Daughter of Kaos (The Daughter Trilogy Book 3) (54 page)

fuck?”

I say nothing. I’m a little stunned by his blunt line of questioning even though I shouldn’t be.

It’s Hale. He never holds back.

His eyes widen, and I quickly look away when I see realization covering his face.
Crap. You

should have said something, you idiot girl.

“Whoa. Really? You two haven’t-”

“It’s none of your fucking business,” I snap, and everyone in the hall stops instantly to try and

find out what the hell just happened.

Hale chuckles a little as I hastily retreat the embarrassing outburst.

“Why not?” he snickers out. “Are you afraid it won’t work the same?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to him,” I grumble.

“What wouldn’t? Having incredible sex?”

“Shut-up. This has nothing to do with you,” I growl, and then I turn another corner, my speed

gradually picking up with each step.

He persists with his invasive line of questioning.

“Are you worried he might get too carried away and taste your poison in his mouth?” he says a

little more seriously.

“No, I’m not. Brazen isn’t an idiot. He knows the consequences a full blood would suffer after

drinking a hybrid’s blood.”

“Then why?” he insists.

“Why do you want to know so badly?” I bark.

“It just seems like a waste. I happen to know how phenomenal you are during a blood fuck. It’s

sort of sad you’re going to marry someone you’re not willing to share that intimacy with,” he

murmurs with a bit of hesitance.

“It’s not that either. I could taste his blood, and yes, the sex would be ridiculously mind-blowing,

but it wouldn’t be fair for him to see me taking his blood in my mouth. He’s a full blood. They crave

the vein, and he’s sacrificing that chance just to be with me. He’ll never have the opportunity to

change a human, taste another full blood again, or enjoy a blood fuck where he’s the instigator… ever

again. Why would I make him watch me enjoy the one thing he never can?” I whimper, and then I

wipe a tear from my eye before fleeing once more.

“Sorry,” Hale murmurs when he jogs back up to be beside me. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Forget it. Let’s just get this week over so I can get home.”

“This could take longer than a week,” he says with a salacious edge.

“Not for me. If all I’m going to do is wait, then I can wait at home. I’ll stay and finish the

training charade, but I won’t be here beyond that.”

“This is a central location. It would be faster to get anywhere in our region from here than

anywhere else in our division. Clay will want you to stay,” Hale asserts.

“Clay doesn’t always get his way.”

“He’s still the commander. Don’t forget who calls the shots,” he cautions.

My eyes narrow when I take a step closer, my teeth chomped tightly together.

“I call the shots where I’m concerned. He can tell me I can’t come with them, but he can’t tell me

not to go home,” I hiss through my fury, and the walls threaten to rumble beneath my sudden rage.

“Easy,” he almost whispers, and his arm slides around my waist in an effort to distract me from

my fuming state.

“Don’t touch me,” I growl with my animalistic traits bearing themselves.

“Don’t make me remind you how I used to break you free from these trances,” he seduces, and

then I feel the dropping sensation in my lower extremities as the throbbing becomes a pounding inside

me.

“Don’t do this, please,” I whisper as his lips almost touch mine.

“It’s hard not to when I still want you as badly as I do.”

His lips graze mine before guilt slaps my face, and I spin out of his arms just in time to avoid the

passion trying to escape from his mouth to mine.

“If I’m going to be here for a week, then we need ground rules. I’m engaged,” I snark.

“You used to be engaged to me. We both know that’s one promise you don’t mind breaking.”

“The only time I’ve ever broken such a promise is when I realized that I was never going to be

important enough to deserve that person’s attention, devotion, or presence,” I retort.

“Is that really what you think? You had every ounce of my attention at all times, and there’s

never been any person more devoted to anyone than what I have been to you - even now. As for my

presence, Brazen doesn’t seem to be around as much as I was,” he admonishes.

“He’s here every time I need him,” I snip, and then I storm away once again.

“Please stop fighting with me,” Hale sighs when he catches back up.

This fucking place is a labyrinth. I have no idea where in the hell I’m going, and everything looks

exactly the same no matter what hallway I turn down.

“I’m not fighting
with
you. I’m just fighting you. Leave. Me. Alone. Please. Let’s be

professionals on a job - not exes in an awkward situation,” I almost plead.

“I’m not willing to lose my only opportunity in three years to remind you how good we are

together. No one has ever had what we had, and I’m not going to stop until you come back to me,” he

softly releases.

His gentle words pull me in, bringing my eyes to meet his. His tie dangles close to my hand, and

I want to use it to bind my hands and let him have his way with me the second those eyes try to control

mine.

“We were good. I’m not denying that, but I’m in love with someone else now. Just let me be

happy,” I beg.

He takes a step toward me, and I feel the wall against my back just before I feel his hips pinning

me down.

“I’ll stop coming after you when I believe you. Until those eyes stop wanting me, I’m going to be

relentless in every possible way,” he smolders out, and then the back of his hand slides down my

cheek until he tilts my head up to force my eyes into his once again.

His lips move to be almost on mine, and then the chuckling sound of students draws our attention.

“Let’s get to work,” I shudder out, and then I slip out of his grasp when the moment is iced.

Fuck. Day one is starting out with the promise of failure.

Why can’t I get him out of my mind? Brazen and I don’t have that drive-you-mad passion, but

what we have is incredible. I can’t sacrifice it to be with someone I had insanely hot sex with. I loved

Hale with everything in me, and it took me a year to pick up the pieces of that devastating breakup.

I’d still be struggling if it hadn’t been for my full blood.

Brazen was my savior in a time when I needed saving the most. He showed me how different love

could be. There doesn’t have to be so much push and pull. There’s not a closet packed full of lies and

broken promises. He’s always there when I need him, and he never stops reminding me how much he

loves me.

