Page 68 of Shadow Caster
* * *
Brady and Aidanstood face to face, fists out.
“Rock, paper, scissors.”
Brady threw rock, and Aidan threw paper.
“Fuck.” Brady shot a withering glance my way.
Thomas leaned in. “Do you think they do this every time they need to decide who’s going to take a cadet out?”
I swung my legs from the perch on the counter. “Hey, guys. I’m beginning to get a complex here.”
Yeah, it looked like no one wanted to play mentor. My gaze went to the window, to the rolling mist, and something inside me tugged with the need to be inside it.
The door rumbled as it opened, and then boots echoed down the corridor. Vince and Lloyd entered a moment later. Lloyd’s blond hair looked lank and in need of a wash, his eyes were bloodshot. He and Vince had been working sector two, something to do with an increased vigilance warning that had come down from the fortress.
“You bastards!” Vince exploded at the sight of Brady and Aidan in a face-off. “I told ya, no. No more fucking rock, paper, scissors. This ain’t no fucking vacation.”
Lloyd coughed into his hand … or was he laughing. Not too sure. Brady and Aidan turned to give him a flat look.
“Who’s up for a tour?” Lloyd asked.
“Justice,” Devon said. “AM post training.”
Lloyd nodded. “Fine, I’ll do it.”
“No.” Brady stalked toward me. “I got this.” He jerked his head in the direction of the armory. “Suit up.”
“Now why the fuck didn’t he just say that sooner?” Aidan’s voice followed me down the corridor.
Brady threw my gear at me, and then stripped off his shirt, turning his back on me. A bronze expanse of smooth, taut flesh spanned his wide pectorals and tapered at his waist. He was … perfect. I pulled my gaze up to snag on the angry scar that marred the side of his neck; it cut down to his collarbone, and for some reason, I was bridging the distance between us, mesmerized by the mark.
He tensed but held his ground. His dark gaze was wary and questioning, so unlike the Brady I’d seen so far, but then his expression hardened.
“You want to know how I got this?” He touched the scarred flesh. His brows came together, and he canted his head. “Does it excite you, Justice?” He stepped closer, bringing the heat of his body with him, pushing it against mine.
My pulse was suddenly hammering too fast, blood fizzing in my veins. “There’s nothing exciting about the wounds that skirt death. But I have a right to be curious.” Why was my voice so breathless? I reached up on impulse, intent on touching the scar.
His hand shot up to grasp my wrist in a grip that was almost painful. “Don’t.”
Shit, what the fuck was I thinking? “I’m sorry. I … It’s just that this … this could happen to me soon.”
His chest rumbled, and then his fingers uncurled from around my wrist.
I dropped my hand to my side. Cheeks flaming. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Get your armor on.” He reached for the waistband of his joggers, preparing to tug them down, and for a moment, I was frozen in place, curiosity warring with modesty. “You gonna stay for the show?”
I turned and jogged for the closet.
* * *
It was late.Brady and Devon were manning the control room, a place of blinking lights and schematics. A huge map of the sector covered one wall. It was dotted with green lights, which meant all was well.
Lloyd had explained that orange lights meant posts needed maintenance and red indicated the posts needed immediate repair. Vince was doing an armory audit or something equally mundane, and the rest of the cadets had scattered around the barracks doing whatever. These were the twilight hours between darkness and dawn when all was quiet and dead. I needed to shift my arse into the shower.
Nightbloods didn’t need sleep, but my body begged to differ. My arms lay loosely at my sides, and my legs were splayed out in front of me, my ass almost slipping off the sofa. I’d sat down for a minute, and that had been twenty minutes ago. Brady had run me ragged. I mean, if I looked at my ass in the mirror, it probably wouldn’t be there. Gone, because he’d worked it off. We’d walked miles and miles and climbed and climbed and replaced components and chased hairy critters, or so he said, but I hadn’t seen anything. I swear he’d just wanted me to run.
