Page 28 of A Shadow of Betrayal

“Hurry up, Meyer!” Jordan shouts, waving at me when he turns and finds me staring at the wall in horror.

“I hate my life,” I moan, then run at the wall at full speed and lunge for the rope still several feet above my head.

FOURTEEN

Lennox

“How the hell is that girl not dead? She’s twenty-six and somehow still alive. I figured we would be getting someone who could at least walk in a straight line with a background like that!” Monroe complains, walking into my office and grabbing one of the chairs in front of my desk, twisting it to face the door before sitting and propping his elbows on the back of the chair.

I glance up and try to control the annoyance I feel at being interrupted before looking back down at the papers in front of me. I can’t help but huff a quiet laugh of amusement; Monroe’s fiery red hair is standing up at odd angles, probably from him repeatedly gripping it in frustration with her poor showing this morning.

“She can’t run to save her life,” he says, holding up a finger as he starts to list off the many issues Ranger Smith has. “Her hand-eye coordination is shit.” He holds up a second finger. “She has no sense of direction, and I’m pretty sure she has two left feet! Did you see her trying to navigate the obstacle course?”

Sighing, I set my pen down, looking up from the god-awful amount of paperwork Senior Axford dumped on me this morning. I won’t get anything done with him here, so I may as well entertain his conversation.

“Of course, I saw the girl. Everyone saw her,” I grumble, rolling my eyes as I push up from my chair. “I’m trying not to think about the damage this will do to our Bloodline’s reputation,” I add, grabbing the papers off my desk and shoving them into the old filing cabinet next to me. I’ll deal with Meyer’s fucking paperwork later.

“Same. Is there a way to pawn off the girl? She obviously doesn’t want to be here, and I don’t think her Bloodline is strong. She doesn’t have any extra strength that I could see, and last night she couldn't heal herself. Hell, I’m pretty sure I saw the scratches on her hands this morning. She may have had enough Regalis in her to pop the test blue, but not enough to keep her alive up here. She’s going to die, mark my words.”

“Axford was determined to have her stay. And we won’t let her die. Maybe if she was an Axford, the Seniorem would have arranged a marriage to help produce more Hunters, but I refuse to do that to her. I shut down that damn breeding ring for a reason,” I clip out, the familiar rage crawling over my skin, a welcome relief from the confusion I have felt since meeting the soft green eyes of the newest Umbra Hunter under my command.

“That's not what I meant, and you know it, Regalis. Everyone here, including Axford, is glad you shut down the breeding rings.”

I scoff under my breath and shake my head. If only Monroe knew who Senior Axford really was. If only he knew who everyone in the whole damn Seniorem was. I doubt he would hold them in such high regard. I know for a fact that Axford is pissed that I managed to close his breeding rings down, they were, after all, his idea. The only reason he didn’t stop me was because of how unpopular and dangerous they were becoming. He may be an evil man, but he’s not stupid. He would have lost the respect of many high-powered Hunters if he let those rings continue running.

Glancing at the clock ticking away on the wall, I choose to ignore Monroe's comment. Meyer was supposed to be here ten minutes ago, and she's still not here. I guess I can add tardiness to her never-ending list of faults.

“You and I both know Axford saw an opportunity to hand the Regalis bloodline a rookie who would hold the entire group of Rangers back, improving his own bloodline's chances of winning this year,” Monroe continues. I nod, not telling him I have enough blackmail on the old bastard to make him bend to my will if I choose to use it. Meaning I could get rid of Ranger Smith if I chose to. But even if I wanted to use it, and I'm not sure I do yet, I promised Elaine that I would look after the girl, and that's a promise I will keep after what Elaine did for my brothers and me.

The door to my office opens, and Razar walks in, his hooded face cast in shadows the way he likes, keeping him closed off to the world. I watch as he moves to the far side of the room, where he leans in the corner like a damn statue, standing guard.

“We won’t lose; calm down. And besides, it's only a game. It wouldn't be the end of the world,” I tell the frazzled Umbra Hunter, rolling my eyes at his complaints. I forget how dramatic these people can be. “Our job is to train the Rangers in order to place them successfully in a Unit, which is why I brought you in this year,” I point out, watching the man quiet with my words, rubbing at the ropey scars that creep up his neck. The truth is, my brothers and I will be here until I find what I’m looking for. The moment I have it, we will leave. But Monroe is an Umbra Hunter who will keep the human world safe from those rogue Demons that escape their hellish existence.

