Kasadya Hellhound Awakened

by Karen Swart

Chapter 8

  I woke up in the middle of the night, frightened to death. I had had another nightmare, but this time I was back in that alley, and the girl was Lada. I tried my best to save her, but in the end, it was Lada’s dead eyes looking up at me. I woke up with Chax telling me that I was a failure, that her death was my fault.

  Rattled about the dream, I decided to take a stroll in the house and try to clear my mind. Silently, I got out of bed, grabbed a jacket and pulled it on. The temperature was almost at the freezing point. I turned around to look at Lada’s bed. She was sleeping peacefully, a small smile on her face, probably dreaming about Lotan.

  I walked out of the room and made my way to the zone, where I planted myself on the couch. In total darkness, I sat there thinking about the whole alley incident again. Man, Chax has a way of messing someone up. I got the part where he wanted me to see the importance of the service, but he could have picked another way.

  After a while thinking, I decided to get up and see if I could find something to clear my mind on the TV. I had just reached the remote when I heard two voices in the hall. Curious, I walked slowly to the door and pressed up against the wall. Yep, I was spying.

  “How many were in the pack?” a guy asked.

  “About ten, and their numbers have grown in the past week. Everyone has reported the same,” another guy replied. I could tell that they were walking towards me, so I slid back a few steps into complete darkness, just in case they decided to come in here.

  “And there is still no more activity on the streets?” the first one asked again.

  “No, it’s like they disappeared. Tonight I picked up one and followed it for a while to see where it was going. It went into a nightclub, so I followed. This club was filled with them and humans,” the other guy replied. This time they were standing just outside the door.

  “Humans? Are you sure?”

  “Yes, the worst part is, the demons were fully transformed and the humans were interacting with them in that form. The moment one of them spotted me, the attack began.”

  “So, they started using some of their brain cells. They know that they are easy to pick off one by one, so they travel in packs. Interacting with humans openly is new. Were the humans in a trance?”

  “No, and they were enjoying their time with them very much. Seth and Arianna reported the same from Paris. No activity on the street, but a club filled with them. They barely escaped the attack.”

  Oh my soul, Seth was attacked! I just hoped he was okay. No matter who or what, I was checking in on him the first chance I got. My heart was pounding with fear of what condition he could be in. Wow, this love thing really hurts.

  “We need to counter this. Chax, any ideas?” the first guy asked. So it was Chax he was speaking to, interesting.

  “Yes, we need to ask the Caponitos to assist us in this. They’re the only ones with experience in team hunting. I know you disagree with them on their methods, but this time, old friend, they might be right.”

  “It would seem so. I will go visit Astin and ask them to aid us in this. But, it would mean that everyone would need to take part.” I could finally make out the other voice; it was Vulcan.

  “Yes, the best thing will be for all to gather here, at the arena, and start the training. The Apprendos will also benefit from it,” Chax replied, and I could hear that they were almost at the corner, drifting away from me. Damn, their conversation was just getting interesting and now I was going to lose the best part.

  “So be it. Notify everyone and ensure they are all here as early as possible. Training will start today, even if I have to force Astin, but I doubt it. The fact that they were right will be enough to give his ego a boost and take charge.”

  “Yes, I believe that this will be their greatest moment. I only hope that they will be able to train fast. We need to get back out there and stop this before it escalates into chaos,” I could hear Chax say. The last words were almost gone as they drifted further down the hall.

  Alright, so the demons were clearly up to something, and by the sound of it, we were going to get some new training to counter it. I wondered who this Astin guy was, as I’d never heard of him before. When I was sure the two of them were well on their way, I started walking back to the rooms, my mind spinning over the new details I picked up by eavesdropping.

  I was just about to take the turn to the stairs when my eyes caught Kali passing from the lobby to the stairs. What on earth is she doing up at this time of night? I followed her in silence, taking one step after another on the stairs; I was stalking her like a cat. She went into the hallway leading to the rooms; I stopped at the top, keeping my eyes on her. She went to her door and then stepped in, closing it behind her.

