Page 97 of Knight’s Retribution

They’d decided they were done sitting around waiting for their males to wise up—since they wouldn’t even entertain the idea of letting them fight—so Kyler and the other females had taken matters into their own hands, which meant, keeping their sessions secret from their mates. Their protectiveness, that was already at insane levels, had skyrocketed after Diemos channeled through Vorena, imparting the news that he was coming to wipe them all from the face of the earth. Chaos had gone as far as threatening to lock Grace in the holding cells if she even tried to come to the battle.

Their mates, including Rocco, had lost their goddamn minds. They should be training together, but with a real threat to their females, they’d all gone full caveman and were being completely unreasonable.

The plan was to get into fighting shape and convince their mates that they needed to stop freaking the hell out and use them.

Sweat was pouring off Kyler as they ran through the drills the handmaids had given them. They came to the compound while Rocco and his brothers were out fighting. Every night the knights went out and came home bloody and bruised, and angry, so angry. They were hunting down and destroying what they’d been calling demon nests. Demons usually preferred their own company, but they’d been sticking together like they had when Vorena was alive, but now for a different reason. They were preparing for Diemos’s arrival.

The knights had been seeking and destroying as many nests as they could find before the big day. They’d need all their focus on Diemos, not fighting his army.

But there was no way they could get them all. So the knights had been gathering their own army. Demi from all over the city wanted to fight, and the hellhounds were ready and waiting. But the knights were still not budging when it came to their mates.

The sound of voices, of heavy boots moving down the hall reached them, and Kyler froze. “Shit, they’re back.”

Roxy and Ursula headed for the door opposite. They knew these training sessions were secret.

“Wait,” Grace said. “I think it’s time we told them.” Her gaze slid to Ursula and Roxy. “Do you think we’re ready?”

“You’re close,” Ursula said.

Grace spun to the other females. “What do you say?”

“Let’s just rip off the Band-Aid,” Kyler said. “We have a better chance of convincing them together than separately.”

Then the door opened, and Rocco stepped inside. It was now or never. His brothers moved in after him, their expressions going from happy to see the females to confused when their gazes hit Roxy and Ursula.

“What’s going on?” Rocco asked Kyler. “What are they doing here?”

“Rude,” Ursula said.

Chaos’s gaze flashed. “What the fuck is going on?”

Ursula looked at Grace, and Roxy huffed out a breath.

“They’re here because we asked them to be here,” Grace said to her mate. “They’ve been coming here for close to three weeks.” She planted her hands on her hips. “They’ve been training us to fight and how to use our powers in combat.”

Growls rumbled through the room, eyes flashing black, massive bodies bristling.

“Before you start barking at us,” Meredith said, “you need to listen.”

“No,” Kryos growled. “We don’t. When it comes to your safety, we aren’t fucking backing down.”

Eve planted her hands on her hips. “You really think you can force us to comply?”

Laz cursed. “You’re powerful, sweetheart, but no amount of training will help you out there, not with what’s coming for us.”

“We’re stronger together,” Mia said. “You’re strong, you have the brute strength, but our powers are stronger, and yours don’t work in that alley.”

More bristling.

“They’re doing amazingly,” Roxy said.

“No disrespect,” Chaos said, “but I don’t give a fuck. They aren’t fighting Diemos. It’s not happening. I am not risking my mate’s life, not for anything or anyone.”

“You need us,” Grace said. “To even come close to winning this thing, you need all of us.”

Chaos growled.

Roxy moved to stand in front of the males. “Your mates are warriors.”