2
Riley
Carrying my food tray, I walked among the council’s chosen warriors as their blood dripped onto the grass at my feet.
What the hell was I doing here? I felt out of place.
Whether they be Dragon or Sabre or Dire, these warriors had all thrown themselves into the fight without regard for personal safety. Whereas I’d spent most of my life looking after me, myself, and I.
What was it like to care so much for a cause that you were willing to die for it? Was this what it meant to be a Shade operative? It made me feel—inadequate. Not up to the task.
Sacrificing for others was so commonplace for this crew that not only did they stand around in the meadow as they bled, but they were alsochatting. Discussing life as though they hadn’t just risked losing it.
Bess and Cara had been joined by three other Watchers that spread out to heal those patiently waiting for their turn. Most students were at breakfast, but a few had come down to assist—although there wasn’t much to do, other than feed those coming through the gate or help them limp to the healers.
Fang vibrated from her spot. She was well hidden, but she kept activating those stiffer hairs on the nape of my neck, sending little unhelpful zings through me.
“I’m heading back for a reload,” Vali said, brandishing her empty tray.
“I’ll be a bit yet,” I answered. I’d spent so much time gawking that mine was still over half full.
I watched her pick her way through the scattered warriors toward the building. Male eyes followed her. She seemed totally unconscious of her natural way of moving that was seductive as hell.
Somehow, I thought Vali would step up if asked. She had that quality to her.
Lost in my thoughts, I continued to stump around with my tray of dumplings. I offered it to two muscley guys I was pretty sure were Sabres. The shoulder of one had been torn open—four distinctive, parallel lines. The wound was deep and still bleeding. But he broke off his blow-by-blow description of how he bested the Dire who’d done it, and grinned at me.
Or rather, at Kiko, who was trailing me with another tray.
“What do we have here?” he drawled, as his nostrils flared.
Kiko did her usual assessment from crotch to hairline—fortunately, the shifters had redressed in pants, at least, when they’d returned—and smiled back. “Just a selection of delectables,” she purred.
I rolled my eyes and offered my tray to his friend, who took a dumpling and inhaled it in one bite. The shifter ability to pack away food had sent us to the kitchen multiple times. A scattering of other students had been pressed into service. We were all getting an up-close-and-personal look at what it might mean to be a Shade.
These warriors—I wasn’t this kind of fighter. Fang tickled again. Was she trying to communicate? Too bad I didn’t speak Webspinner.
The Sabre leaned closer to Kiko. “Delectable is about right.” His voice was a seductive growl.
“Students are off limits.” The deep voice came from over my shoulder, and Cody hove into view. The tall Sabre was clad in sweats, but his naked torso was covered in blood. He’d forgone his own healing to let his men go first.
“Damn,” muttered Kiko.
The reprimanded Sabre appeared disappointed, but his friend just shrugged and snagged another dumpling. I rather gratefully offered one to Cody.
He grabbed three. “Killing is hungry work.” He twitched me a smile and crammed one in his mouth before turning and striding away.
My own smile froze on my face. I didn’t think I could ever view killing in such a cavalier fashion, but what did I know? Maybe if you did enough of it, it altered your perspective.
At the edges of the group, I saw Tareal and Lora. They weren’t helping, just standing there, staring.
It was a bit unsettling. But a lot of other students were doing the same thing as they glimpsed the grim realities of what they might face someday.
Off to one side, Cara was bent over a Dragon. Kiko sidled up to me. “Heard that some got shot with those parasites.”
I stared at her. “What parasites?”
The Satyr wrinkled her nose. “They are really nasty. Dragons shot by darts are eaten so fast from the inside out that they drop from the sky.”
