Page 23 of A Seduction Of Death (Umbra Hunters #4)
TWENTY-THREE
Meyer
“ W hat?” I ask between bites of eggs and bacon, glaring at Jordan, who leans back in his seat and watches me with an amused smirk on his face. His brown hair is perfectly combed to the side, his black and blue Regalis uniform pristine, and his Kalis blade strapped to his side. I shift in my seat, hating how my fighting leathers feel against my throbbing center.
Nox hadn’t been kidding about fucking me until I couldn’t walk straight. With every step I take, I can feel him, my sore muscles throbbing, almost as if he’s still lodged deep inside my pussy.
“Hungry?” he asks, and I flip him off, not in the mood to deal with his teasing. Obviously, I’m hungry since I’m on my second plate of food. Jordan chuckles, rubbing his chin as he studies me, his eyes narrowing on the top of my head. “Uh… not that I’m judging, but you totally have massive sex hair going on, and it almost looks like you’ve been struck by lightning.”
My hand freezes between my mouth and plate, my fork loaded with eggs as I stare at Jordan, then slowly swing my glare toward Creed, who sits beside me, shoving food into his mouth almost as fast as I am.
“Whaaat?” he asks around a full mouth of hashbrowns when he sees my glare directed his way.
“Why didn’t you mention my hair was a mess?” I grit out, dropping my fork with a clunk so I can reach up and comb my fingers through my hair in a half-assed attempt to look more presentable. I wince when my fingers get tangled in the messy strands, then curse as I tear a few pieces of blonde hair out.
“You don’t look a mess,” he quickly replies, face pulled into a confused expression as he looks me over.
“He’s lying,” Jordan whispers, reaching over the table to help brush some of the hair back from my face. Creed glares at Jordan and shakes his head, shoving another bite of food into his mouth.
“What? No, I’m not. How is that any different from what she normally looks like?”
Jordan snorts, giving me a sympathetic look before reaching down and swiping a piece of bacon off my plate. I growl, slapping his hand and trying to take it back, but he’s too fast and pops it into his mouth with a triumphant look. “Love is blind, and you should never ask that man if something looks good. You’re a mess and smell like a brothel.”
“Shit,” I grumble, my cheeks heating as I look around us, glad that we have our table to ourselves and that there are only a handful of Rangers still in the dining hall. I was so damn hungry after Nox fucked me into oblivion that all I did was change into clean clothes and come down to eat something before I passed out from low blood sugar. I didn't even think of brushing my hair and pulling it back. “Do I always look this bad? Because now I’m worried if this is what he always thinks I look like,” I question, looking to Jordan while thumbing over at Creed.
“No!” Creed hisses, now sounding more upset than confused.
“Nah. You’re totally hot most of the time—ugh! Ow! What the hell, Creed?” Jordan complains, rubbing at the back of his hand where Creed just whacked him with his spoon. “Are you trying to break my hand because I think I heard something snap in there!”
“No! None of those hot comments about my mate, and don't tell her she looks like a mess,” Creed grumbles, side-eyeing Jordan as I laugh at them. Jordan rubs his hand and glowers at him.
“You do know Meyer’s like a sister to me. When I tell her she’s hot, it's the equivalent of telling Cali she looks nice. It's all platonic.”
“And you know that Theo is like a brother to us now?” Creed replies, taking another bite of food before waving his spoon in Jordan's direction. “How about I go find him and tell the guy how hot he looked this morning with his sleep-mussed hair and that freshly fucked smile on his face?” Creed snarks back, and I have to bite my lip to stifle the smile that tries to break through when Jordan's face darkens, eyes glinting with jealousy.
“He did look really nice in those tight black leather pants—shit, man. Chill, I’m just teasing. You know it's all platonic,” Creed laughs as Jordan stands, a snarl on his face, Kalis in one hand. He leans over the table toward Creed, whose eyes brighten with glee, making me groan and tug my hands from my hair.
