It took a week to convince Kheelan and Drake to let me start training again. It also involved many broken objects thrown mainly at Kheelan's head. I hadn't hit him yet but my speed was definitely improving.

"So, what are we going to do out here?" I asked Drake, limbering up as he tested the balance of his sword.

"We'll start where we left off." Drake swung his sword. "We'll try and get your body back into shape. You need to build up your strength again after being unconscious for a few weeks. We'll also start working on building upper strength. Wielding one sword is hard enough but two short swords will drain your strength faster."

"Alright, let's get physical."

I spent the next two months in a blur. Events melded together. Training and sneaking off with Kheelan and Sorcha so they could spend time together consumed my days. Any spare moment I had to myself I read about the dark forest, still believing it had something to do with my father. Unfortunately I kept coming to dead ends. There was no information about locations or even any of the survivors.

Drake became a drill sergeant while training. Every small error was scrutinised and I was pushed to perfect my swing. Drake also encouraged me to work on hand to hand combat. It was difficult to concentrate when his hands were touching me though, so my skills were still poor by his standards.

With swords though, I became dangerous. Ambrus trained me for one week while Drake returned to Court to attend to some problems and he was shocked at the speed of my progress.

"What has Drake been teaching you? I thought you guys were just out here playing with each other."

"What? Ew that's so gross Ambrus, I can't believe you just said that! I've been training my ass off out here." I held up my left sword. "Drake is a stickler, the other day I wasn't holding my left sword properly and he made me practice for three hours before he was satisfied I was doing it right."

"That sounds like the Captain. I trained with him when I was beginning. We joined the guard close together. He used to be training long after we all finished for the day. It was like he couldn't stop until he felt he'd perfected what we'd learned for the day."

I thought about Drake and Eva and how different they were. "It's weird, how Drake and Eva are so different though their siblings."

"Drake came to court when he was only a child with Eva only a young toddler. I don't know where he came from but he'd seen his fair share of demons. He's always been protective of her. I think that's why he joined the guard. So he could be strong enough to look after his little sister."

Damn, I hated hearing sweet things about Drake. It made me like him way more.

Two months of sweat and aching limbs all lead up to this moment. Sweat dripped in my eyes and I wiped them quickly, trying to remain focused. Drake stood before me, sword raised as he looked for an opening.

Today we were fighting with real weapons. We'd had a couple of practice runs and after a few shaming girly squeals whenever I got close to hitting him, I felt I was ready this time. I couldn't help but hesitate when I attacked, knowing he wasn't an enemy. I knew Drake was getting annoyed at my hesitation. For some reason it was important to him that I get this right.

Feeling tired, I made my final move. Lunging forward, I swung low with my left sword. He swung fast, intercepting my attack and I braced my arm as the shock reverberated up my arm. I knew Drake was going easy on me but easy was still strong.

Spinning, the swords scraped against each other and I raised my right sword, aiming for his neck. Gritting my teeth, I tried to remember that he was meant to be the enemy. Drake's left hand snapped up and grabbed my wrist, stopping my sword inches from his neck.

"Better," he grunted, his breath fanning my hair. "There was no hesitation this time. In a few more days I think you'll be ready."

"For what?"

"For taking me on me and Ambrus."

"Wait a minute." Moving away, I turned to face him. "Be kind and rewind. You're going to make me go up against you and Ambrus? At the same time?"

"Yes. You're more than ready to take on several opponents. You need to learn to expand your senses and focus on not just one enemy but all enemies surrounding you. You need to know where they are, what they're doing."

"Can't I just take a break? I've done nothing but train out here for two months! I thought this was going to be a holiday."

"If I recall correctly it was you who wanted to do this. There are no holidays out here Laila."

Undeterred, I tried again. "What about a day of rest? I've improved, Drake why do you keep pushing me?"

"Because you shouldn't just settle because now you know how to swing a couple of swords! This Faery in case you forgot. Out here you need to be prepared and there are creatures here which will use more than their strength to kill you. By training your body, I'm also training your mind. You need stronger mental defences. You also need to use your fae abilities more."

"I have been," I protested.

Drake ran a hand through his hair. "True, your speed and strength have definitely improved but it's more. I remember your father, he had certain abilities which were passed through your bloodline. Something to do with people's emotions. I though perhaps you may have them, lying latent. I'd like to work on developing those, they will be useful on and off the battle field."

"I don't need to work on those Drake."

"Yes, you do, stop being afraid of your abilities!" he snapped.

I held up a hand. "Okay, first of all, I don't because I've been able to use those abilities for years now. Secondly why is this all so important? You keep evading the question."

"It's important because I won't always be around to protect you!" He stabbed the ground with his sword and Alpin looked up from across the field before returning to sleep. "You need to be strong so I won't have to worry about you when I can't be with you."

"Drake,' I said softly. "I'll be fine. I can defend myself now and I'm not some innocent who knows nothing of this world. Okay granted I don't know everything but I think I know enough to keep myself out of trouble."

He stepped forward and cupped my face in his hands, leaning close. When he first started doing these kinds of things, I'd tried to resist, moving away and telling him to stop but I soon gave up. I welcomed his touch now, finding comfort with him being near. After two months of trying to resist my feelings, of using Kheelan as an excuse at every turn, I felt my defences beginning to crumble.

"I know, but I still worry,' he murmured. "So, you can use your abilities?"

"That's right."

"Time to test them out. What am I thinking right now?"

Grinning, I slapped his arm. "They don't work like that idiot. I can just sense people's emotions."

