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“A Mercesti can’t travel to Central,” Uncle Gabriel said. “The protections prevent it.”

  After a moment, Aunt Skye nodded as if to herself. “Zachariah can. I’ll take him there.” She was referring to her ability to teleport, which wasn’t inhibited by the protections if she knew where she was going. Quincy started to speak, so she quickly added, “After the babies are born.”

  “You will be unable to use your abilities for at least a month after the babies arrive,” Jabari said. “We all know how the births drain your powers.”

  Aunt Skye sighed. “I know. But it’s either we wait until then, or someone manages to convince Zachariah to allow Tate to leave for a couple of days without him.”

  Everyone exchanged looks. Sophia figured they were thinking exactly what she was: there was no way they’d convince the hard-headed Mercesti to let Tate leave. He’d probably kill himself trying to get to Central.

  Eventually, Jabari nodded. “It appears there is little choice. Sophia, Tate, Tiege, Clara Kate and Zachariah must travel to Central after the next Kynzesti are born and Skye has recovered her abilities.”

  Sophia watched her parents exchange glances with each other and her aunts and uncles. She knew that, outside of Aunt Skye’s brief teleport, none of them would be able to travel to Central because they needed to stay with their newborn children. They were likely all exchanging thoughts about this difficult reality.

  Her gaze met Quincy’s. He looked at her with quiet intensity. She blinked, uncertain of the significance of that look. Why did she feel as though she was missing something?

  “Very well,” her mother said then, turning her attention. She covered Sophia’s hand with her own. “We agree. Our firstborn children will travel to Central once the babies are born.”

  Chapter 8

  Quincy emerged from his cottage the following day with Sophia at the front of his mind. This was hardly unusual. But the news yesterday about her traveling to Central made him fixate.

  The Kynzesti had yet to be formally introduced to Estilorian society. So far, only the elders and the top ranks of each class had even met them. There were a number of reasons for this, not the least of which being that the elders wanted time to understand their abilities. In light of their elemental natures, the Kynzesti were unpredictable. Thus, putting them in the midst of other Estilorians without knowing what to expect was considerably unwise.

  Now, however, it appeared the firstborn Kynzesti were deemed ready to integrate into Estilorian society. Quincy couldn’t help but equate that with his recent personal acknowledgement that Sophia was, indeed, now a mature female with the ability to make decisions about her own future. He was both thrilled and terrified by that realization.

  It was time for training in the paddock, so he decided to walk over and check it out. He occasionally participated in weapons training. Today, since he had gotten very little sleep the night before and still felt sluggish, he decided to observe.

  As he walked, he caught a glimmer out of the corner of his eye and spotted Nyx getting settled in the shade of a tree. Sunlight reflected off her large, black, serpentine body and her diamond eyes. Although he was getting more accustomed to the kragen’s presence within the homeland, she was still a rather fearsome creature to behold.

  Tate stood on the outskirts of the paddock, so Quincy walked up to stand beside her. She wore a dark orange training tank with brown pants and boots, a rather conservative look for her. Her colorful, curly hair was bound on top of her head in a messy bun. She gave him a bright smile when he approached.

  “Hiya, Quincy.” She stepped closer and linked arms with him, a friendly and familiar gesture. “Came out to make sure Sophia participates in today’s training, right?”

  He grinned back at her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Lie,” she said with a wink. “Yeah, I dragged her out this morning. Sparky keeps getting me up earlier and earlier for my training since he wants me to learn to fight better on my own. I headed over to get Soph as soon as my torture session was over.”

  That explained why she wasn’t in the center of the paddock with Zachariah, Tiege, Ariana, Sophia, Clara Kate and a number of other Kynzesti old enough to participate. Everyone was stretching and otherwise preparing themselves for the training ahead under Zachariah’s assessing eye. The Mercesti had taken an active role in defensive and offensive training of the Kynzesti since pairing with Tate. Because he was new to the family dynamic, he more easily spotted the holes that existed in the training that the Kynzesti had received over the years.

