“Who was Lucia not going to send with the team to look into it?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
“I—” Micah hesitated. “That’s not something I can talk about. Sorry.”
For once, I didn’t argue. The look in his eyes as they slid away from me carried enough sadness to make me bite my tongue. I tracked his gaze to a female watching us from afar, her hair pale in the sunlight. She averted her eyes from mine the moment ours met, and she yelled something at the recruits sparring before her.
Something stirred deep within my chest, something familiar, and I frowned.
“So,” he started, dragging me back, and I couldn’t miss how eager he was to change the subject as he widened his stance, clenching and unclenching his fists. “Show me exactly how you laid out three guards unarmed.”
My lips twitched at the tone in his voice, at the hint of curiosity and amusement, as if the thought of it entertained him. I rolled my neck and cracked my knuckles as I stepped toward him, and I couldn’t help but feel like I might grow to like this male more than I’d cared to admit.
6
THALIA
“Who’s Micah training with today? I’ve never seen him before,” Zephyr asked, and my brows furrowed, my attention drawn from the group of trainees whose sparring I oversaw.
I’d tried to avoid looking at the male since he’d met my gaze earlier, but it had been difficult to keep my eyes from wandering. He was tall, his blond hair swept back from his face, save for the few strands that had slipped free during their training. Where had he come from? He hadn’t been at the morning’s roll call.
“He looks a bit out of shape,” I said, noting how he panted in the brief moment before they exchanged blows again.
Zephyr huffed a laugh, his massive arms crossed over his chest as he tilted his head. “Definitely new to fighting.”
“I wouldn’t quite say that,” I said as my eyes narrowed in assessment. He was still standing, and I wasn’t sure if Micah was going easy on him or if he was trulyholding up.
Wait—was I defending this male?
I shook the thought away, but as I tried to focus on our own recruits, I couldn’t seem to keep my attention from them. Not from Micah, whose brow was coated in sweat from training, veins popping on his forearms, and not from the strange male whose throat bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes locked on my bonded.
Gods, why was I staring?
“Did we get a batch of new recruits?” Zephyr asked, and I blinked, praying I didn’t look as obvious as I felt.
“Recruitment happened three days ago, and he was not among the thirty who made it through the preliminary testing,” I said, tilting my head as I assessed his movements. It was something I had to do as a trainer. I couldn’t improve any weaknesses if I didn’t pay close attention to their flaws. It was strictly professional.
There was an unorthodox way with which he fought, as if he learned to fight more through necessity than training. Yet, at the same time, I could see similar steps the recruits used.
Something tugged in the back of my mind, something familiar and strange.
The beast deep in my chest seemed to purr, and my cheeks heated at the implication.
What the fuck?
I grumbled internally.In case you hadn’t noticed, that’s our bonded he’s fighting.
The beast seemed to huff at that statement.Then tell me why your heart races, little one.
I internally rolled my eyes at the name. I hadn’t been alittle onefor over fifty years.
As my attention returned to them, I couldn’t help but let my mind wander, letting my eyes do the same. Gods, they were beautiful, bodies powerful as they held each other off at every step.
“His name is Barrett.”
I stiffened at Lucia’s voice, even more so at the knowing smile on her face.
“Where’d he come from?” Zephyr asked. “I don’t recognize him.”
“That’s above your rank,” she said with a tilt of her head before leaving us in silence.
