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Sidney snorts, pushing me away. “Let’s go take a seat before he snorts fire,” he laughs.

Scurrying to his seat, I enjoy the redness flushing Grayson’s cheeks. I’m not sure if it’s anger or embarrassment, but the man can spank my ass red any day.

“Come on in and take a seat as quickly as possible,” the Warden booms from the front of the room. “Keep it moving, and pipe down, please. We don’t have much time.”

The concept of time running out makes them move faster, and soon everyone is seated or lining the walls to listen.

“The Queen grows restless, and wants us to release more recruits into the field. However, as you all know, I and your other instructors care about your safety. It also takes a lot of time and energy to train you all, and it’s all a waste if you all die on your first mission. So we are refusing to graduate anyone until your program is complete,” the Warden begins.

“She wants to be certain we are doing everything in our power to train you all, so the Queen is sending in her personal auditor to stay with us for a while. Her name is Lana, and I want to stress that we must all be very careful about what we say until she’s gone. All staff conversations must happen behind closed doors, and we can not discuss our gardening efforts with her. If you’re scheduled to work in the garden, just go out at your appointed time,” he explains.

A hand rises in the crowd, and Grayson nods. “What if she stops us on our way to the greenhouse?” the recruit asks.

“It’s a well known fact that we grow some of our own vegetables, so simply tell her that you’re on your way to complete your chores,” Grayson responds.

The next thirty minutes are the Warden explaining what this all means, and then answering a few questions.

“Thank you for your time today, everyone. Let’s work together to get through this visit. I know it’s been a difficult couple of months, and I hope things calm down soon. Off you go,” the Warden says, waving his arm to dismiss everyone.

My eyes scour the crowd for Silla, who is attempting to make her way out of the room. Willing her to look up, I grin when I manage to catch her eye. Tipping my head for her to meet me at the front of the room, I smile as she nods.

Grayson raises an eyebrow as I step up onto the small raised stage next to him. “Is Silla on her way up here too?” he asks, his eyes searching for her.

“Yes, I let her know not to leave,” I tell him, noting how his body relaxes as she breaks away from the crowd to cross the room to us.

Soon, the room is empty, outside of Grayson, my sister, Sidney, Isaac, myself, and Silla.

“Is something else wrong?” Silla asks, eyes wide.

“No, Kitten,” I tell her, unable to not touch her. Cupping her chin, I stare into her eyes. “Lana is going to be watching all of us, and the last thing we want is for the Queen to know how important you are to all of us. As much as we all hate not sleeping with you in our arms…”

“It’s smarter if I stay in my own room,” Silla says firmly. “I totally agree with you. I just wonder what my step-sister’s plans are for this.”

“She wants to make sure I’m not blowing smoke up her ass,” I mutter. “I won’t release people from Section B’s program until I know they’re ready. It’s not a smart move.”

“It also means we’ll have to increase the level of difficulty in our classes. You’ve made us a bit soft, Pet,” Sidney says with a small wince.

Blinking, she nods, and I know the moment this all goes to shit. Dammit.

“I don’t need you to coddle me,” Silla murmurs. “It’s a sure fire way to get us all killed.”

Turning away, she hurries from the room.

“Sidney,” the Warden groans. “Did you really have to word it quite like that? Silla doesn’t need to feel as if she’s a liability. She’s going to push too hard to prove she isn’t.”

Shaking his head, he leaves the room, though he’s smart enough not to follow her.

“Looks like I’m out of the dog house,” Isaac smirks as he’s the next to leave.

“Can I just keep Silla for myself?” Andrya complains. “It would be easier than dealing with your swinging, stupid dicks.”

Sidney groans, rubbing his face. “I could have worded that a lot differently. I meant it, but Silla isn’t a liability. Honestly, she’s quick on her feet, and can bring a grown man to his knees. The other recruits don’t like sparring with her.”

“I’ll find her other people to spar with outside of class too, since she’s probably going to be too mad at you to weight train with your stupid ass,” I tell him with a smirk.

“What the fuck did you mean anyway?” Andrya asks with a sigh.

“I meant that we haven’t electrocuted anyone while teaching a lesson, or caused anyone to have a nightmare,” Sidney explains. “I wonder if anyone’s noticed.”