Breed of Envy (The Breed Chronicles, #02) (5 page)

“Okay,” I said in the same can’t-be-bothered tone. I glanced around the room real quick. Spotting Linc, I sent him a help-me look. He fought a smirk, shrugged, and mouthed ‘sorry’. Considering he didn’t fight his smirk very hard, I wasn’t buying his apology.

Sighing, and muttering not-so-nice things about Linc, I turned back to face Brian.
Please let this go by quickly.

My plea went unheard, or maybe just flat out ignored. The class seemed to crawl by, despite the fact we hardly ever stopped moving.

We practiced different moves over the next four hours, though they were mostly blocks and ways to use your opponents attack against them. Every thirty minutes, Mr. Connor would stop the class, show us a new move, then let us practice it on the CMs before we practiced with our partners.

We were on the last routine of the day. I was grateful for the soon-to-be-reprieve and all but dancing in place, ready to be done with Brian. During the class, I’d discovered he didn’t hold his punches. Or kicks. Neither did Linc when we practiced together, but at least he didn’t set out to hurt me. Not that I thought Brian was necessarily
trying
to, but he just seemed to take things a little too seriously. If I actually bruised, I probably would’ve been covered in them.

“Ready?” he asked, preparing for the last attack.

I almost winced and said No! out of instinct, even though I was the one playing the attacker again, but I nodded instead. “Yup.” If he caught the dread in my voice, he ignored it.

“Go for it.”

I moved in behind him and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back to immobilize them. Brian shoved back, then bent forward as if to toss me over his back. It didn’t work (it wasn’t supposed to), but it made me release his arms. He twisted and dropped down beside me. Using his right arm as a battering ram, he hit me behind the knees. As I started to drop down, he rose and punched me in the left shoulder, which had me spinning to keep my balance. I couldn’t, so I ended up falling backward instead. Brian helped matters along and shoved me down the rest of the way, making me hit the mat with a bone-jarring, breath-stealing thud. I didn’t even have time to blink before Brian was kneeling beside me and his forearm was against my throat.

Mr. Connor whistled. “Class is over. Practice these moves—safely—with anyone you can find. I’ll see you guys next Tuesday.”

Brian jumped to his feet and walked away. He was out the door before I’d even managed to sit up and rub my throat.

Tasha and Linc ran over to me. “You okay?” Linc asked, extending his hand to help me to my feet.

“I’m fine.” Though ‘fine’ was left open for interpretation. I was standing and breathing, so that was something.

Tasha raised an eyebrow. Linc glared.

I frowned at them both. “What?”

“I don’t like him.” Linc’s gaze traveled toward the door. His fingers curled into fists. “He’s too rough.”

“I don’t know. I guess, maybe a little. But it’s Combat, Linc.” I laughed. “It’s supposed to be—”

“Hate to say it,” Tasha said, cutting me off, “but I agree with him.”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t like Combat, so you think everything is too rough.”

“That might be true, but I still agree with Linc. You should talk to Mr. Connor about it.”

“I’m not talking to Mr. Connor about it. It’s the first Combat class of the Phase, so maybe he was just overly excited or something. And if the guy wasn’t around last Phase—or at least taking classes with anyone—then maybe he doesn’t really get how things work.”

“Jade.”

“You guys.” I laughed again. “What’s the big deal? I’m okay. I’m not broken or bruised.”

Linc rolled his eyes. “You weren’t broken or bruised when Felecia attacked you, either.”

I couldn’t argue, so I wisely kept my mouth shut.

Tasha tilted her head to the side. “You know, you don’t seem to have very good first weeks.”

Couldn’t argue with that, either. “You’re right, I don’t. And it’s about to get even worse, because I have my appointment with Doc soon. So can we just go get some food? I want to be well fed when I’m poked and prodded, since I have no idea how long I’ll be.”

