Page 29 of Obsession

I was quickly reminded that this challenge was called the Silent Hunt. We were supposed to be silent, and we'd been anything but.

I darted my gaze around, looking both for whomever was hunting us and for a place to hide. I didn’t see even a hint of movement. Had I imagined the noise?

Then there was another rustling crackle of leaves and a strong arm coiled around my waist and jerked me behind a tree.

Kann’s lips were so close to my ear that a tremor went down my spine as he held me tight to him and whispered. “Don’t move.”

Chapter

Eighteen

Torq

Ishook my head as I rushed down the corridor, my boots slapping the stone floors. It wasn’t possible to be trapped inside a holo simulation, was it? But even as I thought that, I knew it was possible.

Engineering had not been my best class, but I had studied enough about holo technology to understand the basic mechanics. I understood that when you entered a simulation, you were part of the program that created matter from light and energy. No one had vanished inside a simulation since the early days of developing the technology, but it had happened. Even now, with the advanced understanding of the theory and the strict safety protocols, it was possible to get injured or die, if the safeties malfunctioned.

I clenched my teeth and tried not to imagine what could be happening to Kann and Britta inside the program. “They are fine. I am sure they’re fine.”

After a bumpy start with Kann, the Drexian had become a mentor to me. As a fellow Blade, I looked up to him and even aspired to be like him. He had gone from the School of Battle in the academy to Inferno Force, a path I would be proud to follow. Even more than someone I admired, Kann had become a friend.

He and Volten had no reason to be nice to me. I had hit on Volten’s mate Ariana, and I had been a thorn in Kann’s side during Blade classes. I had been exactly the kind of cocky, elite Drexian that Volten had despised, and I had made sure to remind him of my status. But when it had come down to survival, Volten had not let me fend for myself. And when it came to being placed in schools, Kann had seen something in me that even I had not. I owed both Drexians more than I could ever repay.

Releasing a guttural sound of frustration, I paused in the main hall and dragged in a breath. Now it was my turn to save Kann. But who did I get? Commander Vyk was the security chief, which meant he might know what to do. Admiral Zoran was the Academy Master. He should be told, but would he be able to do anything to stop the program?

I flicked my gaze to the three arches leading into three different schools, my gaze lingering on the crossed hammers. The Irons. The engineers were the ones who maintained the holochambers. If Britta wasn’t stuck inside the simulation, she would be one of the first to help.

Then I remembered who had been working with her on Kann’s simulation—Zav. The Taori knew more than anyone else about the program, and if I was correct, he was about to teach a class in the School of Engineering.

“Hey, Blade.”

I hesitated at the sultry voice that drifted to me from the staircase curling down to the main hall. My entire body uncoiledas I glanced up and saw Jess sauntering toward me, a teasing smile on her lips.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs and got close enough to see my face, her expression changed. “What’s wrong?”

I didn’t have time to tell her everything, but since she was there, she could help gather our forces. “It’s Britta and Kann.”

She reached for my hand, her eyes wide. “What about them?”

“They seem to be trapped inside a holochamber, with a simulation running.”

Jess’s brow furrowed. “How—?”

“Volt thinks it might have happened when the power fluctuated, but however it happened, we can’t get them out.” I jerked my head toward the Irons entrance. “I’m going to get someone who knows a lot about holo technology.”

Jess nodded, and I could see that she was already thinking of the best way to solve the problem from a strategic perspective. I loved the way her mind worked. My breath caught in my chest. I loved everything about the woman.

I squeezed her hand and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “I’ll get Zav and then Vyk. They’re both Irons.”

Her cheeks had flushed, but she gave me a determined bob of her head as she stepped back and released my hand. “I’ll get Fiona and Morgan. Britta might have told one of them more about the simulation she was working on for Kann than she told me.”

I swept my gaze around the mostly empty hall. I did not have to hide my relationship with Jess anymore, but it was a hard habit to break. “Have I told you lately how brilliant and beautiful you are?”

She managed a smile, which lit up her face, making her even prettier. “No. Maybe you can tell me again later in your quarters.”

Heat flooded my chest and made my heart race for entirely new reasons. “It’s a date.”

I watched for a moment longer as she ran under the stone arch leading to the School of Strategy, still stunned that I’d gotten so lucky to have a woman like Jess fall for me. Then I pivoted toward the Irons archway and took off at a run.

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