"Can you manipulate them?"

"What? No, I don't think so, at least I've never tried. I don't really want to either, it sounds wrong."

"Alright, what am I feeling right now then?"

I tried probing his barriers but as always I couldn't get a read on him. "I can't sense anything Drake. Your mental wall is too strong."

He seemed surprised and closed his eyes, his brow furrowing. "What about now?" I felt a small gap in his wall and tried to slip in, almost like taking a peek inside another room. Different emotions rushed through me and I tried to differentiate them. Worry, happiness were at the forefront but there was one he seemed to be pushing at me that made me jump back, breaking our connection.

Love.

"What did you sense?"

"I couldn't sense anything," I lied. "You need to learn how to let down those walls."

His eyes narrowed but I turned away, grabbing my swords from the ground. "I think you should ask Kalen to help you with your abilities. Kalen has great mind control and I think he'd be able to help you strengthen your skills."

I nodded, refusing to look at him. "I'll talk to him about it."

A hand spun me around. "Laila. What did you sense?"

"Nothing."

"I know you sensed something, I was practically shouting it at you. I lo-"

"No! No, don't say it!" I panicked.

His eyes darkened and I sensed an argument coming on. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not ready to hear it!"

The wall around his mind strengthened and the little hole vanished. Crap.

"Look, Drake I'm sorry, I just can't hear it right now." I tried to think of a reason other than my own fear of the words. In the end I resorted to old reliable. "I just feel so conflicted with Kheelan right now. I don't want to hurt his feelings. Don't you think about those things?"

"Of course I do," he said coldly. I knew he was pissed at having to repeat a conversation we'd had many times. "I think about them all the time. I have been loyal to Kheelan since I was a child. Then you arrive and for the first time I find my loyalty questioned. I want to remain loyal to him but my feelings for you refuse to honour that loyalty.

We've been through this before Laila. I would give up everything if it meant being with you. I know you feel the same about me, I've seen it in your eyes and I don't need any special abilities to sense that."

This conversation seemed to be taking a different route than the usual one I didn't like where it was going. "Drake, I'm sorr-"

"No don't. I'm tired of listening to your excuses. You keep hiding behind your fears. Fears of hurting a man you don't even love and fear of following in your parents ill-fated footsteps. Unless you find a way to get past those fears, I can't do this anymore."

Leaving me standing in the field, he grabbed his sword and headed back to the house. Alpin got up and trotted behind him. I felt like calling traitor.

It was suddenly very hard to breathe. How did this man know things about me before I even knew them myself? Kheelan was always my excuse to stop anything advancing between Drake and myself but was there really another reason? I'd seen what happened to my father when he gave everything up to be with my mother. Did I really want the same thing to happen to Drake?

Was that the real reason I fought so hard against my feelings?

Lying down I stared at the clouds. The more I thought about it the more his words made sense. I was hiding behind my fears. Fear of hurting Kheelan was a lie but there was the fear of Drake finding out and everything going pear shaped.

Annoyed, I slammed my fist in the dirt. "It would be so much easier if I could just tell him!"

"Who are you talking to?" Kheelan seemed to appear from nowhere. He walked over and lay down next to me.

"I'm talking to the clouds."

"I don't think they'll answer back." Kheelan reasoned.

"That's why I'm talking to them. I don't need someone's opinion, I just need to vent my frustration."

"Problems with Drake?"

Sighing, I told him about our argument. He seemed to agree with Drake. "I think he's right, Laila. You are hiding behind those fears. Your father was taken from you when you were young and so was your mother. I think you're afraid to care too much for anyone here in case they're taken from you."

"I guess..." I didn't want to admit he was right. "When did this turn into a therapy session?"

"Just now."

"Well there should be a comfy couch at least. Anyway let's stop talking about me for a moment, I need a distraction for a while. How are things going with Sorcha?"

I knew for a fact things were going very well. Kheelan seemed like a different guy when he was around her. At first I'd thought they were doomed, his awkwardness and stumbling over every sentence made me wince just remembering. It seemed though Sorcha liked those klutzy sort of guys.

There wasn't a day they didn't find some way to spend time together. Most days they waited for me to finish training so I could be used to help them sneak off together while I wandered aimlessly through the forest trying to pass the time by.

"Things are going very well,' I didn't have to look to know he had a goofy grin on his face. "I feel more comfortable around her now and certain aspects of the relationship are definitely progressing."

"Alright, going to put a stop to you right there. I don't want to know what aspects they are but kudos on the progression."

"Have you talked to Sorcha?"

My smile faded. "Not yet."

There was still a bit of friction between us. Alright so maybe the friction was mainly on my side. Sorcha had tried repeatedly to apologise but I always found a way to avoid the conversation. We were never alone in one room and if we were, I always left before things got too awkward.

Eva had caught on that something had happened but she didn't ask what. I knew she was trying to fix things in her own sweet way but this was something I needed to work through. I was having trouble letting go of my hurt towards her. I kept thinking I was over it and then she'd appear and it was all I could think about.

"I have way too many problems." I said out loud.

Kheelan patted my arm, knowing words were pointless to try and comfort me. He had become like an older brother to me in these few months. He made a small noise and I looked over. "What?"

"Kalen just contacted me. Apparently Drake has returned to Court. He did not say if he would return."

My eyes started stinging. "Oh."

"Work through those fears, Laila. He'll return."

"How do you know?" I whispered.

"Because he loves you. He won't give up on you so easily, Laila, trust me."

I hoped he didn't give up either.

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