“No. That’s my point. Dad realised he couldn’t force it on us, and as a result, I want to become one all on my own.”
“You get tested harder for your father being a Commander?” Tegan asked curiously.
“I used to, but I am a mediocre fighter at best,” Kallie told her honestly. “Which is why I volunteered to watch Zahra. It was away from dad, and I got to experience the human lifestyle.”
“Is it worth experiencing?”
“It is different. They are frivolous, and they are obsessed with material objects, wealth and looks. Zahra fit in perfectly.” Kallie slung her bow off her shoulder. “If they knew what hunted them in the night, they may value their lives more.”
“Father does not hold any love for them,” Tegan admitted softly. “He kept me away from them. In fact, the night of the ball, I had more human interaction in one night than I ever did with father.”
“Castor Ivanov took you to a place with humans?” Kallie asked in surprise.
“A diner. Then a...” Tegan trailed off as she struggled for the words. “They dance and drink there in the dark.”
“A nightclub,” Kallie supplied. “Odd choices.”
“He was weak from the attack.” Tegan looked at her quiver of arrows and then the target. “How many paces do you need to be closer?”
“I am good here, Sentinel,” Kallie told her, laughter dancing in her eyes.
“Really?” Tegan looked delighted. “A real test! Closest to the bull?”
“Always,” Kallie confirmed. They spent several minutes firing arrows and comparing notes. Which is how Sloane and Michael found them. They were moving backwards to test their range.
“I am very,veryhappy that I was late,” Sloane said as he surveyed the target boards. “Who is winning?”
“Even,” Tegan told him as she reached for an arrow. “You hid?”
“I want to tell you that it’s not me, it’s you,” Sloane started.
“You mean it is not Tegan, it’s you?” Kallie corrected him.
“No, I mean it’s Tegan.” Sloane winked at his cousin to lessen the severity of his words. “As you will have found out, she is competitive. And then when she said you could come, well, I know you can use that bow, so me and my male pride went for more of Martha’s bread.”
“You went to eat rather than be trained?” Tegan dropped her bow down from where she had been aiming at the target.
“I found him, saved him from your housekeeper, and dragged him out here to learn and be motivated,” Michael said as he gave Sloane a playful punch in the arm.
“Andyouare hiding from your grandmother?” Tegan guessed shrewdly.
“Absolutely.” Michael laughed as he picked up an arrow. “Can I play?”
“It is not a game.” Tegan scowled at them. “Kallie and I are training.”
“You’re having fun,” Sloane scoffed as he took Kallie’s bow. He took up position and pulled back the string before letting the arrow fly.
“You hit yellow?” Tegan looked at him. “On purpose?”
“Nope.” Sloane tossed the bow back to Kallie. “That’s genuinely how poor I am.”
“What were you doing when we came out?” Michael asked.
“We were testing our range,” Kallie told him. “Tegan thinks we can still hit bullseye from a further five paces back.”
“That’s an impressive distance,” Michael said as he considered the range. “You think you’re that good?” he asked Tegan.
“No, Kallie is,” Tegan said carelessly as she started pacing backwards.