((About six months following After the Oath.))
Officer training was proving to be a bigger challenge than Shaye could ever have imagined. After the euphoria of actually attaining that rank, the excitement of having proved herself to such an extent, Liam had taken her to meet his parents, and for the first time in her life, she'd felt the real, genuine affection of family enveloping her. Eoghan and Meara had accepted her without a second thought, and if they sometimes had looked at she and Liam as though they were expecting something more, Shaye didn't consider that a bad thing. However, the return to the barracks had proven her euphoric confidence to be sadly overblown. In the physical training, she excelled; in on the spot tactics, she was almost as good as Liam. But an officer had to be able to read maps, to plan strategy, to know history and politics, and that meant reading and writing, neither of which she had any experience with. Even six months into that year, Shaye was still struggling to keep up, especially with the boys. But she'd hit upon an ingenious plan to get herself tutored by their various male officer classmates in order to stay on top of all the tough stuff. It really was amazing what a boy would do for a kiss.
As for Liam, he predictably approached the rigors of officer training with the same seriousness and dedication he put into everything he did. He surprised even himself with his accomplishment, but it didn't come without effort and lots of hard work. Nothing worthwhile ever did. He found he had far less idle time now, between physical training and his studies. He had somehow managed to grow even taller over the last six months and was now six feet in height with no hint of slowing down. Along with his height he was starting to fill out, shoulders broadening, his muscles becoming more defined the more he worked them, and the females among their ranks had started to notice. He had promised Shaye he'd teach her to read and write, and while he wanted to make good on that promise, it was difficult finding time for his own studies, and he often fell into bed at night exhausted from the day's work, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, even if he tried. It worried him that they had been spending less time together, and he worried that despite their oath, they were slowly growing apart, but there wasn't much he could do to stop it.
As far as Shaye was concerned, she was taking some of the load off her best friend. She knew he wanted to be the one to teach her to read and write, but he was so focused on his own studies, she didn't want to make his advancement suffer because of her stupidity. So she sold kisses to the more intelligent boys in their rank in exchange for lessons in reading, in writing, in memorising the maps and battles and politics they had been learning over the past months. She'd even broken a couple of noses to make sure that they knew that a kiss was all they were getting.
He had heard rumors that Shaye was trading kisses for tutoring, but he chose not to believe it, putting his faith and trust in her that she wouldn't go that far. Distracted and struggling with his own studies, he hadn't forgotten his promise to help her, but really had no idea she was having difficulty, believing she'd come to him if she needed help, not go to someone else or stoop to selling herself for favors.
And it might well have stayed that way, had teenaged jealousies not come into play. Deirdre Brody, the third occupant of the officer's barrack room that Liam shared with Shaye, had her own ideas. Dark haired and exceptionally pretty in her own way, she'd set her sights on Liam, and his continual ignorance of her interest was beginning to grate on her nerves. She waited until Shaye was out of the room, until Liam was ensconced in his studies, and decided that it was time to make her move. She entered their shared room, sauntering over to the desk where Liam sat, and perched herself on the corner, looking down at him. "Don't you ever get bored of being such a goody-goody-virgin, Liam?" she asked artlessly.
Liam was either ignorant of Brody's or any girl's interest in him, or he was just not interested. He had set his sights on someone else and Brody probably knew it. It was hard not to notice the shy but lingering glances he sent Shaye's way whenever she was around or the brooding moodiness he exhibited whenever he thought she was ignoring him or snubbing him, but he didn't push or force himself on her, believing their friendship went deeper than anything she might have with anyone else there. So absorbed in his studies, he didn't even notice Brody was there until she perched himself beside him and poked at his masculine pride. He slanted a glance up at her, brows furrowing deeply. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, as if he'd misheard her.
Oh, Brody knew all right. She wanted that jealous side of him well and truly spiked, until any thought of staying friends with Shaye was gone from his mind. "Well, you must be getting bored and frustrated by now," she chuckled. "Spending every night wrapped up with a girl who won't even kiss you? And yet she's giving kisses away to every other boy in our intake. Some people might say she's using you." It might have worked better had she not been so obviously spiteful toward Liam's best friend as she said this, but at least it was getting the information across. All she needed to do was lean back and watch the explosion.
The look on his face changed, from merely annoyed to confused to angry in a matter of seconds. "It's not like that. We..." He was about to try and explain his relationship with Shaye to the girl - a relationship he didn't completely understand himself - when she threw the accusation at him, like throwing salt in the wounds. He was already starting to believe that Shaye would only ever think of him as a brother, and as if that didn't hurt enough, people were starting to think she was using him, but was she" Hurt and confusion apparent on his face, he felt the air go out of him, like someone had kicked him in the gut at the accused betrayal of his trust, but then he didn't own her, didn't have any claims on her. Not until he turned thirty anyway. He turned away, staring at the open book before him as he tried to sort out his feelings.