Tasha didn’t argue. Linc on the other hand…well, he still looked like he wanted to, but then his expression softened. For half a second. In the time it took me to blink, he had a scowl back in place. I didn’t know what Linc’s problem with Brian was, but I had a feeling he wasn’t going to drop it.

I’d mostly trained with Linc last Phase, so I didn’t know how the others practiced their routines. Maybe Brian was being rougher than necessary. Either way, I didn’t know what the big deal really was. We weren’t training to hunt pillows here. We were training to hunt demons. That was serious and dangerous stuff. If we couldn’t handle a few knocks here or there, then what was the point?

Hoping to get the scowl to ease, I sent Linc a small smile. He smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

I sighed. Demons I understood. But boys? They were a freaking complicated species.

C
HAPTER 03

By the time we made it down to the first floor, my appetite was mostly gone. I wasn’t used to fighting with Linc, and I definitely didn’t like it. I wasn’t even sure if we were actually fighting, and if we were, I had no idea what it was really about. When I’d had issues with Felecia last Phase, he’d been mad, but at Felecia, not me. And now that I was having problems with Brian (or so they thought), Linc was taking it out on me. I hadn’t asked to be paired with the guy. I would’ve much preferred being with Linc over him, but I hadn’t gotten a choice.

And as much as I really didn’t want to be partnered with Brian, I didn’t want to ask to be put with someone else, either. I could handle my own problems, and if I couldn’t, then that was something I needed to learn how to do.

Stopping before we reached the café, Linc muttered a curse under his breath. “I forgot my bag. I’ll meet you guys back here in a few,” he said, then ran off.

I frowned after him.

“He’s worried about you.”

“What?”

“Linc.” Tasha shot me an impatient look. “He worries about you.”

“But I’m okay. Look, the guy was a little too rough, I’ll admit it—and if you tell Linc I said that, I’ll hurt you—but I really am okay.”

“Not just about that. Everything. He was really freaked out when you were hurt last Phase, especially when they wouldn’t let him in to see you.”

“That was two months ago,” I argued. “I’m completely fine.”

She shrugged. “It still scared him, so cut him some slack.” There was a pause. “And I think he might be a little jealous.”

“Get real.” I could buy the scared thing. I’d seen it for myself after I’d woken up in the infirmary. But jealous? No way. There was no reason for it.

“You can kick my ass up and down in Demonology—and all the other classes, now that I think about it…” She waved her hand. “Never mind. In class, you’re the smart one. But when it comes to guys, I’m the one who’s all knowing.”

This whole not being able to argue thing was getting old. Still, I doubted she (or anyone else) was all-knowing when it came to guys. Brains just weren’t equipped to hold that kind of crazy knowledge.

Linc came back a few minutes later and we all grabbed a quick meal. Greene walked into the café just as I was throwing my trash away and had my stomach clenching.
And here’s my cue,
I thought, forcing myself not to frown or sulk. Greene looked pleased, yet somewhat less Greene-like with dust on his suit. He and Mrs. Barnes rarely looked out of character.

Apparently, he caught me staring. He glanced down at his shoulders and said, “Ah. The construction has begun in the South Tower. I was over there supervising.”

“What are they doing over there?” I asked. He’d never said during his start-of-Phase speech, so I wasn’t sure he’d answer now.

“They’re removing some walls to make some of the rooms larger.”

“Oh.” I nodded. That was a very non-answery answer, but I hadn’t expected that much.

“I came to speak with you.”

“Of course you did.” Tasha and Linc both gave me funny looks. It took a second before I realized I hadn’t just
thought
it but actually said it out loud. “Sorry,” I said with a cringe.

Linc struggled with a smirk, Tasha gasped, and Greene just shook his head. At least Greene was used to my internal-voice sometimes being not-so-internal.

“I just wanted to inform you that the scanner we had delivered has been installed. I’m afraid Miss Jones is anxiously waiting to test it out on you. I don’t believe I’ve seen her quite so happy in a while now.” When I glared, he fought a smile and cleared his throat. “At any rate, she’s expecting you whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay.” I probably should’ve said more than a one-word response, but wasn’t sure it’d be safe. His little tidbit about Doc being excited to use the new scanner on me wasn’t helpful. In fact... “Why am I doing this again?” I asked no one in particular once Greene had walked away.

