Page 34

My eyes cracked open at the soft glow of lights and the unmistakable scent of herbs. Marnie’s face hovered above mine, her eyes wide and worried as she tilted my chin to examine me.

“Thank god, you’re awake,” she said. “You had me scared, you know. Luckily, it was only a mild concussion, but still.”

I winced, feeling a few dull aches here and there.

“I healed some of your cuts and bruises, but you should take it easy. Just a little rest and—”

“How did I end up here?” I looked around. The last thing I remember was Norah sending me to the ground with one of her brutal punches.

“Hunter brought you here. Well, he practically carried you in like he was Superman. You should have seen how worried he was; he was making a whole scene telling everyone to heal you first, which—”

The shock of what she was telling me made me jolt upright, and Marnie quickly pressed a hand to my shoulder to steady me.

“Hunter brought me here?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “And refused to leave your side. That is until Nadael stopped by and told him to get back to training.”

Refused to leave your side.

I couldn’t stop repeating that inside my head.

Maybe Marnie hadn’t healed me enough. I needed another round to quell this strange feeling that swelled in my chest.

“And... Nadael, did she—”

“She said that you’re lucky you didn’t get struck with the Nightsteel instead.” Joe appeared by the doorway, his face paler than usual. “Your opponent, on the other hand, will need a few hours to recover.”

I grimaced, not from the pain but from the fact Joe had been called in because of me.

He sighed and walked over to the side of the cot, letting Marnie get up from the bed so that he could sit down.

“Grace,” he said, his voice tinged with what sounded like both relief and frustration.

“Maybe this is a sign you should reconsider the Warriors Sector. You could just stick to Sariel’s lessons—”

I shook my head before he could say anything else. “I’m not quitting.” I didn’t want to. At all.

“You shouldn’t even be fighting with any of them. I should talk to Azrael, tell him that you—”

“It’s not your choice to make,” I snapped, the sharpness in my tone surprising me.

The thought of walking away now over something that was happening regardless since I joined the Warriors seemed like a silly idea.

“It is my choice,” Joe pushed. “I’ve taken care of you for the past eighteen years; why should I stop now?”

“Because I’m exactly that, Joe. Eighteen . Right now, I should be at a university, studying philosophy or something that would give me a headache, not here at a Celestial academy where I won’t even receive a title in the end.”

Joe didn’t say anything; he just looked at me with that familiar resentment and worry he always wore whenever I gave him a reason.

I grabbed Joe’s hand. His was so big compared to mine that it barely covered his palm. “I’ll be fine, I promise.” My eyes flitted towards Marnie. “I’m in the hands of the best company.”

She smiled, and Joe finally nodded, though the concern in his gaze never left.

“If I were still mortal, I’d have the greyest hairs because of you.”

A laugh tore through my cracked lips. “You already have grey hairs despite the age you Ascended.”

He frowned. “They’re not grey, they’re blonde.”

“Grey with a hint of blonde.”

He was glaring at me now, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Marnie cleared her throat and leaned forward. “In my personal opinion, Mr Martin, your hair is definitely not grey.”

“Thank you, Marnie,” Joe said over his shoulder, then raised his eyebrows at me. “See.”

I glanced at Marnie, mouthing the words ‘kiss ass’, and she shrugged unapologetically.

Joe chuckled before we ended up spending a few hours together in the Healers Sector, talking while he allowed me to draw sunflowers on his arm with a Sharpie pen.

Later, when I’d finally been cleared to leave, I headed back to the dorm with one thing on my mind. Hunter . But when I got there, he was nowhere in sight except for Brandon and Silas sitting on the sofa.

“Grace!” Brandon got up, his eyes scanning me whole to see if I was okay. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed in relief. “Do you maybe want to watch some Star Wars with us? Silas agreed to sit through it in silence.”

I laughed, grateful he wasn’t dousing me with concerns over whether I was still hurting or about the fight with Norah. I knew Norah was still in the Healers Sector, since the Nightsteel might have worked a little too well. “Do you really believe that he’ll sit through it in silence?”

Silas gave me an exaggerated scowl, crossing his arms as I joined them on the sofa. “Your lack of faith disturbs me.”

Brandon gasped so loudly and dramatically that it made me burst out laughing. “He said the quote! See, I fucking told you, you’re a secret Star Wars fan.”

“Used to be. Ever since I met you, you’ve made me hate it.”

The three of us settled in, and though my mind often drifted to where Hunter could be, the worry gnawing at me began to ease. Silas and Brandon bickered over the films while I had no idea what was happening half the time, and finally, I invited Marnie around for backup.

I was letting myself relax for once in a place that was out of my comfort, and I didn’t even mind it. Not one bit.