Currently, they were a bit distracted, playing some kind of game with Anya, Bianka and Kaia—who also liked to witness her sessions. Ashlyn and Danika had welcomed her sisters with open arms, claiming the fortress needed a little more estrogen to balance out the testosterone.
“It’s my turn to roll,” Bianka said in a mock growl. “So you can back off my dice or have your fingers removed. Your choice.”
Maddox was inside, or he would have challenged her sister, Gwen knew. Game or not, he didn’t like anyone threatening his woman.
The warrior called Kane stood off to the side, watching the women with a half smile on his face, his hazel eyes bright. He was out in the open, not leaning against a tree, not shaded by branches. And yet, even as Gwen watched, a twig snapped from the far black oak and hurtled straight into him, slapping him across the face.
He and a few of the others had apparently stayed behind to read scrolls Cronus, the G.o.d king, had given them—was that one of Sabin’s duties?—while the rest of the men had traipsed off to Chicago on a mission to “kick Hunter a.s.s.” Odd that she missed them.
“—concentrating?” A hard weight slammed into her stomach, shoving her to her a.s.s.
Sabin was on top of her a second later, glaring, the daggers just above her shoulders. “We’ve talked about allowing your mind to wander.”
As her lungs were in the process of seizing, it took her a moment to form a reply. “We hadn’t…started yet.”
Do you really think you’re…strong enough for this?
Doubt’s voice drifted through her head, but the demon had sounded reluctant, afraid even to make itself known. It really was terrified of her, as Sabin had said. A sense of power accompanied the knowledge.
“I’m sorry for using the demon against you, but I want to train you against it, as well. And do you think a Hunter is going to ask your permission to begin and then wait until you nod?”
Good point. Perhaps it was time for her to make a point of her own. “First, your demon is like a tame little house cat now. Second…” Since her arms were free, she fisted her hands and slammed both into his temples. He grunted in surprise, cradling his head as he fell backward. She didn’t waste any time. She kicked him in the chest so hard his ribs cracked.
The Harpy laughed. More!
For once, hearing that voice didn’t terrify her, and she blinked in surprise. Was she…could she be…embracing her darker side?
“Go, Gwennie!” Kaia called.
“Kick him while he’s down!” Bianka shouted.
He was still clutching the daggers as he blinked, trying to clear his vision. Gwen jumped to her feet, wings springing free in her back. Thankfully they were so small, they didn’t rip her shirt away. Moving faster than anyone could possibly see, she raced behind him and wrapped her fingers around his wrists.
There wasn’t time for him to resist.
Before he realized where she was and what she was doing, she had the sharp tips of the knives resting on his shoulders. A bead of blood formed around each one.
A moment pa.s.sed in stunned silence.
“Okay. You’ve officially kicked my a.s.s.” Some men would have been humiliated by that, but there was pride in Sabin’s tone.
Joy burst through her. Just like that, faster than a blink, she’d done it. She’d really done it. Winning a fight, no matter her opponent, was something she’d never thought to do, something she’d considered an impossibility. Yet she’d just defeated a freaking Lord of the Underworld, one of the most capable warriors in this world and any other. G.o.ds trembled at the mere mention of their names.
Well, if they didn’t, they should.
“Next time we fight, though, I want you to let your Harpy completely free,” he said.
She nodded reluctantly. Letting the Harpy come out for lovemaking was one thing; battling was quite another.
“Just think about what you will soon be doing to the Hunters,” Kaia said with awe. “Baby girl, I’ve never seen moves like yours.”
“Mother would be proud.” Taliyah strode beside her and slapped her on the back. “If we knew where she was, she might even welcome you back into her fold.”
Gwen could have danced. She’d always been the anomaly, the weak link, the mistake. With one sweet victory, she finally felt like she was one of them. Like she was worthy.
Silent, Sabin reached up and plucked the daggers from her now shaky hands. What thoughts were tumbling through his mind?
“Good job.” Ashlyn rubbed her rounded belly. “I’m truly impressed.”
Grinning, Danika clapped. “Sabin, you should be embarra.s.sed. You were brought down in less than a minute.”
“And by a girl.” But Kaia’s amus.e.m.e.nt quickly faded. “Okay, now that the training is winding down, I have a question. When are we going to see some action?” She anch.o.r.ed her hands on her hips. “We’re bored. We’ve been bored. And we’ve been on d.a.m.n good behavior, waiting.”
