Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“Are we going to have breakfast and talk now?” she asked at last, since he hadn’t said anything but was only standing there, scrutinizing her. “I mean, like everyone else.” She nodded at the tables filled with cadets. Her good friend Jillian was sitting at one of the closest ones with two Twin Kindred warriors and the three of them were talking earnestly.
But Commander Sirex shook his head.
“No, not now. We have something important to do first.”
“What’s that?” she asked, looking up at him.
“Come with me,” he said, not answering her question, and began striding in the direction of the tram station.
“Wait—where are we going, Commander?” Phoebe asked. His strides were so long she was nearly running to keep up with him and stay by his side.
“You don’t have to call me ‘Commander,’” he rumbled. “Just Sirex will do. Or you can call me ‘Sir’ for short. I know you humans like giving others second names or ‘nicknames’ as you call them.”
“Yes, Sir,” Phoebe said automatically. The name came naturally to her lips but it was more of a title when she said it. It felt right in her mouth though, and she was glad to have something to call the imposing warrior who was now her mentor. If she could keep up with him, that was!
Sir took her back to the tram station and the two of them studied the holographic display which showed all the trams stops and lines. After giving her plenty of time to look the map over, Sir instructed her to turn around and quizzed her on it.
Luckily, Phoebe had an excellent memory. She was able to rattle off the various stops without a single mistake. When she was finished, Sir nodded.
“Good girl—that was excellent,” he rumbled approvingly and Phoebe felt a little thrill shoot through her.
I did it right! He’s proud of me!
She tried to push the thoughts and feelings away. Of course she wanted to earn her mentor’s approval, but it shouldn’t give her such a thrill just to complete a simple task he had given her. She was acting like one of the silly girls in the ridiculous romance books she read for fun, but never took seriously.
But she couldn’t stop the feeling—it just seemed to come over her when she heard the praise, delivered in his deep, quiet, commanding voice. She didn’t have long to savor the sensation, however, because the next thing she knew they were boarding the tram.
“Er, where are we going, Sir?” Phoebe asked as her mentor settled in the very back of the tram in the next to last empty seat.
“To the end of the line. Sit.” He nodded at the seat beside him and Phoebe settled on it gingerly, trying not to take up too much room.
Sirex frowned down at her.
“Why are you sitting like that?”
“Like what?” Phoebe asked defensively.
“With your arms and legs drawn in close to your body, all wrapped up in a tight little package.” He gestured with one big hand and Phoebe felt her cheeks getting hot with embarrassment.
“Well…because. It’s a crowded tram and I don’t want to take up too much space,” she murmured.
“Straighten up and sit naturally,” he ordered. “You deserve to have room to be comfortable. Don’t be rude about it but if someone is encroaching on your space, ask them to move.”
“All right. Well, the guy beside me is man-spreading pretty wide here,” Phoebe murmured, nodding at the way the Beast Kindred warrior beside her had his thighs spread out, taking up part of her leg room as well.
“Ask him to move then,” Sirex rumbled, looking down at her.
Phoebe couldn’t help thinking that she probably wouldn’t have asked such a large, imposing and downright scary-looking guy to move if she was by herself. But since her mentor had ordered her to do it, she tapped the Beast Kindred on the shoulder and said,
“Excuse me—could you please move your leg? You’re in my space.”
The warrior half turned to face her, a scowl on his face. But then Phoebe saw his eyes flick over to Sir, who was sitting there glaring at him.
“Er, sure. Fine,” he muttered and drew his left leg in so that Phoebe had her leg space to herself again.
“Thank you,” she murmured to Sirex, who gave her a slight nod of approval. “I probably wouldn’t have done that if you weren’t with me.”
“You’ll learn. You have a right to take up space,” was his rather enigmatic reply. Then he added, “I suppose you have questions about me. Now is the time to ask. Once we get off the tram, we’ll be busy.”
“Oh, uh.” Phoebe licked her lips nervously. “Are…are you a…a Scourge?” she managed to get out at last.
She was afraid her new mentor might take offense—after all, the Scourge weren’t just the enemy of the Earth, they were also the Kindred’s number one nemesis. Or they had been, before the Kindred had mostly wiped them out.