Page 27 of Guardian's Destiny

As I reached out to position her arms, our mating marks brushed, sending a jolt of electricity through me. I wondered if she felt it too, this undeniable pull between us. But for now, I hadto be content with these small moments, these fleeting touches during our training sessions.

I stepped back, trying to regain my composure. "Now, try that move on me."

Sloane nodded, her eyes narrowed in concentration. She launched forward with surprising speed, and before I knew it, I was flat on my back, staring up at the training room ceiling.

"Like that?" she asked, a hint of smugness in her voice as she stood over me.

I couldn't help but chuckle, both impressed and slightly humiliated. "Exactly like that. Though I have to admit, I wasn't quite prepared for how... effective you'd be."

As I got to my feet, wincing slightly, I realized I'd severely underestimated her abilities, and keeping up with her was proving to be a challenge.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" I asked, curious.

Sloane's expression turned guarded. "Do you actually ever use that brain of yours for listening, or is it simply programmed on how to get women on their backs?"

"I thought that was the whole purpose of this training, getting you on your back?" I countered, winking at her, enjoying the flames dancing in her eyes as her temperament rose. Before she could erupt like a volcano, I raised my hands in deference. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have underestimated you. You said you were in the Marines, whatever kind of army that is, and you were well trained."

She gave me a narrowed eye once over before she nodded. "Alright, can we get serious then?"

This time when we circled each other, I was a lot warier of her than before. I watched her every move carefully, like I would any other opponent. Every action she made was calculated and precise. I found myself working harder than I had in years, struggling to match her intensity.

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" I panted, narrowly dodging a well-aimed kick.

"You have no idea," she replied, her eyes glinting with a mixture of amusement and something deeper, more intense.

In that moment, I realized I was in trouble – and not just in terms of our sparring match. This female was getting under my skin in ways I hadn't anticipated more than the mating marks already. I had watched the other males with their mates, had enjoyed their banter and affection for each other, and had even yearned to find it for myself. Now I realized that just because Sloane and I might have the same mating marks didn't mean anything to her. If I wanted her to be my true mate, I would have to work for it, for her. And I had a feeling she wasn't going to make it easy.

The padded chair was comfortable enough, but I wanted to share the bed with her. I wantedher.

"Is this enough for you for today?" I asked a little while later, while sweat was dripping from every corner of my body. This female had given me a workout I hadn't had in a very long time. That and the constant focus on not hurting her or getting overly aroused had taken their toll.

"Are you ready to concede?" She grinned a challenge.

She didn't look much better than I felt. Her hair was plastered in places to her head despite the carefully arranged ponytail she was wearing. Her bodysuit wasn't doing much better, emphasizing her delectable curves and giving me another hard-on.

"Let's call it a truce for today and continue tomorrow," I offered generously.

As much as she was trying to mask it, she was breathing as heavily as me—clearly outlined by her voluptuous breasts as they heaved underneath the snuck material.

"Alright," she nodded, pushing some of the hair that had come loose from her face. "Dibs on the shower."

"Dibs?"

"That means I go first." Her grin turned into another challenge.

"Fine by me." She looked surprised at my easy surrender but didn't reply and walked out of the training room, with my eyes glued to her behind. I was sure she was swinging her ass on purpose, knowing fully well where my gaze had traveled.

SLOANE

I yearnedfor a good night's sleep, but as always, it just didn't want to come. Tonight's show had been brought on by Deputy Director Jane Austin. The woman who had recruited me for the CIA. My boss, mentor, and friend. The one who had betrayed me and our country. The one I had to shoot and kill during a late night meeting with her and the man who hadturnedher to the enemy side. Khalid Al-Mansour and four of his bodyguards. I took them all down, but only one survived, Rashid Al-Hakim.

Killing your immediate supervisor is a punishable offense as it turned out, and the CIA had been ready to court martial me, but good old Tuck bailed me out and thrown the whole case wide open by making Rashid talk and admit to the conspiracy that would have killed thousands of innocent people and clearing my name. A few months later, the Cryons came, and none of this mattered any longer. I lost track of Tuck, and that was it.

Or so it seemed on the surface. Beneath the surface, there was still a lot of grief, guilt, and mourning for Jane's death. No matter how deserved it had been. I wanted to hate her, but for years, she had been a friend, nearly a mother figure. One of the hardest things I learned in life was reconciling hate and grief. It was hard enough being a female in any kind of power position,but when one abused it, betrayed it, it made all of us look even worse.

Vraax quietly snored in his little corner of our room, driving me crazy with the peace he found in sleep. The urge to toss a pillow at him was tempting. God, that would feel good because tonight's restlessness was all because of him.

When I exited the shower, dressed in clean clothes, like a good girl, he had stood butt naked in our room.

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