Chapter 36
The next day, Briar chased me down outside the Compound gates, offering apologies and pinning the blame on the heightened number of cocktails.
Forgiveness wasn’t something I felt in the moment, but I forced myself to move on, even though I harbored doubts about his sincerity.
Briar seemed to have grown a new distaste for me since Raine took my side about his outburst.
A few weeks of relentless training had passed since then.
My sparring game had improved, with my strategy shifting towards defense. I learned to dodge with precision, navigate the mat with quick footwork, and execute graceful rolls to tire out my opponents. Briar and I traded wins in our two encounters, marking my first victory in the class.
But facing off against Nazul was a different challenge. His skill and lifelong training made me apprehensive. I felt a surge of pride in executing a move that brought him down—a high leap that sent him tumbling to the mat with my legs wrapped around his shoulders. Even Mercer seemed impressed.
I continued to practice similar maneuvers in the following weeks, recognizing my proficiency lay more in leveraging the strength and agility of my lower body rather than relying solely on hand strikes.
The extra practice had been incredibly useful in my final spar against Raine, where I finally bested her.
Mercer, on the other hand, won every match he participated in. But that hadn’t come as a shock to any of us.
The General remained in Luminaria, but his availability was essentially nonexistent. Strategizing over the threat in the West didn’t just stop because he was back.
Blood Clot was at his side nearly every free moment he had. I had become accustomed to taming the rage that burned in me at the sight of her.
Our training sessions were few and far between. I knew there were bigger issues to focus on, so I tried not to think too much of it. Even knowing that, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment on the days we used to train together.
Troops were constantly being sent to the front lines. Only the recruits and a handful of initiates and officers remained in Luminaria. The Compound had become something of a ghost town. But the level of training for all of us had increased.
Laryk was the only General who seemed to stay in Luminaria for any long period of time. None of us could figure out why. I attributed it to him being the King’s favorite in command, and therefore requiring easy access to him.
Osta and I had said a tearful goodbye the day she moved to the Soleil Estate.
I had accompanied her, helping her deliver her boxes upon boxes of clothing and materials.
After a few days of living in our apartment by myself, loneliness crept in.
I had never lived on my own. I guess I hadn’t realized how much I relied on her proximity or companionship.
I applied for residency at the Compound. It was easy to justify once I realized the inevitability of our deployment to the West. I did get lucky, seeing as Raine was the only other female recruit in our faction. The head of lodging immediately approved my request and assigned me to her room.
Moving my belongings to the Compound wasn’t nearly as much of an ordeal as moving Osta’s. All of my clothes fit into a single box. I wasn’t particularly sentimental, but leaving our recycled furniture behind did tug at my heart in a ferocious way.
Being a recruit of the Guard had never felt so real. From the structured infantry formations in the morning, artillery storming up the metal stairs at all hours of the night, and the scheduled mealtimes, my daily routine had been turned on its head. Even getting a lick of privacy was difficult.
But I didn’t mind sharing a space with Raine. Since moving in, we had grown even closer, much to Briar’s annoyance. Although he and I had mended things, a discomfort lingered.
After two weeks at the Compound, Raine and I walked into the sparring gym to find Lieutenant Mercer and Laryk on a mat in the back.
The sight was certainly one to behold.
The two men danced around each other with unwavering precision. I had never seen Laryk in action before… and I never wanted it to end.
“Fia, close your mouth,” Raine whispered, clearly not affected in the same way. I bit back a goofy grin.
Lean muscles rippled through Laryk’s fitted training shirt, now drenched with sweat as he moved at a near impossible speed. His hair was loosely tied at the nape of his neck; a few pieces had escaped to frame his face. His jawline clenched to perfection as he dodged a blow from Mercer.
Suddenly, Laryk rolled past his opponent, coming up into a predatory crouch. The look in his eyes was feral, yet methodical. Like his sole purpose was to vanquish, defeat, even kill.
