Page 23 of Bonds of Starfall

He swept his scythe in a line before him, rending the air in two. He thought of his home, and the flickering tear in the air revealed a shimmering portal to the place he desired. He stepped inside the portal with a long look back at her.

Her outraged curses followed him long after the portal was closed.

4

HEART

Nearly a week of Rin’s new life as a trainee for the Alpha Team, and she was finally getting the hang of it.

Sweat dripped from her temples and ran down her back, her shirt sticking to her skin.

"Fuck! Go lower!" Keir called, dodging her swinging leg with a hair’s breadth of space.

"I said to your left," Rin retorted.

Keir dodged another one of her kicks. "My left, not yours."

Rin rolled her eyes. She kicked out again and stumbled. Her vision swam for a moment, and she blinked hard to focus.

She lifted her shirt to wipe her face. The heat pressed in—was it warmer than usual, or just her? She fanned her face, letting her shirt fall back into place, as she padded across the mats to the small benches at the side of the training room. She dug through her bag for a water bottle.

"I need a minute," she called, sitting heavily and taking a long drink.

When she was done, she pressed the plastic to her face, seeking any coolness she could find. Her skin was flushed and sticky with sweat.

"Maybe you need more than a minute." The sound of Keir’s voice made her crack open an eyelid. He stood right in front of her, concern etched into his brow. His skin was coated with sweat like hers.

She shook her head. "I’m fine, just catching my breath."

Keir sat on the bench beside her. "Do you need a doctor?" His voice was hesitant.

"Dammit, Keir," Rin growled. "I said, I’m fine. I don’t need to be babied." She knew this was coming—ever since the episode a few days ago, while pushing to meet her training hours.

Keir had been the one to find her, passed out on the ground. She had been forced to tell him, and now, whenever her breathing so much as hitched, he looked two seconds away from a panic attack.

He needed someone else to direct all that worry toward. She wasn’t interested.

"Sorry. I’m just worried, that’s all. It’s not every day you meet someone with Nova in their heart."

At her narrowed eyes, he backed off. "Alright, message received. I won’t talk about it again. In fact, if I see you struggling for breath, passed out on the floor, I’ll even ignore you. How does that sound?"

"Dick," Rin muttered. But the word had no heat.

For all her complaining, she actually didn’t mind the man. He had been pretty welcoming so far, helping her navigate the Alpha Team, when all the other trainees were completely radio-silent, off on missions, and when they did see her, they would scurry off. The episode a few days ago had only made it worse. Now, everyone knew how odd she was. How dangerous she might be.

"You know, we’re having a little party tomorrow night to celebrate the first week. All teams are going. Jasver, a fourth year on Beta Team, will probably be there. I hooked up withhim a couple of times last year, but he hasn’t returned my calls. I need someone to help me make him jealous," Keir prodded. "Want to come?"

Rin thought about it. She was set to see Lucien over the weekend. The last thing she’d need was to show up hungover. But…

"Okay," Rin said. "But I’m not kissing you." She stared him down, expressionless. "Don’t get any ideas."

Keir merely held a hand to his heart in feigned indignation. "I’m wounded." He stood and walked back to the mats.

She wasn’t interested. To be fair, she wondered if she would ever feel interested in anyone. She wasn’t wired for it.

Her traitorous mind recalled last night… How she had fallen asleep with her phone pressed to her ear, listening to Kit speak in that sweet, rumbly voice he only used with her.

She missed him already. And it hadn’t even been a full week.