  “Sparky got some of Nyx’s toxin earlier,” Tate said, her eyes focused on Zachariah. “Sophia should be able to process the inoculation using the formula you created.”

  “That’s great.”

  “Yeah.” She looked at him. “You’ll do what you can to ensure it has a good likelihood of working, right?”

  “Of course.”

  She sighed. “Good. Sparky won’t let the serum be tested on anyone but him.”

  Just then, Zachariah indicated that it was time to begin training, so everyone gathered around him. The Mercesti was as expressionless as usual as he scanned the group. Quincy supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised by Zachariah’s selfless commitment to test the inoculation on himself, but he was.

  “Today we will train in hand-to-hand combat,” Zachariah said. “Be sure to take advantage of your opponent’s weaknesses. If you do not, they will never learn to overcome them.”

  There were a few nods as he began pairing them off. He didn’t pair Ariana with anyone, Quincy realized with a concerned frown. The Lekwuesti female’s spirits had improved somewhat since learning that at least one of the scroll pieces had been located. Standing face-to-face with Zachariah now caused her to lose some of her color.

  “Let him work with her,” Tate said quietly before Quincy interfered. When he caught her gaze, she added, “Our efforts to help Ariana get through her trauma haven’t done much good. Maybe she needs another kind of help.”

  Quincy wasn’t so sure, but for the sake of his friendship with Tate, he nodded. His gaze moved to Sophia, who was paired with Tiege for training. She wore a hunter green training tank and pants. He’d be lying if he didn’t admit that part of the draw getting him out to the training paddock was the sight of her in the conforming clothes, though it made him feel lecherous to admit that even to himself.

  “You fear me,” Zachariah said to Ariana. Quincy realized they had moved closer to him and Tate and away from the others because Ariana backed away from her opponent. “Use your fear to defeat me.”

  “I can’t,” she said in a nearly inaudible voice. She trembled.

  “You can and you will,” Zachariah argued. “I am coming after you calmly and in control. Those such as Deimos will not.”

  Ariana flinched at the name of the male who had attacked her. She glanced over her shoulder as though seeking a route of escape. Quincy barely fought the urge to help her. She looked like a doe in the sights of a vicious predator.

  “Do not turn your attention from me,” Zachariah snapped. Ariana’s wide lavender eyes flew back to him. “You have been here for six weeks, yet you still harbor fear. Do you want to learn to protect yourself from an attack or not?”

  “I—I—”

  “You were pinned,” he said, grabbing her arm and using one of his booted feet to sweep her legs out from under her. They fell together onto the grass. He now held her down, his hips between her legs. “Use your waist as a pivot to gather space and momentum—”

  “Get off me!” Ariana screeched, bucking against him.

  “—to roll us both over,” Zachariah continued as though he didn’t see or hear her terror. “Then use your elbow to disable me.”

  “Get off me, damn you!”

  “The temple and the base of the cerebellum—”

  Ariana screamed. All other activity ceased as everyone watched the spectacle. Quincy moved forward, disturbed by Ariana’s dramatic reaction an
d Zachariah’s heedlessness to her fear.

  “—are the weakest points accessible to you. If you strike me in either of those places with your elbow with enough force, you will render me—”

  “I said, get off me!”

  “—unconscious or possibly kill me.” Zachariah stayed where he was, holding her down as she thrashed uselessly, spouting curses and crying. “If you want me off, get me off you. I have just told you how.”

  “Get off of her, Zachariah,” Tiege said. He now stood beside the couple. Seeing the angry fire in Tiege’s eyes, Quincy prepared himself to intervene.

  “Like this,” Zachariah said, ignoring everyone except Ariana, who was now sobbing. He shifted so that there was room between their bodies, as though she had swiveled her hips and waist like he instructed. “Then grab my wrist like this and flip us.” He demonstrated and rolled with her. “Bring your elbow up as you roll and hit me—”

  She lashed out, but rather than strike him with her elbow, she tried to punch him.

