Hauk paused to frown at her. In his eyes, she saw a kindred spirit, and knew he understood exactly what she was talking about. It brought a tenderness to her heart that was as startling as it was unexpected. And as they walked, she found her gaze continually straying to him.

He cut an incredible sight as his muscles bulged from the load he carried effortlessly. She envied him that ability. Most of all, she envied those pants that cupped an ass so sweet she ached to take a bite out of it.

Sumi!

Her face heated up instantly, making her grateful for the darkness. It wasn’t like her to have those kinds of thoughts. After what had happened with Darnell and Avin, and the ordeal of League training, she’d never thought to find a man attractive again.

Hauk’s not a man.

True, but as an Andarion, he was even more dangerous to her. Stronger. Scarier.

Faster.

And yet, she felt safe with him. You’re insane. If he ever learned what you’re here to do, he’d cut your throat quicker than he took out the assassins tonight.

That was definitely true.

“You know what really chaps me?” Thia asked suddenly.

Sumi gave a light laugh as she considered the answer. “Well, from all the drama and death threats of the last two days, dare I say, Darice?”

Thia snickered while Darice glared at her in the darkness. “Well yeah, okay. I’ll give you that. But no. If I were at home, my dad would have known the instant my heart rate went up. Three guards and two drones would have magically appeared and laid a bead on whatever was annoying me.”

Hauk laughed.

Thia tried to shove him, but it didn’t alter his stride at all. “It’s not funny.”

Hauk tsked at her. “It could be worse, little sister.”

“How?”

“Your father has five other children and your mother he also loses sleep over. Imagine poor Devyn. Both his parents are overprotective psychos, and he’s got their combined undivided attention on him all the time. Not to mention Vik, who never sleeps.”

Thia made a face of utter pain. “Oooo. You’re right. No one hooks me up to a monitor and draws blood from me every time I sneeze.”

Sumi arched a brow.

“His dad’s a doctor,” Thia explained. “If Dev so much as hiccups, his father runs every known test to make sure he hasn’t contracted some incurable rare disease. And don’t get me started on his mother. Aunt Shahara makes Uncle Syn look like the negligent, uncaring parent.”

Hauk passed an amused smirk to Sumi. “She’s not kidding. I was playing with Devyn when he was a baby, and I pretended to drop him. His dad snatched him from me, and his mother shot me for it.”

Sumi gasped. “No, they didn’t!”