Jade spun around and marched away, the soles of her boots clacking on the wooden floor. She heard the softclickof a latch behind her and knew Theo had closed his door. Without the sense of his eyes on her back, she sucked in a breath through her nose and released it in a huff through her mouth.
What was he going to say?
She knew what she had hoped to hear, but she couldn’t give credence to it. Not yet. Not until she heard those words from his lips.
But he’d come herefor her. His gentle touch had sent warmth racing through her. Perhaps he wanted the same things she had all those years ago.
Jade squeezed her eyes shut for the briefest moment. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. But Theo was here now. There would be another opportunity for them to talk privately. She wouldn’t have to wonder forever.
She swung open the entrance door to the barracks and strode out, the mid-morning sun hitting her face and pulling her back into reality. The busyness of the base as the newcomers unloaded helped distract her as she wound her way through the commotion toward Command.
Seven
Operation Mask, the code nameby which the military would refer to Jade’s undercover assignment, took seven hours to outline and develop with Commander Matherson and Major Clarke, who would oversee operations at headquarters. Jade took care in crafting her alter ego—Lady Elena Tavigne from the region of Ellyris.
She slipped easily into the role, as though she had been born into it. The life she might have lived in another timeline, if things had gone differently with her parents.
Jade fashioned every aspect of her new identity, from backstory to mannerisms to speech patterns. She lost herself in the character so much, she had trouble remembering she was still herself as Theo walked out of the second-floor conference room beside her.
Only a few dim lights still burned in Command, the silence around them pressing them closer together.
Jade hadn’t been alone with Theo since the moment the day before in his room, the moment that made her stomach flip when she thought about it. Which was why she had tried not to think about it. Too much was at stake tomorrow at the masquerade for her to fall into the trap of his warm grin and captivating eyes.
“How do you feel?”
Jade’s face whipped up to meet Theo’s, his eyes tender and the lines around his mouth soft. She scrunched her brows together.
“How do I feel?”About you?Words died in her throat as her heart pumped faster. How could she answer him? Why couldn’t he say howhefelt first?
“About the mission.”
Of course. The mission. “Oh. Right. Well, to be honest, I’m...excited about it.” Her pulse evened out as her mind returned to the details of her assignment.
“That’s good,” he replied earnestly, forehead wrinkled. “That’s what I hoped. I just wasn’t sure if...it was affecting you.”
Jade faced ahead, her lips pressing into a tight line. Theo didn’t have to say another word. She knew what he meant. Honestly, she was surprised he remembered her background. She’d been a baby when her family’s lives were overturned and they moved into the cottage by the creek. Theo hadn’t even been living nearby then.
She rolled her lips together before her cheeks pulled them into a sad smile. “It’s not lost on me,” she said, angling her face up to Theo, “but it’s not affecting me. I never lived that life.”
Theo’s hand reached out and grabbed hers, squeezing for half a second before returning to her side. Sparks shot out from his touch, lighting every nerve in Jade’s body. The urge to reach out and take his hand again tingled through her fingers, but she balled them into a fist to resist it.
“It’s actually huge for me. I haven’t done a role this in-depth before. They’re usually given to more experienced intelligence agents.” A real, widesmile replaced the sad one. “No, it sounds like fun. I know it’s my job, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like work.”
They descended the stairs back to the ground floor, and when they reached the bottom, Jade felt Theo’s gaze on her. His hint of a smile sent her stomach into a tumbling routine. “That’s what happens when you’re talented. I knew I was right to recommend you for intelligence.”
Jade eased into the moment, letting out a relaxed laugh. “It still amazes me that you could see it when we were just kids.”
“Seriously?” He glanced at her with raised eyebrows. “You would disappear and watch me from up in a tree or behind a bush, just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.”
Jade chuckled. “You make me sound like a jungle cat.”
“You practically were.”
She laughed again. “I didn’t know until I joined the military how much I would love this job. The higher I rank, the more high-profile and high-risk jobs I’ll get. Each one gives me the chance to prove myself.” Jade stopped before the door that led out into the base, locking eyes with Theo. “Matherson told me that Grand General Devereaux was considering me as a potential replacement for her one day. I could be thegrand generalof the military, advising the king. It would give me authority. I could actually effect change.”
The quick flash of Theo’s eyes around Command’s almost empty lobby spoke volumes again without him saying anything. He knew what change Jade wanted to bring about. He knew what her parents had done.
But Jade couldn’t speak those words aloud.
