As such, the Sventé won, which severely pissed off the Keja so much that she threw a tantrum and demanded a rematch. The other breeds of vampire could be quite prejudiced against Sventés, and it obviously hurt this particular Keja’s pride that she had been defeated by someone she viewed much weaker than her.

I gawked. “What an uptight little bitch.”

Sam actually laughed at the Keja. “I think it’s time you went home. I need people who’ll follow orders. I’ve ordered you twice to get back in line. If you can’t even do that, then you’re no good at all to me.” Her back ramrod straight, the Keja stormed out of the arena. Knowing Sam, I was betting she would have seen the potential in the Keja and still considered her for the squad if she hadn’t just blown her chances.

A Pagori and a Sventé were then set against each other. The Sventé had a seriously impressive gift. Simple and defensive, but impressive. Her skin was impenetrable. That meant that no matter how many weapons the Pagori conjured out of thin air, nothing harmed her. Obviously, then, the Sventé won. Unlike the Keja, the Pagori didn’t go postal.

The remaining two Pagoris were then paired up. The first Pagori attacked instantly, shifting into a black jaguar and launching herself at the other Pagori…who strangely didn’t move. Then, just as the jaguar neared, the animal suddenly halted, shaking her head. Even more shocking, it then started doing the freaking mamba.

“Mind control,” whispered Salem. I realised he was right. The panther was under the complete control of the other Pagori. “Impressive.”

“Totally. But so is the jaguar.”

I felt Salem nod. “They’ll both have Coach’s attention.”

Calling an end to the duel, Jared instructed the females to return to the line. Interestingly enough, the jaguar-shifting Pagori didn’t appear to remember a single thing about the other female taking control…It sort of left a gap in her memory.

Sam approached the Sventé who had impenetrable skin. “It’s clear that you’re protected against physical objects, but are you protected against psychic attacks too?”

The Sventé shook her head sadly, clearly sensing how much her acceptance into the squad might hinge on that answer.

Sam just gave her a quick nod before addressing all of the recruits. “Please remain here while we” – she gestured to Jared and Evan – “have a quick chat.” The females turned to each other and began talking quietly, most likely wishing each other good luck.

I turned my attention to Salem. “Do you think any of them will be chosen for the squad?”

Salem’s expression was pensive. “It’s hard to say. Coach never does what I expect her to do.”

“She’ll badly want to choose another Sventé,” I predicted. Sam hated that our breed wasn’t acknowledged as strong.

“Yes. But she’ll pick who deserves to be picked. She won’t let herself see them as Pagoris, Kejas, and Sventés. She’ll just view them as potential members of the legion.”

He was probably right. From what I’d heard, Jared – who had once been prejudiced against Sventés – had denied her a place in the squad at her try-out, despite that she’d been much more powerful than the rest. She wouldn’t repeat such an injustice.

It was a few minutes before the interviewers made their way back to the line. The chit-chat among the recruits immediately stopped.

Jared spoke. “You all performed excellently – even those of you who lost the duels. But as my mate said earlier, we already have five. Being a member of the legion is gruelling and requires discipline, control, and a damn strong stomach. There will be two more rounds of try-outs after this, meaning there will be another forty vampires for our consideration at a later point. From this particular round, we have selected two.”

I frowned. “Just two?”

Salem propped his chin on my shoulder. “Seem harsh to you?”

“I just feel bad for the others.”

“People’s feelings can’t be taken into account. If Coach, Jared, and Evan don’t feel one hundred percent sure that the recruits can cope – physically and emotionally – in the legion, they can’t accept them. Not just because they won’t be effective members, but because one of two things can happen: they’ll psychologically break, or they won’t live long.”

“I know you’re right.” Hiring someone who wasn’t tough enough could, in effect, sentence them to an early death.

Having done a slow prowl along the line, Jared stopped on reaching the Pagori with the ability to control minds, and gave her a congratulatory smile. “Welcome to the new squad.”

Excitement flashed in her eyes, but she took it totally in stride, giving him a simple nod of thanks.

Jared moved on until he came to the shape-shifting Pagori. She looked totally stunned when he pointed at her – possibly because she’d lost her duel.

“I can understand why they chose her,” said Salem. “The combat task isn’t about winning or losing. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate what you can do. Her gift is pretty substantial.”

While Sam talked a little with the unsuccessful applicants, I turned to Salem. “I want to go down there and meet my new squad members.”

“You’ll have to wait until later. First, they get a tour of The Hollow. Then they’ll be taken to their new apartments to get settled in. I heard that Sam’s planning to throw a beach party later…a sort of ‘welcome party’, since she hadn’t felt particularly welcome when she first got here. So you’ll have to wait until then.”

I sighed in disappointment, wrinkling my nose. “Okay.”

“But we won’t be at the party for long.”

“We won’t?”

“No. You and I have business. And it’s been a long time coming.”

(Salem)

It was when I’d followed Sam’s order to meet her outside the arena that I’d caught Ava’s scent. I’d known about the try-outs, known I should remain outdoors, but I hadn’t been able to resist the lure of that scent. Hadn’t been able to resist having some time with the person who had the singular ability to make me want to grunt, scowl, and laugh all at once. And now, I was glad I hadn’t resisted. Because she’d finally let down her defences, and we’d be celebrating that fact much later in bed.