Chapter 18: Chapter Seventeen

When I walked into the large kitchen, I was all but tackled by Ian, one of the other storm dragons that worked with us. He rustled my hair, “You took down not one but two groups of rogues and survived a lightning strike! Is it true you knocked a rogue out with one hit?”

I threw him off me, hitting his head as I did. Fixing my hair, I grinned at him, “Yeah, I think it took him several hours to wake up from that one.”

“The One Hit Wonder,” he said, shoving me.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, shoving him back, “Can the ‘One Hit Wonder’ get some food, or are you going to keep attacking me?”

He put his hands up in surrender, allowing me to grab my food. I walked with Ian into the dining room and saw Conner sitting off by himself at the end of the long table. I walked over to him and sat next to him. The others in the room stopped what they’re doing and watched me. I gave them a raised eyebrow, but settled into my seat and started eating. Ian plopped down next to me, “What’s up man? I’m Ian.”

“Hey. Conner,” Ian reached across my plate to shake his hand.

Josie spotted me when she walked in with Jace and Alanza, so they sat down next to Conner on the other side of the table. “When is the next assignment?” Josie asked.

“A couple days,” I said, not looking up from my plate.

“Thank goddess. I’m going insane here,” Ian grabbed me and shook me just as I tried to take a bite, causing me to glare at him. “Seriously. Do you know how boring it is here?”

“I have to check over intel, but I might be doing this one solo,” I said before taking another bite.

“You can’t be serious, Amaya. Why wouldn’t we all go?” Josie asked with a glare.

“You two,” I pointed to her and Alanza, “Are needed here to finish training Conner, Jace isn’t ready, and I’m not going alone into the field with Ian.”

Ian scoffed, “I don’t know why not. I’m great in the field. It’s where I’m supposed to be, woman! Don’t leave me here!” He grabbed me again and gave me a shake.

“You won’t be alive to go on assignment if you keep doing that,” I said with a glare.

He scoffed again, “Like your dad would let that happen. He loves me.”

“He tolerates you is more like it.”

The others laughed, but his mouth fell open in mock offense. “So what about some of the other teams? You can’t choose from some of the other teams and put something together?” Alanza asked, ignoring Ian who was still trying to recover.

“There’s no time. We work together well because we work together all the time, but I don’t want a new team going out there and getting hurt because we weren’t ready.” I took my last bite, and sighed, “Look if it’s a choice of something going wrong and a team getting hurt because of it or just me. I’ll choose just me every time.”

“Wait, why can’t you go with Ian?” Conner asked, causing everyone at our end to look at him. “I’m sorry. I was just curious, because it sounds like it would be better if two went rather than just you.”

“Yeah, Amaya. It would be better,” Ian said.

I rolled my eyes, “It’s the same thing as not taking a team I haven’t worked with before. It’s going to be dangerous enough for just me, but having to account for an extra person. I can’t justify it.”

My four team mates groaned in annoyance while Conner just looked at me, “You would really do that? You would really rather risk just yourself than have back up just in case something goes wrong?”

I looked over at him, “Yeah because at the end of the day I have a better chance of making it out alive than any of them.”

“Self sacrificing dumbass,” Jace mumbled under his breath as he got up, kicking his chair as he went.

“Jace is right Amaya. We could talk to Daniel and train Conner when we get back.”

I shook my head, “He needs to get back to his clan, to his mom.”

Josie growled, “Why are you being so stubborn?”

My eyes narrowed, “I won’t put anyone else’s life at risk, and you know Conner needs to get back to his clan.”

She and Alanza rolled their eyes, “Whatever.” They both got up from the table as well.

“Seriously, Amaya, I wish you would consider bringing me along,” Ian said before also getting up from the table.

“I’ll think about it,” I said before he left the room. I got up to leave too, turning to Conner before I did, “We’ll go for a run later.”

I finally found Daniel with Lavi and Lyosha, our hackers. “I’m not letting you go alone on incomplete intel,” Daniel said as soon as I walked into the room.

I rolled my eyes, “It makes sense. Josie and Alanza have to stay to train Conner, Jace isn’t ready, and I’m not going to put Ian at risk if I don’t have to.”

“You could take another team.”

“No I can’t. There isn’t enough time to train with a new team.” He gave me a look that said the conversation wasn’t over, so I shifted it, “Have you gotten any new intel?”

“Yeah. We still don’t have a location yet, but this particular operation is being run by three, maybe four, hunters,” Lavi said, handing me a file. “Photos of their handiwork.”

“See a team of me, myself, and I would be enough,” Daniel gave me a look of annoyance, “I’m just saying, if you think three or four humans are too much for me, then I guess you didn’t train me as well as you think you did,” I flipped through the photos and growled at what I saw.

“Your training isn’t going to do you much good if you get hit with a dart or syringe of oil or they manage to get iron on you,” Daniel growled out, causing me to roll my eyes.

“It’s a simple assignment. I’ll be in and out,” I said.

“I’ll think about it,” he said before walking out of the room.

“Do you want my opinion?” Lavi asked.

I looked over at her, “Nope,” I said before walking out too. I went outside to the flight field, and shifted. Flying until it was time for mine and Conner’s run.