Eryx and Theon flatly refused to take me to the training grounds. They stood there like a pair of stone walls, giving me this lecture about how hindering the kids' progress right now would cause them more psychological and physical harm than any demon in the kingdom could. They were so damn calm about it that it made my skin crawl. They kept insisting that the woman they were with, this Chelsea, was the last person on earth who would ever lay a finger on them. According to them, she was family, which was supposed to make me feel better, but it only made me feel more excluded.
Since they weren't going to budge, I had no choice but to pace the room like a caged animal until the doors finally swung open. Vaxen and Kezabel came running in, looking flushed and energized, and following closely
