The missing piece.
Hawk blinked, mouth half-open. “So…they used, like…fake talons?”
“Exactly.” Dimitri’s tone was grim. “Humans using forged talon marks and a phoenix feather to pit the supernaturals against each other. Phoenixes are blamed for wiping out a shifter village. The perfect spark for another war.”
Slater’s grin vanished. “Which means someone wants this village to burntwice. First in fire. Then, in memory as a catalyst for more violence. A political threat.”
“Always humans.” Eleanor’s voice broke.
The simulator flickered, then collapsed back into blank steel walls. The ruined bat shifter village vanished, taking the kid with it.
Professor Hunting clapped her hands once. “Excellent. That was…very well reconstructed, honestly. I’m surprised your team managed it so well. You thought critically, you worked together, and you resisted being manipulated by the evidence.” Her gaze slid pointedly toward Aura. “Well,mostof you did.”
Aura’s shoulders hunched. Her lips pressed tight, shame tugging her expression down. She knew she believed the false evidence without questioning it first. “I learned a lot from my squadmates.”
Hunting softened her gaze just slightly. “Quick judgment is dangerous. You must question even what seems like solid evidence withlogicalreasoning. Remember that.” She led us toward the exit with a smile. “But you all did well as a squad.Pass. Go study.”
We spilled out of the simulator and headed toward our house.
Aura walked with her head bowed, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her steps dragged, and it was clear she didn’t handle scolding well, not that anyone really did.
Eleanor slipped an arm around her shoulders. “Hey,” she murmured, voice low and gentle. “It’s okay. We’re all learning what to do. That’s the point.”
Aura’s lashes trembled, her red-rimmed eyes brimming with tears that refused to spill. “I should’ve known better than to jump to conclusions,” she whispered. “Of course, it was the humans.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself,” I said, fishing my water bottle out of my bag. The condensation chilled my palm as I held it toward her, trying to coax a smile. “Here. Venom blend. Euphoric boost. You’ll forget you were ever sad.”
She wrinkled her nose, but she forced a smile. “That’s…really sweet of you, but no thanks.”
I shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“Bet.” Slater plucked the bottle right out of my hand. He tipped it back, gulping down a long drink.
“Slater!”
His eyes flew open before narrowing to heavy-lidded bliss. “Venom baby,” he crooned, a grin spreading slowly across his face.
“As if I needed you any more euphoric.” I huffed but couldn’t stop myself from smiling.
“Holy. Fates.”He staggered closer, his warmth crowding me as his hands settled on my shoulders. “You are like…a venomous flower. Are those real? I don’t even care. You’re mine. I want to sniff you and immediately fall into your petals.” He bent forward to inhale my hair, nuzzling his cheek against it. “Worth it,” he sighed, dazed.
Snakey, clearly curious, slipped from Slater’s shoulders down his arm, flicking his tongue across the bottle rim with a pleased little hiss before moving up and coiling around my neck, almost cuddling into me.
I smirked, reclaiming my bottle from Slater and taking a drink. “See? Slater and Snakey get it.”
“So do I,” Zuko purred, leaning in with deliberate slowness before brushing his lips against mine. He moaned. “Mmm. That is good.”
Koa groaned, exasperated. “If Tobias finds out, you’re never going to hear the end of this. He told me to stop you two from throwing yourselves at her!”
“You’ve successfully failed,” I giggled. “They’ve thrown themselves at me in many ways.”
Slater and Zuko chuckled.
“You like it,” Zuko teased.
Behind us, Hawk lingered close to Aura, fumbling with his bag strap. “Uh, you…did good in there. Really good.”
Aura gave him a polite, uneasy smile, stepping slightly away.
