Stars of Fortune
Page 74
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She wasn’t sure if the sound the wolf made was agreement or resignation, but it wasn’t quite a growl.
“You should go down, get warm and dry. You might not be able to add anything to the strategy session, but you can listen.”
The wolf walked to the door. Sasha followed, opened it.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
She closed the door quietly on what she decided was the strangest conversation she’d ever had.
Suddenly, it struck her. Could she sense Riley’s feelings—in wolf form? Feelings echoed thoughts. So if she could, there could be more of a conversation.
She’d ask Riley if she was open to trying it.
But for now, with the storm blowing out to sea, she got her supplies, and began creating a chart.
She did a draft, edited it, re-edited it. It took longer than she’d imagined. She finished it, perfected it, then wrote out a supply list with a lot less fuss.
Done, she forced herself to put in fifteen minutes with Riley’s bands, and tried some push-ups. She would get stronger.
Still alone, she slid into bed with her sketch pad.
And fell asleep with a half dozen sketches of the wolf on her page.
When Bran slipped in beside her, she sensed his warmth, turned to him.
“It’s late.” He brushed his lips over her brow. “Sleep.”
So she slept on, and dreamed of a room lined in gold and silver, studded with jewels, mirror-bright.
She dreamed of the god who sat on her golden throne, staring into those jewels, her beauty dark and unearthly.
The reflections, dozens and dozens, covered those walls, and were wizened, hideous, twisted.
On the god’s scream of rage, the jewels shattered.
And the walls ran with blood.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rising at dawn was one thing. Rising at dawn for some yoga stretching was actually rather pleasant. But following that rather pleasant stretching by being whipped into squats and lunges changed the entire complexion.
She kept up, well enough, but squats, lunges, jumping jacks with Annika smiling, even letting out an occasional laugh, as she herself struggled through them—without even a single hit of coffee—made Sasha want to try out her right jab on her friend’s beautiful face.
Then came the dreaded push-ups.
She was the only one of the six who couldn’t manage more than two. One and a half if she was honest. Even with her knees down in what Riley called (with a definite sneer) girl push-ups, she struggled.
She would get stronger.
Pull-ups—not even one. Crunches until her abs screamed. More stretching—thank God—then a jog down the cliff steps, along the beach, then back.
Where she just collapsed on the grass in a gasping heap.
“I hate you.” She could barely pant it out. “Especially Doyle, but all of you.”
“That’s a start. Who’s on breakfast detail?” Doyle asked.
“The chart’s in my room. Someone who can still walk should go get it.”
“I’ll get it.” Annika, barely winded, dashed off.
From her prone position, Sasha bared her teeth. “Maybe I hate her even more than Doyle.”
Moaning, she rolled over, made herself stand on wobbly, vibrating legs. Actively scowled when Annika bounced back with the chart.
“I cook with Sawyer today. I can make the coffee. I know how. It’s so pretty!” She turned the chart around for all to see.
Sasha had color-coded it, and since she’d been in a fine mood before this morning’s torture, had illustrated the chart.
Pretty little drawings of pots and pans, a lawn mower, a garden, pecking chickens, the pool, and so on—along with sketches of everyone beside their names.
“I want that,” Sawyer said immediately. “I want that when we’re done. It goes in the kitchen for now, but I’m calling dibs. Let’s go cook, Annika.”
“Can I break the eggs?” she asked as they headed toward the villa. “It looks like fun.”
“There’s a woman who makes her own fun. Let’s find out if she can make coffee.”
“Hold on a minute,” Doyle said to Riley. “You got any Tai Chi?”
Riley tapped her right fist to her open left palm. “Sure.”
“Take Sasha through a beginner’s session.”
“What! Why? No.” Though it shamed her, Sasha was weak enough to look at Bran for help. But he only smiled, gave her arm an encouraging pat.
“It’ll help with your balance and centering,” Doyle said. “You want to catch up with everyone else, you need a little extra. Twenty minutes should do it. How about you show me some of what you’ve put together,” he said to Bran, “while they’re cooking.”
“All right.” Bran took Sasha’s face, kissed her lightly. “Twenty minutes,” he repeated, and left her.
“I want coffee,” Sasha insisted. “I want to sit down. I think I want my mommy.”
“There’s no whining in Tai Chi. Feet slightly apart, knees loose. Breathe from here.” She slapped a hand on Sasha’s aching abs.
“Oh, God.”
“You wanted a unit, Sash. Looks like you’ve got one.”
“It hurts.”
“No pain, no gain,” Riley shot back with merciless cheer. “I’ll go over philosophy later, because I damn well want coffee, too, but for now, breathe in from your center, and do what I do.”
At least the movements were slow, and she had to admire Riley’s fluidity as she tried to mimic them. But that didn’t stop her quads from aching like rotted teeth.
