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Peter, the quiet guy who sat next to her, scoffed. “She’s got a point.”
Peter was the one fellow trainee in the batch who didn’t seem to gawk at her like she was an animal when she first arrived. They had no idea who she was or where she’d come from, and it seemed like her relationship to their commander-to-be hadn’t gotten around yet. Kaia was glad for it.
“We must all live with the consequences of Old Earth’s actions, even thousands of years later,” Sutton lectured. “But I’d posit that we’ve done well for ourselves, at least compared to some less fortunate living conditions. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The man looked down at her from above the ugly rectangular glasses sitting on his hooked nose. Why was he even wearing those? Nobody needed glasses here—Colossalcould correct your vision with a ten-minute trip to the medbay.
“Least on my poor little home station, I’m not stuck in shitty classrooms extolling the virtues of being under a single family’s thumb,” she muttered.
No. I’m stuck under the thumb of a crazy psychopathic warlord instead.Except she still hadn’t heard from Loran.
She expected further argument, but Sutton instead directed his attention to the door behind them. Even as she was turning around, the hairs on the back of her neck rose like she just knew.
“Mr. Halen,” the instructor acknowledged.
Kaia’s body couldn’t quite figure out if it wanted to slump in relief or panic. He was there, clearly for her, considering he had his brow cocked in her direction. Either this was a sign of him not getting bored with her after all, or this was where she’d get to find out who was taking her place and where she was being shipped off to.
Orion glared coldly at Peter.
“When you’re done extolling the awful conditions my family forces upon you all, I’d love to invite my fiancé to meet me in the pilot’s gym.”
“Why?” Kaia blurted as gaping faces snapped to her.
The relief washing through her at still being called his fiancé was dampened by the realization that he just gave her away to the entire class. Then again, maybe semi-publicly claiming her like this was the best she could have hoped for. It was proof she was still in business.
“First sparring lesson, princess.” Orion ignored the saucer-wide stares of the other trainees pinging between them.
Kaia pushed her seat aside with a resounding scrape and followed him out, ignoring the fresh scowl on Peter’s face.
* * *
The gym wasn’t empty when they got there, but the duo on the sparring mat cleared out at a quick instruction from Orion.
“Get in.” Orion jerked his chin to the mat.
“I don’t have workout clothes with me.”
That was how far it had come—she had a separate set of clothing dedicated to exercise now. If someone were to tell her she’d be changing at least once a day and have several outfits to pick from a few weeks ago, she’d have laughed in their face.
She’d been presented with a workout program and a set of stretchy attire the first day of training. Kaia hated it. The top was too tight, designed to flatten a chest she didn’t even have. The bottom was thin leggings that always itched when she’d started to sweat.
Orion looked her up and down, taking in her skin-hugging burgundy trousers and sleeveless white tee. “It’s fine. No time to change.”
“Oh, how come? Got a hot date at the pilot’s bar?” Kaia jabbed.
The amusement in his eye made her regret it. Did he think she was jealous or something? Fuck that. Kaia rolled her eyes and chucked off her shoes, then hopped onto the mat. It gave under her bare feet, cool and soft beneath her toes.
“Okay. Now what?” Kaia glanced around the space, spotting other gym-goers throwing tentative glances their way as Orion removed his own shoes to stand in front of her.
“Now you hit me.”
“Orion, I’m serious.”
“Me too.”
“But why?”
“Because when I fuck you, you need to be able to temper me,” he said coolly.