Laryk lunged, soaring just to Mercer's left, expertly grappling his chest and pulling Mercer through the air, ending in a violent thud on the mat. The Lieutenant rolled to his side, gasping for breath.
Shock raced through me. I never thought I’d see Mercer get the living shit kicked out of him.
He tapped the mat three times, and Laryk smirked, holding out a hand for the Lieutenant. He helped him up to a standing position and affectionately patted him on the back.
“Don’t worry old friend, maybe you’ll get me next time,” The General said in his velvety tone, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Mercer shoved him. “We both know that won’t happen.” The two men shared a laugh before finally taking note of our presence.
“Recruits. You’re early. I was just here showing your instructor how to spar,” Laryk said, returning to his naturally cocky state of being. “I assume you’re both doing well,” he added, approaching the front of the class.
I was hot.
Unbearably hot.
I needed water.
Immediately.
As if Niamh herself had heard my plea, Nazul sauntered into the room.
In an instant, I was doused.
I held back an eye roll as he waved in my direction. I assumed he had not ceased his pursuit of Osta, and I didn’t ask. If she wanted to keep his company, that was her prerogative. She had asked me to respect it, and I had agreed. But I never said I would approve.
Raine and I took our seats at the front of the room. It took every fiber of my being not to steal a glance in Laryk’s direction.
“As you can all see, we have the pleasure of our General’s presence here today.” Lieutenant Mercer leaned back on his desk, motioning towards Laryk, who simply nodded towards the room with a stoic expression. He lifted an eyebrow as we made eye contact. I turned my attention back to Mercer.
“We’re going to be playing a game of sorts. It should be fun,” Laryk said, a mysterious smile creeping at the corner of his lips.
All of the recruits shifted in their seats. This was going to be anything but fun, if Laryk’s expression was any indication.
“Apart from stealing the air around you, what do our enemies do to disorient their opponents?” Mercer asked the class.
“Utter darkness,” Nazul said, twirling a quill through his fingers.
“Ah, the first answer is correct. Perhaps you are all learning something after all.” Mercer stood up from the desk and retrieved something that hung from the back of the door. “Can anyone tell me what this is?” He held out his hand, showing off a slim piece of black fabric.
“A blindfold?” Briar questioned.
“Two correct answers in a row. How impressive you all are today.” Mercer was clearly in too good a mood.
Suspicion clawed at me.
“The next step in preparing you is to take away your vision during combat. But we’re upping the stakes.” He motioned towards the General, who stood and made his way back to the mat, turning to give us one of his smirks.
“For fuck’s sake,” Raine whispered as she limped back to the group of us.
Nearly everyone was clutching an elbow or a knee.
Every other recruit had faced Laryk, sparring until they were too winded to continue.
No one had come close to touching him. He didn’t even appear tired as he cracked his knuckles and paced, wiping sweat from his brow.
I’d put it off for as long as possible. But now it was my turn .
I stepped onto the mat, closing the distance between us. Laryk gave me a wicked smile, and held up the blindfold. I stepped in front of him, crossing my arms and turning around.
“Don’t expect me to take it easy on you,” he whispered, securing the sheet of fabric over my eyes.
“I expect you’ll do the opposite, actually,” I quipped as his hand brushed against my arm. I shivered. A part of me wished we weren’t doing this in front of the entire class.
His breath was on my left ear now. “If you can knock me on this mat, I’ll tell you what my focus is.” I could hear the smirk in his voice. Determination surged through me. No one had been able to do it thus far, but he was quite the motivator.
I felt a chill as he stepped away.
“Ready yourself,” he stated, the sternness returning to his voice.
I exhaled calmly, turning all of my attention to what I could feel around me. The mat shifted as he circled, each step heightening my senses. I knew the attack was coming. I braced myself, getting into my defensive position.
I sensed something in front of me, but my attempt to dodge was cut short as his hands seized my waist, slamming my back into the mat and knocking the air out of me. It all happened so quickly. I heard a few laughs from the other recruits, and my skin flushed.
