The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 26 - TRITTEON

The violet faded away and I let out a long sigh. It wasn't hard to believe her. I had known Rilyin the majority of my life and that was exactly something he would have done. "I do know how he can be. I suppose I cannot blame you for the way he is. You were—you were unprepared to handle his legendary stamina and stubbornness."

She gave me a weak smile. "Legendary?"

Something inside me melted. It was almost a physical sensation. I didn't understand it, but I liked it. It was even more pleasant than seeing her discomfort. I held back my urge to return the smile and cleared my throat. "We—we have a lot to get through tonight. We should probably begin."

She nodded and sat forward.

I shot a quick look around and tapped a finger against my head.

Her thoughts and emotional and physical pain filled my head. I grimaced. Her regret and sadness were very real. She hadn't been faking anything.

"You thought I was faking?"

"I did not say that. It was merely an observation."

She gave me a disbelieving glare. "You're such a liar."

"Let's just begin."

"Fine."

"Now, the first thing you must never forget is that you cannot show a hint of emotion. Emotion is weakness."

"Do you follow this rule? I swear, every time I see you, you're either a robot or your eyes are turning black."

"If you're going to have a snide comment about every bit of information I give you, this is going to take all night."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Continue."

I motioned to her hands. "Your hands seem to be your biggest tells. Keep them relaxed and avoid clenching your fists. They tend to shake when you are anxious, and clenching just gives away that you are trying to hide it. Physically hide them if you cannot keep them under control."

She made a face. "I do that, don't I?"

"You are notorious for it," her Lexicon said.

"The second thing you need to remember is that you must take charge when the men salute. You are in command and they need to see that. They will not put their faith in your ability to lead them otherwise."

She bit her lips together, her discomfort resounding in her thoughts.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. "You have been fearlessly confronting everyone from the moment you arrived. This is no different. And we will work on getting the guards profiles ingrained in your head."

She cracked a smile.

For the first hour and a half, I grilled her on every guard until she had their names and faces memorized, along with every protocol, code, and plan for every possible situation. She absorbed it all like a sponge. She was almost eidetic in her retaining abilities. And I was entirely confident that her Lexicon would scoop up anything that slipped through the cracks.

Halfway through that two-hour mark, the numbing Veehms and drugs began to wear off and an eye watering stiffness in the area she had stabbed me forced me to lay down.

"Sit here," I said, beckoning her over.

She snorted.

I glared at her.

Her amusement faltered. "Oh, you're serious." She squinted at me. "I don't know about you, but I feel sitting beside the person who has tried on multiple occasions to kill me is unwise and irresponsible."