Brody glowed with triumph as she watched his expression change, feeling the heat of his angry flush radiating out from him. "Of course," she said with obvious cunning, twisting to lie along the desk until she could look up into his eyes, "she's probably trying to make you jealous. I mean, you never even look at her when she's being even halfway girly, do you? But you know what you should do." Her hand walked fingers up his bare arm. "You should take up with someone else. Make her jealous instead. I bet she'd drop her whoring like a shot if she thought someone else had their hands on you."
Liam had little choice but to meet her gaze as she had practically forced herself between him and his studies. He felt her fingers walking up his arm and had to stifle a shudder. Whether he wanted Brody or not, he was fifteen and full of raging teenage hormones. Up until now, he'd managed to control his own urges, throwing his frustration into physical activity, into sparring and fighting, working himself until he was exhausted and had no strength left to think about what the other teenagers around him were doing. It wasn't from lack of desire or a desire to lead a chaste life. It was simply the fact that he only had eyes for one girl and that he didn't want to force his affection on that one girl. He slammed the book closed that lay on the desk in front of him. "Whoring" What do you mean whoring?" His expression darkened dramatically at the accusation.
"Well, you can't really blame her for it," Brody simpered through a nasty little smirk. "It's all she knows." She snorted derisively. "It's all she's got, too. Why shouldn't she follow in her mother's footsteps" You mark my words; any day now, she'll start spreading her legs for the older boys who want that in exchange for lessons. Just like her scummy parents ....Shaye Dervla's just a common whore in training, and everyone knows it."
He shot to his feet at her words, face flushing, eyes flashing with anger, nearly dumping her onto the floor. If she'd been a boy, he'd have replied with his fists, but instead his hands only curled into fists at his sides, body tense with anger and frustration and wounded pride. Indignation. Was she trying to make a fool out of him' She knew how he felt about her. She had to know. Maybe she didn't care. A dozen conflicting thoughts and feelings raged inside him, jealousy and betrayal at the forefront. Brody had accomplished her task. "She's not a whore!" he exclaimed, defending her honor despite his own feelings. "Where is she?"
Brody's smirk deepened, her eyes flashing maliciously. "Last I saw, she was heading toward the lake. Making the most of the hot weather to get a little seduction practise in, probably."
He clenched his jaw at the thought of her skinny dipping with a bunch of older officers in training or with anyone, for that matter. He didn't waste another moment swapping words with Brody, who he thought was as lovely as a viper and just as poisonous. A long-legged stride took him toward the door, slamming it so hard behind him, it almost came off the hinges.
Officer training was proving to be a bigger challenge than Shaye could ever have imagined. After the euphoria of actually attaining that rank, the excitement of having proved herself to such an extent, Liam had taken her to meet his parents, and for the first time in her life, she'd felt the real, genuine affection of family enveloping her. Eoghan and Meara had accepted her without a second thought, and if they sometimes had looked at she and Liam as though they were expecting something more, Shaye didn't consider that a bad thing. However, the return to the barracks had proven her euphoric confidence to be sadly overblown. In the physical training, she excelled; in on the spot tactics, she was almost as good as Liam. But an officer had to be able to read maps, to plan strategy, to know history and politics, and that meant reading and writing, neither of which she had any experience with. Even six months into that year, Shaye was still struggling to keep up, especially with the boys. But she'd hit upon an ingenious plan to get herself tutored by their various male officer classmates in order to stay on top of all the tough stuff. It really was amazing what a boy would do for a kiss.
As for Liam, he predictably approached the rigors of officer training with the same seriousness and dedication he put into everything he did. He surprised even himself with his accomplishment, but it didn't come without effort and lots of hard work. Nothing worthwhile ever did. He found he had far less idle time now, between physical training and his studies. He had somehow managed to grow even taller over the last six months and was now six feet in height with no hint of slowing down. Along with his height he was starting to fill out, shoulders broadening, his muscles becoming more defined the more he worked them, and the females among their ranks had started to notice. He had promised Shaye he'd teach her to read and write, and while he wanted to make good on that promise, it was difficult finding time for his own studies, and he often fell into bed at night exhausted from the day's work, unable to keep his eyes open any longer, even if he tried. It worried him that they had been spending less time together, and he worried that despite their oath, they were slowly growing apart, but there wasn't much he could do to stop it.
As far as Shaye was concerned, she was taking some of the load off her best friend. She knew he wanted to be the one to teach her to read and write, but he was so focused on his own studies, she didn't want to make his advancement suffer because of her stupidity. So she sold kisses to the more intelligent boys in their rank in exchange for lessons in reading, in writing, in memorising the maps and battles and politics they had been learning over the past months. She'd even broken a couple of noses to make sure that they knew that a kiss was all they were getting.
He had heard rumors that Shaye was trading kisses for tutoring, but he chose not to believe it, putting his faith and trust in her that she wouldn't go that far. Distracted and struggling with his own studies, he hadn't forgotten his promise to help her, but really had no idea she was having difficulty, believing she'd come to him if she needed help, not go to someone else or stoop to selling herself for favors.