“Yeah. Hunters hurt baby sis, so now they need to pay,” Bianka said.
“Soon,” Sabin told them. “I swear it.”
That scared Gwen a little. Not enough to change the course she’d set for herself, though.
“But at the moment, I’m going to spend some time with the woman of the hour. Alone.” No one protested as Sabin ushered Gwen to a private alcove, where he’d already stashed a cooler. He motioned for her to sit inside a cool circle of shade. “Do you need more blood?”
“No.” Seriously, what was he thinking? He was polite, but more distant than ever. Clearly “alone time” didn’t require nudity and a bed. How disappointing. “I’m okay. Operating at full strength, even.” To prove it, she too remained standing.
“Good. Much as I want to give it to you, I want to see how you recover from minor wounds without it.”
“I’m not wounded, minor or otherwise.”
“Really.” His pointed gaze dropped to her arm.
She looked down and saw the b.l.o.o.d.y grooves in her forearm. “Oh.” Wow. Getting shot must have inured her to the pain of other injuries.
“Let me know the moment it’s gone.”
Always the trainer. She liked that about him. Everything was a lesson meant to strengthen her, prepare her for what could happen. It really showed how much he cared, because he didn’t do it for everyone. Only her, actually.
Now that she thought about it, he only reacted with violence when someone threatened her. Kaia and Bianka had verbally insulted and physically a.s.saulted his friends on several occasions, and he’d grinned, even joined in the teasing. But the moment her sisters turned their teasing her way, Sabin’s mood darkened. He never hesitated to shove them away, either. Really shove. To him, men and women were equal in every way and deserved the same treatment, something else she admired about him.
“Sit,” he urged again. “I need to talk to you.”
“Fine.”
When she’d obeyed, he held up an ice-cold, dripping bottle of water. “If you want to earn it, you’ll tell me what happens to a Harpy when she takes a consort. Tell me how long she has the consort, and what’s expected of him.”
Was he…could he be…thinking about signing on for the job? Her eyes were wide as he plopped a few feet in front of her and stretched out.
“Well?”
“Consorts are forever,” she croaked, “and very rare. A Harpy is a free spirit, but every so often one will encounter a male who…delights her. That’s the best word I can think of to describe the obsession. His smell and touch become drugs to her. His voice soothes her fury as nothing else is able, almost as if it strokes her feathers. As to what’s expected of him, I don’t know. I’ve never met a Harpy with a consort.”
He arched a brow. “You’ve never had one? A consort, I mean. And if you dare say chicken man…”
“No, no consort.” Tyson had not delighted her Harpy, that was for sure. She waved her fingers at the water. “I earned it.” The bottle was soaring through the air a second later. Cold liquid splashed her arms when she caught it. In seconds, she had the contents drained.
“Do Harpies have to obey their consorts?”
A laugh bubbled from her. “No. Do you honestly think a Harpy has to obey anyone?”
He shrugged, and she caught a glimpse of both resolve and disappointment in his dark gaze.
“Why do you want to know?” she asked.
“Your sisters seemed to think…” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Never mind.”
“What?”
His gaze became piercing. “Sure you want to know?”
“Yes.”
“They think I am your consort.”
Her chin hit her sternum, her mouth forming a wide O. “What?” she repeated, sounding foolish even to her own ears. “Why would they think that?” And why hadn’t they talked to her about it, rather than Sabin?
“I calm you. You want me.” He was almost defensive.
But if he…if she…holy h.e.l.l. He did calm her. From the first, he’d calmed her. And she craved him, his blood, his presence, his body. She’d been such a failure at everything else in the Harpy world that she’d always figured a true consort wasn’t in the cards for her. Was it?
When Sabin wasn’t with her, she was looking for him. When he was with her, she wanted to be snuggled up to him, enjoying him. She had shared her secrets with him and wasn’t sorry.
Anya had told her Sabin belonged to her, but Gwen hadn’t believed the G.o.ddess back then. Now…holy h.e.l.l, she thought again, dazed.
Was that why Sabin had been so distant with her? He didn’t want to be her consort? Her stomach twisted painfully. “I don’t…I don’t know if I love you, though,” she said, trying to give him an out.
Something dark filled his eyes. Something hard and hot. “You don’t have to love me.” The word “yet” hung between them, unsaid but there all the same.