  “You Mercesti demon!” she screamed, trying now to kick him and strike him however she could. Tiege grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. “I hate you!”

  Zachariah got to his feet. Several lines of blood welled just beneath his left eye where Ariana scratched him. He looked completely unaffected.

  “Next time, use your elbow like I showed you,” he told her. “It is the strongest part of your body. Your nails will only aggravate your attacker and likely get you killed.”

  “You really are unbelievable,” Tiege said. “Come on, Ariana.” He turned and guided the distraught female away from the training paddock.

  The crowd around Zachariah looked on in shock and uncertainty. Tate moved closer to him and reached up to touch the cuts on his face, but Zachariah shook his head at her and she withdrew. Seeing her hurt expression, Quincy’s anger surfaced.

  “Just what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, stepping in front of Zachariah. “Ariana has been victimized—forced to endure things that no being should have to—at the hands of your class. You have no business attempting to aid her in dealing with her trauma.”

  Zachariah’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond.

  “Doesn’t he?”

  Quincy glanced with surprise at Clara Kate. She stood with her arms crossed and a considering look on her face.

  “Zachariah was also victimized by the Mercesti,” she pointed out. “He was forced to do things that—”

  “Enough,” Zachariah interrupted, not looking away from Quincy. “She can hate me all she wants so long as she learns to be more than just a victim.” Now, his gaze moved to Sophia, making Quincy stiffen. “It appears you have no partner now, Shifter.”

  “I’ll spar with her,” Quincy offered when Sophia’s eyebrows rose.

  “You will not,” Zachariah said, turning to stride back into the center of the training paddock. “She needs a challenge, not a head-patting.”

  The insult had Quincy balling his hands into fists. He considered pitting himself against the Mercesti instead, training be damned. Then he caught Tate’s eye and knew he had to restrain himself. He wondered, though, what he would do if Zachariah pulled a similar stunt with Sophia as he had with Ariana and had a vision of ripping the other male’s head from his shoulders.

  Zachariah turned and looked at Sophia, who had yet to move from her position at the edge of the paddock. “What are you waiting for? Prepare to defend yourself.”

  Sophia realized that everyone had given up the idea of sparring with each other and had instead decided to watch her training session. Clara Kate caught her gaze as she walked past. Sophia answered the silent question in her cousin’s eyes with a curt nod. She would do this.

  Still, she couldn’t deny that her heart raced nervously as she approached the large Mercesti. Ariana had gotten his face pretty good with her nails, making him look even more intimidating than usual.

  The memory of Ariana’s screams ran through Sophia’s head as she approached him. She may have understood what Zachariah was trying to achieve with her friend, but his methods were dubious. She worried over Ariana’s mental state and considered telling Zachariah to stick it so that she could go check on her.

  Unfortunately, the Mercesti was stubborn. She knew she wouldn’t get out of this.

  “You are smaller than your kin,” he began as she neared him, “but you have more strength than any of them. You have to learn how to properly harness it.”

  What was he talking about? she wondered, trying not to get so close to him that she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. Then he positioned himself in an offensive attack stance.

  “Defend,” he said.

  That was all the warning she got. He swung out with his boot and nearly clipped her in the head. He followed that up with a back-hand strike. She barely avoided the blows by ducking and weaving. While she recovered from her awkward dodge, he planted his boot on her hip and sent her sprawling.

  “Get up,” he instructed. “Always keep moving.”

  She was already doing that, thank you very much. Irritation and embarrassment had her surging back to her feet with the intent of giving him a swift kick anywhere she could reach. He ruined her plan by going low and sweeping her legs out from under her. Her breath left her in a painful whoosh as she once again hit the ground. When he followed her ungraceful fall with another shove in the side from his boot, her irritation transformed into anger.

  “Kicking her while she’s down—” she heard Quincy growl.

