Page 26

Their attack resembled the one I survived three and a half years ago, and the option of them stumbling over us by accident is also out. No one lurks around so close to an Aerie just for the chance to run into someone. The risk of being discovered by one of the patrols is simply too high.

I have to face the possibility that my contact double-crossed me and set up a trap by handing me the crystal.

And he had the gall to ask for payment, too.

Now, the Tracers are usually stored in my room, but I had the first one with me all the time since I was trying to figure out its use.

Once more, the deaths are on me.

The scrape of a boot sounds behind me, and with the attack and thoughts of double-crossing and traps fresh on my mind, I’m out of my chair, my dagger drawn before I even think about it. I grit my teeth when the sudden movement causes the pain in my leg to flare up.

Big blue-green eyes meet mine, and I see concern in them while the corners of her mouth tip up into a guilty smile. Summer.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Her eyes fly past me and widen before they flick back to my face. Following her gaze, I see what caught her attention: the Tracers. Fuck.

Her eyes wander over the Tracers and the books scattered on the table before stopping on the leg I favor.

“Are you alright?” she asks, her eyes returning to mine, and I’m startled to see genuine concern there.

“Yes,” I tell her. Her lips part on my brusque tone, drawing my gaze, and all I can think of is how damn beautiful she is and the soft skin and slender curves hidden beneath her baggy clothes.

She looks up at me. “Do you want help with that?” In combination with my thoughts, that question is anything but harmless. Desire slams into me.

“No,” I snap, the word much harsher than intended.

I shouldn’t think about her that way.

“Alright then.” She sends me a strained smile, shrugs, and turns. Summer disappears around the next shelf in a heartbeat. I stand there frozen until her footsteps fade, only then realizing I never thanked her for saving me.

I sigh and slump back into my chair. Maybe Jared is right, and my social skills are severely lacking these days.

Granted, gratitude wasn’t my first reaction when I realized what she had done; more like horror and disbelief.

Her action still puzzles me, just like the concern I saw in her eyes minutes ago. Apart from Jared and Nan, I’m not used to seeing anyone worry for me.

I’m respected as a centurion, and we have each other’s backs within our flight, but to take a hit for me like that without knowing me?

I don’t know if that makes her brave, stupid, or simply reckless. The image of her being struck by lightning still haunts me, and the fact that she survived unscathed still baffles me.

I’m fine, I promise.

Her words make no sense. How can she be fucking fine after being roasted by lightning?

I sigh. She doesn’t deserve to be brushed off like that, especially since she didn’t even try to dig for information concerning the objects lying on the table. The least I can do is thank her and act less like an ass.

The following day, we’re in the sparring hall while the runners have a break between classes. Half of the room is shadowed by one of the Aerie’s towers, while the other half is bathed in gold by the afternoon sun. I lean against the wall, my eyes on Summer, who spars with Ilario.

The room is alive with the sounds of curses, grunts, and things colliding, either bodies or steel or both.

Again, I find myself wondering about her.

Who else knows about her disguise? She practically admitted that Cassius knows.

But what about Ilario? I remember him crouching next to her after the lightning attack, looking worried.

Just how close are they?

Ilario demonstrates for the hundredth time how Summer has to put her body behind a punch to make it count.

“What’s up with you? You look like someone puked in your breakfast or something.” Jared strolls up to me.

“Nothing,” I mutter.

“Yeah, I know that nothing . Want to hit the weight room? I would offer to spar with you, but I’m not a masochist.” He bumps my shoulder.

“Sure,” I say, but my eyes are still on her. Her punch is still shit, and the only thing Ilario does is go through the movement again. “What the fuck is he doing?” She surely won’t get it from watching him again. Otherwise, she would have mastered it by now. I stride over to them.

“If one way of teaching isn’t working, trying another is no disgrace,” I grumble. I place my hands on Summer’s hips, and she flinches at my touch. I ignore it and try very hard not to think of her soft skin beneath this tunic.

“Do it again. Slowly,” I instruct, and she complies. I twist her hips in time with her movement. Her gasp when her knuckles connect and the “umpf” from Ilario tells me they both felt the difference. She laughs in wonder before apologizing to Ilario.

