Free Victoria's Challenge by M. K. Eidem

yourself. I would recommend something that doesn’t involve cutting but it’s up to you.”
    The thought of feeding himself , distracts him from whatever thoughts he’d been having as she’d hoped. She really didn’t want to get into it with him.
    “I’m ready for that? ” Lucas can’t hide his surprise. “Tanner took two moon cycles.”
    “I said try. ” The smile she gives him is forced. “It’s going to be messy but would be considered therapy.”
    “Yeah, I’d like to try . Victoria…”
    “Leave it alone. ” Returning, she wraps his fingers, hands and arms up to his elbows. “I’ll get the meal. You will not lift anything while I’m gone.” At his look, her eyes harden. “If you do, you could tear a tendon or muscle, they’re still fragile. If you do that, you’re back to the first treatment. It’s that serious.”
    Looking at her, he can tell she means it.
    “I’ll sit here like a good little boy. ” He tells her causing her lips to twitch.
    “I doubt you were ever a good little boy.” Standing, she gets second meal.
     
    Waiting, Lucas can do nothing but think. Think about the explosion. Think about Hot Dog. Think about the treatments. Think about Victoria. Victoria. Sighing, he leans his head back. What is he going to do about Victoria?
    He kn ows what he wants to do. Hell, he’s a man. She’s a woman… a woman. When had he stopped thinking about her as a child? In the maintenance room? After the explosion when she’d breezed into medical and taken control? When she’d done what needed to be done, knowing it was going to hurt. Hurt her. Hurt him. During the treatments? Those fucking painful treatments, when she’d let him lean on her, literally, comforting him the only way she could, knowing she was causing the excruciating pain.
    If they just met, here, now, on the Retribution, he’d want her . Would pursue her. Would fall in love with her. So why isn’t he? Because he doesn’t want to be hurt, hurt if she chooses someone else. What if she doesn’t feel the same way he does, if it really is hero worship, it would destroy him. Laughing silently he closes his eyes. Could anything hurt worse than having her jerk away from him?
     
    “It could hurt.” Matthew Zafar looks at his grandson.
    “What ? Granddad?” Lucas stares into eyes he hasn’t seen in cycles. Glancing around, he finds they’re on the high bank of the lake near the family cabin.
    “Hello , Lucas.”
    “What’s going on?”
    “You’re thinking about taking the leap, it could hurt.”
    “What are you talking about? ” Matthew gestures to the rope in his hand.
    Realizing he’s in his swim gear , Lucas smiles. The Zafar leap. Swing off the bank, across the rocks, into the cool, deep waters of the lake. Every Zafar has done it before entering the Academy.
    “It’s a risk, an unnecessary one. You could get hurt.”
    “You always say living is a risk. ” Lucas looks back to his granddad.
    “True . Are you sure that the rope will hold you? What if it breaks?”
    “It won’t break. ” He tells him confidently.
    “How do you know?”
    “Because you put that rope there, knowing I would be using it. You’d never do anything to hurt me.”
    “I seem to recall beating your butt a time or two.”
    “Well yeah, but that’s different, it was for my own good.”
    “You didn’t think so at the time.”
    “No. But I’m older now.”
    “It’s still an unnecessary risk . Your life won’t end if you don’t take it.”
    “But then I’ll always wonder if I should have, and that would be worse than getting hurt. At least then I’d know for sure.” Matthew nods.
    “It’s always better to know, even if you don’t like the answer . You have to trust yourself Lucas. Trust the rope… that it won’t break… get a good grip…”
     
    “Lucas?” Victoria gently touches his shoulder. The way his hands are twitching, concerns her. “Lucas.” Putting a knee on the couch, she’s leaning over him, ready