  Okay, maybe she met Chax for some alone time. Shrugging it off, I went to our room and went inside. Lada and Nanini were still fast asleep. I looked at the clock and saw it was three thirty in the morning. Might as well get dressed for the day, and by the sound of it, we were in for one hell of a day. I got my clothes and went to the bathroom, thinking over all that I’d heard. The part about humans mixing with demons freely was spooking me. I mean, that was just so gross. Two hours later the room was buzzing with activity, Nanini the main source. I told them about what happened, what Chax and Vulcan said, and that made Nanini spark to life.

  “The Caponitos are a Fallen bloodline; they also live here in Exsilium. But according to my father, they don’t believe in our way of training and service, so they keep to themselves. Apparently they have their own hunting grounds and the others stay out of their way,” Nanini said, jumping with joy.

  “Okay, so they don’t like this way of training, and keep to themselves. Got that. But why on earth would they come and train us?” I asked her, trying to keep my eyes on her while she jumped up and down.

  “Oh, that’s easy! Astin and the majority of the bloodline are werewolves. My dad says that they hunt in packs, like real wolves do in the human world. So, if what you told me is true, they’re coming here to train us how to work in packs to kick demon butt.”

  Okay, so we’re going to be trained by a bunch of Ninas. Just freaking great. I had a really bad feeling about this. Somehow I didn’t think the level of testosterone here, added to that of the unfamiliar Caponitos, was going to bode very well. I could just imagine the look on Chax’s face if someone told him what to do. Damn, wait, this is going to be fabulous. I can sit back and watch someone else get beaten up by him, or maybe vice versa. He gets a butt kicking session. Oh yeah, I couldn’t wait to see what today would bring. We ate breakfast and went to Vulcan’s class, but there was no Vulcan to give us a class. We stood there, looking at one another, wondering what the hell to do now.

  “Let’s go crash in the zone,” Nanini said and turned around to start in that direction. But she only made it three steps. The moment she turned her head away from us to look into the direction she was heading, she bumped into one hell of a big guy. Behind him six more guys stood looking at us. Vulcan stepped around them to stand in front of us.

  “Morning, Apprendos. Today we start something new. Come, we go to the arena,” Vulcan instructed and turned around to start the long walk to the arena. The new guys just stood there, arms crossed and looking at us. Okay, so instead of one Chax we now have seven. Just freaking great. Slowly, Nanini was the first to walk by them to follow Vulcan. They just stepped aside and let her walk through them, their eyes watching her every step.

  Lotan was next and he was giving them the same treatment, checking them out from top to bottom. I didn’t think that was a wise choice. The guys kept their eyes on him for a while, and I could see two biting on their jaws. The rest followed suit, and then it was my turn. I decided to keep my head to the floor and get past them as quietly as possible; I didn’t want to be dog chow for the day.

  The moment I was at the third guy I heard him take in a deep breath. Did he just smell me? Shocked, I looked at him but kept on moving. He looked at me, his eyes boring into mine. Oh boy,
these guys were freaking scary.

  We walked down the hallways and made it outside to the arena. The moment I took in the picture in front of me, I stopped. There were a hundred or so Fallen standing around waiting for us, and then I saw my Dad waving at me. Delighted to see him again, I headed straight for him; I didn’t even know I missed him so much until now.

  “Father,” I greeted him and grabbed him in a big hug. One hug from him always made me feel better, and after the sniffing guy, I needed a hug.

  “Ah, my Filiola! I’m so glad to see you. How are you doing?” he asked, pushing me back to look at me. His eyes were sad, and yet happy at the same time.

  “Still alive. Hanging in there, and you?” I replied, smiling at my father. He still calls me his little daughter, which was pretty funny given the circumstances.

  “I’m glad to hear that. Your mother and I are fine, my Filiola. She is somewhere in this crowd, looking for her sister. She’ll be here shortly,” he said, brushing his fingers over my cheek to show his affection.

