Jace scowls at me as I grin up at him.
“It’s my night,” he growls.
“I don’t care. It’s my room and whatever I say goes.” I step aside.
I look over my shoulder. He’s staring at the floor, his brows furrowed, his hands frozen in place like he can’t comprehend what’s happened.
Before he can say anything else, Tex knocks on the door.
I skip over, opening it.
Tex sweeps in. “Jace being an insufferable asshole?”
“Isn’t he always?” I lean against the doorframe with a giggle.
That seems to snap him out of whatever trance he’s in. He straightens and turns robotically.
I wiggle my fingers with a smug grin. “Buh-bye.”
Tex raises an eyebrow as Jace rolls his shoulder back and strolls out.
“This isn’t over,” he says, his voice low.
“It is for now,” I say, shutting the door behind him.
33 THE CRUCIBLE
The training compound doesn’t look like much from the outside. Gray walls. Reinforced steel doors. A biometric lock Noah breezes past with a casual flick of his wrist.
But the second we step inside, I understand why they call it the Crucible.
The air is cold. Sterile. Sharp with the scent of sweat, metal, and antiseptic. The lighting is artificial, bright but clinical. Hallways stretch out like arteries, each one labeled in stark black text:Combat. Simulation. Tech. Recon. Conditioning.
We head to Combat first.
Jace is already in uniform. Tex’s sleeves are rolled. Luca’s stretching like he’s warming up for a football game, and Noah is muttering to himself while syncing his wristband to the system's database.
Me? I’m barely holding it together.
A week ago, I was worried about passing midterms.
Now I’m standing in a reinforced underground arena preparing to spar with elite-level operatives who have literally trained since childhood.
No pressure.
The training director, a sharp-eyed woman named Wren, walks in like a blade in boots. She doesn’t smile. Doesn’t introduce herself.
She just says, “Two-minute warmups. Then partners. Don’t embarrass yourselves.”
Luca whistles low. “She’s cheerful.”
“She’ll knock your teeth out,” Tex mutters.
“I mean, yeah, but with style.”
They scatter without question, starting their drills. I’m searching my pockets when Jace appears at my side with a pair of reinforced gloves in my size.
“You always forget them.” He shrugs.
