Page 35

Chapter

Twenty-Two

TATE

She shakes in my arms, but she hasn’t acted scared. The way she stepped between this brute and her friend, the way she shifted her body right before I grabbed her, told me she was about to fight him.

She ran from me, ignored my questions, patted my chest like I was some...pet she was rewarding, and then… Knowing we are here—that I am here—she would rather fight a guy twice her weight than ask for help?

Holy mists, this woman is driving me insane.

I still feel the burning line along my neck like she fried my fucking nerves just by touching me with her nose? Lips?

What is wrong with me? And what is wrong with her?

Her breath warms my skin in small puffs, and I’m caught somewhere between wanting to shake some sense into her and kissing her senseless.

That we are drawing more and more attention by just standing here isn’t helping either. I should drag her back and report her for sneaking out but handing her over when Foley already wants her dead? Fuck. I can’t do it.

What the fuck did I get myself into?

The guys of my flight—our flight for the time being—are already staring curiously, and one of them will come over any minute now. I have to get her out of here.

I take a deep breath, and my airways fill with her scent. Clean, soapy with a hint of something warm like cinnamon. I pull back and meet twinkling blue-green eyes full of mischief and laughter. I blink. She’s laughing? Of course, she’s fucking laughing. I scowl at her.

“Sorry.” Her voice sounds breathless while she fights for control. “The look that creep gave you was priceless.” She pats my chest, turning away, ready to dismiss me. Again. I trap her hand with mine, which brings her gaze back to me.

“You think that was funny?” I glare at her. Doesn't she have any concept of self-preservation?

“Immensely, I have to say you are quite handy to have around.” She grins like all of this is one big joke. Irritation crawls up my throat. This could have had serious consequences. If the bastard hadn’t backed down so quickly, I might have ripped him to shreds, and she thinks it’s entertaining?

“I'm not some tool you can use how you please.” My voice is dangerously soft.

“Pity, and I would have had so many good ideas on how to use...ah, never mind.” She winks at me, and for a second, I’m stunned speechless. Is she flirting with me? Now?

“See you tomorrow.” She sends me a smile, extracts her hand, and is nearly out the door before I catch her arm.

“Where do you think you are going?” I snap.

“Where do you think I’m going?”

“You are not going back alone.” My voice is full of warning.

Her eyebrows shoot up, and suddenly, she doesn't look so sure of herself. Then her smirk is back in place.

“Is that an offer?” She lets her eyes roam over my body in an appraisal that leaves my skin tingling. Fuck, she’s much too enticing for her own good, and that sassy mouth...

“Unfortunately, I have to decline,” she continues, shrugging. “I need some shut-eye before that grueling training of yours.” She heads out the door. And I catch it with my hand before she can slam it in my face.

“I'll walk you back.” I follow her into the dark, and she grumbles something that sounds a lot like “overbearing men.”

She sets out at a quick pace, her long legs eating up the sidewalk. It’s cold tonight, but she doesn’t seem bothered despite being only in a dress. A dress that hugs her body in a way that is impossible to overlook.

I watch her while we walk, but she does her best to ignore me. I expect her to speak, considering how she tends to become fidgety and rambling when tense, but she stays quiet.

A dog barks off in the distance, and a few people hurry along the streets, their eyes on the uneven cobblestone pavement. She turns into a smaller street, and the light spilling out of windows is the only sign of life around us.

“Why did you sneak out?” I start with the most obvious question circling in my head.

“Could I have gone openly if I asked you?” She looks up at me, sounding curious, not slowing her steps.

“No, of course not!”

“Didn't think so,” she says. I take a deep breath, reminding myself that shouting will draw too much attention.

“Okay, why did you need to go out tonight?” I rephrase.

See, I can be patient.

She shrugs. “A yearning for a glass of wine with a friend.” It’s a lie, and I have seen her dedication in training. She may be reckless, but she’s not careless.

“Bullshit,” I tell her.

“If you say so.” She sounds bored and marches on. We’re getting closer and closer to the academy grounds, and I need answers before we get there.

I catch her arm, and she swings around, ready to clock me with the other one, so I grab the other one for good measure. She struggles, and when she tries to knee me in the groin, I back her against the next wall, trapping her between me and the hard surface.

“What the fuck, Ara?”

“In my experience getting manhandled in a dark alley requires fighting back.”

“I just want to talk.”

She huffs out a breath, donning a bored expression, but her body is still tense.

“Tell me why you left the academy tonight, and I will let you go,” I tell her.

“I already told you I wanted to meet a friend.” She speaks the truth but doesn’t meet my gaze. Something is up.

Is she passing on information? Is she another trap?

The thoughts make my blood run cold. I don't know anything about her unless I count joining the academy under a false name and that Cassius grew up with her. I tagged her as harmless, but what if she isn't?

“And why is that?” The ice in my voice mirrors the one coursing through my veins. Our faces are so close that the clouds of our breaths mingle. She goes rigid at my tone but still doesn't offer any explanation.

Have I endangered my flight, my division by trusting her?

I watch her closely while I go through the possibilities.

“You met up with someone,” I reiterate. “Did you give her something?” Her eyes flare for a second, telling me I’m right on the mark.

“What was it?” I ask. She lets her head fall back against the wall and I see the resolve in her eyes before she answers.

“Letters,” she whispers.

“Are you spying on us?” I ask, my voice gruff. Her eyes go wide with shock, her head snaps forward and her pulse spikes under my fingers.

“No!” She shakes her head frantically. Truth.

“Well, Jared knows where your friend lives now. Do I need to visit her, or are you finally going to talk?” I push.

“Leave Sloan alone!” There’s a fire in her eyes now, but fear, too, and seeing that emotion on her face slices me open. I don’t want her to be afraid of me. “I'm not spying on anyone, I promise,” she assures me hurriedly.

