Page 42 of A Shadow of Betrayal

“Elaine!” Lennox snaps, his angry eyes moving to where I sit, making me slouch in my chair a bit. Elaine spins, her eyes widening in surprise when she sees me sitting only five feet from where she is standing.

“Oh! Meyer, dear. I didn't see you there. How are you settling in?” she asks, her panic moving into a false calm so quickly that I blink a few times in surprise, unsure of how to respond to her questions.

“She’s fine. Fucking up the scoreboard like I told you she would,” Lennox snaps, making my annoyance rise to the surface, and I turn my glare on the infuriating man.

“Really?” I snap, making Lennox grunt in response as he moves to a large wooden cabinet built into the wall. He inserts a key into the small lock before opening it to one of the biggest weapon stashes I have ever seen. “Holy shit,” I breathe in awe, leaning forward on the chair to get a better look inside before scowling up at Razar when he steps directly into my line of sight, blocking Lennox and the massive amount of swords, knives, and other weapons I had seen.

“Razar dear, maybe it's a good idea to escort Meyer back to her rooms. I'm sure she can stay with Jordan there where it’s safe,” Elaine suggests, then frowns when Lennox growls out a firm

“No! Razar is needed here. Ranger Smith is more than capable of returning to the Regalis rooms on her own. We will continue this tomorrow, and you won't be late,” Lennox snaps at me while glaring at his brother, who is still standing in front of me, his hooded head tipped down enough for me to see full lips and a square jaw dusted with black facial hair. “Razar,” Lennox snaps after a few moments of tense silence, making both Elaine and me jump in surprise. “Get Creed and meet me in the courtyard.”

I’m pretty sure I hear a soft growl of anger coming from the now trembling Hunter in front of me before he twists on his heel and leaves the room so fast that it moves the air around us. What the hell is with all these guys? Why are they so intense, and what's with all the growling?

“Are Umbra Hunters part animal?” I think to myself, and Elaine snorts a rather undignified snort in response, making me realize I said that thought out loud.

“We are more in tune with our primal side,” Elaine provides. “Especially the males of our group. They tend to be prone to the bloodlust that comes during a kill, but I have seen more than one woman raze an entire legion of Demons in order to protect her family,” she says thoughtfully, and I look at her in surprise.

“Really? What happens during a fight? I have only gone against a handful of the Demons myself, but they win every time,” I say disappointedly. I always have the small thrill that shoots through me, but it's quickly displaced by fear. I lose every time and typically end up with a massive injury. Well, all but the last time I saw one, but I don’t say that part out loud.

“You are alive, Ranger Smith. I wouldn't say they won,” Lennox mutters as he casually swings the biggest ax I have ever seen over one shoulder before nodding to Elaine. “You armed?” he asks, and she grins wickedly, a smile I have seen repeatedly on her son's face.

“Always,” she answers, and I scan her beautiful dress, looking for the weapons she says she has, but seeing nothing.

“Good, let's go,” he grinds out, shooting me a look that says, ‘Get your ass back to your rooms,’ and I roll my eyes in response, making his glower darken even more.

“Meyer, let's catch up this weekend during Le Sabbath. I can try to catch you up on everything. I’m sure these fools have been less than helpful regarding normal day-to-day things. You should have seen them when they first arrived about a year ago. They were like tiny angry toddlers,” she whispers, giggling to herself and placing her hand on my arm in a motherly way, patting it a few times before turning and leaving Lennox’s office.

“Go straight to the Regalis rooms,” Lennox growls out, and I can't stop my eyes from rolling even if I wanted to.

“Yes, Dad,” I snap, earning a disgusted look from Lennox before he grabs my arm and physically pushes me from his room and toward the bunkrooms.

“Never call me that again, and keep your mouth shut about everything that was just discussed. I mean it, Meyer. Now, go,” he snaps, letting my arm go before following Elaine. I watch as he strides down the hall and eventually turns out of view before I realize he called me Meyer and not Ranger Smith.

TWENTY-ONE

Meyer

“Go to your room, Meyer. Don’t call me that again, Meyer,” I mutter under my breath as I slam my hands into the door of the Regalis bunkrooms and walk in, letting the doors slam behind me then quickly examine my newly healed hands when I notice that they aren’t protesting to the violence with which I entered the room “He’s still an asshole,” I mutter.

I’m itching to chase after him, to see what Elaine was alluding to and figure out what's going on. Elaine had said something about the dickwad being untrustworthy, which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but I feel bad that she can’t trust her husband.

I pause for a moment, briefly considering turning around and following after Lennox, but then think better of it. If he caught me, I would get my ass roasted, and I don't need that from him right now. “Stupid, cocky… too-sexy-for-his-own-good, annoying Viking!” I whisper as I walk past my bunk and throw myself on Jordan’s, making him startle awake with a shout.

“Wake up, I need to complain, and while I think Theo would be the one to talk to about this, I can’t go track him down because I’m grounded to my room,” I say coldly. Then cross my arms over my chest as Jordan groans and grabs the pillow under his head and chucks it at me.

“Go away. You just cock blocked me,” he hisses, making my lingering anger thaw and a giggle slip out.

“But you were sleeping?” I point out, leaning over him and arching a brow when his green eyes open and narrow on me.

“Yes, and you ruined the best dream I’ve had in months. I’m tired, so make the bitching fast. Billy said we have to be up early tomorrow for sprints.” I groan at those words and flop back on Jordan's bed, trying to figure out how to get out of running in the morning.

“We always get up early,” I point out, and Jordan grunts in answer. “Right. So first thing. What's Le Sabbath?” I ask as I reach down and start to untie the tight laces of the corset I’m still wearing.

“Sunday. The only day we get off. Next question,” Jordan grumbles into his blankets, shifting on the bed to get more comfortable.

“That's oddly religious. Are the Umbra Hunters religious?” I ask, trying to recall if I have ever seen anything that would suggest they are.

“Not really. Not anymore. Centuries ago, we were, but the new Senioriem that took over after the Shadow Wars changed a bunch of stuff. There’s even a creepy old church out in the woods west of the barn,” Jordan says with a yawn. I purse my lips but decide to ask a different question instead of going further into the whole religious part.

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