AVERY

When he did that, Chris growled. "Sir, is that cheating?"

But Wyatt merely crossed his arms. "No more than you cheated. Each supernatural is born with their own gifts. It's best to hone them and use them. Now, who's next?"

Unlike my squad mates, I never volunteered. As each of them did the course, I began to dread it more and more, especially when Bo and Eliza did it without any problems. Of the seven of us, I'd considered them about on par with my magical abilities, but after seeing Eliza's catlike prowess that any fairy would be proud of, and Bo's ability to use basic levitation spells as well, I knew that even the two of them were stronger than me.

"Private Meyers?" Wyatt said softly after Bo finished. "It's your turn." Around me, my squad mates talked and laughed, their adrenaline- infused high making them excitable. But instead of being eager to share in what they'd experienced, I wanted to sink right through the ground. "Come on, Meyers," Chris said. "You can do it."

I gave him a tight smile and looked up at the thirty-foot-tall net. I rubbed my hands on my thighs and took a deep breath.

Wyatt stepped closer to me until he was only inches away. "Remember," he said quietly. "This isn't a contest. Just do your best."

While I knew that his soft words of encouragement were meant to put me at ease, they only made my cheeks burn hotter. Nobody else had hesitated when it was their turn.

"You can do this, Avery," he added. "It's just like gym class back in Ridgeback. Remember the ropes in high school? Not much different."

My gaze whipped to his.

His expression didn't change, but his irises burned like smoldering emeralds.

A deep warmth seeped through my limbs, and a tentative smile followed. So he did remember me.

I made myself look away and squash my grin, but a thrill tingled down my spine. Maybe I wasn't as forgettable as I'd always thought.

With a swell of confidence, I squared my shoulders, and a rush of determination filled me. I may not have been strong or magically superior, or have the strength of full and half-blooded female werewolves, but I wasn't a complete weakling.

I was going to do this.

A small smile curved Wyatt's lips. "Ready?" "Yes."

He held up the timer. "On my count, three . . . two . . . one!"

I lunged forward and grabbed the net. It shifted under my palm, trying to escape backward, but I held it firm. I slipped my feet into the slots and began to climb.

"You can do it, Meyers!" Charlotte called from below.

Zaden whooped, and Eliza cheered. Hearing them all rooting for me made my confidence grow. I clung to the net, slotting my feet into each square, as I clawed my way to the top and the ground fell beneath me.

I knew I wasn't the fastest, not by a long shot, but I managed to get to the top.

Breathing hard, I swung my legs onto the platform, my heart beating painfully fast. My muscles burned, and my arms felt weak, but I managed to stand.

Even though I was out of breath and my limbs shook, I determinedly stared at the bridge in front of me. Tentatively, I reached for the ropes on each side, coarse twine grazing my palms. Holding them firm, I took a step out, my eyes widening when the bridge swung violently.

Below me, Wyatt watched my every move. He'd shifted from the net to stand in the pit below me. He hadn't done that with any of the other recruits.

Gritting my teeth, I put all of my weight on the first wooden plank.

The bridge swung again, but I held on.

Little by little, I made my way across it, the bridge swinging with my every step. By the time I neared the other side, my breathing was shallow, since each step had felt insecure and precarious.

When I finally stepped onto the solid platform with the single rope descending at an angle down to the ground, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Until I looked at what waited for me.

A long, thick rope was connected to the thirty-foot platform I stood on. It arced to the ground like a curved blade, and with a sharp swallow, I wondered how I'd descend it. I wasn't as strong as the others. "You can do it!" one of my squad mates yelled.

I dared a look down at my commander. Wyatt's jaw was locked, his entire attention on me.

"Grab the rope with both hands," he said calmly, "then swing your legs up and hook your ankles around it. You'll shimmy down from there."

My heart beat harder as I tried to imagine doing what he said. The others had made this look so easy.

"Take your time, Avery."

Hearing him use my first name again made my stomach flip despite the adrenaline coursing through me. He remembers me. Standing on my tiptoes, I reached for the rope. It was so thick that I could barely get my hands around it.

"That's it, now swing your legs up and loop your ankles together."

I did as he said, or tried to. I swung from my hands, trying to get my legs vertical, but my stomach burned from lactic acid. Still, I wasn't going to give up.

On my third try, I managed to lock my ankles around the rope, then worked it up so my knees held me more securely.

"That's it!" Wyatt yelled.

I breathed harder and started descending. The rough rope cut into my palms, but I ignored the pain and kept shimmying.

When I was fully away from the ledge, a moment of panic seized me.

I was dangling twenty-five feet above the ground, and my arms and legs burned. No safety net waited below me. If I fell, I'd hit the ground and probably break bones. Unless Wyatt caught me. Maybe that was why he was following me through the course.

Blood thundered through my ears as the rope swung, and my hands began to slip.

"Keep moving, Avery!" Wyatt called. "Don't stop!"

His comments jolted me into action. I squeezed my eyes shut and let gravity help me. I began sliding down the rope, going faster and faster. The rope burned my palms, and I swallowed a yelp of pain, but I didn't let go.

When I dangled eight feet from the ground, I couldn't hold on any longer.

I fell from the rope, and my legs buckled beneath me, but I straightened and ran for the next obstacle.

Off to the side, Wyatt watched, a smile stretching across his face.

I slid, climbed, crawled, and fought my way through the rest of the course. Rope burn made my palms sting, and my muscles screamed in protest, but I didn't stop.

By the time I looped back around to the beginning of the course, my squad mates were cheering wildly.

"Go, Meyers! Go, Meyers! Go, Meyers!" they chanted over and over.

My chest heaved when I reached them. Wyatt had rejoined them, his eyes sparkling as a smile curved his lips.

I couldn't help but grin in return. I knew that I was the slowest.

I knew that in a crisis situation, I would hold the team up.

But dammit, I did it, and it felt really freakin' good that for once in my life, I was able to do what other supernaturals were capable of.