Free Hellhound Born (Kasadya #3) by Karen Swart Page A

When I started teaching Kali it felt natural. Watching her perfect her moves, like Raven had done, brought joy to me. But knowing that I also trained my own enemy brought with it a new feeling. I knew that trusting wouldn’t be as easy as it used to be. But, I still want to be a custos one day. I wanted to teach others and see them grow into the warriors they were meant to be, like Max and Ben. My heart bled when I thought about Ryan. He was a good man; he hadn’t deserved to die like that.
     
    “Impressive Kas, you’re a natural at this,” Lada pitched in too.
    “If you trained Max you can train anyone,” I replied, trying to escape bad memories.
    Memories I knew would never leave me. I would carry them with me to my death, maybe even beyond.
     
    The others were still stuck in the lab so we started supper. We ate and chatted the rest of the night, enjoying our time off from hunting. Soon we were all tired and retreated to our rooms. Walking my room, there was no negative impact, like yesterday. I was tired and didn’t really give a crap. With a quick shower I made my way back to the bed. Dropping down, I wished for a peaceful dream instead of another nightmare. When the darkness claimed me, I was in paradise.
     
     
     

Chapter 7
     
     When I woke this morning, the bitter taste that had plagued me was gone. For once I didn’t have any nightmares. I got out of bed, intent to go to the bathroom, and stopped dead in my tracks. There, sleeping in the chair in my room, was Chax.
    What the hell? What is he doing in my room?
     Pissed I stomped over to him, ready to whack him, but stopped. He looked so peaceful and kind of cute. I stood there and looked at him, and I mean really looked at him.
     
    For once his defenses were down. He was just normal, and even more attractive. With a groan I marched to the bathroom. When I returned to my room, he was awake and stalking about.
    “Morning,” I greeted as I leaned against the door, observing him.
    He stopped and looked at me, a relieved look crossing his face, but was quickly replaced with that usual blank look.
    “Morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked as he moved towards the door, ready to bolt at any moment.
     “Yes, thank you. Did you sleep well in that chair?” I questioned, intrigued by what his excuse was going to be.
     
    He was unsettled by my question and looked out of place for a moment.
    “You were distressed, sleeping close by helps to calm you.” He reached for the door, opened it and then stepped out.
     “Thank you,” I called out before the door shut. He stopped and looked back at me, his eyes captured mine and I could see the impact those two words had. Self-consciously I rubbed my hand over one arm, trying rub away the goosebumps that just spread over me. His eyes dropped and followed the gesture, making me pause and holding my breath. Then as if coming to his senses, he nodded and then closed the door. I was left in utter shock. He would sleep in a chair just to be close to me and give me some peace.
    Holy crap! I know nothing about him .
    Shaking my head, I started to dress and get ready for the day. I hoped they would have some good news.
     
    I needed to get out there and at least try to stop Ballen. Images of the battle crossed my mind. I needed to do something today. I marched down the stairs and found the gang all together, their bodies cramped into the small kitchen. As I walked in, my eyes focused on the pair making breakfast. Max and Nanini were behind the stove and counter, working together without uttering one bad word to each other. I sat down at the table, fascinated by the scene in front of me. Max reached for the spices in the cupboard and gave Nanini what she needed. She took it with a small smile and poured some of the spices into a pan she was stirring. They looked like Caim and Zurita, like a real couple. My eyes traveled to Chax, who had been watching me. Our eyes locked for a moment, the sparks between us threatening to