Page 23

Chapter

Fifteen

ARA

The trip changed us. Maybe the reality of our lives as riders set in and made us realize we had to work as a unit. Perhaps it was fighting side by side or enduring the grueling march back that welded us together.

No matter what triggered it, our squadron dynamics changed. The current situation is a clear sign of that.

“Just a little farther. You got this, Mariel,” I shout, and I’m not the only one. Our whole squadron has been shouting encouragement and whooping loudly since we started our drills at the obstacle course, and since I peeked at the list Joel keeps, I know our times show the extra push.

My experience in the mountains was also a much-needed reminder that I have too much I can’t share or even explain without landing myself in hot water, which makes our group becoming tighter a double-edged sword.

Feeling the support is incredible, but keeping up my ruse and lying to them becomes harder and harder, especially to Calix.

He’s the most open and likable person I’ve ever met, so I feel like shit for deceiving him.

But he flirts constantly, and I can’t see him treating me the same once he knows I’m a girl.

The other problem is that suddenly, everyone wants to know where I’m going when I try to creep off.

“She’s getting so much better,” Calix comments next to me, his eyes on Mariel.

“Yeah, she’s incredible,” I say and earn a knowing look from Calix.

“What?” I ask.

“So you’re into her?” he asks while he watches Mariel balancing over a beam, his mood suddenly somber.

“What? No, of course not.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t blame you. She has serious fire and a hot figure on top of it.” He grins. Whatever is bugging him is seemingly forgotten.

“No, I’m not into her,” I protest, but stop when he only smiles.

This argument will get me nowhere. Thankfully, Calix is up next.

“Who’s caught your eye, then?” Calix continues the same discussion over lunch, and I nearly choke on the sip of tea in my mouth. He pounds my back while I cough.

“Don’t break him,” Simeon jokes while plopping down in the seat next to me. Ever since we got back, our squadron has been sitting together during meals without losing a word about it.

I’m thankful for his interruption. My gaze darts to the other side of the room, where I spot Kyronos grinning at something Venti said.

When I snap my attention back to what's going on around me, the guys are roasting Simeon about his crush on a girl from the northern division.

“How do you intend to charm her?” one of them asks.

“You mean how he’ll charm the pants off her,” another throws in.

“Assuming he hopefully knows his way once he has,” I joke, and Simeon groans next to me before he begs us to stop.

“I take it you do then,” a voice asks right next to my ear, startling me. I look over my shoulder and meet the gaze of a girl from the eastern division, her hand resting on my shoulder.

“Hey, Trina, looking good,” Calix pipes up next to me. That is another problem I didn’t anticipate when I stepped in front of our centurion. I fight down a groan.

How does getting nearly fried make me more desirable?

Since flirting is his second language, I have no guilt over leaving Calix to deal with Trina.

“Nice meeting you, Trina,” I say, my eyes on Mariel’s plate, who just sits down opposite me. “Oh, Mariel, those cookies look great.” I jump up.

“Yeah, I know you like them. I brought one f—” I don’t let her finish before I grab my plate and hurry away.

Crisis averted.

I grab two cookies because they really are delicious, and when no one is watching, I rush out the door and head to our next class early.

It takes a while before Calix sprawls into the chair next to mine. He stares at me, shaking his head.

“What is wrong with you?” he asks. “You ran away like your pants were on fire.”

“I don’t need distractions,” I grumble. “And she’s only interested because she makes me into something I’m not.”

He bumps my shoulder with his fist. “Who cares? Loosen up. We could die any day. One wrong step on that damn squirrel path you like so much … and your body makes its last journey.” He shakes his head. “And you throw away a chance like that.” He gestures to the door. “Live a little.”

His encouragement makes me think of our centurion and the way he looked this morning, his hair still wet from a shower while he sat down for breakfast.

Damn, this is getting ridiculous.

I huff out a breath.

“I’ll happily let you do the living for me,” I say.

Calix smirks.

“Don’t even pretend you didn’t seize that chance.” I raise my eyebrow at him.

He shrugs, still grinning. “I had to boost Trina’s confidence after you brushed her off like that.”

I snort. “Yeah, right. How utterly selfless of you.”

“I do what I can.” He sends me a wolfish grin, and I burst out laughing.

Two hours later, after Geography and Lore of the Sky, we find ourselves in the courtyard.

