Page 58 of Obsession

“Arrogant ass,” I whispered to myself.

I held onto the memory of Kann’s smile as we moved silently through the academy, pausing to hide from passing Drexians and keeping to the shadows.

The academy had never felt so hostile, and that included my first few days, when the black-stone building had seemed like a fortress. Volten and I pressed ourselves into recessed doorways and hid around corners, my heart stuttering in my chest as figures stormed past. More Drexians were returning from the Silent Hunt, their voices booming as they congratulated each other, either for surviving if they were cadets or for capturing more cadets, if they were hunters.

Volten moved like a wraith, checking each corner before motioning me forward. I wondered if this was a skill he’d picked up as a Wing who knew how to fly undetected, or if he had learned this from the time he and Kann spent together in simulations. I knew that Kann preferred holoprograms in which he had to evade vicious, alien creatures, which had to give you acertain amount of stealth. Regardless, he’d acquired the ability to slip through the corridors like a shadow, so I followed his lead.

The air grew colder as we descended a staircase leading below the main level, the torches fewer and farther between. The stone walls seemed to press in closer, and the scent of mold and decay forced me to stifle a gag. Somewhere ahead, water dripped steadily, like a metronome counting down the moments until we would be trapped in the simulation forever.

A distant scream drifted to us from deeper underground, making me jump. Volten's hand found my shoulder in the dark, squeezing once before letting go. The gesture surprised me—a moment of comfort from the Wing instructor I didn’t know very well.

At the opening to another stairwell, he paused and turned to me. “We do this my way. No heroics. No last stands. We get in, we get him, we get out. Understood?"

I had no desire to linger any longer than absolutely necessary. “Understood."

We crept down the final set of stairs on our toes, my legs trembling from fear. My lips were pressed together so hard I could taste blood. Get in, get Kann, get out.

Why did I suspect that it wouldn’t be so easy?

Chapter

Forty

Kann

Every movement sent waves of agony through my leg, the knife still buried deep in the muscle, although the initial sharp, stabbing pain had morphed into a throbbing ache. My breath came in heavy gasps that ricocheted off the arched ceiling, as the Drexian guards dragged me deeper under the academy.

My boots scraped against the floor, leaving trails in what I desperately hoped was just dirt, and the torchlight grew dimmer, casting long shadows along the walls like spindly, grasping fingers.

One of the Drexians yanked my arm harder than necessary, making me stumble. "Just another failed cadet for the cells."

The second Drexian laughed, the sound hard and sharp. "At least he won't be down here long. Silent Hunt's almost over. Unlike those othergrekkingbastards we caught on the first day.”

The first guard's grip tightened painfully on my arm. "Hear that, cadet? You're lucky. Only a day or two in the dark."

I didn't respond, focusing instead on staying conscious. I knew without looking at my leg that the amount of blood I'd lost was concerning—a day might be too long if the bleeding didn't stop.

My thoughts drifted to Britta and Volten. Had they made it? Were they safely out of the simulation by now? The image of Britta being dragged away screaming by my best friend was seared into my memory. But I would rather that than have her captured with me.

Strange, how being trapped in the simulation had changed everything. If someone had told me weeks ago that I'd fall for a female—truly fall for her, not just want to bed her—I would have laughed in their face. And if they had said it would be a cadet, a friend, Britta, I would have known they were wrong.

I was former Inferno Force. I was a Blade. I was never going to fall for a human female, even though I had watched friend after friend succumb to their charms.

I almost barked out a laugh as I was propelled down a curling set of stairs. Falling for Britta made no sense. Truthfully, none of what was happening made sense, but somehow, being in a simulation had brought reality into focus.

Things made sense when Britta was around. She challenged me, surprised me, made me want to be better. I swallowed a knot in my throat. And now, I might never get the chance to tell her.

I clenched my jaw to suppress a roar of pain as the Drexians shoved me through a heavy, iron gate into the main dungeon chamber. Rows of cells lined both walls, most occupied by figures huddled in darkness. The air here was thick with the pungent tang of blood and the sour stench of unwashed bodies.

“Another washout,” one of the Drexians escorting me called out to the others, earning a few weak groans.

When they pushed me into an empty cell, the door clanged shut with a finality that made my stomach clench. I staggered to the rough wooden bench bolted to the wall, sinking onto it with a barely suppressed groan. Blood seeped between my fingers where I pressed against the wound, dripping steadily onto the stone floor.

My thoughts were sluggish, clouded by blood loss and pain. I forced myself to stand, swaying slightly as I made my way to the cell door. I needed to assess my situation, even if I suspected there was little point. In the real academy in my time, the bars might be rusted enough to break, but here?

I curled one hand around the cold metal and kept one pressed to my wound. The iron bar was roughened with rust under my fingers, flakes of it sifting to the ground, but it didn't budge when I pulled.

Despair washed over me, as I slumped against the bars and rested my forehead on my knuckles. I'd survived the Silent Hunt only to end up here, bleeding out in a simulated dungeon that felt all too real. I closed my eyes, trying to think through the haze of pain.

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