  “Can I have your attention?!” Vulcan yelled over the crowd, and everyone stopped talking to face him as he stood on a stage-like structure in the middle of the arena.

  “Because of the reports of the demon behaviors we have been receiving for the last week, we have no choice but to adapt ourselves to fight this war and win. If we do not adapt our approach, we will die and they will win.

  “To aid us with the necessary training and skills to take on our newfound challenge, we have asked Astin Caponito and his Fallen to aid us. As agreed, they will instruct us all, and therefore they will take charge. We will follow. Is this understood?” Vulcan asked, looking over the crowd, his face more serious than ever. Still doesn’t beat Chax’ face, but he’s almost there.

  There was a moment of silence in the crowd, and then the first “aye” came, followed by many more. When my father said it, he looked at me to make sure I got the drift. So I said my “aye” and joined them in this newfound hell. Hey, at least this time I wouldn’t be the only one suffering. Even my serious mom would be joining the ride. Hell yeah, I want to see her in action.

  “Then from this moment I step back and join you in training,” Vulcan replied, looking at the big scary guy Nanini had bumped into and stepping aside. The guy walked to the same spot and looked at the crowd. He had black hair that reached past his shoulders, brown eyes, and yep, just like all the other Fallen guys, one hell of a body to go with it. If he didn’t look so scary I would say he was hot, but man was he scary.

  “The time of pairs has officially come to an end. From today on you will become teams, or as we put it, packs. There are no versions of Custos or Apprendos in our teams. If you wish to still take responsibility for your Apprendo, then do so. This is not about two Fallen; it is about a team of Fallen. You will learn each others’ weaknesses and strengths. You will learn to use them to aid your team. There is a team leader and his, or her, team who follows the orders given. There will be no exceptions.

  “If a team cannot work together, they cannot survive. I suggest you get this into your heads pretty fast, or the days of the Fallen are at an end,” the guy said, gazing out at the crowd. Silence followed him, so he continued with his speech.

  “My Fallen have agreed to assist in the training and they will be obeyed at all times. I know you have been serving for years, but they have been doing it as a team for years.” He looked at a guy standing to his left and nodded. He then turned back to look at us. “Dontalion and the other team leaders will take lead and begin. We will leave the choice of a team to you. However, there must be eight in a pack, so choose wisely,” he finished, and then turned around to stand with the other guys.

  I looked around to see what was happening, and found that I was not the only one missing my dad. Nanini had hers still in a death grip, and the look on his face said that he really didn’t mind. Nanini’s mom was standing next to them, smiling. She was a petite blond just like Nanini. I saw Lada with her mom and dad, also holding her mom and looking at her dad. As my eyes traveled around, all the Apprendos were with their parents, enjoying a short moment with them. But when my eyes landed on Kali, I stopped and looked at her. She was standing alone, no parents in sight.

  “She lost both her parents about two months ago,” my dad whispered in my ear. I turned to look at him and saw the same sadness I was feeling. Poor girl, I know she is a handful but no one deserves to be alone, especially without parents. They can be a pain in the butt, but they are your lifelines. I can’t imagine a life without my parents, even if my mom is such a pain in the butt.

  “Come, Kas. Chax is waiting,” my mom said from behind me and I turned to look at her. Like I said, a pain in the butt. The guy just said that it doesn’t work, so why would she want me to continue with Chax?

  “But—“

  “There is a good reason why we created the system. Even with this situation, you will remain with him,” my mom cut me off, and I could see there was no arguing, considering her “I’m the boss” face was up and ready for action.

  Knowing full well that to argue with her would be a dead end, I turned to my dad.

  “See you later, Dad,” I greeted him with a peck on the cheek and then walked past my mother, ignoring her to make a point.

  Pissed off with my mother, I walked through the crowd looking for Chax, whom I found leaning against the tree I had been leaning against yesterday. Drawing in a deep breath, I stepped over and went to stand next to him, crossing my arms over my chest. I looked at the crowd and saw the Apprendos saying goodbye and then falling in with their Custos. So our parents are sticking to the old ways then; old people, I tell you.

