Forsaken & Claimed

Chapter 36

Abel

I had hoped I missed breakfast to avoid seeing them together. Seeing Cairo would be hard enough. The dining hall was quiet except for the light clatter of silverware and plates. My luck was never that good to begin with. Pandora was sitting next to Cairo with wary eyes, pushing her food around the plate. Cairo reached over to grab the salt, and she recoiled back.

Well, it was safe to say they didn't have sex last night. Or it was terrible. That thought alone made me smile. Pandora glanced at me as I sat at the table. She did a double-take then glared. Was she still pissed about last night? Not like I could've done anything. Well, anything that wouldn't end with me dead and her punished.

"You're just getting in," Cairo asked, tapping the side of his face.

"Long night," I said, rubbing the side.

Smudges of pink and red rubbed off. There was no telling what else I was covered in. Good thing the showers over at the arena were fixed. I could grab another one before we got started.

"It's not the time to be whoring around. We need to be training for the next evaluation," Cain said.

"Won't be late again, promise."

Wasn't he the one that told me to smother my feelings? I could still feel her eyes on me. A chair scraped against the floor as I piled food onto my plate. I needed to soak up most of the liquor before we hit the arena. It was going to be another rough session.

"Sit and finish eating," Cairo said.

"Not hungry. Unless you plan on shoving it down my throat, too," Pandora said.

I choked on the juice and looked at them. Cairo was busy grabbing a second serving. A tight grip grabbed my wrist under the table, "Pass the meat," Cain said.

I pushed the platter towards him. Cairo turned his attention to me and stabbed the eggs. Our vibrations clashed so hard that my teeth chattered.

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Cairo smirked, "We could try something else too."

"Shoving what," I asked, receiving a swift kick to the shin.

"This and that. It put her straight to sleep in no time."

Guess not being a prick was too hard for him to do. I needed to take the high road before this got out of control. Pandora tossed her napkin on the table and left.

"It's good that you're well-rested and free of any stress."

"You too. Britannia is always a treat. Underworld, right," he said, "We should get going before we're late."

"You're going to leave her here unattended," Cain asked.

"She can't go anywhere or do anything. I gave her some suppressants along with sleeping pills last night. I can't very well trust her right now. A few guards are watching her every move," he said, "She's helpless."

If Cairo thought she was helpless, then he's a cocky idiot for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if she escaped by the time we made it back. I might actually be disappointed if she's not. We fell into step with each other as we left our building. I gave it one more look over, catching a glimpse of Pandora sitting in a window. She closed the curtains in a huff. Just as feisty as ever. At least this hasn't killed her spirit.

"When is the ceremony," Cain asked, drawing my attention from the window.

"Whenever Nastri gets back. He wants to spend some one-on-one time with her," Cairo sighed.

"Is that an issue? Him meeting the daughter he thought was dead? It might calm her down as well," Cain said.

"I don't think she even cares. She hasn't asked for him or about him. Cold-blooded all the way around, no attachments. Kind of makes it hard to lay next to a person like that," Cairo said.

"It's a person I would want at my side in a fight," I said.

Cairo peeked over his shoulder for a second. I expected another verbal sparring match, but he kept his stride. He continued as if I didn't speak, but his vibrations were wild. This was a dangerous game we both were playing.

"It's going to cause a lot of problems. Problems we don't have time for. Her coldness isn't going to help us keep our position. Only her energy will. So, Abel, any ideas on how to get her to spread her legs?"

"Not drugging her or being a prick could work for starters. Didn't we have this conversation already," I said.

He was really pushing my buttons today. Cairo just chuckled and kept his pace till we reached the arena. Once inside, we started to remove our jackets and stretch. He was watching me closely. Cairo knew how hard this was for me. So, why was he poking and testing me?

"Your advice is trash; it didn't work. I think I'll try it my own way," Cairo said, taking off into a light jog.

My heart dropped as I took off after him. We were evenly matched in speed, but strength was a different story. The padded indoor track was easy on my knees made doing our miles a world easier.

"These things take time. You know that."

"Time we don't have. You're too good to do what our fathers and forefathers have done," Cairo said.

"I thought even you had limits; values," I said.

"We all do and don't know what we're capable of until we're forced to. What I want to know is if you and I are going to have a problem about it?"