average human’s Reviews > Edge of Steel > Status Update

Would they stake a claim over me like a piece of property?
A few tense moments passed, but there was only silence, Heath’s dominance saturating the space around us while Kellan kept whatever he had going on tightly under wraps.
“Enough.” My tiger pulsed her aggression again, careful to aim only for Heath and his quad. “Are any of you planning to physically prevent me from doing what I want to do?”
Aiden sighed. Oh, am I exasperating you already, Professor? “Of course not. We just want to talk to you, Avery. That’s all.”
“No, thank you.”
I turned away, ready to grab my tray and be finished with all of this.
Heath wrapped a calloused hand snugly around my wrist. “Don’t do this,” he rumbled in my ear. “Don’t go to them just because you’re mad at us.”
My beast mustered up a pleased little purr at the sensation of Heath’s hand on me. I flashed her an image of him looking perfect in his suit with his arm around Phoebe’s tiny waist. She growled angrily and snapped at him.
He dropped my arm as if I’d burned him.
I gave the others behind him a cursory glance. Wyatt, looking surly and violent, his big shoulders tense and his green eyes tinged with red. Aiden, wavy brown hair askew like he’d been raking his fingers through it, hazel eyes despondent behind his glasses. Elijah, cool as a cucumber, posture relaxed, which was fooling no one, given his eyes glowed yellow and his pupils had slitted dangerously. His focus had shifted from me to Kellan, which was not good. If those two fought, they’d bring the building down around us.
“I’d like to eat my dinner now,” I told them patiently. “I’m very hungry, and this is embarrassing. Please leave me alone.”
“Fine,” Heath gritted. “But this isn’t over, Avery. Not even a little bit.”
I picked up my tray and stalked away.

16%

“She’s not that impressed with your mythic status, man,” Ari said, pointing his fork at Kellan. “I heard she’s close with Harrow and that crazy snake of his.”
“Snake, yes, Elijah, no,” I said around a mouth of mashed potatoes.
Kellan’s amber eyes took on a speculative gleam. “Uh-huh. What did happen between you and the Blackwell Quad, Baxter? Things seem a little tense.”
None of your business, Kellan.
“They made a decision about me and are now regretting it,” I told him, forcing a careless shrug. “But they’re excellent fighters and will make top-tier Guardians. Our combat styles mesh well, as I’m sure you observed in the arena, and that’s the extent of it. We’ll figure out how to coexist harmoniously because lives depend on it.”
They all stared at me for a beat. I’d taken the wind out of their sails by making this about the mission, which was serious as a heart attack.
“Right, well,” Kellan said, “I think you’ll find our quad a breath of fresh air. Teegan’s sister has a wolf soul, on the cusp of an Alpha. My aunt, who lives in Canada, has a lion, smaller but powerful enough to be considered a Prime. We’re not backwards assholes who think females with a beast are an abomination.”
“Glad to hear it,” I replied, and I meant it. A top quad who respected shifting females and didn’t outright object to my presence here was extremely welcome.
“And,” he went on, “not all of us think the strongest bonds require a latent central.” His amber eyes met mine, and a hot orange sheen flashed over them. He leaned forward and lowered his voice, like he was telling me a secret. “I couldn’t imagine throwing away a one-of-a-kind diamond just to pick through pearls.”
My beast hissed like a cobra in my chest.
I sighed wearily. Yes, he went there. Do not kill him.
The sound of glass shattering behind me made me jump in my seat.
Hank let out a deep, rumbling laugh, and Kellan sent a sharklike grin over my shoulder. “Whoops. Those Alphas do have especially sharp hearing.”
They clearly knew more than they’d let on about the state of things between the Blackwell Quad and me, and Kellan was rubbing Heath’s nose in it.
Heath deserved it, but still.
This was what I got for thinking the Crimson Quad viewed me as an equal, a skilled and adept trainee destined to fight monsters alongside them under the dark skies.
No, Kellan had fuck-zoned me already, and I hadn’t even finished my potatoes.
I took one last big swig of blue Gatorade and got to my feet. “Thanks for letting me eat with you guys,” I said. “I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.”
Ari the tiger nodded, his dark gaze dipping down my body. “The pleasure was ours, Avery.”
Kellan shifted on the bench like he was going to get up. “At least let one of us walk you back to your cabin⁠—”
Loud swearing and the sounds of benches scraping the concrete floor cut him off. George appeared from under a nearby table, his thick body winding lazily in my direction, amethyst scales glinting under the bright lights.
I grinned. “No need,” I told Kellan. “My escort has arrived.”
Hank pulled his feet up off the floor, and Ari slid six feet down the bench. Even Kellan the great and powerful griffin looked unsettled by the arrival of a large purple python. Only Teegan the Alpha wolf appeared unbothered, but he seemed to only have one mode.
“Come on, George,” I said primly. “The testosterone in here is suffocating.”
He nosed my leg in agreement and followed me out of the hall.