“Okay. As much fun as whatever this is…” I wave between them. “How about we go find Theo,” I suggest, and Creed grins, jumping to his feet and rubbing his hands together in excitement. Jordan curses and takes a step to move around the table, Kalis still in hand, and I shoot him a death glare, nodding toward the holster on his hip, telling him to put the damn knife away.
Men. Why the hell are they so testy? I swear I’m about to choke on all the testosterone in the air.
Standing, I move next to Creed then promptly elbow him in the side when he opens his mouth, no doubt ready to tease Jordan some more. “No! We find Theo without mentioning how hot he is,” I scold, making Creed's smile fade into a pout, his eyes tracking Jordan as he sheathes his Kalis at his side.
“It’s only fair to torment the brats a little. They did it to us those first few weeks. You have no idea how close to death those two were. If Valen hadn’t been there to hold Nox back, they would be Beastia food by now.”
“Creed,” I snap, giving him a warning look as I reach down and grab my now-empty plate. The guys follow suit, Jordan with a glare and Creed with a chuckle as we drop off our dirty dishes in the kitchen and make our way toward the training arena. “We don't have to run, right?” I ask hopefully, hand pressing to my stomach, suddenly regretting eating so much food.
“I’m not sure. Nox has turned over the training to Senior Regalis, and I was a little busy during this morning's meeting,” Creed says with a wink my way. I roll my eyes as we move through the double doors of the arena and come to a halt.
“What the hell?” Jordan whispers, eyes bugging out of his head as we stare at the formation of Rangers and Hunters alike. They're broken into four quadrants, each person paired and fighting as the Russian Senior moves through the massive room, calling out orders. With each calm, clipped word from her, the Rangers move, striking, then kicking before twisting and landing a blow to the midsection of their partners.
“Faster,” the woman demands, picking up her pace, eyes scrutinizing each Ranger she passes, reaching out to correct their forms when she sees something she doesn't like. “Again!” she demands, and I shake my head, watching in awe as Rangers of all Bloodlines fight as one, moving with an accuracy I’ve never seen before.
“Huh. Well, shit. She’s definitely making me look bad. There’s no way I could get these Rangers into fighting shape in the amount of time she has,” Creed admits, watching the Rangers fight with their paired-off Hunter, most of which look like they’re from the Russian division, though I can see some of the Hunters that work for Victor helping.
“Are you going to stand there like lawn ornaments or be useful?” Senior Regalis says, making me startle when she appears directly in front of me. Her long black hair is pulled back into a tight bun, making her sharp features appear even more severe than usual as she looks me up and down, then nods at Jordan. “You two pair up and begin. Prince Darakh, walk with me. I want your input on the next round of attacks.” Creed nods, bending down and pressing a kiss to my cheek before taking off after the Senior.
“Call me Creed or Senior Regalis, please,” I hear him tell her, and she clicks her tongue in disapproval.
“Are you a Regalis?” she asks, and Creed shrugs.
“Meh… kind of? I’m of the Demonic Warrior line, so if you want to go by Umbra bloodlines, that would be a Drakos. But since I hold the last name Darakh, Nox wanted me to use the Regalis name. Besides, the name fit our original mission from the men’s identities we took over, and it’s the one I’m now used to.”
“What are you two staring at?” Theo asks, making Jordan curse and spin toward him in surprise. Theo grins, poking Jordan's side as he steps around him and tosses an arm around me.
“Fuck, you need a damn bell or something,” Jordan complains, rubbing his side.
“Yeah?” Theo asks, looking proud. “Raz has been teaching me how to move quieter. Apparently, I walk like an elephant,” he admits, and I laugh.
“Razar? Like as in Mr. Tall, Dark, and Brooding? Demon Prince?” I ask in surprise, and Theo nods.
“Yep. Not a bad guy once you get to know him.” This time, Jordan laughs and shakes his head.
“That man is terrifying. How did you convince him to teach you without dying?”
