Salem held a hand up for us all to remain in position and tapped his heart twice. I knew what he meant this time: if we went any further, the vampires in the living room would hear our heartbeats. He wanted us to wait there.

I went to mouth, ‘For what?’ when I picked up movement in my peripheral vision. Jared, David, and Butch were coming down the stairs just as Chico and Maya rounded a corner and headed straight for us. If Alora and Denny were absent, that meant they were also in the ‘dead zone’. Just the thought that Alora might have been dead if this session was real made me shudder inwardly.

The guys all began communicating in hand signals again, making me once again feel left out. Paige, Imani, and Maya looked at me questioningly, and – frustrated beyond belief – I gave the sign for ‘wankers’. The trio struggled to hold in a laugh. I looked back at the guys to find them all scowling at me. Yep, they’d seen me. I lifted my chin and sniffed haughtily.

Sam, Damien, and Jude are in the lounge, Jared told me, and I knew he’d also informed the others. The room is up ahead and adjacent to the living area, but far enough away that no one has sensed them. Get ready to move.

Jared then held up three fingers and pointed toward the living room. Understanding, I nodded. He put one finger down, another, and then finally the third finger. At that, we all dashed at vampire momentum into the living room just as Sam, Damien, and Jude raced inside and instantly attacked. A battle then began.

It was absolute mayhem. Poisonous darts and energy balls were flying around; bolts of lightning were zapping people; psychic slaps were repeatedly rippling through the air; a black jaguar was launching itself at people, going for the jugular but not delivering a fatal bite. We all did our best to kick ass, but the opposition was good too. Strangling us with unseen hands, firing red-hot arrows, encasing people in a circle of flames, causing hallucinations, making skin feel feverish. No wonder these guys had earned spots in the legion.

By the time it was over, more of our people were injured. Some of the injuries would have been fatal. The other squads suffered more injuries than ours, meaning we won. Still, though, if this had been real we would have been mourning Chico, Damien, Reuben, Cassie, Denny, Alora, and Jude now. It was a reminder that Sam was right: no matter how powerful you were, all it took to be killed was to be faced with someone whose gift could combat yours.

“You all did good,” Sam told us once the other squads had left.

“Did good? I would have been dead now.” Chico looked more embarrassed than upset.

“Yeah, and that would have been right after Jude was ‘killed’. That distracted you and made you pissed. Am I right? This is part of why I wanted you all to train together. You can’t afford to let yourselves be distracted or fight in anger. If something bad happens to any of you – even if it’s to someone you care about – you take that rage and you use it as fuel. Then later, after the battle is over, you can cry and rant and break shit. Until then, you shelve it all. If you don’t, you risk not only your life, but the lives of those who are relying on you to watch their backs.”

“Consider it a learning experience,” Jared suggested.

Just as Sam was about to signal for us to leave, I said, “I don’t think I should be partnered with Salem for the battle.”

Salem rounded on me. “What?”

Ignoring him, I continued. “This was only a practice session, and yet he wanted to hold me back. He even kept me at the rear at one point, trying to keep me safe, which almost caused me to be attacked from behind.”

He growled. “I let you go ahead with Max and Stuart to get rid of the guards, didn’t I?”

“Two things about that statement proves my point. Not only did you use the word ‘let’ – which suggests you don’t see us as a partnership at all – but I was only forty feet in front of you at the time with Max and Stuart as back up. If I remember rightly, you still hesitated to ‘let’ me do that, even though this was only practice.”

He growled again, holding my gaze as if he was trying to stare me down.

Sam cleared her throat. “Maybe we should partner you with someone else, Ava.”

His head whipped round to face Sam. “Don’t even think it, Coach.”

“Salem, every single person here is important to this battle. If you’re acting in ways that stop Ava from being the asset that she is – which will also distract you and piss her off – then you’re better off apart.”

“Try it,” he snarled.

She just rolled her eyes, sighing. “Salem, don’t be bloody awkward.”

“And watch your tone,” warned Jared.

There was a short silence. “Me and Ava need to talk.” Salem fisted his hand in my t-shirt and lifted me.

“Put me down!” But he didn’t. He moved at vampire momentum, stopping halfway through the rainforest. When he released me, I snarled at him. “That really has to stop.”

“Do you really want to be partnered with someone else, Ava? Or did you just say that to make me as pissed off as you are?”

“I truly want it. The fact that it pisses you off is just a bonus.”

“You want to be away from me during the battle, not knowing where I am or if I’m alive?” That seemed to actually hurt him, which wasn’t my intention, even though he had agitated the shit out of me.

“Don’t you get it? If we’re distracted by each other, we will get hurt.”

“It doesn’t work that way for Coach and Jared.”

“Because they work as a team. Oh, I’m sure it galls him that they have to, and I’m sure there have been plenty of occasions when he’s tried to protect her even though she doesn’t need him to. But they still consider themselves a team. They trust each other to watch the other’s back. You see me as someone you need to protect. You don’t see me as someone who can kick ass as good as you, who can defend myself or protect you if necessary.”

“I know you’re deadly. I’ve seen you fight.”

“Yet you insist on treating me like I can’t protect myself.” I sounded sad even to me.

He was still and silent, but he wasn’t calming. “I couldn’t protect them, Ava.”

He meant his family and Sandra, I knew.

“I couldn’t even save myself, in the end which is why I’m here now. But I’ll be damned if I ever let anything happen to you.”