  The scary guys were walking in a group towards the crowd, and then from my right, more Fallen shifted in. They all had the same scary look the guys had, even the girls. They joined the guy who spoke to us. He gave them orders, and they divided up in groups of four and started walking through the crowd, taking up standoff places, waiting for us apparently. I glanced up at Chax. He was very quiet, just looking at all of them.

  “Okay, so what do we do?” I asked him, taking the lead, because he certainly wasn’t. He ignored me and just kept staring at everyone. One of these days I’m going to hit him, really hard. Ticked, I looked back at the crowd to find some old faces heading for us. Seth, Nanini, Arianna, Lotan, Lada and her Custos, Dagon, were heading our way and my heart took a huge thump. They came to stand in front of us, Seth smiling at me. “Okay, Chax, let’s do this,” Dagon said. Finally Chax moved and walked up to him.

  “Indeed, old friend,” he replied. At that, Nanini started jumping around again.

  “Oh yeah, we’re gonna be one wicked rocking team,” she said and everyone except Chax laughed. This was going to be one hell of a team, and it was going to be fun.

  “Is this your chosen team?” a guy asked. I looked past Lotan to find the Dontalion guy, with three others, standing there. One of the guys was the one that had sniffed me. I backed up into Seth, who placed his arm around my waist and pressed me to him. When I looked at him he was giving the sniffing guy one hell of a death stare. Feeling safe, I returned me eyes to the Dontalion guy, only to find Chax also giving the sniffing guy one hell of a death stare. Okay, this is new, but hey, I’m not complaining. The more guys keeping the creepy guy off me, the better.

  “Yes, this is our team. We may begin,” Chax replied, and turned his eyes back to Dontalion.

  “Good, let’s find some open space. It’s too crowed here to practice,” Dontalion said and gestured for us to follow. His companions turned with him, the sniffing guy who first smiled at me also turned and walked with them. We followed a few steps behind them. I kept my eyes on the sniffing guy, not liking this one bit.

  Dontalion stopped at a spot in the garden. The grass has started to turn yellow from the cold, but at least there weren’t any trees or other objects around. We joined them and took off our jackets, dropping them on the ground. Then we went over to stand in front of them.


  “Let me introduce you to some of my teammates who will be assisting in the process,” Dontalion explained, gesturing to the first guy.

  They all looked the same: long black hair, brown eyes, and yep, drop dead sexy. “This is Marcus, his brother Acteon, and my cousin Paeon. You can call me Don; it’s easier,” Dontalion said, and then they all took off their jackets and dropped them on the ground. So, the creepy guy was Marcus. Well hell, at least I knew his name now. Chax did the honorable thing and also introduced us to them, when he reached me, Marcus’s eyes stayed on me. Oh no, this is so not good. I always get the weird deals.

  “We will start with a basic test to see what work we have to do, and then we will move over to the advanced stuff. The orders are to get you in full function by tonight, so it’s going to be a long day. Let’s begin,” Don said, and the four of them began to circle around us. Here we go.

  Immediately Chax, Seth, Dagon, and Lotan pushed us into the middle, creating a protective barrier around us. Each one picked another one of the scary guys, and started to pace with them. Nanini was jumping like a mad thing next to me, and I wondered if it was her nerves or adrenalin? I knew it was my nerves that were making me edgy. Then the scary guys transformed, all of them to werewolves, so Chax and the rest did the same. Seth was also a werewolf, but they were black, and he was brown. He and the Marcus guy were growling at each other like real wolves. Paeon went for Lotan, sweeping his legs out from under him. The moment he was down, Paeon jumped over him straight for Lada. I reacted. Transforming, I jumped him, my body hitting his with force. Then all hell broke loose.