  “An enemy would do far worse,” Zachariah interrupted. “You need to move more quickly,” he said to Sophia as she got back to her feet. “You have yet to use your true strength and abilities to properly defend yourself.”

  She opened her mouth to give him an earful as anger flooded her, but he stopped her with another kick. This one, she managed to avoid with a spin. She tried to kick him as she moved to his side, but he grabbed her foot and shoved her right back to the ground. This time, she rolled and avoided his follow-up kick.

  “You are learning,” he said. “But I want more from you, Shifter.”

  When she got to her feet, he sucker-punched her. One hard hit to the side of her head. Even as the pain registered and she staggered, she heard outraged exclamations from her family.

  “She’s so much smaller than you! How dare you strike her like that?”

  “Can’t you see she’s not strong enough to defeat you?”

  As the words swirled around her, Sophia’s anger flashed into fury. Not big enough? Not strong enough? How about a bear? Would that be big and strong enough?

  And this time, when she lashed out at him, it was with the arm of a bear. She ripped through fabric and muscle as her claws and power struck him. This time, he was the one who fell.

  Everyone watched with astonishment as Sophia’s arm returned to its normal state after her partial shift. She felt the amazement on her face as she looked at a severely injured Zachariah getting back to his feet with Tate’s assistance. He would need Uncle Gabriel or Aunt Amber’s healing help…and soon.

  “Why the bloody hell did you not do that in the first place?” he asked.

  Suddenly wanting to throw her arms around him, she replied, “I didn’t know I could.”

  Chapter 9

  While Sophia and Clara Kate went in search of Gabriel or Amber to heal Zachariah, Quincy headed toward the flower garden beside the home of Tate and Tiege. He wanted to check on Ariana. His mind was fully occupied processing the events that had just occurred, so he didn’t see his class elder until he almost walked into him.

  The elders still within the homeland had been meeting at Gabriel and Amber’s home about the plans once the Elder Scroll piece was brought back. They must have concluded their meeting, however, since Ini-herit now stood under a tree with his gaze centered on Tiege and Ariana. The couple was seated a fair distance away on a wooden bench beneath a trellis covered in ivy. Tiege’s hand rubbed soothing circles on Ariana’
s back as they talked, but their words were too quiet to be heard.

  How strange that Ini-herit just stood there watching them, Quincy thought. It was almost as though he was studying them.

  That thought saddened him. His elder had gone through so much to try and relearn and experience human emotions, all to no avail. Now it seemed he was trying to figure out what he could by studying those who did experience emotion. He probably didn’t even realize that his behavior would be seen as strange by most others.

  “Did your meeting go well?” Quincy asked as he approached.

  “Very little was decided,” Ini-herit replied, not shifting his gaze. “Until the scroll piece is recovered and the other elders have returned, there is not much sense in spending time strategizing. We were putting together some initial thoughts.”

  “I see,” Quincy said, though he felt a little lost.

  “It appears that today’s training session was eventful.”

  Frowning, Quincy said, “Yes. Zachariah has no subtlety or consideration for others. His thoughtlessness today set Ariana back in her recovery.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Do you think differently?”

  Ini-herit shrugged. “I am not usually the one others ask about issues pertaining to emotion.”

  Quincy couldn’t argue that, and he didn’t want to make his class elder uncomfortable. Uncertain how else to respond, he just nodded.

  “However,” Ini-herit continued, “I am curious whether you have seen the Lekwuesti female exhibit an emotion other than fear and sadness since her arrival here.”

  “I…” Quincy trailed off. “Now that you mention it, I suppose I haven’t.”

  “Yet today, she expressed anger toward Zachariah.”

  “Well, yes. A lot of anger, actually.”

  “You have worked among humans in the medical field for many years now,” Ini-herit observed. “Are there not stages to the healing and recovery process for victims of traumatic experiences?”

  Seeing where the conversation was going, Quincy’s brow creased. He reluctantly acknowledged, “Yes. And anger is one of those stages.”