Page 70 of Obsession

"He still owes me for that time he convinced me to give him an entire tray ofchidiberry tarts," another cook called out.

That sounded like Kann to me.

The cook put a surprisingly gentle hand on Fiona’s arm and then mine. “I hope he pulls through.”

We thanked them and headed back upstairs, my chest tight with unexpected emotion. The academy had become home in ways I hadn't expected, and the place still surprised me.

When we reached the top of the stairs, I decided to broach another subject. “Is it too early to start thinking about joining the rescue mission?” I swallowed hard. "I'm worried about Torq."

My heart ached thinking of him out there in Kronock territory. I hated not being by his side, even though staying for Britta had been the right choice. Especially seeing how fragile she seemed now.

"I miss Vyk too." Fiona's voice was soft.

"Any updates?" The captain was working closely with the admiral while Vyk was away, so if anyone would know, it would be her.

She stopped in the middle of the main hall, moonlight streaming through the high windows and sending light across the polished black floor. "The ship went radio silent when itentered Kronock territory. We won't hear from them again until..." She didn't finish.

My stomach lurched, but I forced myself to focus on the warmth of the bread in my arms, on the fact that we'd gotten Britta and Kann back, and that Volten had returned safely.

"At least Britta is back," I said, as we climbed the wide staircase that swept up to the second floor, empty at the late hour.

“So far, we’ve been lucky.” Fiona managed a smile as we passed the remaining Drexians waiting to give blood and entered the surgery waiting area.

But Britta wasn't there.

The empty room made my stomach drop.

Chapter

Forty-Nine

Britta

The bitter wind whipped off the Restless Sea, but I barely felt it as I paced along the craggy cliffs. Waves crashed against the dark rocks below, sending up plumes of white spray that caught the weak sunlight filtering through the iron-gray clouds. The academy loomed behind me, its obsidian walls stretching toward the sky while bridges connected the towers like spindly fingers.

I couldn't stay in there anymore. I couldn't bear the antiseptic smell of the surgery, or the helplessness of watching others give blood while I couldn't do a damn thing but sit and hope.

What if Kann died? The thought made my chest cave in.

He had lost so much blood. Even though he was Drexian, and the species was tougher and more resilient than humans, he wasn’t invincible.

No, I knew all too well that the Drexian was made of flesh and blood. I knew what his flesh felt like when it was warm andcoated with sweat. I had felt his heart beat in time with mine. I knew what it was like to have him inside me.

I let out a rough sound as I tried to purge those memories from my mind. It didn’t help me to think about what had happened between us. Not if I might lose him. Not if that would be the only time I ran my fingers over his nodes and curled my legs around his waist.

“Stop it,” I told myself fiercely. “You can’t think like that. Kann is not going to die.”

But if he did live…

I wrapped my arms around myself as I walked faster, my boots crunching on the rocky ground. What then? Now that we were back in the real academy, everything that happened between us felt like a dream. Had it been real or was it as fabricated as every stone, torch, and Drexian in the simulation?

Even if it had been real, had it only happened because we were in a stressful situation? Had we been forced together because we were in danger and had to rely on each other to stay alive? Or was it like one of those passionate shipboard romances that burned hot and fast, but fizzled in the cold light of day?

Heat rushed to my cheeks as I remembered our time in the unknown cadet's quarters. Memories of how Kann's touch had set my skin on fire rushed unbidden to my mind. I had never experienced such passion, but I’d also never felt safer than when I'd been wrapped in his arms. He'd broken through every wall I'd built around my heart without even trying.

I pivoted on my heel and paced in the opposite direction, dragging my hand through my hair and welcoming the scrape of my nails on my scalp.

When had I become this person? When had I morphed into an emotional woman who was falling apart over a guy, who was agonizing over whether he even liked me? I'd always been therational one, the one who kept her emotions locked down tight. The one who never needed anyone.

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