to step down – and probably with Alora at his side, since it seemed that Evan had no intention of letting her go.
“We’re holding most of it in the arena. Go get yourself comfortable in the VIP box.”
So that was exactly what I did. The enclosed arena was located a short distance away from the beach house. The interior resembled a large horse paddock, and each wall was marked from A – D, which represented north, east, south, and west. A large seating area surrounded it, featuring a VIP box on the middle tier. I waited there, watching through the glass as the four females already there fidgeted and exchanged nervous looks.
One by one, another sixteen females piled into the arena, forming a line, looking just as anxious as the others. I was able to tell by the coloured tints to their irises – or, in the case of Sventés, the fact that there were no coloured tints – what breed of vampire they were. Nine were Pagoris, six were Kejas, and the final five were Sventés. Some were having whispered conversations, but their eyes continually darted to the door as they nervously waited for the interviewers to enter. Hell, I was nervous for them.
“Ava, it’s a pleasure to see you.”
I’d smelt Sebastian before I heard him. As usual, the tall Keja was wearing an Armani suit that complemented his athletic build. I flashed him a warm smile. “Hey, Seb. How’s it going?”
“All is well, thank you.”
“Come to see how your recruits perform?”
“Of course. Do Sam and Jared know you’re up here?”
I nodded. “I begged them to let me watch.”
His eyes narrowed. “You gave them that pouty ‘don’t hurt me, I’m an innocent kitten’ look, didn’t you?”
I laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re implying that I’m manipulative.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to speak again, but then the whispers abruptly died, garnering everyone’s attention. Sam, Jared, and Evan had entered the arena.
It was Sam who spoke first. “I’m sure you all recognise the three of us, so I don’t think we need to introduce ourselves. As Sebastian will have explained to you, our intention is to form a female squad of ten. We already have five. This does not mean that fifteen of you will be going home. It could be that you all leave. It depends on your capabilities and resilience. We can’t afford to be lenient or give chances. We need to be sure that you can handle being part of a squad. It’s not easy. It’s not pretty. You will go on assignments that make you feel sick to your stomach. You will see things that haunt you.”
I could vouch for that.
“You will be trained to kill, and you’ll be required to kill. Because the rest of your squad have to know that someone has their back. If you can’t deal with any of that, you need to leave now.” When no one moved, she gave a nod of approval.
Jared stepped forward. “Something about each of you caught Sebastian’s attention. It could be your combat skills, it could be your strength and endurance, or it could be your individual vampiric gift. It could even be all of them. But if you can’t control your bloodlust, all of that is irrelevant.” He nodded in our direction, and I realised he was giving a signal to someone above the VIP box.
Moments later, gas was being released from the hoses that were protruding from the roof. “Why gas?” I asked Sebastian.
“It’s not gas,” he replied. “It’s a special cocktail.”
I frowned. “Of what?
His grin told me I’d like his answer. “Different scents of blood.”
Ooh, clever.
“This is exactly what happens in battle,” continued Jared, his gaze boring into each of the recruits. “Various blood scents surround you, rousing your bloodlust. It is absolutely essential that you can think clearly through that bloodlust; that you can remain vigilant, focused, and in total control.”
That was when a bare-chested human entered the arena, blood dripping from a bite on his neck. Like
“We’re holding most of it in the arena. Go get yourself comfortable in the VIP box.”
So that was exactly what I did. The enclosed arena was located a short distance away from the beach house. The interior resembled a large horse paddock, and each wall was marked from A – D, which represented north, east, south, and west. A large seating area surrounded it, featuring a VIP box on the middle tier. I waited there, watching through the glass as the four females already there fidgeted and exchanged nervous looks.
One by one, another sixteen females piled into the arena, forming a line, looking just as anxious as the others. I was able to tell by the coloured tints to their irises – or, in the case of Sventés, the fact that there were no coloured tints – what breed of vampire they were. Nine were Pagoris, six were Kejas, and the final five were Sventés. Some were having whispered conversations, but their eyes continually darted to the door as they nervously waited for the interviewers to enter. Hell, I was nervous for them.
“Ava, it’s a pleasure to see you.”
I’d smelt Sebastian before I heard him. As usual, the tall Keja was wearing an Armani suit that complemented his athletic build. I flashed him a warm smile. “Hey, Seb. How’s it going?”
“All is well, thank you.”
“Come to see how your recruits perform?”
“Of course. Do Sam and Jared know you’re up here?”
I nodded. “I begged them to let me watch.”
His eyes narrowed. “You gave them that pouty ‘don’t hurt me, I’m an innocent kitten’ look, didn’t you?”
I laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re implying that I’m manipulative.”
Sebastian opened his mouth to speak again, but then the whispers abruptly died, garnering everyone’s attention. Sam, Jared, and Evan had entered the arena.
It was Sam who spoke first. “I’m sure you all recognise the three of us, so I don’t think we need to introduce ourselves. As Sebastian will have explained to you, our intention is to form a female squad of ten. We already have five. This does not mean that fifteen of you will be going home. It could be that you all leave. It depends on your capabilities and resilience. We can’t afford to be lenient or give chances. We need to be sure that you can handle being part of a squad. It’s not easy. It’s not pretty. You will go on assignments that make you feel sick to your stomach. You will see things that haunt you.”
I could vouch for that.
“You will be trained to kill, and you’ll be required to kill. Because the rest of your squad have to know that someone has their back. If you can’t deal with any of that, you need to leave now.” When no one moved, she gave a nod of approval.
Jared stepped forward. “Something about each of you caught Sebastian’s attention. It could be your combat skills, it could be your strength and endurance, or it could be your individual vampiric gift. It could even be all of them. But if you can’t control your bloodlust, all of that is irrelevant.” He nodded in our direction, and I realised he was giving a signal to someone above the VIP box.
Moments later, gas was being released from the hoses that were protruding from the roof. “Why gas?” I asked Sebastian.
“It’s not gas,” he replied. “It’s a special cocktail.”
I frowned. “Of what?
His grin told me I’d like his answer. “Different scents of blood.”
Ooh, clever.
“This is exactly what happens in battle,” continued Jared, his gaze boring into each of the recruits. “Various blood scents surround you, rousing your bloodlust. It is absolutely essential that you can think clearly through that bloodlust; that you can remain vigilant, focused, and in total control.”
That was when a bare-chested human entered the arena, blood dripping from a bite on his neck. Like
Similar Books
