Page 95 of Seducing Hope (The Hope Legacy)

“Stop growling at me.”

“You heard that?”I ask, panicking—can he read every thought?

“You directed it at me. I can’t read every thought, but I can catch snippets of your emotions—your anger and hurt. Let’s talk about this later.”

“Let’s not. What’s the plan?”

“He wants the Jar. We’re going to place it somewhere easy to find.”

“Are you sure you can catch him?”I press.

“Yes,”he practically spits out.

“Where and when?”

“Stay home.”

“No, you promised to share your plans. I want in.”

“Fine. But if you’re coming, you need to train first. One hour, my office.”

Duncan snaps his fingers in front of my face. I blink. “What?”

“Where did you go?”

“Archan wants to help train me before we help him capture Khalkaroth.”

Duncan looks around the room. “He’s contacting you telepathically now?”

Jed halts his pacing. “Do it, Natia. You’ll not find a better person to help you with this. Put aside your differences and focus on the bigger issue.”

I tilt my head back and puff out a breath. He’s right, and on reflection, I know our fight was more about the clash of Archan’s poor choice of words and my temper. I answer the presence hovering in my mind.“Fine, a truce. One hour.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Archan

Unknown origin.

Dangerous. That is the one word I would use to describe the woman currently stretching her leg against the concrete wall. She’s the perfect, yet perilous, blend of strength, innocence, sin, honesty, and natural beauty that would bring any man to heel. She arches her back and pummels the air with her foot several times—a warm-up routine, I realize. Her balance is incredible, an overhang from her dance studies. She whips her T-shirt and yoga pants off, revealing a bright pink sports bra and barely-there black spandex shorts. Jed wolf whistles, causing her to roll her eyes.

“So, how you wanna do this?” she asks, placing her hands on her curvy hips and arching an eyebrow. I glance at our audience: Zac, Zee, Jed, Duncan, and Aaden.

“Leave us,” I instruct.

Zac and Zee fold their arms across their chests. With their identical hard expressions, they could be brothers. “Not a chance,” Zee says, as Zac raises an eyebrow in agreement.

“She needs to focus, without an audience. You can wait outside.”

She waves her hand at the door. “It’s fine. We aren’t going to start rolling around naked.”

Jed shifts from against the wall. “Thanks for the imagery, but it wasn’t what I was thinking. The last time you two were alone,” he points at Natia, “you caused a mini earthquake.”

She rubs her forehead. “Agreed, but we’ve called a truce. Plus, didn’t you mention this room was warded?”

She’s right. We brought her to my training rooms below Reinheart and Hunter, where my squad can let loose without fear of hurting anybody—other than themselves.

Duncan tugs on Zee’s arm. “We’ll be right outside. Holler if you need us.” He hardens his gaze and turns it on me. “Training. That’s what you’re here for.” I nod as they leave the room, with Zac throwing a final calculating glance over his shoulder before shutting the door.

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