And it might well have stayed that way, had teenaged jealousies not come into play. Deirdre Brody, the third occupant of the officer's barrack room that Liam shared with Shaye, had her own ideas. Dark haired and exceptionally pretty in her own way, she'd set her sights on Liam, and his continual ignorance of her interest was beginning to grate on her nerves. She waited until Shaye was out of the room, until Liam was ensconced in his studies, and decided that it was time to make her move. She entered their shared room, sauntering over to the desk where Liam sat, and perched herself on the corner, looking down at him. "Don't you ever get bored of being such a goody-goody-virgin, Liam?" she asked artlessly.
Liam was either ignorant of Brody's or any girl's interest in him, or he was just not interested. He had set his sights on someone else and Brody probably knew it. It was hard not to notice the shy but lingering glances he sent Shaye's way whenever she was around or the brooding moodiness he exhibited whenever he thought she was ignoring him or snubbing him, but he didn't push or force himself on her, believing their friendship went deeper than anything she might have with anyone else there. So absorbed in his studies, he didn't even notice Brody was there until she perched himself beside him and poked at his masculine pride. He slanted a glance up at her, brows furrowing deeply. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, as if he'd misheard her.
Oh, Brody knew all right. She wanted that jealous side of him well and truly spiked, until any thought of staying friends with Shaye was gone from his mind. "Well, you must be getting bored and frustrated by now," she chuckled. "Spending every night wrapped up with a girl who won't even kiss you? And yet she's giving kisses away to every other boy in our intake. Some people might say she's using you." It might have worked better had she not been so obviously spiteful toward Liam's best friend as she said this, but at least it was getting the information across. All she needed to do was lean back and watch the explosion.
The look on his face changed, from merely annoyed to confused to angry in a matter of seconds. "It's not like that. We..." He was about to try and explain his relationship with Shaye to the girl - a relationship he didn't completely understand himself - when she threw the accusation at him, like throwing salt in the wounds. He was already starting to believe that Shaye would only ever think of him as a brother, and as if that didn't hurt enough, people were starting to think she was using him, but was she" Hurt and confusion apparent on his face, he felt the air go out of him, like someone had kicked him in the gut at the accused betrayal of his trust, but then he didn't own her, didn't have any claims on her. Not until he turned thirty anyway. He turned away, staring at the open book before him as he tried to sort out his feelings.
Brody glowed with triumph as she watched his expression change, feeling the heat of his angry flush radiating out from him. "Of course," she said with obvious cunning, twisting to lie along the desk until she could look up into his eyes, "she's probably trying to make you jealous. I mean, you never even look at her when she's being even halfway girly, do you? But you know what you should do." Her hand walked fingers up his bare arm. "You should take up with someone else. Make her jealous instead. I bet she'd drop her whoring like a shot if she thought someone else had their hands on you."
Liam had little choice but to meet her gaze as she had practically forced herself between him and his studies. He felt her fingers walking up his arm and had to stifle a shudder. Whether he wanted Brody or not, he was fifteen and full of raging teenage hormones. Up until now, he'd managed to control his own urges, throwing his frustration into physical activity, into sparring and fighting, working himself until he was exhausted and had no strength left to think about what the other teenagers around him were doing. It wasn't from lack of desire or a desire to lead a chaste life. It was simply the fact that he only had eyes for one girl and that he didn't want to force his affection on that one girl. He slammed the book closed that lay on the desk in front of him. "Whoring" What do you mean whoring?" His expression darkened dramatically at the accusation.
"Well, you can't really blame her for it," Brody simpered through a nasty little smirk. "It's all she knows." She snorted derisively. "It's all she's got, too. Why shouldn't she follow in her mother's footsteps" You mark my words; any day now, she'll start spreading her legs for the older boys who want that in exchange for lessons. Just like her scummy parents ....Shaye Dervla's just a common whore in training, and everyone knows it."
He shot to his feet at her words, face flushing, eyes flashing with anger, nearly dumping her onto the floor. If she'd been a boy, he'd have replied with his fists, but instead his hands only curled into fists at his sides, body tense with anger and frustration and wounded pride. Indignation. Was she trying to make a fool out of him' She knew how he felt about her. She had to know. Maybe she didn't care. A dozen conflicting thoughts and feelings raged inside him, jealousy and betrayal at the forefront. Brody had accomplished her task. "She's not a whore!" he exclaimed, defending her honor despite his own feelings. "Where is she?"
Brody's smirk deepened, her eyes flashing maliciously. "Last I saw, she was heading toward the lake. Making the most of the hot weather to get a little seduction practise in, probably."
He clenched his jaw at the thought of her skinny dipping with a bunch of older officers in training or with anyone, for that matter. He didn't waste another moment swapping words with Brody, who he thought was as lovely as a viper and just as poisonous. A long-legged stride took him toward the door, slamming it so hard behind him, it almost came off the hinges.