“That was one time,” Shea protested. “And it saved your worthless hides.”
Buck snickered. “I’ll never forget the sight of you free falling through the air. I was sure you were going to bounce off and get stepped on.”
“That was a controlled fall. I knew what I was doing.” That last part might have been a bit of an exaggeration. To this day, she wasn’t sure how she survived that stunt. “Besides, Eamon is making us take the Anateri. They’re not going to let me do anything even remotely dangerous.”
Buck’s face brightened. For a moment he looked like a child about to meet his heroes. “They’re coming? Even better.”
“Maybe for you,” Shea muttered.
“How can you say that?” Buck asked. “They’re the elite of our elite. I don’t know anyone who has even come close to joining their ranks.” He paused. “Well, except for you—before Fallon discovered you were a woman.”
“Shea’s just chafing at the fact that there’s somebody who questions the more reckless decisions she makes before she has a chance to act on them.” Eamon gave her a censorious look, having counseled her on similar topics when he was her squad leader.
She stuck her tongue out at him.
“You think they’ll give me a few pointers?” Buck asked.
“I thought you were happy as a scout.”
He shrugged. “I am, but if an invitation ever came to join their ranks, I wouldn’t pass it up. Besides, I’ve never seen better swordsmen. Getting tips from them might prolong my life out there.” He made a gesture meant to encompass the world outside.
Shea stood, preparing to take her leave. “You’d be better served spending your time studying the beast board. If it comes down to a fight against beasts, you’re more likely to lose no matter how skilled you are with a blade. Better to study and learn so you avoid danger in the first place.”
He blew a raspberry at her. “You’re no fun. There’s nothing to say I can’t do both. Right, Eamon?”
One side of Eamon’s mouth quirked up. “Don’t get me involved in this.”
Shea shook her head, chuckling, as she walked away.
“That means you’ll do it, right? You’ll put in a good word for me?” Buck yelled at her back.
She lifted a hand and waved. “You’ll owe me one.”
“Just put it on my tab.”
CHAPTER THREE
SHEA STEPPED out of the tent she shared with Fallon when he was home—a tent bigger than any house she’d lived in. It had to be to accommodate his guests on the occasions when he entertained. Shea had only been present for a few of those occasions, but she was glad to have the space.
She took two steps forward and stopped.
Daere waited for her, arms folded over her chest and an implacable expression on her face.
Shit. Trenton must have informed Fallon’s cousin of Shea’s planned activities for the day.
Shea hesitated before straightening her shoulders and meeting Daere head on. She was an adult and fully capable of letting Daere know that she was riding out to meet Fallon. The other woman could argue as much as she wanted, but it wouldn’t change Shea’s plans.
“Going somewhere?” Daere asked. Her expression left Shea no doubt that Daere already knew the answer to that.
“I’m joining Eamon when he rides out this morning to meet Fallon.”
“Are you now?” Daere’s eyebrow lifted.
“Yup. That’s what I’m doing.”
“And when were you going to inform me of this?”
Shea thought the answer to that question was fairly obvious. Instead of giving a response that would have guaranteed Daere’s wrath, she said, “I’m informing you now.”
Daere’s jaw tightened, a vein throbbing in her neck. Shea waited.
“You are a stubborn, stubborn woman.”
Shea nodded, acknowledging the claim. She was. There was no getting around it. She was also hardheaded and horrible with people. She fully acknowledged her failings.
“If I didn’t know Fallon as well as I do, I would question his sanity in choosing you, of all people, as his telroi.”
Shea narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond. She wanted this over with and continuing to engage would just prolong it.
“Nothing to say?” Daere hands went to her hips. “It’s like talking to a rock.”
Shea let a brief smile cross her face. She’d been told that before.
“You know Fallon asked me to do this.”
“That’s the problem,” Shea said. She didn’t see a way out of this encounter; Daere just didn’t seem in the mood to get fed up and stalk away. Shea would have to share. “He had no right to do that. I don’t need someone to mold me into a Trateri woman.”
“You think you can fit in without my help? Become the helpmeet he needs?”
Shea shook her head, frustrated. “Of course not. That would be impossible.”
Surprise registered on Daere’s face. “Then why have you been such a pain in my ass over the past few months?”
“There’s nothing wrong with me. Nothing wrong with who I am. Fallon knew who I was when he made his offer.”
“Is that what you think?” Daere didn’t sound angry, just curious. “That he’s trying to change you?”
Shea shrugged, uncomfortable with the questions. What else was she supposed to think? He’d banned her from joining the scouts and wouldn’t let her go out with the regular army either. Eamon seemed to think that her path led to bigger things than just trail work, but she wasn’t sure if she believed that. What she did know was that she was not equipped to be someone who supported Fallon from behind the scenes. She needed something that gave meaning to her life, something that made her feel like she had purpose.
Daere’s sigh was resigned. “That’s not it. I’m not here to try to mold you into what I am.”
Shea arched an eyebrow at her. She could have fooled her.
Daere’s nod was an acknowledgement of her unspoken point. “That might have been my intention, but not Fallon’s. He believes that the more you know, the more power you will have to guide events in a direction you choose.”
Movement in Shea’s peripheral vision drew her attention. Shea glanced to the side, noticing Trenton and Wilhelm, the second Anateri Fallon had stuck her with. Wilhelm was striking in a way that had a good number of the women in camp making doe eyes at him every time he walked by.
Fallon’s Anateri were another point of conflict between them. Shea had argued that their presence would be a giant pain in her ass. Fallon had countered with that stone-faced expression he got when he thought she was being unreasonable. She’d lost by the sheer fact that he’d left before she woke the next morning and the two men wouldn’t take orders from her when those orders pertained to leaving her alone.
“Is everyone planning on coming with me?” Shea muttered.
“Despite what you might think, your station is not the same as when you were some faceless scout. You can no longer walk around the encampment unattended or venture out there without people to watch your back.”
“I’ve never had a problem before now.”