Page 125 of A Thread of Breath and Bone

It’s late when Ryker retrieves me. I yawn as he wraps the robe around me. He nips at my ear. “I waited for you.”

“See you in the morning,” I say through another yawn, glancing back at Ciara and Kellan. Then to Ryker, with a teasing smile. “You can share.”

He smirks, rolling his eyes.

Kellan stops us when he says, “You aren’t alone, Raea.”

My lips pull a sad smile as I nod. I know I’m not alone. I have them, but when it comes down to it, it will be my magic. If I can’t figure it out, then we’re all doomed.

Not even Ryker can take that weight from my shoulders.

Morning comes too soon. Riven wasn’t joking when he said he’d be at our door at dawn. When Ryker had opened it, he’d only handed him a training uniform and told us to get dressed.

The sky is a soft pink when we leave the sanctuary and head out to the beach. Our friends are all dragging along behind us, griping about the time of day. It reminds me that I need to ask Finn how time works here. It would be nice to at least have some semblance of balance and framework.

Riven doesn’t even blink when he moves his hands in a pattern, opening another gateway. He only pauses to make sure the eight of us follow. The prickling magic crawls over my skin, and I shake it off as I step through into a vast training area.

The forest is thick in some spots, with suspended bridges and ropes dangling from the canopy. The clearing is full of different sparring rings recessed and filled with sand. To the right, there’s a shed of various weapons: bows, staffs, swords, and daggers. To our left, there’s some sort of obstacle ring.

Trysten whoops as he slaps Ryker on the shoulder. Of course they’d be excited about this. Kamden and Tate are already making bets with each other to see who falls flat on their face first.

“Welcome to Zhaerinth. This is the primary training ground we’ll be using.” He gestures to the clearing, and that’s when I see the various warriors stepping up on the bridges. “Until you’ve been awakened, we aren’t sure what lines you all hail from, and so, you’ll be trained in a little of everything.”

He gestures to the rings. “I’m sure most of you are familiar with sparring. In these rings, you’ll be trained by my best three in various weapons and hand-to-hand. You might not have our speed or our strength, but the movements need to be more than second nature.”

He then gestures to the obstacle course where a tall female warrior with red hair waits. “Alex will work with you on the course. You’ll need to learn to move quickly through whatever terrain you find yourself in. These monsters we are up against defy the laws of nature. You need to use your surroundings to give yourself an advantage.”

Tate’s hand shoots up as he bounces on his toes.

I tuck my lips, fighting a giggle.

Riven rolls his eyes. “Yes?”

Tate grins. “So how do you fight shadows? Like, they don’t have form, so we can’t stab them.”

Riven’s jaw ticks. “You will learn to fight the shadows when your magic awakens, Lord Kinnuenen. For now, there are plenty of other creatures you need to know how to kill. Plenty of unholy and dark things that will rip even the strongest of us to shreds.”

“Will we learn about them?” Ciara asks.

“Finn has agreed to teach you.” Riven nods. “Now, back to what I was saying.” He lifts a hand to the trees. “Hope you don’t have a fear of heights.”

We are separated into various areas. Ryker is in the training pit, sparring with one of the warriors. He ditched his shirt a while ago, his black leather pants hanging deliciously low and tight. Sweat rolls down his back in thick beads as the muscles ripple with every move.

“Damn,” Alex says, standing beside me, her eyes growing wide as she takes in Ryker. It’s the same look all the women would give him back at school.

My irritation burns as my gaze swings to her. In my head, some possessive part of me wants to scream mine. Instead, I say, “Yeah. My thoughts exactly.”

She lets out a low whistle. “You’re a lucky bitch. I wouldn’t mind the gods choosing my mate if he looked like that. He’s going to be one hell of a male.”

I almost choke on my spit. “You know? About the mate thing?”

Her grin grows as we turn back toward the course, starting again. I was hoping she would give me a longer break, but I’m not that lucky. “I smell it on you. Elven and Fae have a better sense of smell. You two…” Her eyes gleam mischievously. “Trust me. We all can scent you on each other. But your Mating Bond, it’s been the source of gossip in the camps.”

My cheeks heat as I glance down at my boots.

Great. What exactly do we smell like?

Ryker and I haven’t been intimate since we first arrived. Aside from sleeping in the same bed, there shouldn’t be a scent. “Male?”