“Even for the Keepers?”
Nate’s mouth twitched. He tried to smile, but the expression didn’t hold. “We may be more famous than the other cadets, but we’re still destined to be members of the Guard, just like everyone else here.” He glanced over his shoulders. “We should probably get to our dorms. Don’t want you to get an infraction on your second night here.”
I tried to shake off the creeping sense of dread that accompanied the word infraction. Although I doubted breaking a curfew at Blakethorne would be equal to receiving a mark back in Cameron Heights, I didn’t want to take the risk. “Yeah. Wouldn’t want that. Goodnight, Nate.”
I turned, but before I could take a step, Nate caught my hand, bringing it to his lips with such speed the motion seemed impossible. Before I could breathe, he brushed his lips against my knuckles before releasing me. “Good night, Eden.”
My skin flushed and tingled as another storm of butterflies kicked up in my stomach. I turned, desperate to put space between myself and Nate. Gathering the skirt of my dress in my hands, I dashed toward the girls’ dorm, grateful for the first time all night that I was wearing my training boots and not a pair of dress shoes.
My heart was still fluttering in my chest when I made it to my room. After struggling for a full minute, I managed to tug down the zipper at the back of my gown. I fought my way out of the too-tight dress and did my best to lay it flat in an empty corner of my room to keep it from wrinkling too badly.
After pulling on my pajamas, I grabbed my comm out of my backpack. I needed to find a better place to hide it, but I hadn’t had the opportunity yet. I was as certain as I could be that there were no hidden microphones or cameras in the room. If the angels had any clue of my real identity, I would have gotten more cagey vibes from the people at the party. But it seemed as far as anyone was concerned, I was the Keeper of the Aether Blade.
Still, I stepped into my closet, just in case. I slipped the earpiece into place and pressed the button to activate the microphone. My scheduled check-in time had come and gone, but there was still a chance someone might be around to hear my transmission. “Liza? Are you there?”
Silence stretched out like a tangible thread as I waited for a response. I tried two more times, but still no one answered. It was possible everyone in the bunker was asleep. I would just have to try again another day.
I pressed my finger to the earpiece, ready to turn it off and remove it, when a scratching sound filled my ear. “Come again?”
Affection surged in my chest at the sound of Liza’s voice. “Hey, it’s me.”
She released a long sigh. “Why did you miss your check in? I was starting to think they’d figured out who you were.”
I winced at the worry in her tone. “I’m sorry. I only just got back to my room.”
“Are you kidding? They’ve had you training until almost midnight?”
“No. Not training. There was… a banquet. I guess they wanted to show off their new Keeper.”
“Show you off?” Liza’s voice was sharp. “To whom?”
“Senators and some generals and colonels. I was shaking hands and making small talk all night. It was exhausting.”
“Shaking hands with senators and generals?” she repeated.
“Yeah. But don’t worry—no one suspects I’m not the real Blade Keeper.”
“This is incredible. It’s your second day and you’re already rubbing elbows with people at such high levels of power? This may pan out better than I hoped. What did you learn?”
“I overheard something about the clinic,” I said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “They know it’s in Summerhill.”
Liza cursed. “When’s the raid scheduled?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I was passing by and overheard two people talking about it.”
“And you didn’t think to ask for more details?”
I scoffed. “Yeah, that wouldn’t have been suspicious. I wasn’t actively chatting with them. Like I said, I was just walking by. I couldn’t very well jump just into their conversation.”
Liza sighed. “We’ll have to get you up to speed on extracting information from a subject.”
I bristled. “It’s not like I’m conducting interrogations here.”
“Any conversation can be an interrogation if you know how to handle yourself correctly,” Liza insisted. “Marco can start using some of your check-in time to train you. He should be up to it in a week or so.”
“Is he responding to the treatment?”
“So far, so good,” Liza said. “He seems like he’s feeling a little better, but it might just be a placebo effect. The treatment is most effective when it’s started within five days of the first symptoms. I don’t need to tell you it’s been longer than that.”
Although her tone was matter-of-fact, I could imagine the look on her face as she spoke the words. Liza wasn’t one to wear her heart on her sleeve, but I had known her long enough to detect the slight downturn of the corners of her mouth and the tightness in her jaw when she discussed tough subjects. And Marco’s sickness was that hardest thing I’d ever seen her go through—besides my mom’s death.
“How are things with the other students?” Liza asked, abruptly changing the subject. “Do any of them suspect anything?”
I bit my lower lip. “I don’t think so. One girl doesn’t like me, but I don’t think she’s figured anything out.”
“Make sure she doesn’t,” Liza said. “It’s probably best if you keep your distance from the other students as much as possible.”
“I think I can do that. The Keepers are part of the academy, but they’re also separate. Does that make sense?”
“It tracks that such an exclusive group would stand apart from the other students. Strike a balance with them. Be as sociable as the least sociable member. You don’t want to give them any reason to think you have something to hide.”
The least sociable member? After a single day at Blakethorne, I already knew that Thor fit that description. It should be easy to follow his lead.
“The girl who doesn’t like you—she’s not a Keeper, is she?”
