Page 158 of Silver Elite

There’s a date and time beside it. It’s scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

I bite my lip to contain my excitement.

Lyddie peers over my shoulder and gasps. “You’ve been shortlisted! This must be the final test to get into Elite.”

“I got the same message,” Kaine says, twisting his source toward me.

A few others are now exclaiming over the message. The final count ends up being twelve. Twelve of the twenty-five recruits made theshort list. The number seems quite high. How many of us will earn a slot?

I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow.

On our way to the door, I catch a glimpse of Roe, and a shiver runs through me. His expression is murderous, which tells me that maybe the General didn’t get his way, after all.

Roe wasn’t shortlisted.

—

It’s a pit night, so everyone decides to celebrate the end of the Program by watching our fellows beat the crap out of each other. I still don’t own any civilian clothes, other than the outfit I borrowed from Betima, but it feels wrong to wear it tonight. My heart clenches at the memory of her. Lyddie told me the rest of Betima’s stuff was returned to her ward. I wonder what happened to her family. Were they detained? Interrogated about whether they knew she was Aberrant?

Lyddie interrupts my thoughts. “Let’s ask Soldier Struck if we can borrow something from the UCO wardrobe room.”

Before I can protest, she dashes across the mess hall to speak to our now former instructor. Struck glances my way, then shrugs.

Lyddie returns to our table to say, “She says it’s fine as long as you return it in the morning.”

That’s how I end up walking into the warehouse that night wearing a slinky red dress with a neckline so dangerous it would probably send me to the stockade if Cross weren’t my captain.

Kaine’s eyes nearly pop out of the sockets when he sees me. “Hell, cowgirl, are you trying to kill me?” Desire thickens his voice.

It’s been a while since he’s looked at me like that. I didn’t think he’d lost interest, though. I’ve noticed that Kaine takes the Program seriously and always puts our training first. As much as he likes to flirt, he doesn’t allow himself to get distracted, and these last few sections have been highly intensive, requiring all our focus.

Tonight his focus is on me.

“You know what I think?” He waits for Lyddie and Lash to walkahead before moving closer to whisper in my ear. “I think we should turn around and go back to the barracks. They’ll be empty…”

A week or two ago, I might’ve been tempted. Now…

Now I know what it feels like to have Cross naked and groaning in my ear.

I shake my head in regret, glad that he’s not able to read my mind. It’s too chaotic in there right now. “We have a test tomorrow. I can’t afford the distraction.”

Kaine purses his lips before nodding. “Good point.”

I’m relieved he drops the issue so readily, though I wonder what I’ll say next time it comes up. I can’t tell him I slept with Cross, and I certainly can’t tell him that our captain has completely messed with my head. That I wore this dress for Cross. That I—

Guilt jams in my throat and closes around my windpipe as something suddenly becomes apparent to me.

I’ve forgotten why I’m here.

What am I doing? This is not my life. I shouldn’t be donning sexy dresses and celebrating with Primes. I haven’t even made it into Elite, damn it.That’sthe objective. Not to drink whiskey and have a good time at the fights with my friends.

They’re not my friends.

These aren’t my people, and I’m not one of them.

This isn’t my life.

I halt in my tracks, touching Kaine’s arm. “I’m going to use the lav,” I mumble, then pivot on the heel of my strappy silver shoe. I need to leave. Go back to the barracks.

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