is so tight, but I manage to say, “He was just doing his job, what he thought was right.”
Archer’s nostrils flare. “Usually Myriad Laborers earn more for getting humans to accept the least possible amount, but he ensured she received the worst possible deal just to spite me, adding fine print she didn’t understand.”
“So she didn’t get a fancy house or car. So what? There’s more to life.”
“You don’t understand. She’s in medical school right now, but even then, if she saves the life of a Troikan loyalist, she earns a penalty in Firstlife and Everlife. There’s nothing I can do to help her.”
What Killian did...yeah, it was bad. There’s no getting around that fact. But he’s not the same Killian. Firstlife didn’t mean anything to him back then. Now he’s learning to value human life. Why else would he put himself in harm’s way to save me?
“Can you get her out of her contract?” I ask. “What about court?”
“I begged her to demand a day in court, but she’s too afraid of the repercussions of losing.”
“I’d like to meet her.” Somehow I’d like to help her.
“I’ll arrange it.” He straightens, waves a hand over the weapons. “Now. Where would you like to start?”
“I don’t know what half those things are.”
“This is an Oxi.” He holds up one of the guns. “With a single blast, it causes Shells to decay.”
And what if I misfire and hit myself? “No, thanks.”
“This one, the Stag, shoots darts that, when embedded in a Shell, trap the spirit inside it and shut down mobility. This is a shield with rotating razors at the edges.”
“What about a sword of fire?” I’ve heard they are the ultimate spiritual weapon.
“I can wield a sword of fire. You cannot.”
Bummer.
“So. Back to your choices. There’s also a dagger, a—”
“That. A dagger.” I’ll go with what I know. For now.
“Very well.” He swipes up one of the daggers. “Lesson one.”
I blink, and something cold and sharp is pressing into my neck, Archer directly in front of me. “You... How...”
“Distraction kills as surely as this blade,” he says. “Concentrate.”
Now I smile sweetly at him. “Cockiness kills as surely as this knife.” I use the tip of my weapon to give his berries a little pat.
He barks out a laugh. “Touché. Or should I say testies?” Backing up a few steps, he says, “Let’s do this again. This time, when I lift the blade, block with your right arm and stab me with your left.”
“Really stab you or just—”
But he’s in front of me a second later, the blade at my neck.
He huffs with disappointment. “Again.”
We spend the next several hours training. He isn’t gentle, but he isn’t overly rough, either. He shows me the most vulnerable spots on a human as well as a Shell, then comes at me with the dagger, with his fists, with well-aimed kicks. My still-healing body aches and shakes, but I don’t let it slow me down. I like this. I need this. And Archer is good about explaining how he was able to knock me down and how I can prevent it from happening again.
When we decide to quit for the day, I’m sweaty and shaky. I collapse on the ground, letting the warm sun caress my exposed skin. And I have a lot of exposed skin. For the first time in over a year, I’m wearing a tank top and shorts.
He walks to my side, his shadow covering me. “I’ve asked our Watchers to find out who ordered the plane crash, but they haven’t found the answer.”
Watchers. No need to ask what that job entails. “I don’t recall a Watcher on the list of Everlife jobs.”
“They fall under the subdivision of Scout.”
So much to learn. So much to keep straight.
I open my mouth to respond, but a motion at my left catches my attention and I turn—and gasp.
Killian is alive, and he’s outside the jellyair!
chapter fifteen
“Without us, you have nothing.”
—Myriad
I run. Archer calls my name, his tone exasperated but not angry. If Killian is here, it means one of two things. The Troikans lost the battle in the sky or my TL allowed my ML to get close. My guess? Archer logged in a request.
I think—hope—he sees me as more than a conquest. Well, a possible conquest. I hope he sees me as a friend.
“You are such a pain,” he shouts. “You know that, don’t you?”
Oh, yes. He sees me as a friend.
I’m grinning as I pass through the jellyair. A shower of