I couldn’t look at him as I spoke, so I wasn’t expecting the hand he laid on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
I opened my mouth to tell him he was breaking rule two again, but instead I said, “Thank you.” He let his hand fall back to his side, and for a moment, I felt cold and strangely bereft.
Shaking off the feeling, I faced him. “That’s pretty much it for the grounds, and you’ve already been to the lake.”
“Thank you for the tour. Would you like to eat dinner now?”
I would have preferred to stay outside longer, but dusk had fallen and there wasn’t anything else to show him. I nodded, and we walked to the main building.
In the dining hall, we filled our plates, but instead of sitting alone, we joined Tristan and Callum, one of my old trainers. I’d never eaten at Tristan’s table, and I felt out of place sitting there now. I ate quietly while the three of them talked, only joining in when someone asked me a question.
Tristan and Callum excused themselves after the meal, leaving me alone with Hamid once again. A few days ago, it would have annoyed me to have to spend any time with him, but I was getting used to having him around. I spent the rest of the meal asking him about jobs he’d done and places he’d seen.
“Is it true you and Nikolas hunted a Master together in Spain?” I asked as I dug into a big slice of apple pie. “And that you stole his bike when yours got run over?”
Hamid smiled devilishly. “Yes, and he has not yet forgiven me for that.”
“For the bike or for beating him to the kill?”
“A little of both, I think.”
I ate a bite of pie thoughtfully as I tried to imagine hunting with two powerhouses like Hamid and Nikolas. It would be many years before I was strong enough to even think of going after a Master. But someday, I’d get my chance, and I would be ready for it.
“Was that your only Master kill?” I asked him.
“That was my first. I killed another near Beijing, five years ago. She was much older, and it took six of us to defeat her.” He gave me a play-by-play description of the fight. “I was the fortunate one who was in position to make the kill.”
“Wow.” I knew I must have looked a little awestruck, but I didn’t care. A story like that deserved it.
“Jordan,” Terrence called, walking over to our table. “Josh and I are off tonight, and we’re thinking about hitting a few clubs in Boise. Thought you might like to come with us if you don’t have plans.”
I perked up at the mention of clubbing, but my excitement fizzled when I remembered I couldn’t leave Hamid. I could ask him to go with us, but I didn’t think it was wise for us to be socializing that way.
“Can’t tonight,” I told Terrence, who looked disappointed. “Maybe next time if we’re still here.”
“It’s a date,” he said with a grin. Then he looked at Hamid, and unease crept into his eyes. “Um…you’re invited, too.”
I didn’t need to look at Hamid to know he was being his usual charming self. Terrence’s hasty goodbye and departure were conformation enough. When I glanced at Hamid, I was not expecting the icy glare he was shooting at my friend’s departing back.
“You have any Council business to take care of tonight?” I asked, bringing Hamid’s attention back to me. It was early, and I had no idea what we were going to do to pass the hours until bed.
“Not tonight. Is there something you wanted to do?”
I thought about it. “I wouldn’t mind a good sparring session, but that would probably bore you.”
He rested his arms on the table. “Why is that?”
I laughed even as the thought of training with him sent a shiver of excitement through me. “As you have so eloquently pointed out on several occasions, I’m a new warrior and you’ve been around for… Exactly how old are you?”
His lips quirked. “One hundred and eighty-six.”
I lifted my hands and let them fall. “Exactly.”
“I will try to take it down a notch,” he responded playfully, standing.
I was a little breathless as I followed him to one of the training rooms. We selected swords from the large rack along one wall and faced off against each other.
As I’d expected, sparring with Hamid was like going up against Nikolas, Chris, or Desmund. He was so fast that even when he didn’t engage his Mori speed, he made me look like I was moving in slow motion.
After a few minutes, he deliberately slowed his movements until we were evenly matched in speed. I was good with a sword, but I had to admit Hamid was a masterful swordsman. His strikes and parries were concise and effortless, and he moved with a smooth agility that surprised me.
As with the time he’d watched Vivian and me sparring in Los Angeles, he critiqued some of my moves. But his appraisal didn’t piss me off now, and I asked him to show me how to improve any weak areas.
Once we’d smoothed out my rough spots, we sparred again, and he didn’t hold back as much, making it more challenging for me. He pushed me until I was dripping with sweat and fighting at a level I had never reached before. It was beyond exhilarating, and I didn’t know how I’d be able to go back to practicing with Brock and Mason after this.
