she does not know. Without weapons, Raven must learn to control every situation.”
Niko bowed.
Holding a hand over my rumbling stomach, I asked, “Can I at least have a bowl of cereal?”
“Food will make you slow and lazy. You must know how to defend yourself in a club without killing anyone or using your Vampire skills. But I also cannot see into the future. It is not my desire for you to fight in a cage match, but if that happens, I want you prepared.”
Everyone got up and shuffled toward the door.
Claude yawned noisily. “I need to call my salon and rearrange my appointments. Any idea how long this will last?”
Viktor fell into step beside him. “That may not be necessary. You will spend nights at the club. If you have any important clients, you might be able to work them in during the daytime or reassign to someone else on your staff. I do not want you jeopardizing your relationships with important clientele. We rely on them for inside information. But do not drive your Porsche while on assignment. It’s too flashy and will not match your job.”
I pulled off my socks and tossed them aside. “Well, Niko. Guess it’s just you and me.”
“And me.” Christian closed the door behind Viktor and joined us.
I stretched my arms over my head to loosen the muscles. “No Vamps allowed.”
“Don’t be daft. Niko can’t rile you up like I can.”
“And why would I need someone to piss me off while training?”
“Vampires tend to show their fangs when angry, and the only way to suppress natural instinct is to control your emotions. We need to make sure you can keep your wee little fangs where they belong.” He sat down on the weight bench. “Just take a gander at those hideous sweatpants you’re always wearing. You’ll never pull this off dressed like a panhandler. Do you also plan on packing your enormous knickers? I’m sure that’ll have the lads wagging their tongues.”
“You don’t push my buttons, Poe. That’s one thing you’ve never been able to do.”
“Aye.” He splayed the fingers on his left hand and looked at his ring. “Too bad your da can’t say the same. Isn’t that one a pathetic excuse for a human? That morose bastard is wasting his life away in a dingy chair, hobbling around like a lame horse. Someone should put him out of his misery.”
My fangs punched out.
Christian gave me a sardonic smile. “Ah. There they are.” Then he looked over at Niko, who had just removed his shirt. “Looks like we have a lot of work to do.”
Chapter 4
I’d never been in Blue’s bedroom. Even before Kira came along, when we rotated laundry duties, everyone left their hampers or dirty clothes outside the bedroom door. There hadn’t been as many rules in the early days—before my arrival—but now most of us valued our privacy. So showing up uninvited left me with mixed feelings. We didn’t have a close relationship, but I wanted to make sure she was okay about guarding me on this assignment.
When I tapped a glass of lemonade on the door, it sloshed on my arm. “Bad idea,” I muttered, but I was barefoot and my other hand was full.
“Who’s there?” Blue called out.
“It’s Raven. I brought lunch.”
“Just leave it outside the door.”
Viktor had ordered me to take short breaks, but this detour wasn’t about feeding Blue. The peace offering was a way inside her room. Blue’s door had a lever instead of a knob, so I pushed down on it with my wrist and let the door swing open.
The first thing I saw was Blue’s reflection in a full-length floor mirror to my left. Her fingers traced the deep scars through her unbuttoned blue flannel shirt.
When she saw the door moving, she whirled around. “I said to leave it outside.”
I thought she might try to cover herself up, but Blue kept her arms stiffly at her sides and closed the distance between us.
My throat felt as dry as the Sahara. Maintaining eye contact, I pretended not to notice her scars. It was as if a giant monster had raked its claws over her body in a downward, diagonal slant. Because the lion had mauled her falcon, the marks were large and spread apart. One long gash traveled from her left shoulder to her right breast, but because of her bra, I couldn’t see the full extent of what I already knew. Another started between her breasts, and a third cut across her belly.