Her smoky laugh and the wide smile on her face when she looks at me over her shoulder make my stomach flip.

Her joy feels infectious, fizzing through my blood like thunderbolts, and I smile back.

The air between us charges, and I catch my thumb, tracing tiny circles on her lower back while my hands still rest on her hips.

What am I doing?

I let my hands drop to my sides and step back.I get my face back under control and take another step back before I nod at her.

“That’s it. Do ten more, then change sides.” My gruff and clipped voice reestablishes the needed distance between us. I turn and stride off, but the warmth of her smile lingers in my chest.

“Thank you,” Summer calls behind me, causing heads to turn, but I resist and only raise my hand in acknowledgment.

Maybe being nice is not such a good idea, after all. It’s too easy to get sucked in by her light.

Another reason to stay away is Cassius. I saw him in the weight room this morning, pounding away at one of the targets like it was his mortal enemy. I always perceived him as reasonable and even-tempered, but since Summer arrived, he’s all over the place.

Yes, keeping my distance is important.

“What was that?” Jared looks confused when I get back to him.

“What? I just helped him out. He didn’t get the hang of it, and Ilario was doing a miserable job of teaching him.”

“That’s not what I meant. You smiled.” He looks at me suspiciously.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do it again,” I deadpan. “Summer did save my life, though. Maybe I was trying to be nice.”

“There aren’t many around who can say that,” he agrees.

Because they’re all dead.

He probably didn’t mean to imply that, but the thought sours my mood.

“My point exactly.” I slap his back. “Let’s go hit something.”

The common room is crowded this evening, making the big space seem much smaller. Apart from a few riders on courier duty, all squadrons of the southern division are in at the moment, and it seems most of them opted to stay in since the weather is still icy.

A few second and third squadron riders have a friendly competition of throwing knives at the target in the corner, and most chairs and couches are occupied.

People are chatting and playing card games.

Zaza is at the fireplace, casually placing wood right into the violet flames.

The flames dance over her hand while she’s chatting with Tanner.

Thankfully, she bounced back quickly after the run-in with the titans.

I sit next to Jared on one of the couches, balancing a book on my knees while I work on the patrol plan for next month. I have to hand it in tomorrow, and working around granted leaves and even distribution of all the squadrons can be a headache, even without the commotion going on around us.

I lift my head when the door opens. Summer walks in with another girl from her flight, and I nearly groan. Just what I need: another distraction.

The girls are both grinning like they shared a joke just before entering.

Summer’s smile falters for a second when our eyes meet, and she looks away.

They walk over to the rest of their squadron, sitting at one of the tables, animatedly discussing something.

There is a bit of shuffling to make room for the newcomers, and Summer ends up on a bench between Cassius and another seasoned rider.

Since when do they hang out with riders?

I let my eyes wander over the group again and recognize the riders as being part of Cassius’s flight.

I turn back to the paper in front of me. This is exactly why I keep my distance.

“You can’t put squadron three on that.” Jared taps on the paper, criticizing my last entry.

“And why the mists not?” I ask.

“Because that one takes about eight days, and Jenna has leave coming up after five.” I curse when I see he’s right.

“How about you take over the planning?” I ask dryly, but shake my head when a wicked smile spreads across my best friend’s face. I know how Jared’s mind works by now.

“No, you can’t partner us with the second squadron of the eastern division for the whole month just because you’re sleeping with Nadja.” His smile morphs into a pout.

“Oh, come on, have a heart,” he pleads, “and I know for a fact that Stina would love to have you in her bed.” He grins at me. “You seem a bit stressed lately.”

Stina is a pretty redhead and Nadja’s friend, but all I can think about are those goose bumps popping up under my touch and a warm, smoky voice asking me not to be too gentle.

Holy mists, this girl is fucking with my head without even trying.

That she’s such a puzzle isn’t helping either.

“What?” I ask when I realize Jared must have asked me something. He gives me an odd look.

“Something is up with you.” He studies my face.

“Nothing is up,” I deny and try very hard not to look at the table across the room.