Page 76 of Lies That Bleed
I wiggled my toes inside of my boots in an effort to expel the nervous energy from my body without making it look like I was anxious.
“Jace!” she called and everyone cheered. There was a small “Booo” that came from Tetra’s direction, and I had to contain my smile.
Jace walked up to the front, grinning and proud. We’d been so busy with training and drills I hadn’t really had much time to think of him and his betrayal. But when I looked at him now, I could honestly say there was no attraction left for me. He was dead to me emotionally and physically.
“Kohen Badshah!” Ashendell announced, andthere were fewer claps as he strode across the room to stand next to Jace, his face emotionless. The boys’ muscles twitched at being in close proximity to each other.
“Alek!” Ashendell said, and my stomach sank a little. I was happy for Alek, but… was Ashendell going to pick me? Was this because I was the emperor’s daughter? Maybe they thought if I was a leader I would get hurt. But as the future empress, shouldn’t my leadership skills be tested?
“Summer,” she called, and I was no longer nervous—I was pissed. They thoughtshehad leadership skills and I didn’t? That was such BS.
“And finally…” Ashendell’s gaze flicked to mine and I nearly vomited in anticipation. Was she messing with me?Say my name already, woman!I wanted to scream.
“Roc!” she called, and I felt disappointment bloom in my stomach.
I wasn’t chosen. Was this a direct reflection of my service thus far? I wanted to cry, but I was an Everhart, so instead I just glared at Instructor Ashendell.
She met my gaze and tipped her chin high as if she stood by her decision. I clenched my teeth so hard they nearly snapped in half.
“Each leader will pick one person for their team until there is no one left. All teams will work together as a single unit, but each team will be given a separatetask. Navigation, security, scouting, medical, and a battle unit, in case of attack.”
I knew right away I wanted to be in the battle unit, but I also knew that choice was not up to me either. This was what being a part of the Imperial Fleet was. It forced you to be obedient and take orders without complaint, and I was no exception.
“Jace, you can start. Pick your first teammate,” Ashendell said, and stood back.
Jace’s gaze flicked to mine and I shook my head slightly. There was no way in hell I was taking orders from him. He rolled his eyes as if I were being overly dramatic. Was he serious? Like I was going to just get over him screwing some rando after promising a future to me?
“Tucker,” he said, and his best friend walked up and stood behind him with a grin.
“Aisling,” Kohen said without skipping a beat, catching me off guard.
Jace shot Kohen a glare and I swallowed hard, stepping up behind him.
Was this complicated? Yes.
Was I going to make a big deal out of it in front of everyone? No.
I didn’t want to overthink it.
As more names got called, my gaze flicked to Tetra. I wondered if I could somehow communicate to Kohen to pick her on his next round?—
“Tetra,” Kohen said when it came time for his second pick, and my heart nearly stopped.
He did that for me, there was no doubt about it. Kohen turned slightly and flicked his gaze back at me, and I wanted to thank him, but thought better of it with everyone so close and listening.
Tetra was slow to make it up to us, wincing as she leaned on her cane and dragging her bad foot more than she usually did.
“You okay?” I breathed.
She nodded, saying nothing, and stood behind me. Tetra was the toughest chick I knew. She lived with daily pain and never complained. I wished then that I’d been given healing powers and could take the pain away from her foot forever.
When it was Kohen’s third pick, I thought for sure he would pick Dev, Nikhil, or another strong male, but he chose little Meera. It wasn’t until he made his next choice, Anika, that I realized what he’d done, who he was. At his core, Kohen was a protector. He’d chosen all of the women in his life that he cared about and wanted to keep safe. Not because he thought we were weak but probably because he couldn’t stand not being able to keep an eye on us.
And he chose me first.
It caused a mixture of feelings to bloom in my chest. Warmth, adoration, desire—confusion.
His last two picks were Nikhil and Dev. And Roc chose the remaining person, a scrawny guy namedSven who was bonded to a racoon and indeed did have to do a hundred push-ups.
