Page 108 of Promises in the Dark

I licked my lips, my mind slipping into a dirty little daydream of her pinned beneath me. My cock stirred, and I had to shift discreetly to adjust myself. Couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Just as I was getting comfortable, the door swung open and Raven strode in, her icy gaze sweeping the room.

“Alright, ladies. I am Sergeant Raven and from now on, I’m taking over your training.”

Red and her partner paused, exchanging a wary glance. I, on the other hand, was already mentally calculating how much more often I’d have to put up with Raven’s crap now that she got back.

I was already seeing too much of her as it was.

She began to put the women through their paces, showing off some new moves. I had to admit—grudgingly—she wasn’t bad at what she did. Not that I’d ever say that out loud.

“Come on, Ponytail,” she sneered, zeroing in on Red. “You call that throwing a punch? Even a blind squirrel could do better than that.”

She strode over to Red with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop. Red’s shoulders tensed, her jaw set tight, as Raven spat her orders, lacing every word with that smug, holier-than-thou attitude.

Ponytail.

Just another little reminder of Raven’s superiority complex.

I stood there, seething with a fury so intense it felt like my skin might fucking melt off.

I watched with a scowl on my face, my eyes fixed on Raven’s stern expression as she corrected Red’s form, her movements a little too aggressive for my liking. There was a fine line between constructive criticism and just being a straight-up bully.

And Raven had fucking bulldozed right past it.

Her grip on Red was too rough, her touch more about control than correction. She yanked Red’s arm, twisting it like she was some fucking ragdoll, forcing her into what she deemed the ‘proper’ position. Red winced, the pain flashing across her face before she buried it behind a fake-ass smile.

“Thanks for the tip. I’ll keep that in mind.”

What really got my goat was the way Raven was talking to Red—like she was some kind of idiot who couldn’t even get the simplest thing right. The tone, the inflection, it was all just so patronizing.

My fists clenched involuntarily as I watched that sadistic bitch tormenting Red. She was taking it like a champ, but I could see the tension in her muscles, the strain in her face as she struggled to keep up with Raven’s demands. And it pissed me off to see her treated like that.

As much as I wanted to intervene, I stayed put, knowing that causing a scene would only make things worse for Red. Raven was a vindictive bitch, and if she caught even a whiff of the fact that I cared about Red, she’d make her life a living hell.

And I couldn’t bear the thought of adding to her burden. Red had enough on her plate without me adding fuel to the fire.

So instead, I focused on controlling my temper, channeling my anger into something productive, like picturing all the ways I’d love to wipe that smug grin off Raven’s face.

I was so caught up in the scene that I didn’t notice Pyro slipping up beside me until he nudged me with his elbow. “You know, Rogue, you’re not exactly being subtle.”

I turned to glare at him, but he just raised an eyebrow and jerked his chin towards Raven.

“You’re practically radiating hostility, mate,” he said amused.

I forced a shrug, trying to play it off. “I’m just interested in learning some new training techniques,” lied through my teeth. “Raven’s got some... unique methods.”

He laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that made me force a smile too. “Unique methods?” he repeated, leaning against the wall beside me. “You mean like being a condescending, patronizing bitch? Yeah, she’s got a real talent for that.”

I tried to brush it off, not letting him get under my skin. “Well, it’s always good to brush up on the basics. You know, pick up some new skills.”

Pyro snorted, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Come on, mate. You know Krav Maga better than anyone else in this base,” he pointed out, his grin widening as he saw the flicker of hostility in my eyes.

He saw right through me—he always did. And as much as I tried to play it cool, the truth was I was ready to tear Raven apart limb by limb for the way she treated Red.

Pyro wasn’t done though, cutting me off with a raised hand before I could even argue. “Look, I get it. Raven’s a pain in the ass. But try to make it less obvious that you want to rip her head off, yeah?” he advised, surprisingly earnest despite the hint of amusement in his voice.

I forced myself to nod. He was right, I had to keep my cool. For Red’s sake, if nothing else.

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