Page 28 of Centaur Bolt

Kiko’s eyes sparkled with interest. “You can’t shift?”

The Dragona’s face spasmed. “Can. Just shouldn’t.” When the Satyr’s gaze didn’t budge, she added, “I am taking herbs to take me off cycle. Shifting counteracts them.”

As I absorbed that, I checked my watch. Before Kiko could delve for the details she so obviously was about to, I said, “We’d better get moving, ladies.”

She sighed as the Dragona rose to follow me, effectively ending the conversation.

“Food first,” the Satyr insisted. “I’m not sitting through class on an empty stomach.

“I could eat,” mused Vali, which clinched it.

We ascended to the fourth floor, where a room off the cafeteria offered machines that dispensed everything from chocolate bars to wrapped sandwiches. Many of the brands were familiar, as were the vending machines.

It surprised me. “Do they get all this stuff from the human realm?”.

“Humans are clever,” Kiko replied. “They’ve developed a lot of conveniences that other realms take advantage of. But I doubt they have those in your home realm.” She pointed to a triangular package marked, “Fried Massit meatroll.”

“What’s a Massit?” I asked.

“They have six legs, four horns, and terrible tempers,” Vali provided. “But they are also sharding tasty.” She hit the button to choose it, and one fell to the opening at the bottom.

“We don’t have to pay for it?” I peered at the slots below the buttons, but they’d been sealed over with tape.

“Keeping a bunch of starving students fed means having food available all the time.” Kiko hit the button for a chocolate bar. “Shifters have incredible metabolisms and shovel in vast amounts of food.”

“We do not,” Vali protested.

“You do so,” Kiko argued.

I decided it would be unwise to get involved in any discussion about gorgeous females consuming vast quantities of food. I chose a meatroll that was surprisingly heavy in my hand.

“Excellent choice,” Vali approved.

“Here. Take this too.” Kiko pressed a chocolate bar into my other hand and punched buttons for two more.

“Like chocolate?” I asked.

“Oh yeah,” the Satyr purred. “Chocolate and sex pretty much top my list of faves.”

Vali had turned away but I was pretty sure I heard a snorted laugh as she led us back to the stairs. We barely made it to our seats before the class on team strategy started.

Alex, the instructor, actually made the class interesting. But I couldn’t focus on the lecture for more than a few seconds at a time, and the meatroll tasted like cardboard.

The Hitzu twins sat on the other side of Kiko. Vali took a chair between me, and her. But the aisle seat remained empty.

As if I needed any reminders that we were missing Marcus.

11

Riley

When the theory class ended, Kiko heaved a sigh. “We must report for our next torture session.”

Vali trailed us to Eli and Cass. The Hitzu twins kept their distance as they gathered up their weighted packs and lingered near the start line. I leaned close to Kiko.

“You need to question them,” I whispered. “They could have read my mind, or Marcus’s, anytime.”

Kiko pulled a face. “I’ll leave him to you.”

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