I sighed and stood, gathering papers. “Look, this isn’t ideal for any of us. We just have to manage with the resources we have. If either of you has a problem with the plan, you are free to walk away now.”
I looked at each of them, hoping they’d bow out. The plan we’d come up with was a suicide mission. Neither spoke.
I stood and began gathering the papers on the table. “Adam, I’ll need your list of supplies by tomorrow evening. That should give Vinca enough time to get it all together by week’s end.”
Adam nodded, eyeing me. I ignored him. Vinca rose to leave. “Thanks for including me, Sabina. I’ll see you at home.”
I nodded curtly and went back to my shuffling. After she left, Adam continued to lounge in his chair.
“Don’t you have some place to be?” I asked.
“I thought we were going to continue your training,” he said.
I stopped and stared at him. The gall of this guy. “The deal’s off.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “It is. It’s obvious we have different goals here.”
He leaned back in his chair and tossed the pen he’d been holding onto a set of blueprints. “You’re scared.”
With deliberate slowness, I placed the palms of my hands on the table and leaned toward him. “What did you say?”
“Come on, Sabina. It’s obvious. My comment earlier about realizing your potential stung your pride. But more than that, it scared you,” he said. “And you want to know why?”
I shook my head and pursed my lips. “No, but I’m sure that’s not going to stop you.”
He leaned his elbows on the table. “You’ve spent your whole life living in this little bubble where the rules were clear. The Dominae brainwashed you against all of mage-kind, and embracing that side of yourself terrifies you.”
“You know what terrifies me, Adam?” I said. “That you think I’m so gullible that I’ll buy that psychobabble bullshit. You don’t know me. And you certainly have no right to sit there and pontificate about what I’m thinking or how I feel. I meant what I said, no more training. It’s not because I’m scared or because deep down, I’m a lost little girl. It’s because I’m not interested.”
He watched for a moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he stood and came around the table. “You’re not interested? That’s fine. But if you don’t agree to continue with the training, I’ll walk out of here and tell the Hekate Council everything.”
My eyes narrowed and my fists clenched. “You’re a real bastard, you know that?”
He smiled and picked up a stack of papers from the table to hand to me. “I’ve been called worse.”
I closed my eyes, wondering how things had gotten so complicated. If Adam went to the Hekate Council now, war would follow, no doubt about it. If I could hold him off, there was a chance I could convince the Dominae to change their minds. Granted, the chance was small, but I had to try.
When I opened my eyes, Adam’s smile had faded into a frown. He seemed to be holding his breath. “Fine. The training continues. But no more life coaching, okay?”
He nodded. “Deal.”
I knew conceding was a sign of weakness. However, if things went according to plan, I’d off Clovis that night and be gone before Adam could schedule another lesson.
Thinking about the devil made him appear at the conference room door, as if I’d summoned him. “Sabina?”
I turned quickly. “Yes?”
He eyed Adam and me, his gaze taking in our closeness. “Did I interrupt something?”
I backed away a step. “No, we were just discussing the plans.” I glanced at Adam, willing him to confirm my statement. Instead, he merely looked at Clovis with a small smile hovering on his lips. I wondered why he’d want Clovis to think something else was going on.
“Sabina, may I speak to you in private?” Clovis said. It was stated as a question, but his tone made it clear I didn’t have a choice. That was fine with me because I had plans for Clovis.
“Sure,” I said. “Excuse me.” I said this last to Adam, who nodded.
“Tomorrow evening then?” He was obviously referring to our next training session, but his tone implied otherwise.
Distracted, I nodded and gathered my things. I walked to the door where Clovis waited. When I looked up, he was staring at Adam. A quick glance backward confirmed Adam was returning his stare. Freaking males, I thought, they couldn’t be more obvious about their territorial dispute if they’d both peed on me.
“You ready?” I asked Clovis. He reluctantly ended the stare-off to smile at me.
“Always, my dear.” He placed a hand on my hip to guide me through the door. Before he closed it, I caught a quick glimpse of Adam scowling at us.
“Frank said the plans are coming together nicely,” Clovis said, leading me down the hall. His words interrupted my confusion over Adam’s sudden possessive behavior.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m a little worried about the lack of manpower, but I think it’ll work out.”
“Surprise will be on our side,” he said. “Besides, the mage should be able to back up the team should any magical intervention be necessary.”
I didn’t like the way he’d said “the mage.” He spat the word out, like it had been a bad taste in his mouth. I didn’t comment because I was finally paying attention to the direction he was leading me.
“Isn’t your office in the other direction?”
He moved the hand from my lower back to wrap his arm around my shoulder. I was suddenly glad I’d shoved my gun into my boot instead of its normal place at the small of my back. “I thought we’d meet in my chambers.”
He didn’t wait for a response, just guided me confidently toward his rooms. I didn’t protest because the privacy of the chambers suited my plans just fine. When we got to the doors, I noticed no guards were on duty. So, Clovis wanted extra privacy for our “meeting”? That was fine with me. It’d be easier to escape once the deed was done.
He led me into the rooms and shut the doors behind us. Once again, my senses were assaulted by the overpowering scent of sex. I found it odd I never noticed the smell on Clovis outside this room.
“Can I offer you a drink?”
I shook my head, not trusting him or his libations. “I’m fine, thanks.”