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hand immediately went to his side when he saw her raise a familiar looking blade in her right hand and study it. He stumbled when he realized that the reason it looked familiar was because his favorite blade was missing… well, not missing, it had been taken from under his nose by the ‘delicate, fragile’ female who didn’t mind blood… especially when it was someone else’s.
    A reluctant smile tugged at his lips when he saw Creon’s look of surprise followed by a shout of laughter. Viper bowed his head in acknowledgement of the prize taken. As he turned back toward the corridor, he couldn’t help but think that maybe he should have paid better attention to Riley when she was telling him about her sister and grandmother.
    *.*.*
    “Stop!” Creon ordered in disgust, wiping the sweat, and a little blood, off of his face. “If I was smart, I would just let you kill each other and be done with you both,” he added in a disgusted growl.
    “I have no problem with that,” Bahadur grinned, glancing at where Viper was standing.
    “In your dreams, Curizan,” Viper growled back.
    Viper refused to admit that over the past two months of travel, he had grown to not only respect the Curizan Admiral’s skills as a warrior, but also his quick wit and strange sense of humor. He glanced over to where Adalard lay on the floor of the training room, breathing deeply, and chuckled. Zebulon had been the only smart one of the group. He had decided it was safer to work out with the other warriors.
    “I’ve had my ass whipped enough, thank you,” Zebulon groaned after the last match. “I’m getting too old for this.”
    Viper had snorted at the excuse. Mandra’s Head of Security was just tired of being caught in the middle between him and Bahadur. He jerked when he felt a hard slap on his shoulder. Scowling at Bahadur, he flashed his teeth in warning.
    “Stow your teeth, cat-shifter,” Bahadur murmured. “I have enough of their imprints in my hide. First round of drinks are on me tonight.”
    Viper stared suspiciously at Bahadur before giving him a curt nod. “I will meet you in the lounge in a half hour.”
    Bahadur winced as he rubbed his arm. Looking down at it, he gave a small snort before gazing back up at Viper with a crooked grin. A wry sense of humor glimmered in his eyes.
    “Perfect, that will give me time to have the healer give me a shot,” he replied dryly. “You broke the skin again.”
    Viper grinned as he turned away. “I know,” he retorted. “Your blood tastes as foul as I thought it would.”
    “Ha ha,” Bahadur muttered, following Viper’s departing back. “I should have made you do first rounds.”
    *.*.*
    Two hours later, Viper reclined back in a chair next to the large viewport lining the wall, sipping a strong liquor that Bahadur said came from the mountainous areas of his world. He stretched his long legs out in front of him and released a heavy sigh.
    “What is it? Still wishing you had killed me?” Bahadur asked, breaking the silence. “It was war. I did what I had to do to protect my people, just as you did.”
    Viper took another sip of the strong drink before he lowered it to stare down into the swirling orange colored liquid. He waited as the fire of the liquor burned down his throat, hit his stomach and exploded outward to ignite his blood as it coursed through his system. They were on their third round and he was beginning to feel the power behind the potent blend.
    “I know,” Viper replied in a low voice. He looked up at Bahadur. “Senseless deaths on all sides that could have been avoided if we had known the extent of the traitors involved.”
    “Raffvin is dead. That is a major blow to them,” Bahadur pointed out in satisfaction.
    “Yes, but he was not alone,” Viper responded. “There are others still out there, trying to bring us down.”
    Bahadur took a deep gulp of the orange liquor, draining his glass and reaching for the bottle sitting on the low table next to him.