Page 43 of Within the Veil

"I got money on the Hudson coming back and beating both of their asses. Any takers?" Ryder laughed looking at them exchange blows. Luckily they heal fast because Ryder is right, Hudson is liable to choke them the fuck out for marking each other.

We all raise our hands. It is an easy win.

* * *

Hudson

Observing the soldiers in various forms of combat, I mentally start making a plan of action to tighten things up. I can tell something was missing in their overall skill set and as I walk around looking at the various stations set up for training, my mind starts to analyze everything in front of me. Their forms were perfect, their speed unmatched, and their technical skills were ferocious. But as they spun, parried, and isolated various elements for combat, there was something missing. Something... almost tangible.

Kalen trained me hard, I realize that it was not only because I was the prophesied change but because he considered me the daughter he never had. His training was always... heavy. As if at any moment he was expecting me to have to go at it alone with hundreds of opponents. As exhausted as I was most days, as much as I cursed him, it gave me an edge; that desperation to want to make sure I would always be okay seeped into me. And his constant training, which bled into downright sadistic hours, honed me physically and mentally. In turn, I utilized that thirsty mindset in my studies as well. I mastered magic, combat, knowledge, and problem-solving, sharpening it into a razor edge. Add Kalen with my daddy issues, wanting to prove to my real father, Councilman Jacobs, that I could be every bit as amazing as Zane; I had a passion to rise above and succeed beyond everyone around me, a desperation that bled into my core.

I feel a sudden light bulb flick on in my head, that was it.Desperation.

Despite escaping the Unseelie queen and fighting skirmishes, these soldiers, while beautiful and lethal in their deadly grace, of course having been trained by one of the greatest warriors, lackeddesperation.The feeling that everything they had in their life was slipping through their fingers. They had longevity, ethereal beauty, and skills handed down by nature and Gaia herself. They can make vines grow, water appear, fire start, they could utilize the world around them in ways humans could only dream of. And in all of that, they had a feeling of superiority surrounding them that bled from their pores, it was apparent when I first came through the Veil to Tir-Nan-Og.

In fact, sifting through my memories, the closest I've seen to panic was when I declared women, who were not already warriors, would also be fighting a few moments ago. It was clear they understood, despite longevity, fertility issues were still a major concern and women and children were, therefore, sacred. However, beyond that, they fought simply for pride. Pride to defend their land, and their people and bring about the balance that the Faerie world needed to thrive, which was set off kilter by Nici's greed for power.

Hopefully, with my decision to make sure that the women are also proactive with training, the men will be fueled with the need to protect their women. But, this fight is to protect everyone, and clearly, these Fae need a swift butt-kicking to get themselves into gear, and I am going to fucking give it to them.

I sigh deeply and run my hands through my hair, then turn as I hear Oberon and Hunter beating the shit out of each other.

With a scowl, I walk over to them and summon vines to separate them, and start spanking their asses, "If you two want to act like animals, I will lock your asses in a Zoo."

"Fucking called it. Now that I have won the bet, I'm going to help with weapon training," Ryder laughs and disappears.

Grayson smirks, "I'll gather the children, Li'Ella always wants to train."

"I'll gather the women who want to start," Remi laughs, and they both disappear.

"You had a bet?" I look over to the other's left.

Zane shrugs with a laugh, "If you want to get technical, Ryder started the bet. We just participated."

Jensi shrugs, "To be fair, we are immature yet gorgeous, heart-throbbing..."

"Lucious and incredible, Sentinels," Luca adds.

"As such, we cannot be held responsible for the actions of Kings," Jensi says.

I summon vines, and their eyes widen before they also disappear.

King just smiles, and I roll my eyes. Damn him and my love for his Sentinel ass.

Oberon snaps the vines and leaps up to his feet with a matching scowl, "Mate, I am a terrifying King. Not a zoo animal."

"You also have blood on your nose, and your shirt is torn. So your words do not have the effect you wish them to have," I glare at him. "And you," I turn to Hunter, who is also sporting a bloodied face, "you know what is scarier than an Arallu Djinn? A pissed-off pregnant Hudson. I will rip the claws off your fingers and shove them right up your puckered asshole if you cannot ignore Oberon's taunts."

Oberon, now clean and in a new shirt (fucking faerie magic), scowls. "How do you know it was me that started it?"

I roll my eyes, "Because Hunter is reactive. You are proactive. I can do the damn math."

Hunter, now also cleaned up, smirks.

I narrow my eyes, "nothing to say?"

He steps closer, his fingers trailing down my face, "No. I will gladly beat his ass again. But you, Sweetheart, just gave me several ideas for later," he says darkly, his lips upturned in a panty-dropping smile before wrapping his arms around me, his lips capturing mine. Flashes of him bending me over and spanking me while he thrusts inside of me flit through my mind.Fuck.

Smothering a groan of lust, I step back from his heated embrace, "unfair use of peen power."

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