“And why would you sneak out letters in the middle of the night instead of posting them yourself?” I ask, my voice softer now that I know she isn’t a spy.

She sighs, studying her feet before looking up at me again. “They don't know I'm here.”

“Who?” I fire back. We’re finally getting somewhere.

“My family,” she answers, her shoulders slumping, her eyes back on her feet. I blink at that.

What?

That is not what I expected. Most want to shout it from the rooftops that they are a skyrider, not hide it like a dirty secret.

“Where do they think you are?” I duck my head to meet her eyes.

“Visiting Sloan.” She shrugs. Well, that is kind of fucked up. My mind jumps to the scars on her skin.

“Are you hiding from your family?” The thought of someone hurting her deliberately…I grind my teeth, fighting for control.

“It's a long story.” She sighs, and her eyes jump to my hands still circling her wrists… with more force than necessary. I relax my grip.

“You are not going anywhere at the moment, so try me,” I tell her. Now that my focus is on her wrists, I notice the sharp edges under the soft fabric.

Daggers.

She may look harmless in that soft dress, but she’s not.

And why the mists do I think that is hot?

“You’re armed,” I state the obvious.

Her eyes wander over my weapons before meeting my gaze.

“So are you.”

“Do you have more than those two daggers under your dress?”

“Now, wouldn't you like to know that?” She gives me a slow smile that makes me much too aware of how close our bodies are. The twinkle in her eyes tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing, and damn if it isn't working.

I take a deep breath of the frigid night air and quirk an eyebrow.

She laughs softly. “Can’t blame me for trying.”

I’m still shaking my head when Ara is safely back in her room, and I make my way back to the tavern. This woman is trouble in all caps. Who leaves her family for a “vacation” only to join a fight force known for decimating their applicants in droves?

I do buy her wish for standing up for herself and getting out from under her brother’s wings, it even makes sense that she thought she would draw less attention by posing as a boy, but I would bet my life on it that there’s more.

Four brothers ... no wonder she knows how to get under a man's skin.The thought of having a little sister like that is enough to give me gray hair.

And the way she shimmied up that rainspout like it was a damn ladder and in a dress… I have a suspicion she doesn't care to use the front door at home either.

I’ll need to keep an eye on her.

“ Yeah right, that is the only reason you’ll keep an eye on her.” Daeva laughs at me.

“ Oh, shut up,” I grumble.

I push into the tavern, and I’m instantly enveloped by warmth and the smell of beer and food.

The guys are already well into a round of cards as I settle back in my seat.

My beer is warm and has lost its foam, but I take a big gulp nonetheless, trying to wash away the scent of her still lingering in my nose.

“That was quick. Didn't think we would see you back here, Centurion,” Boko teases and laughs at my crude gesture. “Only Jared here was even quicker.” That earns him a jab from the right.

“I would have taken my time with someone like that in my arms.” Tanner winks at me.

“With you, that means all of what...two minutes?” Boko evades Tanner's punch, laughing.

“Careful with your teasing. I see a pattern there, Boko. Wouldn't want anyone to suspect you are lacking in that department, do you?” Howling laughter meets Jared's comment.

“Seriously, Centurion, how did you do it?” Miller, the youngest of our bunch, looks at me with something close to adoration. “You were gone for not even ten minutes, and the next thing I know, you have your arms around that beauty.”

“Must be that face of his. It sure isn't his sunny character,” Jared teases and nudges my shoulder. “I got the other girl safely home. But she was concerned for her friend. Who is she?”

With anyone else, I would have kept my mouth shut or made up a story, but it’s Jared. My best friend and partner in crime since his mother let us out of her view. He knows all of my secrets. I hesitate for a second, then lean closer.

Boko claims this round of cards, the others swearing about their bad luck and handing over coins reluctantly. I use the commotion to fill Jared in.

“No way!” His shout causes all heads to turn in our direction. I give him a reprimanding stare, and he drops his volume to barely audible. “She turned into you before I came close enough to see her face. Now I know why. Damn.” He chuckles. “Now what?”

I shrug. “I will keep an even closer eye on her, I guess.”

“Not such a hardship, is it?” He only grins when I glare at him. There is a lot of teasing coming my way, I’m sure of it.

“That girl has trouble written all over her,” I grumble.

“That was your middle name, last time I checked.” He smirks. “So does that make her yours?” I’m shaking my head at my best friend. If I’m smart, I’ll stay far away from Ara. She could make me lose my fucking mind.

I nod at Boko’s silent question when he starts dealing cards for a new round.

“Seriously, if you aren’t interested—” Jared leans closer and smirks.

“I already liked her, but after the comment this morning and seeing her in that dress… I might just be in love.” I growl at him, and he chuckles.

“So you are interested,” he concludes, and I realize provoking a reaction out of me has been his plan all along.

“Not sure that even matters. The way he acts around her, I’m pretty sure she’s with Cassius,” I answer even though the thought irks me.

Not for you, I remind myself. I have no place even thinking about her in that way, not while I have a target on my back. She’s a runner, and I am her centurion, for fuck’s sake.

And now I will be around her constantly for the next week, if not more. I groan at that thought.

“ And Cassius is her squadron leader,” Daeva comments. She’s right.

“ I will have to have a word with him about that”

“ She will come at you swinging if she gets wind of that,” Daeva adds her opinion and sounds gleeful.

I guess she isn’t over me telling her to shut up.

“ She is fierce,” she continues. Together with her statement, she has guts , a few days earlier , this is the most approval Daeva has ever shown for anyone before .

I will stay away from Ara , I vow to myself.

I’m a risk for her, and if I let her in, she’s a weakness I can’t afford. I know what happens to people I care for, and her being so…reckless on top of that. I shake my head. I can’t let her close.