Arkwright decided the sunny day is perfect for drills outside. I’m facing Mariel, and she’s as good with a sword as she is without it. Her bright red hair is braided back, a fiery splash of color whenever it catches the sun.

She is one of three girls on my squadron, four if I count myself, but the only one in the same flight.

“Switch partners.” Professor Arkwright’s voice cuts through the clear winter air, giving us a short reprieve while Mariel’s side shuffles up to the next runner. The sun has nearly reached its peak, stealing all the shadows and turning the air far too warm for a winter day.

I roll up my sleeves but undo the last turn of the right when my mark becomes visible.

It is growing. When I marred my skin to hide it, it was the size of my thumb. It’s three times the size now, like an ugly, dark caterpillar crawling down my skin, and I’ve been so occupied with everything else that I haven’t even started my research on that.

Godwin, who occupies the bunk above mine, smiles down at me. “Ready to get your ass whooped, Gray?”

I grin. “In your dreams, Godi.” He grimaces at the nickname and charges when the whistle sounds.

This is something I know, something comfortable. I push away everything else and sidestep his attack before going on the offensive.

I get lost in the simple dynamics of charging and retreating, acting and reacting. My muscles go from warm and loose, past burning and aching, into protesting and screaming while we change partners again and again.

Two hours later, I limp back to our room, covered in sweat, dust, and bruises. Calix slings his arm over my shoulders, bumping into a bruise on my right arm, and I hiss.

Thank the gods Simeon twisted his blade in time and hit me with the broad side, or I would have needed Kyronos’s help again. A shiver goes through my body. The thought of getting healed still freaks me out, and who says it will work again? And that I’m attracted to him … it’s madness.

I dive out from under Calix's arm and shove him playfully. “Get away from me. You are disgusting.”

He laughs. “As if you look any better.”

I grin up at him. “I still don’t have the desire to get your gunk all over me, too.”

He laughs again. “Too late for that, Gray.”

“Oh, so you are all over me now?” I ask, waggling my brows.

“Stop it, or you’ll ruin my reputation.” He laughs while lunging for me and trying to get me into a headlock.

I dance out of his reach, throwing mock punches to keep him away.

“You have to do better than that,” Calix says, coming at me again.

I jump back, my injured shoulder colliding with something hard.

I stumble forward, hissing in pain when that brings all my weight on my right leg, which is still tender from a nasty hit yesterday.

A hand grabs my arm, and I nearly jump out of my skin.

I look over my shoulder into a familiar pair of golden eyes.

Dammit. I step away.

Despite multiple steps between us, I still feel the golden glow of his gift pulling me in. Great, now I can sense it from over here? And even worse, I feel drawn to it.

What is wrong with me?

“Sorry, didn’t see you there,” I mutter.

His gaze lingers on my leg for a second before it wanders back to my face. For a moment, I think Kyronos is going to say something, but he just nods before stepping around me. He’s already halfway down the hall before he looks over his shoulder, catching me looking after him.

“He’s right. You have to do better than that.”

I watch his retreating back and hear Calix exhale next to me. “Well, that was anticlimactic.”

“What?” I look at him, confused, while a little tingle of panic ignites in my belly.

Does he know about my crush?

“Why?” I ask.

“Haven’t you heard what they say about him?” He looks at me incredulously and shakes his head when I only widen my eyes in question.

I don’t pay attention to gossip. I’m busy enough with my own shit and have no inclination or time to dig into someone else’s.

But Calix failed his calling as one of those chatty old women who spend all their time at a window commenting on the neighborhood. I grin at the image of Calix leaning out a window in a dress and headscarf.

“Well, then listen up,” Calix tells me, and to my mortification, I do. I’m simply too eager to learn more about Tate Kyronos.

“He and Jared Venti showed up here for Assessment three years ago, and no one knows where they came from.” He gives me a meaningful glance, which doubles my discomfort since he could say the same about me.

“They say he escaped a prison up in the north since he has this scar on his neck, and they were dressed in northern fashion when they got here.” I snort at that.

Of course, the only reason someone with healing magic didn’t heal himself is that he was suppressed. I shake my head. Suppressants are shackles used in prison to subdue gifted people, but that is by no means the only possible explanation. I do wonder about that scar myself, though.

“He is also disgraced and still doesn’t seem to mind showing his chest openly.”

Tate Kyronos shirtless —now that is a thought to dwell on.