Page 73 of A Spark Of Revenge

“Yes,” he hisses under his breath.

“Yes, what?” I growl.

“Yes, my prince,” he spits the words at me, and I nod, letting my arm fall from my brother's neck as I stand and move away, refusing to let his defiance get to me. This is how it's always been between us. I will never trust my brother with my life, but I know I can trust him to help as long as it’s what Father wants. Jesthren is loyal to my father, his devotion something I will never have. But for now, it's enough. Jesthren is a strong magic user and an even better warrior. To have him at my side will only help. I just have to make sure he doesn't stab me in the back in the meantime.

THIRTY-FIVE

Meyer

“No, Angry Girl. You have to spread your legs and fold at the hips,” Theo grumbles, kicking my ankles apart before whacking the back of my head to make me bend further over, and I grunt as my fingers stretch to reach my toes. “Jeez, my grandma is more flexible than you are,” he grumbles, so I glare up at him and flip him the bird.

The morning came way too fast after the night I had. After my nightmare and the incredible sex Valen and I had, he held me in his arms, kissing me and spending every moment he could inside me. I lost track of how many times I woke up with his tongue between my legs, bringing me to yet another orgasm, or his cock stroking my sex, his whispered words of praise waking me as he slowly pushed inside my body.

I’m not going to lie… I didn't realize I ever wanted to be woken up like that. Typically, I wake up cranky and need food before I can function properly, but I think I may have found a new addiction to wake up to. Being tired has never been so worth it in my life. There is just something about my dream guy that makes me calm… He silences all the doubt and pain I feel and brings me back to myself—the lighthouse in the raging storm that is my life.

“Leave her alone. Meyer only started training a couple months ago, Theo. We’ve been doing this since we were kids. Remember how long it took for you to touch your toes?” Jordan snaps, making Theo wrinkle his nose in annoyance. Jordan scooches over and presses his enormous feet to the side of my ankles, keeping my legs spread as he leans forward and grabs my hands with an encouraging nod. “Just hold on to my hands, and I’m going to pull you forward gently,” he instructs, and I nod. “Don't arch your back. Keep it straight, but tell me when your muscles start to hurt. We want to stretch them, push them a little, but not cause damage.”

“Right,” I agree, smiling at him as his strong hands pull me forward. I strain to keep my back straight, and my calves and thighs burn with the stretch that starts in my muscles. “There,” I gasp when the burning stretch becomes slightly painful.

“Good! See, you did better than I thought you would,” Jordan praises, while Theo sighs and plops down on the ground next to me, patting my back.

“Sorry,” he grumbles, looking a little embarrassed. “I should have done that for you first,” he admits, and I frown in question, making Jordan chuckle.

“Theo did that for me when I couldn’t touch my toes,” he explains, eyeing Theo briefly before looking back at me. “It was the only thing that helped me gain flexibility in my legs.”

“It's a genius idea. I can actually feel more muscles stretching this way,” I mutter, trying to relax my body so that I can bend further forward.

“I can't take the credit. Mom’s the one who did this with me and Cali when we were kids. Dad was on our asses about being the best at the academy, and Mom helped so he would chill out,” Theo grumbles, his eyes roaming over Jordan as he gently pulls me just a little further forward.

“Are you doing okay?” I ask, then cringe, hating that I’m asking while training. The thing is, I haven't seen Theo much outside of our normal day-to-day training lately. I’m either with one of the guys, or he’s out chasing after Jordan, which is exactly where he should be. Our friendship is solid. Sure, I want to nut punch him a little, but I’ve already forgiven him and have decided to let him earn back my trust. It's not something that will happen overnight, but Theo’s trying; I can see that in his actions and words. Hell, he came and told me all about how his mother had reached out to the Russians and how they are sending the units stationed in North America to assist us until their full battalion can make it here.

“Uh, yeah?” Theo answers in question, then blinks in surprise when he realizes I’m asking if he’s okay about his dad. “Oh,” he whispers, then nods. “Yeah. I really am okay. I know that makes me a terrible person, but I’m just glad he’s no longer yelling at Mom and Cali anymore. Mom’s even bringing her up to the castle now that Dad’s gone, so I get to see her!” Theo beams, leaning against my shoulder as I smile at him.

Jordan looks up in surprise at Theo, his own excitement evident at Theo’s words.

“Cali is coming?” he asks, and Theo nods, grinning ear to ear.

“Mom said we have to wait until after things are settled with the attack of the Seniorem. Lennox said his spies have estimated they will be here in the next two to three days. But after that, Mom is sending Senior Drakos and my unit to get her!” Theo is practically bouncing in excitement, his big shoulders bumping into me until he is almost on top of me in his happiness.

“That's great! It's been what? Two… no, three years since Laurant allowed her up here?” Jordan mutters, making my eyes widen in surprise as Theo nods, resting his head on my shoulder, taking a strand of my blonde hair and tugging on it playfully.

“That long?” I whisper, feeling bad for both Theo and Elaine. “What a dickwad,” I grumble under my breath, then startle when a big Demon is suddenly crouching down on my other side, being mindful not to step on my or Jordan's toes as he helps me stretch.

“Lemon Drop,” Creed greets in a happy tone, but when I look up to see him, his smile is strained, almost forced, and looks unnatural. “Ranger Jennings, Ranger Drakos,” he says, dipping his head in a nod as he clasps his hands together on his bent knees, then turns darker than normal eyes on me.

“What's wrong?” I whisper, feeling his angry energy as he keeps his fake smile on his face.

“Listen,” he says, whispering so low I have to lean a little toward him to hear. “I know what I’m about to say is incredibly possessive and a little… crazy,” he hedges, and I frown. “But if Ranger Jennings doesn't remove himself from between your legs in the next ten seconds, I’m going to lose control of myself,” he admits, fake smile still in place as his green eyes flick to where Jordan's feet keep my legs spread wide. “And unfortunately, I’m not the only one with control issues today,” he adds, subtly nodding behind him.

Theo, Jordan, and I all lean to the right, peering around Creed to find Valen leaning against the wall several feet away, wearing a pristine set of black fighting leathers while twirling a small sliver blade between his long fingers, glaring at where Theo’s head is currently resting on my shoulder. My dream man's jaw is cleanly shaven and tense as fuck, his pale eyes sparking with dark violence that makes me shiver in excitement.

I gape up at Creed and then look at Jordan, whose eyes double in size seconds before he throws himself away from me with a nervous chuckle. Theo is close behind, rolling away from my side and crashing into Jordan as they look at each other, then me, and burst into laughter.

“I… What the hell?” I mutter to my friends, still in shock at Jordan's immediate response. Jordan simply shakes his head and grins.

“Uhh, Elaine may have warned Theo and me of how Demons are territorial by nature, and well…” Jordan trails off.

“We don't want to get our asses kicked the way Senior Drakos did,” Theo finishes for him while nodding at the territorial Demon at my side. My mouth forms an ‘O’ before I shake my head, then glare up at Creed, who looks much happier if not slightly mortified by his own actions.

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