“No. The Keepers have all been nice to me so far.” Goosebumps rose on my arms when I remembered the feel of Nate’s lips grazing my knuckles. “Maybe a little more than nice.”
“What does that mean?”
The sharpness in Liza’s tone pulled me back to the conversation. “No, it’s… Um.” The idea of telling her about Nate’s kiss made my skin flush with embarrassment. It was probably just some angelic custom—nothing to read too much into. “For the banquet, my dress didn’t show up, so Clio—the girl Keeper—let me wear hers. She had tons of other dresses and she could’ve lent me one of those, but she insisted I wear the new one. That’s more than a little nice, right?”
“Maybe,” Liza mused. “Do your best to keep your distance from that one. Be friendly, but don’t get too close.”
“I think I can handle that.”
“I hope so. The closer you get to someone, the harder it is to hide who you really are. I’d like to say that this mission will be over soon, but we have no idea. In all likelihood, we’ll be playing the long game here. The information you can get on the inside is beyond anything we can piece together on our own. We’ve never had a chance like this before, Eden. Don’t screw it up.”
“I won’t,” I assured her.
We said our goodbyes, and I removed my comm. After a quick sweep of the room, I found a return air vent with a loose screw and managed to pry the metal cover back far enough to stick the comm, wrapped in a bandanna, inside.
As I climbed into bed, my final promise to Liza echoed through my head. I only hoped I could keep it.
Chapter Twenty-One
I wiped the sweat off my brow before adjusting my grip on the practice sword. “Maybe we could take… just a quick break.”
From across the ring, Bridger chuckled. We’d been sparring almost since entering the training gym this morni
ng, and the effort was finally starting to show on him. Barely. “Come on, Jensen. There’s no rest for a Blade Keeper.”
I had hoped that training would be easier today since I had a little better idea what to expect, but that wasn’t my experience. Exercises that seemed to take minor effort for the Keepers pushed me to the point of exhaustion.
“An attack could come from anywhere at any time,” Anders noted from his spot outside the ring. “Developing endurance is essential. Opponents are more likely to plan something for a time when they think we’ll be too tired to fend them off.”
Bridger snorted. “Yeah, right. Like demons plan attacks.” He launched himself forward, bringing his blade over his shoulder to strike.
I blocked his blow, the clash of metal-on-metal not rattling my teeth as much as before. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, you know,” he said, retreating a few steps. “Most demon attacks are ones of opportunity!”
He charged forward again, but I spun away. His assessment of demons chafed. Is that what they taught here at Blakethorne? That demons were out there, just waiting for the opportunity to attack poor, unsuspecting angels? More like demons were simply trying to survive in a world that had stacked the cards against them.
I sucked in a breath, igniting a second wind within me, and I went on the offensive. Although my movements weren’t as polished as Bridger’s, I swung the heavy blade at an opening in his defense. He only just blocked the hit. “Oh, I don’t know. I think demons might be more cunning than you’re giving them credit for.”
Bridger put space between us. “Yeah? Why’s that?”
Although the question was curious and not accusatory, I recognized we were stepping into dangerous territory. I couldn’t very well tell him how I knew there were methodical demons out there, but it would look suspicious to backtrack now. “It’s just… better to assume you’re up against a smart enemy, right? That way they can’t take you by surprise.”
“She’s right,” observed Anders. “It’s unwise to underestimate your opponent.”
I nodded, pointing my hand in the trainer’s direction. “See, Anders knows what I’m talking—”
My words were lost as Bridger sprang into action. He was on me before I could react, and in the next second I was flat on my back with his dull blade pressed against my neck.
“It is also unwise to lose focus when in battle,” Anders said drily.
“You okay?” Bridger asked, removing his blade and rising to his feet. He offered his hand to help me up, but I ignored it.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Nothing hurt but my pride.” I didn’t look at him. Anders was right—it was a foolish move not keeping my eyes on Bridger during the match.
“Believe it or not, you’re doing really well,” Bridger said, his voice low.
“Tell that to the bruise on my butt.”
He chuckled. “I mean, it’s weird, but if you really want me to…” He sank to a crouch so his head was even with my waist. “Believe it or not—”
I couldn’t suppress a laugh as I twisted my rear end away from him. “Why are you so weird?”
Grinning, he rose back to his full height. “I can’t fight it; it’s my nature.”
“Now seems a good time to switch activities,” Anders said, his voice carrying above the clank of metal against metal as Thor, Clio, and Nate ground out their repetitions in the weight area.
As Bridger and I replaced our practice blades on the rack on the wall beyond the ring. By the time we made it back to Anders, the others were already standing in front of him. “Miss Jensen, I’d like you to work on punches on the bags. I’ve observed you move just your arms instead of powering your hits with your whole body.”
“You gotta twist,” Bridger murmured, holding his hands up and miming a couple of punches to demonstrate.
“Mr. Ross, you’ll be training with the bo staff along with Miss Brooks and Mr. Rocha,” Anders continued.
Bridger sighed dramatically. “But I’ve been in the ring all morning.”
