Chapter 10 #2
I took a bite of my biscuit and wiggled my eyebrows at her.
Jax groaned. “Really, ladies?”
Ferrula, who rarely spoke, nodded. “I wouldn’t kick either one of them out of bed for eating crackers.”
Naia laughed, shaking her head, and Zander’s sharp gaze snapped toward her.
“Is there a problem, Prospect Naia?”
Naia grinned shamelessly. “No problem, Lieutenant. Just enjoying the show—I mean, the instruction.”
Cade turned toward her and winked.
Zander exhaled through his nose and rolled his shoulders before squaring off against Cade.
“Let’s begin. Cade, use your dagger,” Zander said.
The teasing vanished as Cade and Zander faced off, their movements precise, like coiled storms ready to break.
Both men slipped into fighting stances, bare hands loose at their sides, daggers gleaming in their grips.
Cade moved first, lightning-fast, his dagger flashing toward Zander’s ribs in a sharp, upward arc.
Zander twisted at the last second, the blade slicing through empty air instead of flesh.
Before Cade could fully reset his stance, Zander struck back—a sharp jab with the hilt of his dagger aimed straight for Cade’s shoulder.
Cade blocked it, deflecting the strike just in time, then pivoted low, aiming a sweeping kick toward Zander’s knee.
Zander leaped back, barely clearing the strike, his movement too fluid, too instinctive—almost as if he knew what Cade was going to do before he did it.
Cade smirked, his grip adjusting on the dagger, a challenge flashing in his eyes.
They circled, muscles coiled, each waiting for the other to make a mistake.
Then Zander lunged.
Cade dodged—but barely. Zander was too fast, and the sudden force of the attack threw Cade slightly off-balance.
Zander saw the opening and pounced.
He feinted right, but at the last second, dropped low and swept Cade’s legs out from under him. Cade hit the ground hard, a sharp exhale leaving his lips as Zander was on him in an instant.
Before Cade could roll away, Zander’s knee pressed into his chest, the tip of his dagger hovering dangerously close to Cade’s throat.
Silence.
Then Cade let out a breathless chuckle, staring up at the sky.
“Still as dramatic as ever,” he muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Zander held the position a moment longer, just enough to assert dominance, then pulled back, sheathing his dagger and offering Cade a hand.
Cade hesitated, but finally took it, letting Zander pull him to his feet.
I finished the last of my biscuit, licking the crumbs off my fingers as I turned to Riven.
“Think I could take him?” I mused.
She snorted. “I think he’d enjoy taking you down a little too much.”
A shiver skated down my spine, but I just rolled my shoulders and grinned.
“Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
The moment Zander and Cade stepped out of the ring, the energy shifted. The lingering tension from their brutal display of skill still crackled in the air, but the watching prospects—especially from the other squads—were eager to step in and prove themselves.
I barely had time to grab my water flask before a familiar, smug voice cut through the murmur of conversation.
“What do you say, Snowtop?”
I turned, already bracing for whatever nonsense was about to come out of Perin’s mouth.
The Iron Fang prospect had a cocky smirk, his confidence oozing off him in waves.
His golden hair was pulled into a tight knot at the back of his head, his arms crossed over his chest like he already expected me to say no.
I arched a brow. “To what, exactly?”
He tilted his head toward the ring. “A little sparring match. Let’s see what the Sentinel’s rider is made of.”
Jax didn’t even let me answer.
“I would love to play,” Jax said loudly, stepping between us with a grin far too wide to be friendly.
Then, in one smooth motion, he pulled his shirt off and tossed it onto the bench.
I normally wouldn’t look at Jax that way, but damn.
Jax was built like a boulder, his arms as thick as tree trunks, his chest broad and scarred from more than a few past battles. He was almost as defined as Zander—but he had more bulk, more raw power.
I wasn’t the only one to notice.
At least three women from the other squads subtly shifted closer, their eyes very much glued to Jax’s bare chest.
Riven muttered under her breath, “Might as well ring a damn bell and start taking bids.”
Perin, however, wasn’t admiring anything.
His smirk faltered, his confidence cracking just a little.
“I wasn’t asking you, Barmon,” he said, waving a dismissive hand.
Jax shrugged, completely unbothered. “Oh. My mistake. You sounded like you wanted a real fight.”
Perin’s jaw tightened, but he stepped back.
“Maybe next time,” he muttered, already turning toward his squad.
Jax let out a mock sigh, rolling his shoulders. “Damn. I was really looking forward to it.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “You scared him off, you ass.”
Jax smirked, flexing his arms dramatically. “Not my fault the man isn’t confident in his abilities.”
Ferrula, who rarely spoke, nodded in approval. “It’s too bad you are a part of my squad, Jax.”
Jax winked at her. “I like older women, Ferr.”
Ferrula smiled at him. “Sorry, Rookie. I don’t shit where I eat.”
We all laughed, and Jax joined in. Even Cordelle had a shy smile.
Zander whistled, sharp and commanding, and just like that, every match stopped.
“All prospects to the Ascension Grounds.” His voice cut through the morning air with effortless authority. “And call your dragons. We will start the Binding Trials.”
A thrill of anticipation rippled through the assembled prospects.
I exhaled and reached for the thread in my mind—the connection that tethered me to Kaelith.
Kaelith?
The link hummed to life, but instead of an immediate response, I felt a slow, curling irritation before she finally spoke.
Are you really so eager to meet the God of Death?