Page 98 of Knight’s Retribution

“Don’t blow smoke up their asses, Rox,” Ursula said.

“So you’re saying you agree with us?” Rocco asked her.

Ursula tilted her head to the side, taking in Kyler and the rest of the females. “They don’t suck.”

“That’s not very comforting,” Gunner bit out.

“Would they die in a one-on-one with a demon?” Ursula said, looking back at the females. “Before we trained with them, excluding Grace and Scarlet, more than likely, and without the use of their powers…” She dragged her thumb across her throat. “Corpses every one of them.”

More growls rumbled through the room, and Roxy scowled at her sister.

Kyler and her own sisters, because that’s what they were to her, all of them, didn’t flinch, they waited. They’d all grown accustomed to Ursula and her brand of honesty. It was actually refreshing. They weren’t doing this to get gold stars or pats on the head, they were doing this because they wanted to survive Diemos’s invasion, and they needed their mates to understand that as well.

“But now?” Ursula’s green gaze skimmed over their faces, and she grinned like a shark. “With Eve, our girl won’t need to fight hand to hand, a demon won’t get near her. Her combat skills are good, but that’s not where she excels. It’s her superior power, her mind. She’ll scramble one of those fuckers’ brains before they take a step in her direction.”

Eve grinned, and Laz dragged in a rough breath.

Ursula turned to Meredith. “Meredith, baby, your power is cool, but on your own, it’s fucking useless. When you and Luna work together, boosting her already immense power, you’re unstoppable, both of you.” She turned to Kryos. “Her fighting skills are excellent. In a one-on-one, she’ll win, I don’t doubt it, but she’ll be of better use amplifying.”

Kryos closed his eyes for a moment, and when they opened, they were black.

Ursula ignored that and motioned to Luna, then turned to Gunner. “Dude, you need to stop freaking out. Your female will come to no harm, no one can get near her. They’d have to be able to see her, to hurt her. Yeah, there was the mishap with Diemos, but she knows what she did wrong. Now, not even Lucifer could see her if she wanted to stay hidden. You’d be a fucking moron not to utilize her. Enough said.”

Gunner looked pissed, but also kind of defeated.

Ursula’s gaze slid between Tobias and Chaos. “Your females are warriors, guys, you know this, we all know it. Stop trying to turn them into something they’re not.”

“You don’t know shit,” Tobias said. “That’s not what we’re doing…”

“Now Mia,” Ursula said, ignoring Tobias, “her fighting has improved a lot. She could defend herself without her power. But why would she need to?” She turned to Zenon. “Your mate’s power is…” She shivered. “Delicious. Fuck, dude, your female is endgame for Diemos. You need her. You just do.”

Zenon looked like he was in pain.

“And Kyler…” Ursula grinned again. “She is as physically strong as any of you. If you train with her,” she said to Rocco, “together you will be an unstoppable force. Dude, come on, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.”

Ursula huffed out a breath. “Nothing I’ve said is a surprise to any of you, I can see it on your scowling faces. You knew, you always knew they were capable of amazing things. Stop getting in their fucking way. You need them. Alone they are powerful as shit, together they are extraordinary. Do you think the fates chose them for you at random? Why do you think they were given the powers they were?” Ursula walked back to Roxy and picked up her axe. “Get your heads out of your asses, gentlemen, you’re giving yourselves a headache over something that was always meant to be.”

Then she steered Roxy to the door. Roxy waved at them over her shoulder and they walked out.

The room fell silent.

Rocco gripped the back of his neck and paced away, then back, his gaze locking on Kyler. “You’ve been training with them for three weeks?”

There was no missing the hurt in his voice.

Kyler straightened her spine. “What were we supposed to do? You wouldn’t even talk to us about this.”

Zenon growled again, past the point of actual words, and Chaos’s expression was made of stone.

“We don’t keep shit from each other, Merri,” Kryos said to Meredith. “Not ever.”

Meredith crossed her arms. “I didn’t think so either, but you drove us to this, all of you did. We get that you’re scared and you want to keep us safe, we do. But did you stop to think that so are we? That we’re terrified of losing you? That the idea of life without you isn’t something we can bear to even contemplate?” Meredith was shaking.

“Sweets.” Kryos took a step toward her.

Meredith stepped back, swiping at the lone tear streaking down her face. “No, you need to listen to us. We are partners, and yeah, your motives come from a place of love, but this is not a dictatorship.”

“And this is how you all feel?” Chaos asked.