I gritted my teeth and ripped my gaze away. My hormones were totally out of control. I’d worked with plenty of men since moving to Kenora, and never—well, rarely—had I batted an eye.
But none could hold a candle to these guys. I’d never considered myself a sex-starved female, but I was certainly acting like one now.
Perhaps Aussies and alphaholes were not the only risks I faced.
* * *
The Bellati addressed the trainees. “My name be Sebastian. I will be your drill instructor for the group runs and obstacle workouts. I’ll also be assisting with Night Games.” He turned toward the water. “Today, we will be taking it easy on you. The path surrounding the lake be five miles in length. You will have an hour to complete the run. All runners must be in humanoid form—no shifting allowed. Each runner will be carrying a pack.” He gestured to a row lying on the ground beside the path. “They will be light for the first few runs. Eventually, they will be at full capacity, calculated based on your own body weights.”
He planted his fists on his hips. “This be a fitness rather than a team exercise. This be also not a race. You will be expected to find your own natural pace and stick with it. You will, however, be pushed to improve every day.”
He had a rather quaint way of speaking, but there was nothing else humorous about him. Every gesture, his expression, his voice—this was not someone you messed with.
The Bellati pointed to the path, where a familiar form lounged on a bench. “Cody marks the finish line, and he will record each time, so you know what you have to improve on tomorrow. Each pack has a number that corresponds to your room assignments. The weights will be adjusted according to your own as time goes by. Put them on, and line up on the grass here.”
Matt leaned close. “That bloke’s got a stick up his ass.”
The Bellati wasn’t here to win a popularity contest. I was sure that CAF instructors were strict, too. “He seems pretty tough, I admit.”
The big Dire snorted a laugh. But this instructor only made me want to prove myself. I set my jaw as we collected our respective packs. I fussed with my straps, making sure they would sit snug and high on my shoulders but still permit freedom of movement.
No matter what, I was determined to excel at the run. It was something I had trained for. I might not be able to talk to animals or have any clue about realm politics, but I could damn well do this.
Matt picked his pack up and slung it over his back.
“Here,” I said. “You have to loosen this buckle, and this one should sit snug, or it will bounce all over.”
I altered the straps, while he stood frozen. As I tugged the waist one tighter, I looked up.
His eyes glowed emerald. I swallowed, and my heart gave an almighty kick.
“Thanks, Angel,” he said, his voice suspiciously hoarse.
“I cannot get mine on,” Mari complained.
Even with the straps let out as far as they could go, I couldn’t get all the buckles done up on her.
“It’s okay.” She eyed the crowd waiting to be set free. “I will just go with it. I am not exactly going to be moving fast. It is not my thing.”
I experienced a stab of premature guilt. “I could stay with you...”
“No. We set our own pace, he said. You go ahead.”
I secretly sighed in relief. I had no doubt Mari would be the last to cross the finish line. She wasn’t built to run, and I had no clue as to her endurance. Slow and steady? Or sprint and quit?
It was important that we each knew our strengths and weaknesses if we were going to form a team. Mari’s probably wouldn’t be speed. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t have endurance.
We joined the group milling around the Bellati. His pale eyes scanned us before he said, “I will set the pace. For timing accuracy, each team will launch with a few seconds between them.” Sebastian gestured to where Kitani stood, a stopwatch in hand.
“Team Manticore, you are up,” Kitani called. “Followed by Firelizard. Phoenix, you will be going third.”
She continued to call out the order as the teams formed up. I noticed that Talakai had his pack expertly adjusted across his broad back. How good were Dragons at running? I couldn’t imagine they’d do it that often if they could fly.
In fact, as I scanned the recruits, I wondered how many Dires spent much time running on two legs. This might be a very revealing hour.
I watched as Sebastian headed off, and I gulped as his long legs ate up the ground. This wasn’t any casual jog. He would make us stretch for it.
If I wanted to prove myself, I had my work cut out for me.
