Page 43 of Obsession

Another tremor rocked the ground, stronger than before, and the mountains flickered into nothingness for a beat. I sucked in a breath as the striking mountain range returned, panic welling up in my throat. The glitches were getting worse.

Kann's hand found mine, steady and warm against my cold fingers. "Stay close," he said, and I told myself that the rasp in his voice was from concern about our situation and not from the heat that still flashed in his eyes.

I nodded, my throat tight. "We should hurry."

The sooner we got back to reality, the sooner we’d be safe. The sooner we escaped from the program, the sooner I could forget how perfectly his lips had fit against mine, how natural it had felt to be held by his strong arms. The sooner we got out, the sooner I could go back to being just another cadet, and he could go back to being just another instructor.

The ground shook so violently that we both stumbled to the side before Kann’s hand yanked mine and pulled me upright again.

If we survived that long.

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

Kann

The forest pressed close around us, as we made our way through the ancient grounds of the academy. Even knowing this was all a simulation couldn't diminish the visceral reality of it—the loamy scent of decaying leaves beneath our feet, the way shafts of shimmering sunlight pierced the canopy to create shifting patterns on the forest floor, the constant rustle of small creatures darting through the underbrush. If I wasn’t worried the thing would kill us, I’d be even more impressed by the simulation.

I should have been focused entirely on watching for hunters or scanning for traps. The Silent Hunt had been notorious for its ruthlessness, and my time in the program had not changed that opinion. But my mind kept circling back to that kiss in the cave, to the way Britta had stiffened in surprise when I'd first pressed my lips to hers, then melted against me, her fingers curling into the fabric of my uniform as she'd deepened the kiss.

It should not have happened. I knew that, and I knew all the reasons I never should have given into the temptation of her soft lips and pleading eyes. But I had never been known for my restraint. Was any Blade?

I tried to use my Blade training to home in on the sounds and smells around me, but my mind kept taking me back to the cavern. The memory of her soft skin, breathy sigh, sweet taste was imprinted on me and was all I could think about. Every sound was her hungry sigh, every scent was the sweet smell of her hair, everything that touched me was as petal-soft as her lips.

Grekkinghell. I gritted out a rough grunt of disgust at myself.

Focus, before you get us both killed.

The thought of Britta being in danger doused my treacherous thoughts. I had to think of anythingbuther if I wanted to save us both.

I glanced back at the human whose hand I was still holding, as I led her through the forest. Her face was pinched with worry, and her eyes were on the ground as she stepped carefully where I stepped. She hadn't spoken of it since we'd left the cave. Was she angry? Shocked? Offended? The questions tumbled through my mind, each worse than the last.

I had not asked to kiss her, even though everything about the way she’d looked at me had told me yes. Which I knew was no excuse and no defense. I’d crossed a line I'd sworn never to cross, let impulse override so much carefully maintained control.

A branch snapped beneath my boot, and I winced at the sound, though the crack wasn't nearly as loud as the thundering of my own heart. I paused, stopping our progress to listen for any hint of pursuing Drexians. Nothing. Only the chirping, rustling, scuttling of the woods around us.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out, the words escaping before I could stop them.

She waited several beats to respond. “Why are you sorry?"

I pivoted to face her. "For kissing you." The moment the words left my mouth, I saw something flicker across her face—hurt?

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. This was not going well, although I had not thought it through, so what did I expect? “I’m not sorry I kissed you. I'm sorry I did it without asking. I should have—”

"That's okay." She cut me off, then looked down at her boots. "If you'd asked..." She took a breath, then continued in barely more than a whisper, "If you'd asked, I might have felt like I had to say no."

My breath caught in my throat. "Did you not want me to kiss you?"

She kept her gaze on the tangle of leaves and vines covering the ground. "I know I shouldn't have wanted you to kiss me.” Her eyes lifted to meet mine, filled with a mix of defiance and vulnerability that made my chest ache. "But knowing I shouldn't want something doesn't stop me from wanting it."

Heat coiled in my belly as her words sank in. She wanted me. Britta—brilliant, beautiful, absolutely forbidden Britta—wanted me. I should have told her it was impossible. Should have maintained professional distance. Should have done anything except stand there imagining how easy it would be to pull her close and kiss her again.

Her confession broke something inside me. I could not keep the truth from her for one moment longer.

“I hated teaching you to flirt.”

Her eyes flared wide. “You did? But you offered. I didn’t even ask, you said you wanted to—”

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