40. Drova

40

DROVA

D rova ran the polishing cloth over her boots for what must have been the hundredth time that day, studying her reflection in the gleaming black leather. The boots were identical to the ones her mother wore, which was why she'd almost never worn them, but they were what the Guardian force used, and she wanted to look the part.

"Drova!" Her mother's voice carried through the house. "We need to leave in five minutes."

She glanced at her watch. The meeting was in half an hour, and it took no more than ten minutes to get to the training center, but her mother believed in arriving early rather than risking being late.

Tardiness implied disrespect in her mother's rulebook.

"Coming!" Drova gave the boots one final swipe before pulling them on.

The all-black outfit she'd chosen might also seem like an attempt to impersonate a Guardian, but that was what she and Jade usually wore. Now that Drova was the same height as her mother, she often took clothes from her closet.

Jade didn't mind.

Glancing at her reflection in the glass doors of her bedroom, Drova took a deep breath, smoothed her hand over her ponytail, and turned to walk out the door.

This meeting with Onegus and Peter could change everything for her. There would be no more endless hours of studying human history, no more being treated like a kid by the older Kra-ell and a suspect by everyone else.

But first, Onegus and Peter had to accept her.

"These boots never looked shinier," Phinas said, his tone teasing. "But if you keep it up, you'll make a hole in them."

"I won't." She cast her mother's mate a smile. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Drova." He clapped her back. "But you need to remember that it's just a preliminary meeting, and there is no guarantee you'll get in. They're only going to assess you."

She nodded. "I want this, Phinas. This could be my chance to actually do something meaningful. To prove myself."

His expression softened. "We spend our lives proving ourselves. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon, and if you don't get this assignment, there will be others. You are a capable fighter, you are smart, and you are a damn powerful compeller. They need you."

"I know, but they think of me as the troublemaker who can't be trusted."

He shrugged. "Actions have consequences, kid. That's life."

Drova let out a breath. "Even my mother doesn't trust me."

"Drova." Jade walked into the living room. "We need to be out the door right now."

"Time to go." Phinas clapped her back again. "Remember to be honest about your abilities and your willingness to learn. That's all they're looking for."

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one who had to convince the clan's leadership that she could be trusted on a mission outside the village.

Dear Mother of All Life, how she wanted the opportunity to prove herself.

Jade opened the front door, her expression neutral, but Drova knew her mother was anxious. If she messed up or said something stupid, it would reflect badly on Jade.

Already, the stunt she had pulled with the teenagers was undermining her mother's position as the leader of the Kra-ell. Pavel had told her that people were gossiping, saying that Jade was unfit to lead them because she couldn't even keep her own daughter under control.

Control was everything to the Kra-ell, and the idiots should realize that she had the ultimate power to control them all if she so pleased. Once she took over from her mother, they wouldn't be able to even think those nasty thoughts, let alone say them.

Only that was far into the future because Drova was too young to lead, and Jade was too young to quit and pass the role to someone else. The idiots should count their blessings for having her mother as their leader. Jade was just the right combination of strict and moderate, and she listened to their stupid grievances.

Igor would have just squashed them under his boot like the bugs they were.

A shiver ran down her spine as the image of his face appeared in her mind. He had been more of a machine than the damned Odus. There had been no life in those dead eyes of his. He'd never gotten angry, but he'd never been happy either. She'd never seen him smiling a genuine smile.

Not at her anyway.

Igor could rot in that stasis coffin for all she cared. He'd never been a father to her, and she'd only realized that having one was nice when Phinas had mated her mother.

Not that he pretended to be her father or asked her to call him Dad or anything. But he was there when she needed him, and he was a pleasant presence in their house, which Drova couldn't even say about her own mother.

As they passed the administration building, the front door opened, and Kian emerged.

"Good afternoon." He fell into step beside them.

"Good afternoon," Jade said.

Drova dipped her head. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Don't thank me yet," Kian replied. "This meeting is just a brainstorming session to see how your unique talents can be utilized for the new types of missions we have in mind. There are many factors that need to be considered, and your natural ability is just one of them."

Drova had no problem reading between the lines.

They could use her compulsion ability, maybe even her fighting skills, but she hadn't trained with the Guardians, and she was considered unreliable.

It was a huge surprise that Kian had even thought of her for those new missions, whatever they might be. They would want to assess her ability to follow orders without question.

As they entered the pavilion and her mother called up the elevator, Drova's heartbeat accelerated.

This was where she belonged, not buried in books. She was a warrior, like her mother, like all their people. She just needed the chance to prove it.