“Who the fuck are you and where did Liza go?” Emma sat up slowly, her gaze narrowed.
“I told you she was holding back,” Shiloh crowed in triumph as her mocking laughter filled the basement. “What have I been telling you for months and you couldn’t see it? Every damned time she could have shown she was picking up these damned moves she would back off like a scared little baby.”
“I never showed her that move.” Emma watched Liza as though she were a particularly complicated puzzle.
“Neither did I,” Ashley stated.
“No, we didn’t. But have you forgotten what Liza does for fun? She buys fighting videos and practices without us. I told you all along she was going to kick your asses one day when you least expected it.”
The suspicion, thank God. Oh, thank God. It eased from Ashley’s and Emma’s gaze as Shiloh’s explanation sank in.
Chelsea shook her head in amazement as Claire slowly began to relax.
“I watch Breeds fight too,” she reminded them all. “Their sparring sessions can get real interesting.”
“It can’t be easy sparring alone though,” Emma pointed out, a frown beginning to mar her brow.
“Tell me about it,” Liza breathed out roughly as she collapsed on the mat and took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea how many bruises I’ve gotten down here?”
It wasn’t a lie. There was no deceit in the statement. That part was easy to cover, especially when she was able to hide her face against her knees and simply concentrate on breathing.
One breath in, one out. One in, one out.
“Well, hell, I can actually tell Link now you’re just about ready.” Emma gave a short nod. “Claire will take a little longer, but she’s getting there.”
“I’ll so obviously not be on the front lines,” Claire said in amusement. “I prefer driving anyway.”
And there, Claire was excelling.
“Yeah, she has like fucking mad driving skills,” Ashley exclaimed in sudden excitement. “She’ll never lose control of a vehicle again.”
The sudden reminder had Liza taking in a hard breath. Her head jerked up, eyes opening wide.
She didn’t want to see that memory flashing through her mind again, or feel what she had felt when she had seen the darkness of death opening up around her.
She could swear she’d heard the wails of the dead. And it wasn’t a white light she’d seen. It had been darkness. Nothingness. Such a void of complete nothing that it had rocked her soul.
The same sight Claire had faced as the car exploded around them, the force of the blast blowing the doors open and throwing them from the vehicle seconds before flames had engulfed it.
“Okay, shower.” Liza jumped to her feet, feeling the sticky residue of perspiration drying on her flesh. “How about pizza?” she asked the others. “We could phone in the order before we shower and eat it hot.”
The others called out their agreement in unison as Chelsea, Claire and Liza headed upstairs to shower.
The four Breed females made their way to the gym-style shower that had been built into the house by the owners before they’d moved, who had left the three-bedroom rancher with a finished basement intended to serve as a fully functional gym.
Liza called in the pizza order before heading into her bedroom and quickly stripping.
Stepping into the shower, she let the hot water wash away not just the memories she didn’t want resurfacing again, but also that irritating sensation just beneath the flesh in each area Emma’s hands had gripped her during their sparring.
She felt bruised to the bone in several areas; in others, it felt as though the Breed’s touch had somehow become allergic.
It wasn’t until she’d showered, dried and dressed in loose cotton pants and a T-shirt that she began to feel human once again.
She was quickly twisting an elastic band into the damp strands of her braided hair when a horrified scream pierced the silence of the house.
“Claire!” A breath of fear rushed from her lungs as Liza felt the sweeping autopilot sensation rush through her once again.
She didn’t rush.