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ADDI

Dressed head to toe in black with my gray cloak over my shoulders, I’m ready for another day in paradise. I consider tucking daggers into the pockets of my combat pants, but opt against it at the last minute.

Nightmares plagued me for some reason last night, and they seem to have filtered through into my morning, leaving me on edge despite the fact that I remember nothing of the terrors that crept into my dreams. I have to remember they’re just dreams and not my reality, no matter how jittery they’re making me.

I run my fingers over the braids pinning my hair to my head, making sure there’s nothing for Vallie to get her grabby mitts on today.

After Cassian was pulled away last night, I mumbled some bullshit excuse, grabbed my burger, and hightailed it out of there. Battle groups be damned. Thankfully, I made it back to my room without any further issues. Even better, Flora caught me on the way back in and dangled my new favorite series in front of me. The Office is a gift from someone high above who wants to shed a sprinkling of light on my life and I’m here for it.

What I’m not here for is the fact that I fell asleep in the process. In Flora’s room. My gut twists with the thought again, just like it did when I woke in the middle of the night, startled and disoriented from my first nightmare.

She’s tearing my walls down, one brick at a time, and it seems I’m helpless to the fact. I snuck out without disturbing her, and as much as I feel off kilter from the nightmares and falling asleep in a space that wasn’t my own, I’m more worried about trying to figure out where we were up to in the series before I passed out.

A knock at the door startles me from my thoughts. Glancing at the time, I notice it’s a little earlier than usual, but Flora probably wants to make sure I haven’t disappeared altogether.

I swing my bedroom door open without further thought, freezing in place when it’s Cassian I find on the other side of the threshold. My heart rattles in my chest before I can calm it and I clear my throat, giving myself a chance to act unfazed before I speak.

“What are you doing here?”

His green eyes clash with mine, emphasized by his emerald cloak. “Can I come in?”

I frown at his soft tone but still shake my head. “No.”

“Please,” he grumbles, leaving me even more confused. I don’t think please is a popular word in his vocabulary. So what has him saying it now?

“Brody’s ward is in place,” I ramble, pointing behind me like it’s visible, and he shrugs.

“I’m aware, but if you take my hand, it will let me in.” He extends his arm, palm up, as he looks at me. I don’t know what the hell is going on, but a part of me wants to do just that, yet the other, the protective side, has me shaking my head again.

“No.”

His eyes close as he sighs, and I note the slight tic to his jaw. Whatever is bothering him is really doing a number because the Cassian I’m familiar with, although it’s a rather limited familiarity, really, wouldn’t continue to try and compose himself like this. He blinks his eyelids open again and exhales slowly. “I need to talk to you, and a little privacy would be appreciated.”

“Why?” I push. He has to give me something. Instead, he cocks his brow.

“The privacy part is pretty important. Otherwise, I would have discussed it with you over breakfast.” My lips twist with uncertainty as I stare at him, earning me another sigh as he curses. “Fuck. If Brody put the ward in place, he doesn’t fuck around. The second you don’t want me in here anymore, the ward will know and throw me out.”

Do I trust that? I don’t know, but I do know the way it tossed Kryll from the room yesterday. Whatever he wants to say, he seems determined that I need to hear it. Before I change my mind, I place my palm in his. His fingers wrap around mine, and a moment later, he tugs himself inside.

I gulp, uncertain about having someone else in my space. Especially him. The walls feel closer and the roof feels lower. His mere presence makes everything shrink around me and I feel like I can’t breathe.

He kicks the door shut without a backward glance, only intensifying the feelings swarming inside of me. Is it hot in here? It feels really fucking hot all of a sudden. Maybe I should open a window?

The thought quickly fizzles out in my mind after remembering Kryll’s intrusion yesterday. That damn thing is staying shut for the foreseeable future. His hand keeps mine captured in his grasp as his gaze flits around my room.

I don’t like him looking at my personal space—or lack thereof, if I’m being honest. “What did you want to talk about, Cassian? We’re going to be late for class and I need to eat first.” I try to retract my hand and take a step back, but his grip only tightens.

“I met with my father last night.”

“I’m aware.” I was literally there when he was summoned. This isn’t new news or news that requires entry into my room.

“He’s an asshole,” he states, and I smirk.

“I assumed that’s where you got it from.”

His eyes narrow on me as I offer him an innocent smile in response. He sees right through it, just like usual.

“He’s throwing a moon party on Saturday,” he explains, the tic flickering in his jaw again.