I sighed, and stared down at the stones…
31
Tez
As I raised my hands and attempted to dial back on the bird-calling shit, one thought dominated my mind.
I absolutely should have left with Slade.
What the hell had I been thinking? The Watcher lady was on to me—I was sure of it.
I’d really stayed here for the fucking library, and it did contain the information I needed. After spending all evening and most of the night digging through references, I had even sneaked one into my room.
The information was vital to my existence as a mercenary, but I might pay a very high price if my true nature was discovered. I had no idea what the Gretik Priesthood’s connections were to the council’s academy, but I didn’t want to find out, either.
In and out. I should have known better than to stay. Because there was another reason that it had been a very fucking bad idea. An even more important reason.
Bree.
She was easily the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Watching her across a room was bad enough, but then there was the library incident. During which Nemi had almost peckeda hole in my neck, and my damned body had reacted as if I’d consumed Poletuber juice.
I’d wanted to kill something—no, a certain hulking, rock-lifting someone—when she’d admitted she had feelings for Riggs.
And now, having her in this fucking class with me was devastating.
I desired her more than anything or anyone I’d ever wanted before. It was a visceral kind of thing, and not something I’d ever experienced.
I’d once worked with a cartel operative who’d been deadly efficient at his job. He’d totally fallen for a woman that belonged to an enemy of ours. And he decided he would have her, at any cost.
She’d cost him his life.
I’d never understood it. Thought he was a fool. Had told him so, before he’d headed out to get himself killed.
I told myself the same thing now. This woman belonged to Victor. He was going to a lot of trouble to get her back. No way he’d tolerate me interfering. He’d torch me in an instant.
That is, if Riggs didn’t try to slice and dice me first. He glowered at me like he already had a stake in her himself. Or a dick.
Maybe he’d already screwed her. Was that why he’d given her the sword? From what I knew of it, that wasn’t a weapon one just handed over. Wherever it went, it carried destiny with it.
When the light from it engulfed me—Bree was there, within that pulsing energy. I bathed in the purity of her life essence, and it nearly undid me.
Because the sword’s power seized hold of something deep within me, and made it much more solid than it had ever been before. A presence that now uncoiled and sat up, before pushing to the surface.
My grandmother had given it a name.Feathered Serpent.I had no idea what it actually was, only that it was something I needed to avoid.
I barely shut it down in time.
By the look on that crazy Watcher’s face, it hadn’t been soon enough. But this time, I kept a stranglehold on things, and only summoned a few curious birds.
By the time she decided we’d had enough, I felt like something inside me had been stretched so far that it would never go back to the way it was. Nemi chirped from my shoulder as we walked back toward the gate, and Riggs once again kept himself between me and Bree. He walked so he could watch me out of the corner of his eye.
Whatever else this guy was, he was trained to fight. And there was definitely something going on between those two. Excellent reasons to be gone sooner rather than later.
But here I was, following them back through the academy building to the front meadow. As if I belonged with them. Or, at least, withher.
“Tez, I’d like to talk to you in private for a moment.” Cara looked at me.
My gut clenched. This couldn’t be good. But I didn’t know a way out of it, so I let her lead me off along the front of the building until we were away from everyone else.
