Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

"Iwill see you this evening, hailee." Triton took a kiss from Elowyn, who looked so much better these last two weeks. His color had returned, and he had put on a bit of weight somewhere not his belly.

He had even allowed Leilani to go spend the night with Rowan the night before, so that the three of them could make gentle love.

Triton and Cerran were over the moon.

"Have a good day of flying and training, braaken," Elowyn told him with a sweet smile.

"Thank you. Enjoy your day with Cerran." Cerran was taking Elowyn and Leilani to the pool today. Elowyn loved to float, feeling weightless for a while at least.

"I will. Join us if you get the chance."

"Mmm. I think Reno intends to run me all day." He chuckled. There were some new recruits to the security force, and he wanted to help vet them.

"You love it."

"I do." He winked, then headed out, humming under his breath. Oh, it was cold out, and he wished he had Cerran's steam to warm him, but lightning would do the trick. He let it crackle through him, and that helped him feel as though his joints could move.

He jogged the last hundred yards to the training rooms, warming up all his muscles so he could pummel the youngsters and keep up with them.

"Triton! You're early." Reno laughed and clapped him on the back. "I'm impressed, considering you have a pregnant mate."

"I know! Boone, it's good to see you." He gave Boone a warrior handshake.

"You too, my friend. We seem to miss each other more often than not."

"Children and mates, no?"

"They do keep us on our toes," Boone agreed. "You ready to run these kids through their paces?"

"I am. They need to be prepared for anything, and we will hope for nothing."

"Exactly." They all grinned at each other.

This type of training was familiar, something he understood, deep down. He disliked that it was necessary, but—he did enjoy the training.

The recruits began filing in, and Triton studied them. So young. So nervous.

"How did we end up with so many alphas?" he muttered.

"We're the ones who get banished if there are too many of us," Boone said. "Like me and Reno here."

"Oh." At least they'd needed him at the wing…

"We need to import more omegas," Reno said cheerfully, flexing his hands, swinging his arms.

"We'll put an ad in the newspaper."

"Right! Okay, you lot, we're gonna run some laps!" Reno bellowed.

"Hooray!" They started running, like a flock of muscular birds.

Triton shook his head. "I don't recall ever cheering."

"I think they just want something to do." Boone rolled his eyes. "They're very young, remember, and filled with piss and vinegar."

"Ah, yes." He watched them all, noticing one who was lagging, not really putting in the effort. He frowned, because the young one looked familiar somehow. "Who is that one? The slow one?"

"Hmm?" Reno squinted. "His name is Leton. He's from the St. Lawrence keep, it says."

"He seems weirdly familiar to me." And Triton didn't like that.

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Do you know that keep?"

"No." It was farther north and much farther inland than where they'd come from, and it was not where Triton had gone to fight for the keep they had an alliance with. "It's probably nothing."

"I don't believe in coincidence," Reno growled.

"Then we're in a perfect place to keep an eye on him." That was Boone, nodding to both of them. "Just in case."

"You have a point, friend Boone. We will watch and learn." Defend and protect.

"He's in our territory," Reno agreed. "Hand-to-hand next?"

"Yes. Let us test their skills." He couldn't hide his smile. He would assure the little ones understood how powerful their elders were.

"Good man." Reno clapped him on the back. "I can tell you're looking forward to it."

Boone flexed his hands. "So am I."

"Then let's put our backs to this." He wanted to watch them work, and he wanted to see them sweat.

Reno called a halt to the running, and they paired off with the recruits, a few of them having to spar each other.

Triton took the familiar one, wanting to see him up close.

There was something familiar there, and he wished Cerran was here to tell him all about it. Tomorrow. Tomorrow they could come together. Cerran would know who this young one was, if they had actually met him. Cerran never forgot a face.

Him? He never forgot a grappling style.

He quirked his fingers, nodding. "Bring it on."

The kid's chin set in a determined rocklike state, and then he rushed at Triton.

He wasn't fast, but the kid was strong, muscles clenched and massive. Triton had to work to get the momentum behind the rush to take the young one down. There was…anger in his touch.

He growled softly, warning the kid off. I don't think so.

Is he fighting dirty? That came from Reno, who grappled a gangly young dragon with violently pink scales scattered across his nose.

He's fighting with fury. I don't like it.

Ah. I don't like it either. Makes me wonder about his issue.

Triton ducked a blow that might had rung his ears if it had connected. He stepped back, hands up. "We need to discuss sparring, Leton."

Instead of stopping, Leton attacked, hitting him hard enough so that the entire fighting salle stopped to watch.

Triton stepped in, turning sideways to deflect the next blow, then sweeping Leton's feet out from under him. "What is wrong with you?" he thundered.

"Nothing! You said to fight! I fucking fought! You assholes are all the same."

"I said we were sparring. I am not your enemy. I am training you to defend your keep."

"You're just another alpha trying to drive us out of our homes!"

Triton stared down at Leton, then sighed, holding down a hand to pull him up. "I am a banished warrior, Leton. Just like you. I am trying to help you find a home here."

"But this isn't—I want a mate, a family! I wanted?—"

"You wanted them to want you." Boone's voice was knowing. "It hurts to be denied."

Leton stared at the mat on the floor. "Yes. I was good enough. I just wasn't from a high family."

"Then you are needed here. We need warriors who can serve, who have skills. Not family names." Boone put his hands on his hips.

Triton nodded. "You have worth here—because you are here. Not because of your mate, your family. Because you are here."

"I—I need." Leton shook, his chest heaving, clearly having a major shift of thinking, which was manifesting in a physical way.

Triton handed the kid a water and a towel. "Breathe. In and out, hmm? Walk it out."

"Thank you." Head still down, Leton paced off, and he exchanged a glance with Reno.

"He's angry," Reno said as everyone else got back to sparring without them.

"He is. I'm glad he's here and not where someone else could recruit him against us." Triton hated that thought. There had to be more disenfranchised young alphas out there who were looking for someone to blame for their predicament, someone who was not from the only home they'd ever known.

Of course, that still didn't explain why Leton looked so familiar if they'd never met before.

He would still have to show him to Cerran. One could never be too careful.