Unfortunately, he lost his entire Umbra unit in an ambush that nearly killed him as well last spring, and he needs to reform it. I brought him to the Castle as an instructor to see if there are any new Rangers he wants to train to help repair some of the loss he has dealt with. I knew I would be getting a great fighter, but I wasn't prepared for how damn competitive he would be. And what is even more surprising is the odd friendship I’ve found in the man.

“Regalis, our bloodline hasn’t lost a Hunter’s game or trial since you and your brothers took over last year. I would hate to break the winning streak,” Monroe points out, looking over to Razar as he runs a hand through his wild red hair. “Hey, man,” he offers, and I smile, a weird feeling crossing over me as I watch Monroe interact with my older brother. Besides Creed and me, everyone avoids Razar like the plague, for good reasons.

I have had to cover up more than one death he has caused with one of his temper tantrums, and I hope Monroe can get past his icy exterior and form a friendship with him. I would really hate to bury the man in some unmarked grave on the mountain's north side.

Razar doesn't respond to Monroe's greeting, instead letting the murderous vibes he likes to keep around him out to play, making the red-haired man shiver a little in response. Razar is good at keeping people away. It's his instinct to make sure people fear him, but that doesn't seem to work on the man sitting in front of me. If I didn't know better, I would say the Hunter with the bright red hair was one of my brothers with the way he tries to include Razar.

“Let me worry about the game, and you keep an eye out for anyone you might want to train as part of your unit. I know you are trying to get Laurance from Siberia over here, but it wouldn't hurt to have some fresh blood next to you during a fight. Robert is looking like he might be one of our top Hunters this time around,” I throw out, thinking back on the smaller guy who has shown a lot of promise in almost every area of training.

“I’ve been watching Ranger Heart as well. She throws a mean punch, and did you see her drop Edwards during their hand-to-hand? Damn impressive,” Monroe admits, letting out a low whistle of appreciation.

“Who?” I ask, trying to remember which one is Ranger Heart. There are only two other girls in this batch of Rangers besides Meyer, and I didn't get to see any of their hand-to-hand training. Before Monroe can answer, my office door slams open, and Meyer runs in with a rush of babbled excuses and messy blonde hair trailing in her wake.

“Sorry! Sorry, I couldn't find your office. I made the wrong turn in that dang hallway that never ends, and I got lost for a bit,” she rushes out, panting and leaning on my desk. I take in her flushed and sweaty appearance and notice how dirty her face and hair are. Her shirt is tight on top, hugging her breasts and showing off the generous curves as she practically bounces into my office. This girl is a damn wreck, but that doesn't stop the flicker of arousal that shoots down to my trousers and makes my cock harden uncomfortably in my pants.

I grind my teeth in annoyance at myself and glare at the problem in front of me. I don't understand why I'm physically reacting to this girl, but it's honestly pissing me off. She's nothing special to look at. Sure, she has pretty eyes, and I think if she bothered running a comb through her hair, it would be nice enough. But I would never pick her out of a crowd.

The first time I laid eyes on her, the urge to stand from the uncomfortable chair I was forced to sit in during the Seniourium trial and rush to her side was almost too much to withstand. I clutched the armrests of the chair so tight that a small piece of it broke off in my hands.

“Sit. Down,” I bite out, leaning forward on my desk and grabbing the edge so I don't do something stupid like reach out and brush that small lock of hair away from her eyes. “Umbra Monroe, you are excused,” I add, not looking at the man who quickly stands from his chair, dips his head respectfully, and turns, leaving the room without another word.

Meyer turns, watching Monroe leave, and a wave of anger courses through me, not liking her attention on another man with me sitting in front of her. I take a deep breath and wait as she keeps her attention on him until he shuts the door and is entirely out of view. Irrational anger continues to ripple through me when she keeps looking at the door with a glazed-over expression, and I can hear a small growl tear past my lips despite trying to control myself.

“Are you finished eye-fucking him yet? Or should I give you a few more moments to stare at the door?” I snarl at her, making her jump in surprise and turn back in my direction with wide eyes. I fucking hate myself for noticing the hitch in her breath and how her chest rises and falls with rapid breaths. She's scared, or at the very least nervous, and that's precisely what I want from her right now.

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