“You should go down, get warm and dry. You might not be able to add anything to the strategy session, but you can listen.”
The wolf walked to the door. Sasha followed, opened it.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
She closed the door quietly on what she decided was the strangest conversation she’d ever had.
Suddenly, it struck her. Could she sense Riley’s feelings—in wolf form? Feelings echoed thoughts. So if she could, there could be more of a conversation.
She’d ask Riley if she was open to trying it.
But for now, with the storm blowing out to sea, she got her supplies, and began creating a chart.
She did a draft, edited it, re-edited it. It took longer than she’d imagined. She finished it, perfected it, then wrote out a supply list with a lot less fuss.
Done, she forced herself to put in fifteen minutes with Riley’s bands, and tried some push-ups. She would get stronger.
Still alone, she slid into bed with her sketch pad.
And fell asleep with a half dozen sketches of the wolf on her page.
When Bran slipped in beside her, she sensed his warmth, turned to him.
“It’s late.” He brushed his lips over her brow. “Sleep.”
So she slept on, and dreamed of a room lined in gold and silver, studded with jewels, mirror-bright.
She dreamed of the god who sat on her golden throne, staring into those jewels, her beauty dark and unearthly.
The reflections, dozens and dozens, covered those walls, and were wizened, hideous, twisted.
On the god’s scream of rage, the jewels shattered.
And the walls ran with blood.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Rising at dawn was one thing. Rising at dawn for some yoga stretching was actually rather pleasant. But following that rather pleasant stretching by being whipped into squats and lunges changed the entire complexion.
She kept up, well enough, but squats, lunges, jumping jacks with Annika smiling, even letting out an occasional laugh, as she herself struggled through them—without even a single hit of coffee—made Sasha want to try out her right jab on her friend’s beautiful face.
Then came the dreaded push-ups.
She was the only one of the six who couldn’t manage more than two. One and a half if she was honest. Even with her knees down in what Riley called (with a definite sneer) girl push-ups, she struggled.
She would get stronger.
Pull-ups—not even one. Crunches until her abs screamed. More stretching—thank God—then a jog down the cliff steps, along the beach, then back.
Where she just collapsed on the grass in a gasping heap.
“I hate you.” She could barely pant it out. “Especially Doyle, but all of you.”
“That’s a start. Who’s on breakfast detail?” Doyle asked.
“The chart’s in my room. Someone who can still walk should go get it.”
“I’ll get it.” Annika, barely winded, dashed off.
From her prone position, Sasha bared her teeth. “Maybe I hate her even more than Doyle.”
Moaning, she rolled over, made herself stand on wobbly, vibrating legs. Actively scowled when Annika bounced back with the chart.
“I cook with Sawyer today. I can make the coffee. I know how. It’s so pretty!” She turned the chart around for all to see.
Sasha had color-coded it, and since she’d been in a fine mood before this morning’s torture, had illustrated the chart.
Pretty little drawings of pots and pans, a lawn mower, a garden, pecking chickens, the pool, and so on—along with sketches of everyone beside their names.
“I want that,” Sawyer said immediately. “I want that when we’re done. It goes in the kitchen for now, but I’m calling dibs. Let’s go cook, Annika.”
“Can I break the eggs?” she asked as they headed toward the villa. “It looks like fun.”
“There’s a woman who makes her own fun. Let’s find out if she can make coffee.”
“Hold on a minute,” Doyle said to Riley. “You got any Tai Chi?”
Riley tapped her right fist to her open left palm. “Sure.”
“Take Sasha through a beginner’s session.”
“What! Why? No.” Though it shamed her, Sasha was weak enough to look at Bran for help. But he only smiled, gave her arm an encouraging pat.
“It’ll help with your balance and centering,” Doyle said. “You want to catch up with everyone else, you need a little extra. Twenty minutes should do it. How about you show me some of what you’ve put together,” he said to Bran, “while they’re cooking.”
“All right.” Bran took Sasha’s face, kissed her lightly. “Twenty minutes,” he repeated, and left her.
“I want coffee,” Sasha insisted. “I want to sit down. I think I want my mommy.”
“There’s no whining in Tai Chi. Feet slightly apart, knees loose. Breathe from here.” She slapped a hand on Sasha’s aching abs.
“Oh, God.”
“You wanted a unit, Sash. Looks like you’ve got one.”
“It hurts.”
“No pain, no gain,” Riley shot back with merciless cheer. “I’ll go over philosophy later, because I damn well want coffee, too, but for now, breathe in from your center, and do what I do.”
At least the movements were slow, and she had to admire Riley’s fluidity as she tried to mimic them. But that didn’t stop her quads from aching like rotted teeth.
