within twelve hours, they will be donated to the poor.”
Okay. That was just mean.
He chuckled and took his seat where the rest of the instructors, along with Godric and Finn, sat at the front of the lavish train. The seven of them started chatting amongst themselves, enjoying the ‘relaxing’ train ride.
I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.
Cut down a tree?
I’d never done that before in my life.
Swim across a lake?
I loved the water.
Agility course?
I was unsure. I would have to survey the terrain.
I really didn’t want my ball cap, back in my room at the Military House, sent to the poor. But the odds today were a coin flip. I may end up having to steal my hat back from a destitute kid since I currently had no units for a train ride anywhere. If I failed, I would be stuck wherever the hell this train was taking us.
*
The train stopped, and the door opened automatically.
I shot from my seat in the middle of the train.
Only two others did the same.
The rest of the recruits watched in confusion.
But we had ‘arrived,’ the test now started.
I made it to the front of the train before the recruit in front of me turned and slammed his elbow right in the center of my chest. I stumbled back against a seat and grabbed at my shirt, my breath knocked out of me.
I choked, “You dumb motherfucker. A fight isn’t how you’re going to beat me today.”
He smirked and turned to the door.
I shoved my hands back, my palms landing on a headrest and a person’s head. I instantly knew it was Godric’s head I was touching by the coarse curls beneath my fingers—and I was standing where the instructors still sat. I shoved off, hoping I didn’t hurt him and jumped to the door.
I kicked Dumb Motherfucker right in his ass.
He flew out the door. “Shit!”
The bone in his right leg cracked when he landed on his side, his leg at an odd angle underneath him. He shouted in instant pain, his face shading to a remarkable tomato red.
I grinned and hurried down the stairs. “Have fun losing today.”
With my chest aching, I ran to a table where there were different types of equipment for chopping down a tree.
“Crap,” I muttered. My hands fluttered over all them, unsure of what to pick. I had never used any of these before.
Well, I had trained with an ax before.
But I didn’t think that was right.
The trees weren’t huge before us in the roped area.
The other man, who had jumped up as the train door had opened too, stopped next to me. He took only a second, his gaze scanning before he grabbed a handsaw. Then he was running to the shoreline of the lake, to the trees there. This area would have been beautiful just to visit.
“Okay. Handsaw then.”
I grabbed one of the five remaining handsaws on the table and a pair of the many safety gloves. Whoever was stuck with the metal nail files in the center of the table was screwed. I ran down the hill as all the other recruits were shoving each other to get out of the train. Dumb Motherfucker was still moaning on the ground and recruits had to jump over him, dust flying up in his damp face.