Page 10

Fuck it.

I shoved the key into the lock and swung the door open with more force than necessary. The room was completely empty, and a wave of relief washed over me, loosening the tension in my chest. But I knew it wouldn’t last long—soon enough, the boys would return, and peace would be a distant memory.

I stepped into the dorm, where there was a hallway past the kitchenette and a door to my right. You could tell men occupied this place—clothes and shoes scattered the floorboards, and I could smell the faint earthy cologne that no doubt belonged to one of them.

I walked down the hallway, jiggling doorknobs to see which was my room. Instead, I almost gagged when I entered a room with hundreds of leftover foods on top of a desk. Another room had posters of Star Wars and action figures, while the last room was entirely locked.

I huffed, knowing the other door led to the bathroom. “I am not sharing a room with one of them,” I muttered to myself and stalked back into the main living room toward the last remaining door.

When it opened, I had never felt such joy to see an almost barren room. A single bed, a simple wooden desk and a wardrobe where all my clothes had already been stashed—thanks to Eden—stood waiting for me. I sighed, dropping the new uniform packet onto my bed.

I suppose this was home now. I wasn’t sure if the gnawing feeling in my stomach was dread or anticipation. Maybe both. I hadn’t felt this before, not even when Joe would move us to a new town.

Just as I was about to lie down, my phone buzzed inside my pocket, and I noticed it was Joe calling.

I grimaced before answering. “You know, this is the most you’ve used a phone that wasn’t decades old. I’m proud.”

He chuckled. “Have you eaten?”

I sighed, making my way towards the window and pulling the curtain aside.

The view wasn’t much—just the stretch of forestry sprawling under the dull light of the afternoon.

“Yes, Joe, I have. Do you also want me to tell you if I showered, brushed my teeth and tidied Eden’s room before I left?

” I couldn’t help the snarky tone behind my words.

I couldn’t even tell him that I had joined the Warriors yet.

I knew sooner or later he would find out because of Nadael, but I just wasn’t ready for him to scold me.

To tell me I was too much of a dreamer or that I was reaching for something that was beyond me because that’s all I ever did.

“Did you?”

I shook my head at the teasing tone in his voice. Clearly, he hadn’t picked up on my frustration yet. “You’re annoying.”

He chuckled again, unfazed. “What about classes? Did Nadael stick you with the Healers? Thought you might love it there.”

I nearly choked as I swallowed. I was thankful he couldn’t see the color drain from my face as I faced the mirror beside the desk. ‘Oh, yeah... it’s perfect,’ I said, forcing a smile into my voice.

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and I winced. I should’ve felt guilty, maybe even ashamed, for lying to him. But they never surfaced, no matter how hard I tried to summon those feelings.

Licking my lips, I exhaled slowly, “Joe?”

Before he could respond, I heard the distinct sound of the door locks turning.

“I’ve got to go,” I blurted out. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Wait, Grace—”

I didn’t give him the chance to finish. I tossed my phone on the bed and dashed toward the bedroom door, positioning myself just out of sight. From the crack between the door and the frame, I saw Brandon, Silas, and Hunter walking into the dorm. All three wearing the Warriors’ uniform.

“I swear Azrael has an agenda set out to just kill me with his drills,” Silas said, throwing his jacket onto the sofa and revealing silver arm guards engraved with runes against a tight-fitted black shirt.

Brandon walked past him, chuckling. “You don’t pay attention; that’s why.”

“Says the one who was flirting with that girl from the Healers Sector. Let’s hope none of the Celestials caught on.”

“Fuck off. I was just trying to be nice.”

Silas burst into laughter, collapsing onto the sofa with his legs sprawled out and arms lazily tucked behind his head. He said something else, but the words barely registered as my attention drifted toward Hunter by the kitchenette.

I took in the sight of him, his hair a tousled mess, the dried mud clinging to his neck, and how his uniform effortlessly fitted his muscular frame. The sight of him, rugged and unbothered, made it impossible to focus on anything else.

Damn him.

“You’re real quiet over there, Cain.” Brandon’s voice was cautious but clear as he sat beside Silas. “Did Azrael get to you too?”

My eyes went back to Hunter as he grunted in response, a noncommittal sound that could have meant anything. He was awfully hard to read, not that I was any good at reading people.

“Did you hear about the new girl speaking out in Sariel’s class?” Brandon said, and my stomach immediately twisted into knots.

Silas frowned. “Grace?”

“Yeah, apparently, she spoke up after Veronica made a comment or something.”

Silas sat up a little straighter at that, his brown eyes narrowing. “Really?” A smirk crept onto his face. “Bet Veronica’s pissed.”

Hunter’s voice cut through the conversation, flat and unimpressed. “Since when do you two girls’ gossip?”

Silas grinned up at him. “Well—”

“Go shower. You stink,” Hunter muttered, brushing past them without giving either Brandon or Silas a chance to respond.

“It’s called musk,” Silas replied, puffing out his chest in mock offense.

Hunter leaned in and took a sniff, his expression unchanging. “Pretty sure it’s called shit. Now go take shower.”

I fought hard not to smile at the exchange as I watched Brandon give Silas a playful tap on the back. Their footsteps faded into the hallway, and I let out a slow breath, closing my eyes as I leaned my head forward in relief.

“You know, if you’re going to eavesdrop, you should probably learn to hide better.”

My eyes snapped open, and through the small gap in the doorway, my gaze locked with Hunter’s across the room. He stood by the sofa, hands pressed against the edge as he leaned forward with his head tilted slightly.

“I hear a glass to the door works just as well.”

Heat flashed through my cheeks, and I hoped that it wouldn’t be visible in all that was mighty as I stepped out from behind the door. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

His lips twitched into a faint smirk as he stood upright. “So, that you’re willing to do.”

I raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore how his presence seemed to dominate the room. I was a mouse stuck in his trap. “Usually, I like to make my own decisions.”

He hummed softly, pushing away from the sofa and strolling toward me. His eyes locked onto mine even as the distant sound of the shower filled the air, followed by the muffled shouts of Brandon and Silas arguing somewhere down the hall.

I swallowed hard as Hunter stopped just a few feet away. The height difference wasn’t so noticeable from a distance, but it was impossible to ignore up close as he towered over me.

He reached for one of my curls without warning, and I had to fight the urge to flinch.

His fingers gently tucked it behind my ear, and I could feel the goosebumps prickling across my skin.

My body betrayed me with a slight shudder, and his lips tugged into a knowing smirk before he turned to walk away.

Frustrated, I blurted out, “I know a lot more about this world than you think.”

He paused mid-step, glancing back over his shoulder. “And? Do I look like a man who cares? Because if so, that’s wildly misleading.”

Glaring, I ignored that and took a few steps deeper into the room, trying to hide the fact my legs were shaking. “Look, I may not be an Ascendant, but I grew up around this life. If knowing that hell exists doesn’t scare me, then why should you?”

Hunter’s gaze roamed over me, sending a spike through my pulse.

“I’m not trying to scare you,” he said, his voice low and deliberate.

“Though your Bambi-eyed look makes it seem like you are.” He tilted his chin slightly and a dimple carved into his cheek as his smirk deepened.

“Goodnight, Grace .” And with that, he turned and disappeared into the hallway, vanishing just as effortlessly as he had the night we were in the forest.