Strength Read Free Page B

began downing the rest of the bottle with the zeal of a person who hadn’t a drop of water in days.
    She managed to swallow half the contents before a loud crash startled them both. “What was that?” she whispered, the bottle still to her lips.
    “Go home and finish the bottle there,” Aerigo whispered back. “Make sure you drink all of it.” He picked up his belongings, then pulled out his dagger and faced Roxie. “I’ll find you in the morning. Just stay home and don’t wander off.”
    “You don’t even know where I live!” Roxie said as loud as she dared.
    Aerigo turned around and sent her a glare punctuated with smoldering red eyes.
    Unable to disobey that look, Roxie capped the bottle and turned to leave.
    “Don’t leave just yet,” a sly voice said.
    Roxie whirled around.
    The man belonging to the voice stepped into the light of the street lamp, smiling. “Tell me, Aerigo, who’s your new girlfriend?”
    Now would be a great time to start running home, as Roxie had been instructed. However, the tone of that man’s voice made her more curious than afraid. She looked to Aerigo for an answer. His muscular arms were corded with tension, eyes burning a molten red. Roxie kept quiet.
    This second person looked like he had been swallowed by a shark and spit back out—twice. A starchy material, covered in dirt and ripped in many places, was all that was left of his jeans and flannel shirt, and the reek of rotten fish stung Roxie’s nose from across the street. His short black hair was spiked forward, his dark eyes appeared sunken from fatigue, yet his gaze was charged with...what? Triumph? Whatever it was, Roxie didn’t like how this lean-muscled newcomer stared.
    “None of your business, Daio,” Aerigo said, and raised his dagger.
    “Ah.” Daio sneered. “So she’s the one Baku has sent his mighty warrior to protect. Nexus will be most pleased to learn this.”
    “What does Nexus want with her?”
    “I don’t know,” Daio said irritably. “What does Baku want with her? She doesn’t seem particularly special. However, since you’re making a big deal, there’s got to be more to her than long legs and a nice figure.”
    One moment Daio was standing feet away from Aerigo, and the next he was right in front of her, wearing his malicious grin. He grabbed the sleeve of her T-shirt and yanked, ripping it down the front. Roxie threw a fist, but Daio swatted it away as if he were expecting it, and the parry stung as if a block of iron had struck her arm.
    “Your eyes do glow!” Daio said happily. “You’re one of our kind.” He bent his knees and kicked backwards, catching Aerigo in the stomach.
    “Rox, go now!” Aerigo yelled in a tight voice as he clutched his stomach. Sucking in a breath, he lunged for Daio with his dagger, but only succeeded in driving him away from Roxie and into the street. Aerigo positioned himself in front of Roxie.
    Roxie started backing into an alley on shaky legs, her arms clamping her tattered shirt to her chest. She wanted to run, but feared putting her back to Daio, who had one arm stretched behind him, as if reaching for something.
    “Catch up with you later, kid.” Daio lost his grin, and looked at his hand. “Well, that’s no fair.”
    Aerigo took the tip of his dagger between his thumb and forefinger and, with a grunt, threw it. Daio ducked and the blade clanged against a brick building.
    “I don’t know what kind of threat you think the girl could possibly pose,” Daio said, fists raised and smiling again. “She has so little time to prepare.”
    Aerigo raised both fists as well.
    “But she does have you for a teacher...”
    Why is some creepy guy interested in me, and what am I supposed to be taught? Does this guy think I’m some sort of secret weapon? It seemed frighteningly plausible. Before Roxie could ponder the situation further, Daio stood before her again, but this time with one of Aerigo’s arms clamped around his neck. Aerigo forced him