Aveoth Read online

  Jobi seemed average in size for his age. It would have helped his case if he’d sprouted earlier. It happened. Some kids grew faster than others, packing on height and muscle. Aveoth had been like that. He released Jill and stood. He moved slowly, so as not to frighten the child, and crouched down before him. The boy revealed his fear in his eyes but his body remained steady.

  “I don’t hurt children.” Aveoth softened his tone. “Your father would try to attack me for getting this close to you if he wasn’t aware of that. You’re safe. Have flight drills become boring?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Aveoth cocked his head. “Why?”

  “I don’t need Hawk to ever assist me. I can pull out of a straight dive without trouble and I mostly help the others. I’m stronger than I look, and fast.”

  That was impressive it if was true. He glanced at Delbius for confirmation, trusting that he would have spoken to Hawk at length about Jobi’s proficiency. The instructor nodded.

  “I saved Kob,” Jobi whispered.

  Aveoth stared at the boy. “How?”

  “He was playing and didn’t see how close he’d got to the cliffs. He slammed one wing into a jagged edge of rock and didn’t have time to shell since he didn’t see it. His wing crumpled. I dove after him and snatched him before he hit the ground. I got him to a ledge safe. He’s a year older.”

  “It’s true, Lord Aveoth.”

  He ignored the father, remembering hearing that one of the youths had broken a wing a few weeks before and had almost been killed. Hawk had assured him it would never happen again but hadn’t given him further details. “You understand that the other boys in training will be larger?”

  “My father spars with me. He said I’m really fast on my feet.”

  “It’s true, Lord Aveoth. He’s a quick learner and—”

  Aveoth leveled a glare at the boy’s father and growled. Paltos instantly shut up and ducked his head. Aveoth peered back at the boy, hiding his anger at his father. It wasn’t the kid’s fault his parent didn’t know when to stay silent.

  “Remove your shirt and show me your wings. I’d also like to take a look at your fighting shell.”

  The kid leaned to the side a little, staring at Jill. Fear showed in his eyes again. Aveoth shifted his body in the same direction and blocked the boy’s view of her.

  “It’s okay. She belongs to me and is aware of what we are. I need to know your wing strength and how fast you can react if you wish to train with weapons. It’s difficult to motion shell enough to avoid real harm from steel.”

  “She smells and dresses funny. What is she?”

  “Jobi!” Paltos thundered.

  Aveoth glared at the father again. “Silence! Not another word.” He looked at Jobi and lowered his voice. “That was rude…but you’re young. She’s human, and she just arrived here. Those are the only garments she has until some can be made for her. Now remove your shirt and show me.”

  Jobi had paled and trembled when his father had harshly reprimanded him but he seemed to recover fast. He took off his shirt and dropped it on the floor. His eyes closed and he eased his wings out, fully extending them. Aveoth smiled. He could see why the kid might excel at flying. He had a remarkable span for one so young. Aveoth rose up and walked behind the boy, studying his wings from the back.

  “Motion shell for me,” he urged. “Now!”

  The kid’s coloring changed fast, the softness of his wings disappearing and the grooves sharpening. Aveoth ran his fingers along the top edge of one wing, then pinched it hard. The boy didn’t flinch. He rounded the kid, sparing a glance to see how Jill reacted. Her eyes were wide but she hadn’t made a sound. He crouched in front of Jobi again and touched the boy’s chest. His shell was solid, no soft spots. Aveoth extended one claw and tapped at it. Jobi held still, not trying to retreat.

  “I’m going to throw my right and left straight punches at you. Avoid them. On the count of three. One. Two. Three.”

  He threw some easy punches at the boy but Jobi dodged each one, his little body moving swiftly from side to side. Aveoth stopped and lowered his hands.

  He studied the boy again, looking for any softening around his rib cage and throat, but there were no signs of weakness. Those were the two places VampLycan children were the most vulnerable during training. “Revert.”

  The boy closed his eyes, and Aveoth was impressed by how fast the six-year-old could skin and completely retract his wings. Jobi peered at him when he was done. Aveoth smiled.

  “Your father has reason to be proud.” He winked and stood, returned to his throne and took a seat. “Put on your shirt, Jobi. Thank you. Go stand with your father.”

  Aveoth reached out and curled his fingers around the back of Jill’s leg again, his gaze locking with Delbius’s. “Assign Jobi to someone for private instruction, see how he does, and we’ll reassess if you still feel reluctant to add him to your classes after a reasonable time frame. Let’s say one month. It would give him an advantage over the others if he has one-on-one weapons lessons from a scout. They are adults, so children a little larger than him shouldn’t be an issue at that point.”

  Delbius grimaced. “Yes, my lord.”

  “I’ll volunteer to work with Jobi,” Kelzeb offered. “I have some free time in the mornings. Will that work, Delbius? I know you hate to ask for assistance from any of the scouts. I’ll spend an hour with him, then drop him off with you. He can at least watch what you’re teaching your students. That way, he doesn’t come in blind.”

  Surprise crossed the instructor’s face but he nodded. “That would work.”

  “Good. It’s settled.” Aveoth released Jill, rose and took a few steps forward. “Let’s all get on with our day. We’re adjourned.”

  He waited for the room to clear and Kelzeb to close the doors. Their gazes met.

  “That’s one happy kid. He’s going to brag to his friends that the lead enforcer is his personal trainer. Why did you do that, Kelzeb?”

  His friend shrugged. “I remember being that young, and the father isn’t a dick. He’s just very supportive of his son, which I find endearing. Jobi has promise, and one day he might become one of our best scouts.”

  Aveoth turned, still smiling—until he saw that Jill had collapsed into his throne. “Are you okay?”

  “I thought you said kids don’t have wings.”

  “I said they aren’t birthed with them. Do human children walk, talk, and run right from the womb?”

  She regarded him with narrowed eyes but didn’t speak.

  “What is it, Jill?”

  “Nothing.”

  She was lying, but he decided to wait until they were alone to prompt her more to share her thoughts.

  Chapter Seven

  Jill stayed seated as Aveoth and Kelzeb removed their shirts. Her eyebrows arched when both of the men withdrew their swords. “What are you guys doing?”

  “Training.” Aveoth didn’t spare her a glance. “We do this often. Just remain where you are.”

  They faced each other, backed away, and then lunged forward, swinging their swords. The shocking sound of metal clashing made her wince the first few times until she adjusted to it. They fought, striking at each other, doing a dangerous dance. It was like seeing something out of some medieval movie. She adjusted in the big fancy chair and tried to get more comfortable.

  With the men shirtless, it didn’t suck, noticing how their many muscles bunched and flexed as they battled. A fine sheen of sweat coated both of them after a while and it amazed her that they kept going at it for so long. She would have fallen to the floor from exhaustion after a few minutes.

  She caught her breath when Kelzeb almost took a blow to his arm and shelled his body at the last instant, spinning away. The blade missed by a hair. Aveoth leaped back and both men stared at each other. Kelzeb unshelled, his skin turning tan again instead of light gray.

  Aveoth chuckled. “Sorry.”

  “My fault.” Kelzeb grinned. “I wa