Talented by Sophie Davis Read Free Book Online Page B

just get frustrated at how little alone time we have together.”
    “ I know.  Me too.  It’ll get better,” I promised, even though I knew that wasn’t really true.  Usually, younger Hunters and Pledges lived in the cabins for years before being moved to the individual, private suites in the apartments that housed the rest of the Operatives at Elite Headquarters.
    He started walking again.  My cabin was only a short way from his so it didn’t take us long to get there.  He kissed me on the cheek before saying goodnight.  He started walking away, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back to me.
    “ You aren’t getting off that easy,” I proclaimed.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.  At first, he merely complied but soon he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him harder.  I kissed him deeper.  I heard catcalls.  Donavon placed me back on my feet.
    “ Goodnight, Talia.”  He turned and started walking away.  “ I love you.”
    “I know,” I replied.
    I looked around, seeking out the catcallers.  I spotted them sitting outside of a cabin a couple down from mine.  I gave them a rude hand gesture before walking into my own.
    Neither Erik nor Henri was inside.  Weird.  It was so close to curfew.  Sitting on my bed was a bouquet of flowers made up of vibrant blues, purples and pinks.  Attached to the flowers’ paper wrapping was a note with one word.  “Sorry”.  They were from Erik.  I rolled my eyes, and dropped the beautiful flowers on to my bedside table before climbing into bed.  I was so tired that I didn’t hear either of the boys come in shortly thereafter.

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    The morning sun streamed in through the window of the cabin, waking me early . I needed to remember to close the curtains before bed.  I blinked several times, trying to clear the sleep from my eyes.  I stretched, turning my head left, then right.  When I looked right, I noticed that somebody had put my flowers in a glass vase with water on the table next to my bed. I smiled to myself.  I was about to sit up when a pillow came sailing across the room, hitting me in the face.  I groaned.
    “Get up. We’re all having breakfast together,” Henri’s voice sounded muffled from where I lay underneath the pillow.  I sat up and looked around the room.
    “Where’s Erik?” I asked, noticing immediately that he wasn’t in his bed.
    “Shower.  He was afraid he would be resigned to taking cold showers from now on if he didn’t start beating you in there,” Henri replied dryly.  “Get up and get ready.  We have a lot to do today.”
    I groaned again, grudgingly rolled myself out of bed, and got ready.  The three of us headed to Henri’s favorite café for a bread heavy breakfast.  Erik didn’t mention our fight from the day before, so I didn’t bring it up either.
    Over breakfast Henri outlined different strategies that he thought we should try and reinforced how important it was that we – and by “we” I knew he meant me – nail the three-way mental connection.
    After breakfast, I worked tirelessly trying to connect all three of our minds while we ran through combat drills, pushing myself harder than I had been in the previous two weeks.  A couple of times I was able to make the connection, but I was unable to hold on.  By lunch I was mentally exhausted; I wasn’t sure if I could go another round in the afternoon.  Thankfully, Henri that decided we would switch to the mental relaying of messages, which came easier, for our afternoon session.  By the end of practice, I was nearly shaking from fatigue.  The mental exertion combined with the extreme physical activity just about sent me over the edge.
    At School, students were put through rigorous training schedules but nothing like what I’d experienced in my short time here.
    “Let’s go back and shower and then we can head to dinner,” Henri announced, after I had tripped over my own feet for what