“I didn't,” Theo admits, tugging me to follow him toward the area where the Rangers and Hunters are sparring. “He fucking appeared out of nowhere one morning when I came down here to train early and told me I had awful form and sounded like an army stomping around rather than a single person. He then spent the next two hours kicking my ass until he deemed me slightly better, then threatened my life if I refused to meet him back down here the next morning. We’ve been training for about a week now.”
“Huh,” is all I manage to say, more than a little surprised but glad Razar has taken Theo under his wing.
“Sucker. At least my Demon is nice, even if he was checking you out this morning,” Jordan mutters the last part under his breath, and Theo tosses him an inquisitive look over his shoulder before letting me go and shoving me toward Jordan.
“Your Demon?” I ask, confused, and Jordan nods, moving to take up a fighting stance. I follow his lead, keeping most of my weight on my back foot and bringing my hands up in front of me.
“Tummy in, back straight,” Theo says, slapping my belly with his hand, and I grimace. I quickly suck in my stomach and square my shoulders, finding my center before looking back toward Jordan.
“Yeah, it seems your guys have decided to take our fighting and training over personally. Raz has been stalking Theo whenever you aren’t around, and Creed’s been on my ass like a damn shadow twenty-four-seven this week. At first, I thought it was because you asked them to,” he admits, and I shake my head.
“No, I haven't asked them to do anything,” I tell him, and Theo nods, watching us closely as Jordan suddenly moves on Senior Regalis’ next order. His left-hand shoots out, going for my side, and I barely react in time to deflect the hit.
“Yeah, we figured that out the other day when we were hanging out in the Drakos Barracks, and Razar was spying on us from the rafters,” Theo says, moving to kick at my right foot and widening my stance. “You were completely clueless about his presence, so we’ve decided to make it as hard as possible for them to keep an eye on us.”
“Raz was spying on us in the rafters?” I stammer out, turning to look at Theo just as Senior Regalis calls out another order, and Jordan's foot kicks out, swiping out my right leg and making me fall hard on my ass. “Really?” I huff out as Theo falls into fits of laughter.
“Ranger Smith! Now is not the time for playing around,” Senior Regalis snaps from across the room. I roll my lips together so I don't curse Jordan out as I shove myself to my feet with a nod and take back up my fighting stance.
“You fucker,” I whisper, and he grins.
“Don't get distracted. It could cost you in a fight.”
“Swap. Meyer attacks, Jordan defends,” Theo instructs, moving around us until he’s standing behind Jordan.
“Who made you the boss?” Jordan asks, and Theo crosses his arms over his chest.
“Victor did. I’m supposed to watch and help train in order to prepare for my future role as Senior.” Jordan grumbles something under his breath, rolling his eyes as he lifts his hands up to fight. The moment Senior Regalis calls out the next order, I move, pressing all my weight into my left arm and aiming for Jordan's shoulder. He moves to step back just as Theo slides his foot in his path, tripping Jordan up and making him gasp as my hand connects with his shoulder. I grin in victory, not even caring that my knuckles are now sore, as I shake my hand out at my side.
“Hey! Theo, that's cheating!” Jordan complains, rubbing his arm and sending me a small smile. “That actually hurt a bit, Meyer! I’m impressed.”
“Thank you,” I say with a small bow but still as the sound of tolling bells fill the air. The Rangers and Hunters all stop, the room stilling with an eerie calm that is shattered by the deep thrum of a battle horn. My eyes widen, and I look at Theo, who goes pale. Then, the room explodes in movement. Rangers rush toward the doors, Hunters ushering them to move faster as Senior Regalis starts shouting orders for everyone to move to the courtyard and find their Bloodline Senior.
“Shit! You got a weapon, Babe?” Jordan asks, and I nod, tapping at the Kalis I have strapped to my thigh. I might not have brushed my hair before I left this morning, but I’ve learned never to go anywhere unarmed after what happened with Jesthren and Archer. “Good, let's go!” Jordan snags my arm as Theo sprints toward the doors of the training arena. I cast a quick look over my shoulder, trying to find Creed, but I can't see him in the crush of moving bodies.
Shit, I guess I’ll be looking for him when we get outside.