  Chax, and I think Don, were hitting each other like crazy. I could hear each punch land on flesh. I was hitting Paeon with all my might, and then Nanini blasted him with a bomb, missing me by inches. Howling, he punched me in the face, and I went flying backwards. Ouch! This guy can pack a punch! My jaw was throbbing from the blow. I turned my head to look back at him, and was suddenly thrown a few meters through the air, landing face first in the grass.

  Damn, that hurt! Spitting out grass, I tried to get back up again, but this time it was Marcus who attacked me. Pushing me down, his mouth was snapping in front of my face, saliva dripping all over me. Oh my soul! This is going to hurt. The moment he transformed, I noticed that his black fur was tipped with gray. I had checked him out so I could identify him from the lot just to make sure I stayed clear of him. Then suddenly he was off me, and I looked to my right to see two werewolves biting and fighting the hell out of each other. It was Seth, thank God. Then I was pushed back to the ground, my mouth stuffed full of grass, again. I could hear screaming and shouting and yep, Chax yelling at me to concentrate, which was so typical of him. We were having our asses handed to us and he wanted to yell orders, the prick.

  I was trying to get the thing off my back but it was like trying to move a freaking truck, and he was pressing my wings into the ground. “Maybe you’ll do better in a bed, Hellhound,” I heard someone say into my ear. Oh, hell no! Pushing my weight to one side, I lifted my elbow and punched him in the face. His weight lifted off me and I took the advantage. Swinging over, I punched him off and got to my feet. Dagon was on him, hitting him with firebombs. I looked around to see that these four were giving us the time of our lives. Arianna was down, Nanini and Lada were trying to take on one, Chax and Lotan were on another, and Seth was on Marcus, just inches from me.

  Focus, Kas. I stormed the one the girls were busy with and tackled him to the ground. The moment I was on top off him, I shifted with him and planted him in the fountain a few yards away. Making sure he was in the water, I immediately shifted back and was on the one Dagon had his hands full with. “His legs!” Dagon yelled, so I did a slide kick, taking his legs from under him, and Dagon was on him, hitting him like hell.

  “Stop!” Don yelled and we all stopped dead. Dagon had his fist in midair, ready to hit the one below him. “Disengage and get up!” Don went on, so I looked up at him. He and Chax were moving out of their battle formation, Don extending a hand to help Lotan up. Feeling safe, I transformed back to normal; the others followed and we all walked back to each other, forming a group again.

  Sucking air, I looked at the others. We were all messed up, blood and bruises everywhere. Arianna had a huge swollen eye that was already turning black. Chax, for once, had a cut lip. But it was Seth’s shoulder that got my attention. One of them had taken a bite out of him and blood was running down his shirt. I walked to him and pulled away the shirt to check the damage. Damn, it was deep.

  “It’s okay, Kas. I heal fast,” Seth soothed, taking my chin in his hand to stop me from looking at it. Tears started to form in my eyes. I didn’t know if it was anger or fear that put them there, but I had a tough time keeping them back.

  “Okay, test over. Now we start with eliminating some errors, and then trying again,” Don said, walking over to Seth and me. He pulled away Seth’s shirt and looked at the wound, and then glaring at Marcus. Marcus was just smiling at us, pleased about it.

  “Your first mistake was dividing your group into two. By protecting your females, you double up the impact of the attack on yourselves, creating a protected atmosphere for your females, which in return lets their guard down.

  “You must always remember this is a Fallen world. I know our instincts say that we must protect our females, but they need to carry some weight in this circle,” Don said as he moved around, looking at us. As a whole, he motioned to us and I looked to see that he had gracefully, without our notice, herded us into a circle. Wow, this guy was good.

  “Second mistake you made was attacking on your own. This is a team. You must work as a team. Think about each one’s unique abilities; two hellhounds, two vampires, a light and fire fae, an Impon and a werewolf. These are the elements of your team. Now you just need to use them together as one,” he continued.

