Page 9 of Honorable Convictions
“We aren’t telling anyone about this,” Pierson ordered Mitchell.
“Why does it have to be a secret?”
“I know how this works, Brooks. You guys have obviously shared everything in the past few days. Well, I’m not like you. I want my privacy. All I’m asking is for you to keep silent on it until we reach the mutual conclusion that we should reveal it.”
“That’s not how things are supposed to go, Blondie. We need to communicate effectively and make those kinds of decisions together. I don’t need you to order me around, although clearly, it’s what you’d prefer.”
“You don’t know shit about me.”
“I know you’re pissed at something completely out of my control.”
“Oh, right. It’s completely reasonable to not take a single ounce of responsibility. Let me guess. Trista gave you no choice. Give me a break.”
“Brooks. Murphy. Get your asses to the gymnasium,” VK Ruarc hollered.
After giving Mitchell a ferocious glare, Pierson jogged to where VK Ruarc stood. “I apologize, VK Ruarc. Brooks and I had a difference of opinion.”
“Have them in your free time, Murphy. You’re making the entire group wait on you. That’s unacceptable. Let’s move out.”
Mitchell didn’t say a word as he got to Pierson’s side, and they ran after VK Ruarc to their destination, where the other four fallen knights were standing ready.
“Since Brooks and Murphy decided that we should all be at the mercy of their differences of opinions, they’re first up to work on the physical demands of your future jobs. Let’s start with some hand-to-hand combat. Your invisibility should not be used for these exercises. Square up.”
There was a glimmer of laughter in Mitchell’s green-blue eyes as they took positions opposite each other. Pierson wanted to excel in every avenue, so he cleared his mind of everything to allow him to master the physical much as he’d done with the mental tests.
“Okay, your goal is to knock your fellow recruit to the mat. This is a test of strength but also one of ingenuity. Use your brain and figure out weaknesses. You’re going to have seconds if the person you’re trying to arrest attempts to get away. I’ll count it down. Ready?” VK Ruarc asked.
Both men answered in the affirmative.
“Good. Three…two…one.”
At one, Pierson pushed a hand forward and his arm was knocked back aggressively by his mate. Doing as he was told and knowing time was of the essence, he lifted a leg to kick, and Mitchell grabbed it with his fist. The next thing Pierson registered was a sharp chop to his thigh and Mitchell’s knuckles slamming into his nose. When it broke with a loud crunch, Pierson had no chance to even wince. Mitchell put his weight into it, and Pierson instinctively tried to move out of the way.
His reaction was too slow, and he ungraciously smacked the mat and the air left his lungs in a whoosh. Pierson couldn’t believe how fast it had happened or that Mitchell had bested him. The cartilage in his face had already recovered, so the only place Pierson hurt was his pride.
“Excellent job, Brooks,” VK Ruarc said, which ignited applause in the other recruits. Pierson glared at Mitchell as he lifted his abused self from the mat. “You need to be more offensive, Murphy. We’ll work on that and not giving up ground. You lost quickly because you were too busy focusing on what he was doing instead of planning your next move.”
“Nice try, Blondie.” Mitchell murmured, taking a spot next to him.
“Stop talking to me,” Pierson demanded. Not giving in to the temptation of seeing his facial expression, which was no doubt mocking him in some way, Pierson stared straight ahead and listened attentively to the Venerable Knight rattling off instructions. One thing was for sure, Pierson desperately needed help in the gymnasium. There was no way he was going to allow Mitchell to humiliate him again.
Chapter 5
Several days after Mitchell started the process that would make him worthy to work alongside the other fallen knights, he was growing annoyed atan attractive blond with serious green eyes. It was a mistake to let Trista suck him off, and he’d regret it for eternity since it led to him meeting Pierson under those circumstances, but his mate needed to act like an adult. There was no way he could’ve imagined that his other half had been resurrected hours after his life had begun.
If he’d had any clue, he would’ve been helping Pierson deal with the sickness that had plagued him for three long days. Although he’d be happy to explain it, Mitchell had somehow agreed not to announce their connection, and he couldn’t get Pierson alone to hash out their differences. Instead, Pierson found inventive ways to avoid him despite their parallel schedules, which was pissing Mitchell off.
That wasn’t the only thing irritating him. Before training had started, Mitchell had vowed to be the best at everything, and Pierson wasn’t cooperating with that goal either. From the first test, Pierson had maintained perfect scores. The Venerable Knights and other instructors heaped praise on his head, and Pierson took it in stride. Mitchell was left with no choice but to devote additional time to his studies.
Pierson wasn’t his equal in the physical trials, which provided some solace. The fallen knight was slow and grew frustrated with his inability to acquit himself well. Mitchell had paid attention to how their teachers took his poor performances, and no one appeared to be worried, which meant they’d already realized it wasn’t necessary to push him. His aptitude for words was far above what was to be expected of a Juris Knight, but Mitchell wondered if that was where they’d decided he’d land upon graduation.
Unlike a traditional fallen knight who worked the streets, manned a desk, or more specific tasks assigned by superiors, Juris Knights were the most elite of their kind, barring the Venerables and Reverent Knight. Their specialties were in the laws that governed the Council. When the fallen knights were done with their cases, it was the Juris Knights who reviewed the evidence, examined the crime, and if they were satisfied with a person’s guilt, decided upon the appropriate punishment.
There was a small percentage of Juris Knights as it was hard to qualify in training to get one of those titles, but since they didn’t carry weapons, how they conducted themselves in the gymnasium was irrelevant. If Pierson excelled in hand-to-hand and other physical tests the way he did in his studies, he’d be the third fallen knight in history to become a Venerable Knight. Mitchell wasn’t unsure of his capabilities, but he’d never catch his mate if he helped rule their kind.
It was possible for Pierson to ignore him and order Mitchell not to speak to him again, which was apparently his wish. Mitchell failed to understand how someone as intelligent as Pierson could act like such a fool. For now, Mitchell was going to work on trying to match Pierson’s scores while hoping he had a drop-off and an improvement in the gym, so Juris Knighthood was off the table. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Pierson to excel—Mitchell loved the aspects of being a normal fallen knight, and his fantasies were wrapped around the two of them patrolling together.
“Brooks, are you awake over there?” VK Ruarc called out. Mitchell snapped to attention, and his gaze automatically went to the blond standing on the mat. Sheepishly, Mitchell got to his feet. Unaware that anyone was waiting for him, he’d zoned out. Around him, Darcie was blocking a blow from Clayland while Wade was scrambling as Trista went after him with her fists raised.
