“Again,” Nate bellowed down at me.
I groaned and rolled to my stomach. Slowly, I clambered to my feet and bared my teeth at him. “You yell at me one more time, I’m going to take your balls from your body.”
He snorted, but before he could open his mouth, Thorn said, “I rather like his balls. Maybe take some toes instead, sweetheart.”
I shot Thorn the finger, and he chuckled. Until Alex used his power and put him in a bubble. When Thorn started floating up to the roof, his eyes widened. He stumbled around like a fish out of water, cursing up a storm. He pounded at the outer layer, but we all knew nothing would penetrate it. We’d all tried.
My anger disappeared, and I started laughing. But then my feet were knocked out from under me, and I landed with a thump on my back on the floor. Asher stood over me with his hands on his hips.
“Being distracted could get you killed.”
“I know,” I clipped.
“It could also get someone you love killed,” Nate called. I twisted my head to see him standing behind Ezra with his hand around his throat. I knew he wouldn’t harm Ezra but seeing it had me screaming at myself under my breath. They’d been teaching me how to protect myself for the last two weeks, and we’d now moved on to trying to show me how to work within a team. To make sure I not only had myself covered but those who would fight alongside me. I thought I’d made progress, but it was obvious I still had a lot of work to do. My body chilled in worry. I fisted my hands and pressed them against my churning stomach. I wouldn’t be ready in time.
We were leaving in two weeks.
Two weeks.
It wasn’t enough time.
A sense of failure and worry spread through my veins instead of blood. I didn’t want to be the weak link. I had to get better.
Slapping the floor as I stood, I ignored Asher’s hand he’d held out to help me.
“Love—” he started, but I shook my head.
I ran a hand over my sweaty face. “Don’t give me sweet, encouraging words. I don’t want them right now.”
He nodded. “All right.” He dodged left. I slid right and gripped his arm to take him to the ground, but he was too fast. He easily slipped out of my hold and wound his arm around my throat, pressing his front to my back. I grabbed his hand and bent, flipping him over my body. He landed in a crouch, stood, and turned. His movements were a mere blur with every punch and kick as he drove me backward. I deflected each one.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nate approaching Alex, who still held Thorn in a bubble. I ducked under Asher’s punch, unsheathed my blade at my ankle, and threw it across the room; it landed just before Nate’s toes.
His gaze hit me, but Alex had also noticed Nate now.
Asher tripped me. I fell on my back, rolled, and jumped up.
He stopped and smiled at me. “Better.”
It was a good thing I didn’t breathe, or I would have been out of breath. Still, my heart was beating so hard in my chest I was surprised it didn’t fall out.
It was wonderful to hear his praise, but it wasn’t enough yet. Soon we would be walking into the fae territory, and even though we’d asked for permission and it had been given, I didn’t like not knowing what would happen. Actually, all of the meetings we’d set up had been agreed upon since they were all willing to meet with the new ghoul queen. Of course they would want to know if I would be a threat to them and theirs. They’d learn I wouldn’t be, unless something happened to someone I claimed as mine.
I’d read up on fae between training, yet the information was limited. And those who had been around the fae told me never to trust them. They were conniving, tricky creatures. They could fly, glamour, and talk their way into your home and bed. I’d heard they were the most stunning creatures in existence, and yes, I’d seen pictures in the books I’d studied. Yet, all I could think was that I saw more beauty in my bonded mates.
I wasn’t holding out hope in their help. The fae kept to themselves a lot. For all I knew, the new king, who was the son of the former one, wouldn’t care what was going on outside of his kingdom. I had asked why we were even going to see them, but Asher assured me they would be an advantage to have on our side. The council were the ones behind the former king’s death. Alex was certain the facts my men already had to show the fae, as well as what they could tell us about that night, would be enough for them to not trust the council and hopefully stand with us. Or if not, then to stay out of the fight when it was time for us to go to them.
Only time would tell.
After the fae kingdom, we were moving on to the two missing alphas. The first was from a lion pride consisting of at least five hundred members. The other was a tiger in charge of his streak. Nate had informed me one night while studying that tigers usually didn’t group together—they tended to be solitary creatures—but the alpha that had gone missing had been looked up to by many of his kind, which was how he became their leader.
Their groups had also given us permission to enter their territory. However, I had a feeling it could have something to do with wanting to take a good look at the ghoul queen they’d never heard of. Even the fae would want the same, to discover my power and determine if I would be a threat or not.
We had to be careful with how we did things, though, or it could bring us more trouble than just the council.
Lastly, and it was thanks to the woman who’d saved my Asher, we were allowed entry into the deceased master’s clan lands to visit the vampires since she’d now taken over as their master. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Cynthia. The interaction Asher had with her concerned me as I could likely kill her if she tried anything. However, Asher told me everything would be fine and Cynthia would listen to what we had to say. It was also likely she’d help us—another thing Asher was sure of. His confidence in her had me wanting to punch her in the face in a fit of jealousy, which was something my men found amusing when they felt and saw how pissed I became every time Asher spoke of her.
Still, I pushed all of that down to worry about when the time came and, instead, got into a fighting stance. I curled my fingers at Asher and said, “Come at me.”
He smirked and then disappeared.
Only that time I brought my powers forward. It helped me see his movement better. Just as he stopped behind me, I twisted, grabbed, and dropped him to his back on the floor. Though, I was sure he allowed it because when I straddled his waist, his hands slowly slid up my thighs. The movement paused, and he rolled me to my back, got to his feet, and crouched in front of me. Nate’s growl was pointed at the door, so was Ezra’s in his shifted form, and as Thorn’s feet touched the floor, he withdrew his sword. Alex, with his delicious power, aimed his glowing-white hands at the door.
It was then I heard it—the heavy footfalls of maybe three people. Quickly, I stood just as the doors to the gym burst open and in them stood a puffing Leon and two of his brothers.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded, taking a step forward, until Asher’s arm swung out to hold me back.
“Yasmin.” My sister’s name from his lips had my heart taking off in flight and angst twisting my stomach. He went on. “She was outside with Sophie and two of our brothers. They….” He shook his head.
Jake, Leon’s younger brother, continued with “We didn’t know the real Sophie was actually inside, since the fake scented the same as the real one. We were all fooled.”