“Good morning,” Hale chirps when he walks into the class full of eager newbies.

“Good morning, Captain Banner,” they answer in unison.

I stare out at the gallant training facility in front of us, and the enormous circle drawn out in red

on the concrete floor gives me a shiver as the adrenaline pumps through me.

“As you all learned yesterday, your gifts are to be used only when there aren’t any options left.

Today, you’ll learn how to go head to head with your adversary because that’s how most fights are

won,” Hale says with sexy authority, and I turn to smirk at him as he struts toward me.

“If your assailant has a gift, then you push them to find out how strong it is. If your assailant

doesn’t have a gift, get ready to kick their ass,” he says with his badass tone.

Oh damn.

“So, who would like to go first?” Hale asks, but no one is willing to step forward to join me in the

ring.

Hale smirks at a smug guy standing on the end with more muscle than brain, and then he

deliberately eases over to him.

“I think you should show us how you would take down Ms. Crush,” Hale dares, and the guy lets

out a bit of a laugh.

“Something funny?” Hale asks.

“I can’t fight a girl,” the Neanderthal scoffs.

“You’re probably right. I doubt there will be much of a fight,” Hale murmurs very misleadingly.

He offers me a secretive wink before adding, “But this wasn’t a request. When a captain tells you to

do something, your reply should begin with ‘yes’ and end with ‘Sir,’ understood?” he admonishes, and

then he has to stifle his grin when the brooding beast of a man nods vigorously before snapping into a

salute.

“Y…yes, Sir,” he stammers out.

“Good. Now, stop making Ms. Crush wait,” Hale scolds with a playful air, and the newbie

stumbles into the concrete circle to do as instructed.

“Whenever you’re ready, big boy,” I taunt, and the guy charges me with timid hesitance weighing

him down.

I trip him up almost too easily, and then I slam his head down to crack the concrete once he’s in

the process of falling. He shakes it off, and then leaps to his feet a little less hesitant about fighting a

girl.
He charges me again, and I grab him by the throat before whirling him out of the ring. He slams

into the wall across the room, and he crumbles to the floor like a humbled, limp rag when he realizes

his foolish assumption has proven to be his downfall.

“Does anyone know what lesson we just learned?” Hale says with a menacing and adoring smirk

while staring directly into my eyes.

“Never underestimate your opponent, Sir,” one eager newbie barks.

“Exactly. Now who wants to see Ms. Crush and me show you how a real fight should look?” he

smolders out, and it’s all I can do not to let my knees falter.

They all have to stifle again as he blurs across the room to me. He grabs me at the waist before I

realize the fight is underway, and then I feel the wall cracking behind my back when his body forces

me into it.

“The attacker has to stay inside the ring,” I caution, and his breath pours into my mouth from his

dangerously close proximity.

“It’s been a while. I must have forgotten,” he says with blistering heat, and our heated touch is

enough to bring me into a head rush.

“Let me remind you,” I seduce, and then I shove him off me while slamming him into the floor.

He starts laughing for a minute, and then he shakes his head while acting as if he’s throwing in the

towel after our brief fight.

“I suppose we should end this while it’s still appropriate for viewing,” he salaciously offers, and I

beam with embarrassment.

Everyone gets a good chuckle, and he waves his hand to the young ones.

“Pair up and work on your skills,” he murmurs with a snicker, and then he stalks over toward me.

“Couldn’t handle the heat?” I playfully snark.

“I couldn’t handle your lips being so close to mine without contact. This is damn near torture,”

he freely offers.

“Don’t,” I warn, seriousness mixed with dread rising back to my tone.

“Don’t what? Tell you the truth? I thought that was what you wanted from me.”

“It
was
… three years ago. It’s too late now. Stop trying to act as if we’re going to pick back up

where we left off. It’s not going to happen. I’m not ever going to leave Brazen. He’s good for me.”

“The week isn’t over yet,” he smolders, and I know I’m in so much trouble if this game of chase

continues.

“It will be soon enough,” I retort, and then I break free from his entrapping gaze.

“You still love me,” he announces out as I walk away.

I know. I wish I didn’t.

“One week. Just let me make it through one week, and then we can both get on with our lives,” I

choke out, tears trying to stain my eyes, and I almost blur out of the room to escape him.

One week.

“Ms. Crush?” a timid human
asks.

“Yes?” I say with an insidious and exhausted tone before even looking at her.

“Captain Banner has requested your company in his quarters for breakfast,” she murmurs with too

much of a chipper tone.

“Tell Hale I’m in the process of packing. I’ll be leaving in an hour because the week I promised

is over,” I almost growl.

I finally turn to see it’s Wendy, the giggly human smitten with my old hybrid - the sad little thing

posing as his assistant to stay closer to her crush. She fidgets awkwardly, and then her eyes reveal a

grimace.

“I’m really sorry, Ms. Crush, but he was rather insistent. He told me to remind you of his rank

versus yours,” she very hesitantly babbles.

“Tell
Captain
Banner he can send the firing squad after me if he likes, but I’m not obliging him in

a breakfast farewell,” I snarl out, and the sad little girl sinks down even farther.

“I could lose my job if I come back without you,” she mutters.

I roll my eyes in exasperation, and I hand her my bags while stalking toward the door.

“Finish packing for me. As soon as breakfast ends, I’m leaving,” I assert.

“Yes ma’am.”

Hale is such an egotistical son of a bitch. I guess he really hasn’t changed as much as I thought.

It’s a damn good thing I’m getting out of here. This whole game of cat and mouse has gotten too

intense. His lips have almost touched mine far too many times, and his touch has lingered even after

he’s no longer around. I’m ill, tired, and I’m going to fuck Brazen to death when I see him.