I didn’t hesitate. “Trace the source. De-escalate. Release the phoenix.”
He exhaled slowly; his fangs catching the light in a way that warmed my blood. “One day, that trust in people is going to get you killed.”
“And one day, you’ll realize not everyone is an enemy.” My breath hitched.
We were way too close.
“Told you it’s foreplay,” Slater whispered.
“Totally,” Zuko agreed.
“We’ll submit both solutions.” I pretended I didn’t hear my boyfriends. “Let Rionyx decide.”
“Not confident in your answer?” Dimitri taunted.
“I am.” I frowned. “I’m trying to compromise.”
He nodded before sighing. “Go with your instinct. I trust you.”
Rionyx walked over with her hands clasped in front of her. “Analysis: fire drake attacked the town first is correct. Phoenix response is consistent with rescue. Surveillance loops confirm misdirection. Recommended action: trace drake source, de-escalate crowd, and release the phoenix with witness statements. Good. Dimitri, good job listening to Rune’s gut. Evidence is just as important as instinct, but when there’s not enough, trust something. Better it be instinct. Next time, argue faster. Squad passed.”
We packed up and attended Peace Craft with Galeclaw; a class that I not-so surprisingly had little interest in.
jesper
. . .
April clickedher pen at a tempo that grated on my last nerve.
“No,” I gritted out, for the fourth time. “You never yank a vault open with your bare hands just because the human guard’s on his lunch break. Break into it by cracking the code. Stealth is required for this specific mission, and they can’t know we were ever there.”
Click.
Click.
“In my defense…” Her lips twisted with exasperation as her short, curly brown hair fell into her face. “The lock wasn’t working. Which, by the way, is sloppy craftsmanship on the humans’ part. I thought I’d help.”
Click.
Click.
“You helped the security go off,” I growled out. “Every passive alarm in that facility woke up. The only reason we got out is because I read the blueprints and knew where a service tunnel was. Not to mention the relic. We barely got out of there. Oh, andof course the lock wasn’t working. Turn the dial three times and wait for the click. I’ve explained this to you.”
Click.
She huffed, her iron and hints of mint scent blowing into my face, making me nauseous. “Well, I didn’t know the lock was connected to?—”
“You didn’t pay attention. I briefed you on this.” I kept my voice even. “You don’t know what you don’t know. That’s fine.Ask.Pay attention.Don’t improvise on human-made architecture. Nine times out of ten, they have security.”
She folded her arms, dropping her pen on the ground, and narrowed her brown eyes at me. “You’re being dramatic.”
“April,” I groaned and let her hear my frustration, “if that had been a live site with human tac teams inside, we’d have been caught or dead. You don’t get to learn this lesson twice. You’re becoming a liability, and I will tell Gavin that you won’t pass if you will not listen. These arerealmissions. You cannot be nonchalant about safety protocols.”
She looked away with a sad expression.
That was when I saw Rune walking toward the houses with Slater and Zuko squeezed in on either side of her. Her laugh hit my ears as Slater said something that earned him an elbow from Zuko. There was a softness around her when she was with them I didn’t see with anyone else. She was always sharp and alert, in control.
With them, she seems more relaxed.