Clapping came from the doorway when we finished, and I was surprised to see we’d drawn a small audience. Seamus stood there along with a male trainee and one of the girls I’d seen in the dining hall yesterday. The two trainees stared at Hamid in awe, and I hid my smile. A few years ago, that had been me watching Nikolas fight.
I received another shock when I glanced at the clock on the wall and discovered we’d been in the training room for over two hours. I hadn’t even noticed the time passing.
“Do you want to run before bed?” Hamid asked as I downed a bottle of water in the dining hall.
“No, I think that two-hour session should do it.” I’d probably sleep better than I had in ages after that workout.
We went to his room and took turns showering like we had the night before. While he was in the bathroom, I tested the magic connection between us and made the happy discovery that I could now move about ten feet away from him. I hadn’t said it out loud, but I’d secretly been worried the spell might not wear off like the warlocks had promised. It wasn’t that I hated Hamid’s company; it was just best if we put some space between us. He never mentioned it, but he had to feel the same way.
As we had the previous night, I got into bed and Hamid stretched out on the floor. I turned off the light and closed my eyes, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I’d improved my sword skills tonight. My body was tired, but I was already itching to go another round with him.
“Are you having trouble sleeping again?” Hamid asked, sounding as wide awake as I was.
“No, just…thinking.” I rolled to face in his direction. “How long did it take you to get that good with a sword?”
“Many years. You are already more advanced than I was a few years out of training.”
Warm pleasure flooded me. I’d been around him long enough to know he did not give praise unless he meant it.
I moved to the edge of the bed so I could peer down at him. “Since we’re both stuck at Westhorne and there’s not a whole lot to do here, do you think we could –?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks.”
“Now get some sleep. You’ll need your rest because I won’t go as easy on you next time.” His face was stern, but I heard the smile in his voice.
I fell onto my back, grinning. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Chapter 10
I felt Hamid arrive before he entered the dining hall. We’d been bonded for three weeks, and I was starting to get used to being able to sense him nearby. It was still a little unsettling to have that kind of connection with another person, but it no longer filled me with the urge to run away from him. Not that running would solve anything. I was resigned to being bonded until Orias’s spell could be broken without damaging the barrier.
So far, no real progress had been made on creating a new spell, and the team reminded me daily that something this complicated could not be rushed. Easy for them to say. Hamid and I had been subjected to so many tests over the last week that my skin seemed to be constantly tingling from the magic.
Since Bastien’s spell had worn off four days ago, I didn’t see much of Hamid outside of the arena and our nightly sparring sessions. We’d decided it was best if we stayed away from each other. Well, I’d decided it, and he hadn’t disagreed. The times we were in each other’s company, we maintained the camaraderie we’d developed during the days we’d been stuck together.
Hamid’s gaze met mine as he started toward me. We had another thirty minutes before we had to be at the arena, so I knew I wasn’t late.
“What’s up?” I asked when he reached my table.
“Grab your stuff. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes.” His expression and tone were serious, and he didn’t resemble the man I’d gotten to know. This was the old Hamid, closed off and all business.
He turned and strode away, and I hurried after him. In the main hall, I grabbed his sleeve to force him to stop and look at me. In getting to know him during our eight days at Westhorne, I’d learned that when he was intensely focused on work, he tended to be abrupt and closed off. I tried not to take it personally, but sometimes I still had the urge to slug him.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked, not put off by his brusque manner.
“Nikolas called,” he said at last. “One of his teams found a summoning site that matches the two in Los Angeles.”
A sliver of dread worked its way into my chest. After witnessing the barrier being opened and seeing what had come through it, I was half afraid to ask what else they’d found.
“Do they know if the summoning worked?”
Hamid nodded grimly. “They found a Hurra tentacle at the site.”
“I’ll be packed in five minutes.” I raced up the stairs to my room and threw my things into my bag. Ten minutes later, we were in an SUV, headed for Boise. Behind us, two other vehicles carried the Council’s team who were accompanying us to Chicago.
Hamid spent most of the drive on the phone with Nikolas, who was overseeing the investigation until we arrived. When we boarded the plane, Hamid switched over to a call with Tristan and the rest of the Council. I found a seat at the back of the plane, stuck in my earbuds, and ignored the excited conversations around me for the three-hour flight.
It was noon when we landed at O’Hare, where two SUVs waited to take us directly to the summoning site. As soon as we entered the building that had once been a Chinese restaurant, the stench of sulfur and death in the air made me want to turn around and leave.
Warriors guarded the exits and pointed us to the kitchen, where Nikolas and Chris were waiting to give us a quick rundown of the situation.