| |
LENA, SOLAN, EMILY, and Oz were in a large warehouse filled with dozens of obstacles, obstructions, ladders, and other pieces of debris. Cameras were all over the place with trainers in a control room monitoring them. All four of them had their wings out and were ready for the mission. Lena wasn’t quite sure why all of them were wearing heavy jackets with a sensor at center mass, but she was used to weird shit in training scenarios by now.
Solan was the one who explained the parameters. “The goal of this exercise is to practice control. We will all be using our sparks to inflict damage, and it will be measured by the sensors on our chest.” He pointed to the black box embedded in the jacket. “The vests also have a dulling effect on our sparks, so unless you’re incredibly out of control, you won’t be able to seriously injure anyone.”
“Are we working in teams?” Lena asked. Her eyes crawled over the building, looking for places to hide and places where she could take out her opponents.
“No,” said her Match, and she saw a gleam in his eye. He was ready to win.
He’d have to get through her first.
“So what are we doing?” asked Emily. She was shooting glances at the three of them and Lena knew not to underestimate her. Emily may not have had any military training until she Matched with Oz, but she’d been an elite level gymnast for most of her life and the need to win always pulsed within her.
“The goal is to retrieve a key from the center of the room and use it to unlock a door on the second floor. There are four keys, one labeled for each of us. You may only take your key, taking someone else’s key is an automatic violation. If you use too much power and it registers on another participant’s vest, you will be disqualified. And, if you are hit by enough spark to normally incapacitate a person, you will be disqualified. You will know you are disqualified if the lights on your vest turn red. First one out the door wins. Also, wings must stay out for this drill.”
“When do we start?” Oz asked.
Solan nodded at a clock. “We have one minute to find our starting places. Begin.”
They scattered. Lena’s vest was even heavier, but she had to ignore it. She could see the seconds counting down and had to find a good spot, somewhere she wouldn’t be vulnerable or trapped. It was impossible to see far enough into the maze of obstacles to determine where the keys were hidden, but that wasn’t the real issue. She had to watch out for her opponents.
An alarm blared and they were off.
Lena held her position, trying to keep her wings in the shadows. They were like flares, announcing where she was for all to see. But she couldn’t retract them, not if she wanted to win.
And she wanted to win. The bragging rights would be epic.
Her spark jolted within her, and she was sure Solan had used his power. She tried to concentrate on him to get an idea of where he was, but it was useless. Blue and red wings came into sight and Lena lashed out, smiling when she heard a masculine grunt. Oz.
She took off, her hiding place blown.
The warehouse was huge. It could have fit a space ship, so the four of them could hide from one another all day. Of course, their trainers wouldn’t like that. And it didn’t take Lena long to find the keys. They were in the middle of the maze, completely in the open. No cover for twenty feet on either side. She wanted to make a break for it, but she was sure someone would be waiting to take her out.
So she wasn’t going in from the ground.
She found a ladder and scrambled up to the second floor. It was a hell of a fall, but she could manage. Her wings weren’t meant for flight, but she could manage a controlled glide. It would have worked, too, if a jolt of someone’s spark hadn’t hit her right as she jumped. She flared her wings out in time to stop herself from breaking anything, but she couldn’t help but cry out as she hit the hard floor.
“Lena!” she heard Solan call.
She almost said she was alright. Almost.
Then she remembered she was here to win. So she kept quiet.
Footsteps rushed towards her, and before she knew it she breathed in a whiff of an all too familiar masculine scent. Her Match. He covered her protectively, looking for any injury. She felt kind of guilty, but it didn’t stop her from what she did next.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Lena leaned in close and gave him a quick kiss. “I want you to remember that I love you.”
“Huh?”
He didn’t have time to say anything else. Lena hit him with the biggest dose of her spark that she dared. It was enough to send him flying off his feet, but apparently not too much. Neither of their vests lit up with a disqualification.
She sprang to her feet and rushed the keys, not looking back to see how Solan was doing.
Then she sprinted for the stairs, but before she made it up two steps, someone’s spark hit her and she stumbled.
This thing was far from over. And whoever had hit her was going down.
But as she lashed out, she couldn’t help but laugh. This training exercise was too much fun. She already wanted to do it again!
***
Thank you for reading Synnr’s Hope! And double thank you for being one of the first readers!
Since you pre-ordered the book or bought it on one of the first days of sale, you get to read the exclusive epilogue! Want to see more exclusive content like that? Let me know.
I’d appreciate it so much if you would consider leaving a review.
Want a little more?
Members of my reader club can read another bonus epilogue featuring Solan and Lena. Sign up at the link below to receive the bonus straight to your inbox!
***
Coming Soon
Zulir Warrior Mates Book Three
These warriors are on the verge of war, and their only hope is in the hands of their human mates!
***
Keep up to date with what’s coming soon, get access to exclusive giveaways, and hang out with me online in my Facebook group. Kate Rudolph’s Detyen Dreamers is where Kate Rudolph fans can hang out and talk about the latest in alien romance.
***
If you’d like to read chapters from my books months before they reach the bookstores and get early copies of my books, please follow me on Patreon.
Patrons will also get an exclusive bonus scene from Synnr’s Hope. It won’t be released anywhere else!
***
Keep reading for a sneak peek at Soulless.