  “We start with your fae. Nanini can create light bombs and fly. How can you use it? Then Dagon, you are a fire fae. You can throw fire bombs just like Nanini, and you can also fly. Now let’s put the two together and see what we get. Nanini and Dagon, take a stand, back to back,” he instructed, and Nanini and Dagon did what he said.

  With their backs to each other, they faced off against Marcus and Acteon. Everyone transformed and where Nanini was pink, Dagon turned orange. Both of them had a bomb ready in their hands. The werewolves surged forward but were blasted by the two bombs, sending them through the air, where they landed on their backs. I looked back at Nanini and Dagon to find them in the air floating, watching their opponents. The moment Dagon’s opponent got up, he yelled at Nanini and together they sent two bombs straight into him. He flew through the air and almost landed in a rose bush. Totally wicked!

  “Good, now let’s add the two vampires. You both have impeccable speed and strength, but you can also create g-force punches. Go join the fae and we begin again,” Don said, and Chax and Arianna joined Nanini and Dagon. Again, they all stood back to back, transformed and were ready for the attack. This time, however, all four werewolves engaged. The moment the wolves started forward, Nanini and Dagon lifted into the air, sending four bombs to all of them. Then Chax and Arianna were moving so fast I couldn’t see them, just a blur of color, and the wolves were flying back onto their backs. Oh, this was getting way cool.

  The wolves got up and transformed back to normal, Don looking at the small circle, smiling. “Good, now the two hellhounds. You have a lot of elements to bring to a fight. Flight, strength, speed, but the most potent of them all are your accuracy and wings. You have dead aim and using your strong wings, you can take down an enemy. Now, let’s see if you can fit into the circle,” Don said, and I looked at Lada. We both joined the others, Lada next to Dagon and me next to Chax. We all transformed.

  Again, all four of them transformed and were storming forward. Nanini lifted up behind me and blasted the two in front of us with a light bomb, and then two fire bombs came at them as well. Chax surged forward and slammed his fist in
to one of them, and then moved to the other. I moved in to make sure the first one stayed down. I hit him full force in the face, taking him to the ground, but the second one caught my attention. Only a step or two from me, I stretched out my wings and turned in a circle, taking out his legs from under him. He went down and Chax continued the attack on him. The one next to me started moving again, and I stood up, closing my wings. A firebomb flew inches past me and hit him full force, slamming him down again.

  “Stop!” Don yelled, and we all stopped in the middle of our attack. Transforming back to normal we regrouped, waiting for our final team members. “Good, now the Impon and werewolf. Lotan, you have a paralyzing bite and brutal strength. Combine it to keep an opponent down for a deathblow. Seth, as a fellow werewolf, I know you have a lot to offer, so bring it to the circle. Join them,” Don said and gestured to us. Lotan and Seth joined us, and we all transformed in unison. Nice!

  The wolves attacked but we started up the counterattack: bombs, wings, speed, strength, and finally, an almost bite. Luckily, Lotan knew he had to stop or the whole training thing would be over. We went at it for the entire day, with no rest, no food, and no water. By the time a Harpies scream sounded through the air to stop all training, we were totally wasted, or at least the Apprendos were. Chax and the other Custos looked like they’d had a little jog down the street, while sweat dripped down our heads, into our clothes.

  We all walked back to the arena, taking a spot near our tree. I saw that we were not the only ones that looked like World War II soldiers. Every one standing in the crowd had a bruise, or a cut, or both. Black eyes were starting to form on a lot of them and Arianna’s eye had reached a purple color already. Yep, we got totally wasted by a werewolf clan.

  “Good work, Fallen, but we have a lot more to do before the teams are perfected. Tomorrow morning we start again, and there will be no service tonight. The human world will need to bear the weight for one night. Go home and recuperate. Tomorrow we will begin again,” Vulcan said, and gestured for everyone to dispatch. Some shifted immediately, and some walked slowly to a friend or family member and talked for a while. Looking at everyone, I felt the day’s impact sinking into my body. I was hurt, hungry, thirsty, and man did I smell like a pig. Two arms folded around my waist, and I wanted to protest, but there was just not enough energy left in me to do so. I let Seth take me into his arms, and leaned back to rest my head on his chest.

