"For how long?" Codric asked.
"Until we identify and eliminate the threat." I didn't sugarcoat it. "That could take days or weeks. Tonight's attack will make the others more cautious and harder to flush out."
"Or more desperate," Morek said.
"That too. Which is why vigilance is essential."
Kailin looked more than exhausted. She looked crushed, but there was steel beneath the fragility. This was the same woman who had saved Podana, the same girl who had defended her village against invading monsters with a shotgun in hand and the grim determination of a seasoned warrior.
As long as I made sure no one else tried to assassinate her, she would be fine.
33
KAILIN
Safety is an illusion built on routine and familiarity.
Don't be fooled. Danger wears an ordinary face until the moment it strikes.
—From the personal journal of Commander Ravel Nidar
The smell of caff pulled me from sleep.
For a moment, I didn't know where I was. The bed was too soft, the sheets too fine, and there was no gap in the middle where two narrow cadet mattresses had been shoved together. I reached across the expanse of the large bed and found only warm, empty sheets.
Alar was already up.
Memory returned in fragments. The shattered window. Glass everywhere. Four masked figures. Alar's gunshot, unbelievably loud in the small room. The dead man's weight pulling me down. Morek moving like a blur. Shovia's knife at someone's throat.
And then Ravel, appearing in the aftermath like some dark guardian, his voice cutting through the chaos with orders that everyone obeyed.
He'd brought us to this apartment in the officers' wing, with its private bathroom and real furniture and a solid door with a proper lock. I couldn't remember much of the walk from the infirmary.
I'd showered, changed into fresh nightclothes someone had brought from our destroyed room, and collapsed into this impossibly comfortable bed with Alar's arms around me.
I don't know how, but I slept better tonight than I had in weeks. Was it the incredibly comfortable bed, or knowing that I was safe because I was in the officers' wing? Most likely, it was the pain medication I'd been given in the infirmary.
I lifted my fingers to my tender neck, which was covered in purple and yellow bruises below the bandage that was wrapped around it.
The caff smell grew stronger, and my stomach growled.
I pushed back the covers and stood, my bare feet sinking into the soft rug. The bedroom was easily twice the size of the one I'd shared with Shovia and then Alar in the dormitories. There was a wardrobe, a desk, two nightstands, and even an armchair by the large window overlooking the view of the mountains.
When I opened the wardrobe and found my clothes neatly folded in the drawers, with my two most prized possessions resting on top, I silently thanked whoever had packed our things and had brought them here.
The bathroom was shared, so I had to leave the room to get to it, but that was not an issue since we were all close friends.My quintet had seen me in much worse than a clean pair of nightclothes.
Once I was done, I brushed my hair and followed the caff smell.
The apartment opened into a spacious common area with a well-equipped kitchen, a large dining table that comfortably seated six people, and a cozy sitting area featuring two couches and four chairs. Normally, I would have been delighted by the large windows and the double glass doors that led to a charming balcony overlooking the breathtaking views below, but after last night's attack, those were now a cause for unease rather than admiration.
Morek stood at the stove, spatula in hand, eggs sizzling in a pan. The rest of the quintet was gathered around the dining table.
Alar sat with his back to me, but he must have sensed my presence because he turned, and when he saw me, his face lit up with a smile.
"There she is." He rose and pulled out the chair beside him. "You look terrific for someone who was almost killed last night."
Codric snorted into his caff. "Dear Elurion, cousin. You need tutoring on complimenting ladies. You're terrible at it."