“You’re doing this for humankind,” was Linc’s reply.

“Yeah, well, right now, humankind can bite me.”

Tasha snorted and gave me a friendly punch to the arm. “That’s the spirit.”

“I guess I better go.” I sighed and looked out to the main lobby of the building, wondering if I could escape unseen. Getting scanned, poked, and prodded wasn’t my idea of a good time, but I was dreading it even more now, especially if Doc was looking forward to it.

Tasha poked my arm. “You haven’t moved yet.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m getting to that.”

“We’ll talk to you later,” Linc said, latching onto my arm and dragging me away. I barely had time to wave bye to Tasha as he pulled me around the corner to the elevators.

I growled. “Are you forgetting the caveman talk we had a few months ago, and how the female types in the world
don’t
like them?”

As usual when I said something he didn’t like, he rolled his eyes. “Get over it.”

He pressed the button for the elevator. Only when we were trapped inside did he release my arm. “I was going.”

He shot me a sidelong glance. “You were procrastinating.”

“I was not.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“I wasn’t! I was just looking for an escape route,” I said, sulking.

“That’s even worse.”

“Yeah, well, you’d procrastinate
and
look for an escape route if Doc was looking forward to torturing you. But no, it’s
me
she wants to torture.” I tilted my head to the side. “Unless I can convince her to torture you, too. I mean, if she really wants to use this scanner thing, then she should be happy if she gets another victim.”

Once I said it, I liked the idea. Misery loved company, didn’t it? Heck, I probably wouldn’t even have to suggest it first. Doc liked torturing Linc almost as much as she liked torturing me.

I smiled, which had Linc glowering at me the short elevator ride to the second floor. When the doors opened, I skipped out and down the hall, stopping when I reached Doc’s office. The door was open, so I just tapped on it.

“Come on in, Jade,” Doc called out.

Cautiously, I stepped inside. All five-foot-five of Doc was bouncing around the room, grabbing this or that, taking it here or there. Her brown hair was in her usual style of a ponytail, swinging back and forth as she roamed the room. I frowned. “You really are looking forward to this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, maybe a little.” She stopped moving just long enough to flash me a quick grin. “Don’t worry, it will be mostly painless. In fact, other than being a little boring, it might be your favorite appointment.”

“Yeah, right,” I said with a snort.

She shook her head. “We’re not staying here. The scanner is in another room.” She walked toward me with a tablet in her hands. “You don’t need to stay for this, Linc.”

Crap.
No one mentioned I had to do this alone. I wanted to object, and opened my mouth to do that, but then I snapped it shut. What was I, a baby? I could handle getting poked at by myself. Probably.

Linc shot me a look, then shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t mind staying.”

I could’ve hugged him, and wanted to, but Doc stepped forward. She gave him a small smile. “I know, but this is probably going to be awkward enough for her without an audience. She’ll be yours again in thirty minutes or so.”

I’m a big girl. I’m a big girl.

Linc grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I’ll be in the café when you’re done. We can study together.”

I grinned. “You sure know the way to a girl’s heart.”

One side of his mouth lifted in a smile. “You’re just easy.”

Before he released my hand, I squeezed it back and locked my gaze with his. “Thanks, Linc,” I said. And then I hit him for the
easy
remark.

He rubbed his arm but kept smiling. “You’ve got this, Hall.”

Doc tapped my shoulder when Linc walked away. “This way,” she said.

I followed her down the hall. The room was only a few doors down in the back corner, next to the staircase. I’d been at the CGE for over five months, and while I knew what was in most of the rooms (the ones listed on the blueprints anyway), I’d only ever been in one room on the second floor. Doc’s office. As far as I was concerned, that was one room too many. And now I was about to make that two rooms too many.