I pulled myself up onto my elbows. But I was forced back as his hands wrapped around my wrists, pinning me down.
I tried to twist my lower body to escape his grasp, but his leg flew over my waist. Then he was on top of me, forcing my legs into submission as he locked them closed with his own.
I was trapped. Embarrassment swept over me.
“If this were real, you’d be dead,” he murmured before releasing his grip.
“Get up,” he commanded. I felt him walk away.
I threw my palms onto the mat and stood. He hadn’t taunted the others like this.
After five more failed attempts, I sat up, breathless. I wanted to attack him, to slap away that smug look that I knew was gracing his features as he paced back and forth, eager for another impossible round.
“Again,” he said with too much excitement.
I stood, balancing myself as I heard him let out a chuckle from the other side of the mat, and my blood began to boil.
Enough of this. I wasn’t going to let him win again.
I summoned the webbing, goading it up my spine, urging it to send out feelers into the space around me.
A second sight. I picked up the slivers of a mind slowly approaching from behind and bit back a wicked grin, glowing like it was lit from within.
I put every ounce of my concentration into tracking Laryk.
Suddenly, the pulse shot towards me, and I dodged to the right, angling myself as I felt my thighs make the connection.
A gasp ran through the room as I laced my legs through his and brought us both down, hard against the mat.
But I wasn’t finished. I could still sense him.
I tore myself free, tackling him as he got to his feet, and we tumbled back down.
I reached out, grabbed his arms, and pinned them behind his head as I straddled him, locking my ankles around his upper thighs.
I couldn’t hold back a triumphant smile as I released his hands and tore the blindfold off. I wasn’t going to miss getting to see the look on his face.
The room was still silent, save for a few murmurs.
I looked down to see Laryk smirking, a dark intensity burned in his eyes.
“Impressive,” he stated. “Care to release me now?”
This position of power felt… better than good. I shoved away the heat that was building in my core, seeing him below me.
In a swift motion, I untangled my ankles and climbed off, returning to my feet once more.
He threw his legs back over his head and rolled into a crouch before standing. What an incessant showoff .
I glared at him as I held out the blindfold, angling my head so that the rest of the class couldn’t see the smirk now etched onto my lips. I couldn’t even help it. I was beaming.
He walked slowly over to me, close enough to whisper in my ear as he took the fabric from my grasp.
“Cheater,” he murmured. The word was low and silken with a dangerous edge. Heat surged through me as I returned to my seat, shifting my weight and trying to quell the burning inside me.
Class was dismissed early, and I rejected the invitation from Raine to join her for dinner in the mess hall. I did not need to be around people right now.
I rushed into the hallway just in time to see two redheads walking down the corridor together. My heart froze in my chest, but the burning in my core only intensified.
Blood Clot looked back in my direction, smiling as she looped her arm around Laryk’s waist. I was going to explode. I tore my eyes from the sight of the two of them and ran in the other direction. I needed the safety of my own space.
I flew inside my room, slamming the door behind me and locking it, grateful to finally be alone.
I crawled onto my bed and looked toward the ceiling.
What did he see in her ? I wanted to scream.
I needed something that was just out of reach.
My entire body ached to be relieved of this heat.
To feel his hands on me. I tried to focus on my accomplishment…
finding him… tracking his mind. There was something intimate about it, but that only left me wanting more.
Then there was the feeling of his body pressed against mine. His legs pinning me down. the heat of him taking over my senses. I felt flushed when I thought of his arms wrapped around me, the weight of him pressing against me. A burning desire was pooling at my core that had me wishing for more.
I needed a release. Maybe I hadn’t been physical with someone in so long that even the violence of sparring could get me going. Maybe it wasn’t him at all …
I knew I was lying to myself. My whole world had been incinerated by thoughts of him.
Thoughts I wished I could turn off. Eradicate.
But for now, I could at least remove the tension from my body.
I allowed my mind and my hands to wander until I found what I’d been searching for. I didn’t stop until waves of euphoria shot through me.