Page 73 of Feathers of Ash and Hope

“Watch your back, killer.” There is ice in her voice, but Ara doesn’t seem perturbed.

“Your boyfriend got himself killed. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“You killed him,” Vaccari hisses, and when her hand goes to her blade, I move.

I step behind Summer, fighting the urge to pull her behind my back.

“Careful or you’ll find out how fast you can trip and fall onto your own blade.” My voice is low and quiet, but Vaccari gets the warning, taking a step back, no longer so sure of herself.

“Maybe you should ask someone in your division what happened to Flaccus,” I tell her, and she turns and leaves the hall without another word.

“What happened to Flaccus?” Summer asks.

“I beat him to within an inch of his life,” I tell her.

“Well, then he must have deserved it.” Summer smiles and goes back to her mat like nothing happened. I don’t know what reaction I expected, but that hadn’t been it.

Jared and I exchange a look.

“I knew I liked him for a reason.” Jared smirks.

I nod, but my thoughts are hung up on two things—she hadn’t judged me, hadn’t even flinched when I told her I nearly killed another rider, and she displayed knowledge only common in circles carrying high positions. They are the ones who need to know the difference between someone being stripped of their rank and someone giving it up willingly. And that circle isn’t too big.

There is no way we haven’t met before if she grew up like I suspect she did.

And the no judging part…yeah, I’m not going to analyze why that warmed my chest from within. But I’m distracted, which gives Jared the advantage he needs to beat me. So I’ll have plenty of time to contemplate those thoughts over a beer tonight.

Ara

I should have keptmy mouth shut. From the moment Livia Vaccari opened hers, I knew she would only spout shit.

Seeing Tate without his shirt had been enough to make me stare, smooth golden skin over devastatingly cut muscles, the markings running up the whole length of his right arm and spilling onto his chest and down his right side until they vanished into the waistband of his pants. My fingers had itched with the need to touch him, trace the black lines, and slip over the ridges of his abs. But it had been the mark on his left chest that had snapped me out of my reverie. It looked like an ornate X set over his heart, and when my eyes landed on the two parallel lines beneath, I was stunned and angry.

Dishonored, my ass. Whatever he had given up had been willingly. True, it wasn’t common to see someone give up a position out of choice, but how the fuck did anyone dare to give him shit about that and why didn’t he say something?

I had still been fuming about the injustice when Livia started spewing shit and I couldn’t stay quiet. I couldn’t. If that earned me more enemies, it was well worth it. Who was counting at this point, anyway?

“You know what, Summer? I like you,” Zaza declares while we are heading to lunch.

“Me too.” Jared comes up from behind us and throws an arm around our shoulders. Zaza tenses for a second before she relaxes. She sends me a wide smile, her teeth startlingly bright against her dark skin. I wonder if she and Jared have a history.

Jared congratulates me on the way I dealt with Livia before flitting off when someone calls him.

“Is there something between Jared and you?” I ask Zaza as soon as Jared is out of earshot.

“Nah, I’m not his type,” she tells me.

“Why? You are beautiful, kind, and funny, and really good with a sword,” I tell her honestly. She looks at me like I am a little puppy before biting her lip.

“That is really cute of you to say, Summer, but…unfortunately, you are a little young for me.” She gives me an apologetic smile.

She thought I was coming on to her?

“No, I…uh…” I stammer. Fuck, how do I get out of this without offending her or making an even bigger fool of myself? To my horror, my cheeks grow hot.

“Gosh, you are adorable, Summer.” Zaza giggles. “Much too sweet to hang out with a flight of cynics and commitment phobes like us.” Her eyes go over to Jared and Tate, walking in front of us, and I can’t help but wonder if she meant to include both of them in that statement or just Jared.

“So no one in this flight is seeing someone long-term?” I ask.

---