  “Enjoying yourself, are we?” Chax whispered into my ear, and I turned my head and looked up to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Oh my freaking soul, it was Chax, not Seth! What the hell?

  “Don’t go crazy. See, Seth has Nanini in his arms, so I’m just lending a hand. It is my job to take care of my Apprendo, so relax and shut up,” he explained, and picked me up. I was totally shocked to my core. Holy crap, Chax was actually carrying me to my room, in his arms, like he actually had an idea what a feeling was. This was the weirdest day so far in this place. I looked to my right to see Seth carrying Nanini, and Dagon had Lada in his arms. Seth smiled at me, and I felt a little bit better about being in Chax’s arms. Okay, it’s just a Custos thing. No need to go crazy.

  “Looks like our Apprendos had one hell of a good day,” Dagon said, and with those words my body did a double-up on pain. Man, it felt even worse than when Chax had a go at me. This was real punishment. I just hoped our fae was around to save us, if she could walk herself.

  “Hold on. I’m going to shift to your room, so you might feel a bit off balance,” Chax explained. I did what he said and grabbed him around the neck. No way was I taking another fall today; I had had enough. The shift felt totally weird, like half of my body was trying to stay behind and the rest was trying to shift but luckily, my bed came into view.

  “Oh, thank God,” I mumbled, relieved and wasted at the same time. My bed looked like a bubble bath at that moment.

  Chax actually chuckled at my words. Wow, this training may just be what he needed. Never once did I see this kind of behavior from him. He placed me on my bed and backed away. Seth and Nanini shifted in next to him and then he placed her on her bed. Next were Dagon and Lada, who also ended up on her bed.

  “You did well today, Apprendos. Maia will be here shortly to relieve you of your pain. Vale,” Dagon greeted and shifted out.

  I turned my head from Lada to look at Nanini, and found Chax looking at me with a very strange look. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and then he shifted out, not even saying goodbye. Yeah, I knew it was too good to be true, but that look topped my weird scale for this whole Fallen thing. Why on earth did he look at me like that? Seth’s face came into view, so I dropped the thought and smiled at him.

  “How’s your shoulder?” I asked him as he walked over to sit on the side of my bed.

  “All healed. I told you I heal fast. You don’t need to worry about that in the future. It’s one of the werewolf benefits,” he replied, smiling at me.

  “Still don’t like it,” I fired back, and he laughed at me.

  “Caveo mea cor,” he said and kissed me softly on my mouth. Oh, that feels so good, a little tender love after a day full of pain. The moment we started to deepen the kiss, Maia stepped into the room. We stopped and looked at each other for a few seconds. I could see the disappointment in his eyes and felt the same. Seth got up to face her and I was heartbroken all over again. We never got alone time in this place, or was this what Fallen dating entailed? To quickly steal a kiss before something or someone messed it up? I didn’t know if I could do an eternity of that. Just when it gets good, we had to stop.

  “Salve, Maia,” Seth said to her. Unlike Chax, he was always polite and a complete gentlemen.

  “Good Lord, it looks like a war took place in Exsilium. Look at you girls,” Maia said, walking over to Nanini, placing her hands on her to start the healing.

  “Yes, indeed, we had a hard day of training. Take care of them, Maia. Good night, girls, Kas,” Seth greeted and smiled at me, shifting out a second later.

  Maia fixed us up, and about half an hour later we started moving again. We bathed and then went down to the grub spot to eat and drink. The place was a total dead zone; no one talked, not one sound except for the sound of knifes on the plates and chewing. We all stuffed ourselves and made sure we had enough fluids to go with it. Afterwards, we had a long, slow walk back to our rooms, where we all crashed and went into a deep sleep. I, on the other hand, had another freaking nightmare.

  Chapter 9

  I don’t know why all of a sudden I got them, considering I had never had a problem before I came here, but now it was almost every night.