“There’s no rest for a Blade Keeper,” I said in a sing-song.
Bridger scowled.
We dispersed, all heading toward our assigned spaces. I trudged back to the punching bags, choosing the furthest one from the ring. I didn’t really want to listen to Anders calling corrections on my form across the gym. I slowed as I approached my target, sizing it up and imagining it was someone in desperate need of a good pummeling. Like Shonda.
“You’re going to want to put on gloves.”
Nate’s voice made me jump. I pressed a hand to my chest as I spun to face him. “What, are you following me?”
He wrinkled his nose. “Yeah,” he said, as if his answer should be obvious. “Anders can’t give you feedback from the other side of the gym. Everyone else is busy, so…” He shrugged.
Stalling for time, I crossed to the shelf along the wall and tested out a few pairs of gloves. I wondered if it was too late to choose a different bag to practice on. Suddenly, being out of direct line-of-sight from the rest of the group didn’t seem like such a wise idea.
Suddenly, all I could think about was Nate’s warm hand on my waist, his palm pressed against mine as we danced. The brush of his soft lips across my knuckles. My skin tingled and heat flushed my cheeks, even as I attempted to fill my mind with something else—anything else.
I felt a shift in the air a split second before Nate spoke. “Is this about last night?”
Gooseflesh rose on my neck. When I turned, he was standing so close I immediately took a step back. Even then, he was still only an arm’s length away.
“I said I was sorry,” he continued. “The chancellor… He’s overly concerned with appearances. And maybe it’s for the best. Gossip is a big problem here, and Blade Keepers seem to attract more of it than anyone. I should’ve stuck to the plan so you were spending time with the others, too.”
“Then why didn’t you? If you knew the chancellor would be mad and other students would start rumors and you already had a plan with the other Keepers, why didn’t you stick to it?”
A half-smile revealed his dimple. “Because I was having fun with you.”
Even as my stomach flip-flopped inside me, I did my best to brush off his words. “You must have a low bar for fun.”
I realized my mistake too late as my attempted joke elicited a broader smile. Gates prevail, why did he have to be so handsome? I made a mental note not to crack jokes—even bad ones. Nate’s smile made butterflies swarm in my stomach—a feeling that set my mind off-kilter.
Of course he’s good-looking, I reminded myself. That’s what angels are. Their beauty is a mask for the ugliness inside them. I’d seen that ugliness play out too often to ignore.
Regaining control of my wayward emotions, I nodded at the punching bag. “Should we get started?”
Nate sobered, snapping into training mode as easily as flipping a switch. He gave me a few tips to begin, and we got started.
He stood behind the bag to keep it from swinging as I hit it, and it took almost as much concentration to avoid looking at him as it did to remember how to pivot and follow through with my hips. Each time my fist hit the mark, I imagined hitting Shonda Hailwood directly in her smug face.
I made it through my last class of the day—Weapons and Stealth—without falling asleep. Although yesterday we had ended with a second training session, Clio informed me those extra practices only happened three times per week.
I never understood the phrase “a spring in my step” until I walked out of the guard basics academy doors into the waiting sunlight. I was sure I looked ridiculous bouncing on the balls of my feet, but I couldn’t help it. “I’m going to go back to my room and nap.”
Clio giggled. “The first week or so is rough,” she agreed. “And the banquet last night didn’t help.”
“Speaking of which—your dress is still on my floor.” I had meant to grab it and bring it to her room first thing this morning, but I overslept. Again.
<
br /> She waved a hand. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Bring it after you’ve had some sleep.”
“Sleep?” Bridger caught up to us, his eyebrows hiked halfway up his forehead. “Sleep when you’re dead, Jensen. Nate, Thor and I are heading to the student center to play some pool. Our early days are really the only times we get the chance. Most of the time, the place is too full to snag a table. You should come with us.”
“Pass,” Clio said without even considering the offer. “Last time the three of you started practicing staff fighting techniques with your cues. All four of us almost got infractions.”
I couldn’t suppress a snort. “In that case, hard pass.”
Bridger wrinkled his nose. “Party poopers. You’re no fun. And you know what happens when someone’s no fun, right?”
Clio shook her head. “Bridger Ross, don’t you dare!”
“Thor, get her legs!”
Before I could make out what was happening, Clio was off like a shot, racing away from Bridger and Thor as fast as her feet would carry her. But both guys were taller than she was, and with their longer strides, they caught up with her pretty easily. Bridger encircled Clio’s body under her armpits and Thor took hold of her feet, the action eliciting a rare smile from him. Clio flailed, laughing hysterically and shouting half-threats as the guys hauled her toward the fountain in the center of the quad.
“Should we be doing something?” I asked Nate, who stood silently watching the spectacle.
He lifted a shoulder. “Clio can take care of herself.” He turned away from the impending splash. “Really, though, if you can tough it out without the nap, we’d love to have you come with us. We don’t usually go much. It’s hard relaxing when it’s packed with other students. Someone’s always trying to buddy up with us, trying to work an angle to help their own prospects when they leave the academy. It’s exhausting.”
“Why not just tell them to buzz off and leave you alone?”
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