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Chapter 11

Lukas

I was sucking more than I’d ever sucked ever.

“I can’t watch you fall on your ass again,” Rose said, standing over me while I laid flat on my back on the training room floor.

“You’re the one who's knocking me on my ass.”

Rose planted her hands on her hips. “And I’m trying really hard not to. But you’re making it almost impossibly easy.”

I shoved a hand in the air. “Well, then help me up.”

Rose just knocked my hand away. Rolling onto my feet, I dragged a frustrated hand down my face.

Rose regarded me with the same care she would a caged animal. “What’s wrong with you today?”

The low rumble in my chest was the only answer she was getting from me. Now that Daphne was back, they were probably in cahoots with one another.

I got back into a ready stance, flipping my sword around my hand to prepare. Rose spun a knife in the air, a not-so-subtle reminder that she was as good as I was. If not better.

There was a certain level of skill born from necessity, from the terror her father inflicted on her and her brother, that couldn’t be replicated in normal training.

“Okay,” Rose said, nodding sarcastically. “No words works for me.”

I raised an eyebrow at her while I adjusted my grip on my sword. I had to keep moving. My body still felt like a raw livewire. “Something bothering you? Is that why you weren’t there last night?”

Neither her nor Dominic said they were coming, but I’d expected them.

“One,” Rose said, the sound almost drowned out by the clank of her knife against my sword. “No, I’m actually quite happy at the moment. And two, yes, I planned on attending. Something came up at the last minute.”

I laughed as I dodged a strike at the last moment. Just barely. “Yeah, I bet Dominic did come up.”

A second later, my knee buckled and I collapsed to the floor in a heap of limbs, my sword landing to the side. I looked up to find Rose looking at me down her nose.

“Nope. That wasn’t funny.” Rose kicked my sword away from my grasp for effect.

With a groan, I pushed myself up to stand.Again. “You’re the one who subjected me to a screeching Loretta and way more information than I needed to know.”

“You were the one eavesdropping,” Rose countered. Taking zero blame for making me hear about her and—

Nope, wasn’t finishing that thought.

“What came up?” I asked, if only to prevent Rose from knocking me over again.

“The realization that you probably didn’t need more of a spectacle.”

I let out a sound of agreement. She had a point.

“Besides,” she said, looking at me pointedly. At the less than put together appearance I’d stumbled into the training room with. “Looks like you had your fair share of problems.”

I shrugged noncommittally. I wasn’t trying to be a vague asshole, but I didn’t want to recap the whole thing. “I need to talk to Daphne first. Then I’ll tell you. If Adrian doesn’t first.”

I walked over to pick up my sword while Rose said, “He might. He’s keeping us well-informed, but I think he’s doing some of his own investigating.”

Of that, I was sure. “Did he tell you about his little disaster plan?”

“The safe houses?” At my nod, Rose let out a small laugh. “Yes, he told me. Good idea. Hey, if we’re lucky, maybe we’ll all get put together.”