Fearless Mate (Auctioned Mate series book# 2)

Chapter 10: Green Plains

A few hours later and I find myself lying down thinking of Noah. I know that everything in me tells me that Myles is the one. Everything we went through can't be ignored. So then why am I thinking about all the times he's left me. Like now, I don't know if he'll even come back this time. Last time he survived a bullet but what about a bomb this time. "Ahhh!" I scream into my pillow. Why did Noah have to be here to confuse me again?

And I won't let what Diana said come true. She obviously doesn't know me. These people are all strangers trying to pull me in their bat-shit crazy schemes. It's about time I learned my lesson. When Mason does nothing, she's in a better place. When Mason resists, Mason gets herself and others hurt, tortured, and in some cases murdered. But where does that leave Angela. How was I going to save her?

She's not in her right mind. And me of all people knows what that's like. Angela is hurting too. However, Angela also still hates me, but it was so good to just see her alive that everything she said didn't faze me.

"Hey Mason!" Benny's voice sounded behind the door. "Ury is gather people together to start training. You have about 12 minutes before your late. If you're late, she punches you." I could hear him walking away from the door.

After some quick contemplation, I shot up from the bed. I was now remembering the stinging in my face from earlier. Left out the room and headed towards the training hall. People were pouring into the moderate-sized room, everyone with serious looks in their eyes. Fresh waves to blood came from the back room. More people lay in agony.

"Alright, everyone listen up! I will be partnering you all up. When I call your name and your partners', both will find a weapon on the wall, she pointed to the massive wall of weaponry, then find spot on the floor and wait until further instructions," Ury said. Demetrius and Betty...Joan and Hanna...Michael and Akira." Ury scanned her list again, then she looked directly at me, shifting as I stood. "Mason and...Noah."

My ears betrayed me. She could not have said Noah. Tell me she did not say Noah. I surveyed the crowed looking for his sunburnt hair. He wasn't hear. I let out a shaky breath until Ury's name command. "You're partners today will be your partner until the end, so cherish them." She went back to her list like she didn't just put me in a more compromising position.

Once Ury finished the list, she glanced back at me and slides me a smile. I didn't express that way I was feeling momentarily. Everyone was standing next to their partners. I seemed to be the lone wolf. Nothing new there...I guess. I hurried to the wall in search of a weapon that might suit me. Maybe a gun would suffice. I picked it up but then I found myself putting it back. I was not mentally prepared for Myles getting shot. I felt uneasy using the weapon of choice for his almost demise.

I shift my eyes toward the corner with knives and daggers. It was an impressive collecting and mostly looking gnarled in their own fashion. One did catch my attention. There was nothing too special about it. The blade didn't particularly look the sharpest and the handle was worn as the red paint was chipping. It was very small, more suited as pocket knife, but there was an inscription on it. In faint gold letters it read:

Vita potest esse summa fugaces moments

I don't know what it means but I felt it was right for me. Small yet damaging if you use it the wrong way. I took it and held it tightly in my hand. "Don't you think that is a little small?" Ury ask walking towards me with a bow and arrow. "I guess I'll just be your partner for today. Noah is a little busy with work for Daniel. He'll be here tomorrow," Ury stood in from of me.

She directed her attention back to the others as she led me back to the floor. "Does everyone have a weapon?"

"Yes, sir!" the others yelled in unison.

"Alright then. I want everyone to face their partners with your weapons showing front and center." Everyone did as she said. No one's attention wavered as she made more demands. "Now say goodbye to your weapons and swap yours with your partners." My mouth dropped and so did a lot of other. "Come on everyone, we do not have all day. Swap with your partners'!" Ury's voice grew louder. Reluctantly the crowd did as she said.

I whispered to her, "why are we switching our weapons?" I tightened the grip on my knife even more so. Areas around my hand had started truing red. I really didn't want to let this go."

Ury answered my question, but she didn't whisper it. "If your all wondering why I told you to switch weapons, it's because the weapon you chose for yourself, is a weapon you thought would better suit you. This means that you took time to choose the best one for yourselves, now you'll all potentially be at a disadvantage. Don't worry, this will be a learning experience. Be careful with your new tool, because it will be you're only practice weapon from now on."

Ury held her hand out for my knife. I dropped it in her hand and she passed me her bow and arrow. Now this didn't seem to suit me at all. It was oversized and heavier than I thought it would be.

"First then is that we need to practice with our new tools. I want everyone to meet me back here in 1 hour. Got with your partners. If you're later, even if one partner is on time and another is late, I am taking both of your weapons for the rest of the week and you'll only practice hand-to-hand combat. Is that understood."

"Yes, sir!" the group shouted again. This time I found myself doing the same.

"Come on Mason, I have the perfect spot." She led us down a long corridor, a place I've never seen before. The walls were bare of any art work and the it smelled of rubbing alcohol. I breathe in deeper and I caught a smell of something metallic. I'm sure this is where the dead ones are held. And yet I steadily followed her further down the hall until we stopped at a large white door. There had to be at least 12 different locks on it. I wonder what they are trying to keep out...or keep in.

"We don't let people use this door often because it could attract unwanted attention," she glanced back at me before we began undoing the locks. Once we finished, she opened the door and the next thing I felt was the sunlight. And all my senses went into overdrive. I could smell dew soak grass and feel the breeze on my cheek. Nothing but green stretched before me and scattered about were large oak trees. It reminded of home, or my mom and dad. And that summing that they are still alive. The last time I checked, dad was injured.

I breathed in deeply, closing me eyes to take in the scene. Nothing was more beautiful in this moment, so I decided not to waste it. I took off running towards the hills behind the trees. Word could not describe the feeling I had. It was a dark mixture of desperation and guilty. I wanted to run from my problems, but it's kind of hard to do when I have a shouting Ury on my heel every step of the way. I zigzagged around some trees and picked up speed. Ury was determined. She was only inches away from me now holding her hand out to try to stop me. She was faster than me. It only took me another minute to realize it once I got further away from her. She was playing with me, giving me just enough distance to think I was getting somewhere.

"Mason!" Ury shouted my name, you should stop now. I'm running out of patience. When I didn't listen to her, her footsteps stop. I didn't have time to register the small blade head towards me when I turned to look back. It had already connected with my cheek and embedded itself in the tree behind me. I cupped my bleeding cheek to glare at her. This time she had the bow and arrow in her hand aiming at me. "I warned you." Then she released it.