Tobias tugged Rune aside the moment Cora mumbled her goodbye and slipped inside the academy. “Everyone on campus is getting sick,” he muttered, worry tight in his tone. “Be careful.”
“Bet,” Rune said, like she wasn’t worried in the slightest. Though, if this illness really was a side effect from poison, it made sense that she wouldn’t be.
We barely had three steps forward before her shitty ex and his idiot friend I’d never met before shouldered past, eyes slowly raking over Rune.
Rage funneled through my chest just from the looks on their faces.
“Nice fit, sweetheart.” His friend whistled. “Since you and Darian are over, do you want?—”
“We’re not over—” Darian snarled.
“Oh, you’re over.” Zuko hooked Rune by the waist and dragged her into a passionate kiss, flipping the pair of them off over her shoulder. Then, because he was a basilisk and territorial, he broke their kiss and grazed her neck with his fangs, letting his venom seep into her.
She fisted her hands in his hair and let out a heavy breath. “Zuko, my brother is here.”
“So?” Zuko winked at Tobias. “He’s my future brother-by-mating.”
Tobias looked utterly appalled. “Zuko?—”
“Mate?” Darian growled, aggression flashing in his eyes.
“Not your fucking business.” Tobias’s body flickered with flames.
Rune rocked on her heels as Zuko slowly untangled from her. She stumbled back into Koa, who steadied her easily with his hands on her shoulders.
“Got you,” he whispered.
“Thanks.” She straightened.
“Try it again.” Slater had a hand extended toward that friend, and Snakey manifested with his fangs out, inches from the guy’s neck. “Just kidding, there won’tbeanother try.” Snakey struck, biting the guy before hissing at Darian. “And Rune’sourgirlfriend now. Not yours.”
“Field Ops,” I announced as jealousy overtook Darian’s face because someone had to move us forward, and I was usually the one to do so.
Tobias told Rune bye while glaring at Zuko and giving Slater a thumbs up.
Slater practically glowed from Tobias’s praise.
By the time we made it to the simulator, Hunting stood at the doorway. “Congratulations, squad one. I now trust you just enough to drop you into unstable magical terrain and hope you don’t embarrass yourselves.”
We stood with our hands behind our backs as we listened to her.
“This is a wild terrain simulation. You will be exposed to unstable magic zones, meaning that ambient magic will warp the environment.” She gestured for us to follow her into the simulator.
We did, and the door shut behind us as she found the control panel.
“Objective is simple. Stay alive for twenty-four hours, avoid detection, gather simple supplies, and maintain full stealth. No outside contact. No magic flares. No screaming.” She narrowed her eyes at Hawk, who had screamed and given our position away during our last mission. “Co-captains will be Rune andDimitri. Keep your squad functional, focused, and alive. Lose someone, andyou bothanswer for it.”
Rune and I shared a passing look.
“Simulation begins immediately,” she explained. “I will not be observing the entire mission from the simulator as usual. I will watch the feed from my room. Resources are scattered. Threats are around. And yes, the terrain itself might try to kill you if you are too loud.”
The simulator hummed before a dark, twisted forest formed around us. Vines thatbreathedslithered against our calves. Cold fog misted about, smelling like blood.
“Holy Fates,” Hawk whispered.
Sound bounced back wrong. The echoes were shorter than his words.
The sky wore a dark red stain as the last light bled magenta through the dappled light from the trees.
