Altair barked a laugh. “Are you serious? I should have known you would believe in that bullshit. More people know than the AEA would have its employees believe, and you’d think it would be good information to give your mates and teammates.”
“We’re not supposed to tell anyone,” I said through gritted teeth.
“You have a bounty on your head already. What are they going to do if you start telling people the angelic secrets? Raise the bounty? You’re not worth more than they’re paying for you now.”
My fingers flexed on Caspian’s hips, bruising him. I was lucky he healed fast and didn’t mind me being rough. Freya cut into the conversation, glancing between the two of us. “While this information is… informative, let’s train. I’m about done for the day. Fucking starving, really. One bout and then we head out.”
“Two fights,” I muttered. “Cas and I will go against them too.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Nolan said.
“Try and fucking stop me.”
“You can’t kill my employees.”
“Then they had better stay alive.”
Altair’s expression lit up, even his cloudy, unseeing eye glinting. Since everyone knew how indestructible angels were, now, I’m sure they were wondering how he had scars from an attack. There were ways. They involved magic the AEA tried hard to keep hidden, but anyone could be permanently injured if you knew how to do it.
“Little Omega, let’s begin,” Altair declared.
Freya’s eyes narrowed. “I told you not to call me that.”
“And I told you I wouldn’t listen.”
He shed the jacket he was wearing, revealing a tight t-shirt with a weapons holster beneath. His pants were rough cloth trousers with a multitude of pockets, which he was quick to empty out. The weapon he chose to keep was a thin sword. Sky also dropped plenty of weapons silently to the ground, including his wand. He kept a heavily curved blade.
Emmett and Freya whispered amongst themselves for a second, not needing to drop any weapons at all. Freya kept a short dagger, and Em kept the matching one, and they wandered into the makeshift fighting ring. The rest of us filed in after them, my hands not leaving Caspian for a second. He gazed up at me in concern, but didn’t say anything, existing as a silent comfort for me.
“I’m going to assume no magic includes no shifting?” Emmett asked.
Altair looked him over. “I’m tempted to fight a bear with one weapon and my bare hands, but yes. No magic includes no shifting. Would you like to change your choice of weapon?”
He shook his head. Their plan was fairly obvious. Emmett was a force to be reckoned with, weapon or not, but he fought best without one. It was hard to keep weapons when he shifted, so he often shifted back and had to fight with fists only. Freya, on the other hand, relied on her magic. I didn’t doubt her hand-to-hand capabilities after the past few days of training, but she fought best with a weapon in each hand.
Em would give her the dagger so she’d have two and he’d have none.
The plan was smart, admittedly. I did hate how Freya insisted on using only close range weapons. Couldn’t she learn to use a sword and keep her opponents a metre away at all times?
I’d almost suggested it many times, but didn’t want to get punched in the face. I may heal right away, but it didn’t make her wrath pleasant.
“We go until we get close to a killing blow. Obviously stopping before any killing happens,” Freya said. “If you’re useful, it’s better for you to be alive.”
Snorting, Altair shrugged. “Back at you. Besides, if I did kill you, I’d end up dead myself. I’m not so cocky as to believe I’ll be able to fight past your five pack mates.”
“I’m shocked to hear you aren’t that cocky.”
“Even I know my limits, little Omega.”
“Fuck right off,” she hissed. “Someone count down from five to start this damn fight.”
Nolan complied, starting at five and counting down until he said ‘start’ and the four burst into movement. It was a flurry of weapons and limbs that had my hair standing on end, Caspian clutched tight to me. Em threw his dagger to Freya as anticipated and she caught it in mid-air, holding one in each hand as she faced off with Altair. Sky went for Emmett, the shifter spinning out of the path of Sky’s blade.
Metal caught metal I winced, but Freya was grinning and holding her own against Altair and his sword. It was dangerously close to her face, but she wasn’t flinching. “I hate this,” I muttered, pressing a kiss to the back of Caspian’s head.
“I do too, but you know she’s impossible to stop.”
I’d learned the hard way.
