Page 51 of The Pretty Savage

Yet, I allowed him to see me, to feel me, to touch me without a fight, and if I stayed here in his embrace, I knew he wouldn't be kind. He would use that sharp tongue of his to inflict the type of damage that could only be felt, but never seen.

So I closed the lid on the emotions threatening to unravel me, and slowly removed his arms from around me, slipping out of the bed slowly, careful not to alert him to my movements. And for someone that always seemed to be on alert, Adrian didn't even move. He protested in his sleep when I moved, but as soon as I was out of his embrace, he buried his nose into my pillow, sleeping as soundly as he was earlier.

I stood there, right next to the bed, observing him for a moment too long. Every single time I saw him he was anything but relaxed, yet here… He almost looked younger than he truly was. Relaxed. Comfortable, and I suffocated the thought that slid inside my mind that it had everything to do with me.

He didn't know me, and I didn't know him.

It was a mistake seeking salvation in the arms of the person you knew nothing about, or in my case, the person you were sent to destroy. I was in this business long enough to know what 'use any means necessary' meant in that file Alena gave me. They didn't need to tell me I was here for that purpose.

Heinrich said I was here to gather information, but there was always a hidden meaning to everything he said, and this time was no different.

I was here to kill Adrian Zylla.

And I had no fucking idea how I was going to do that.

I practically ran away from my room, leaving Adrian behind as I slipped out, heading toward the main building where our classes were being held. It wasn't my proudest moment, but something about him made me want to stay. It made me want to be a different person on a different path, but those dreams belonged to a girl that didn't live life the way I did.

Those dreams belonged to those that had proper nine-to-five jobs, a massive family that supported them, and a warm home to go back to.

I had none of those things.

What I did have was a load of baggage filled with dark secrets I could never share with anyone, least of all someone like Adrian, and this kind of thinking was only bound to get me killed and nothing else. I had to get rid of the weird notion that Adrian was my savior, that he could somehow help me get out of the clutches of The Schatten.

He was just like everyone else, looking out for himself and those he held dear. There was no place in my life for another disappointment, especially not when my heart seemed to like him a little bit too much. I had to put a stop to these silly little thoughts and focus on what was important.

Yolanda explained yesterday that everyone had pretty much the same dress code at the Academy—tight black T-shirt, black pants or leggings, and whatever the fuck we wanted to have on our feet. I knew the training grounds were inside, but I cursed myself for not putting something warmer over my black T-shirt, because as I walked over the grounds I realized the wind here was as unforgiving as the inhabitants of this place.

It slammed into me from all sides and the smell of the impending snow in the air did nothing to improve my already sour mood. My long coat flapped in the wind, reminding me it wasn't made for winters like these, but for a rainy type of weather. But I'd be damned if I changed it for something bulkier.

This leather coat had been with me for years now, and I wouldn't change it for anything. It was worn out in places, the leather peeling off and looking damaged, but it was the easiest thing to fight in, especially because I didn't appreciate freezing all the time as I went into missions. Maybe after all of this was done I would trade and retire it for something different since I wouldn't have any more use of it, but for now I was sticking with it.

People rushed next to me, following the same path I was toward the combat building located right next to the main building, and while I knew I wouldn't be in any shape to do anything strenuous during our offensive and defensive classes, I was excited to see what they were going to teach us.

Well, I was excited to see who was going to teach us.

I didn't have a chance to meet a lot of other instructors, but with Adrian, Jax, and Dante at the Academy, I had a feeling they weren't exactly here to do the administrative work. It would've made things a lot easier if they were, but in these last three days, counting today, I’d learned more than I could imagine and I was going to uncover all the secrets they kept.

The Brotherhood was just a cover story for them, and I wanted in. I wanted to know more, but I knew I couldn't just ask about it. Everyone kept their mouths shut about The Pit, and worst of all, everyone seemed to keep their mouths shut about Rebecca too, the girl that was found hanging from the rope just yesterday. I had no idea if they were really investigating what had happened or not, but it gave me a weird feeling in my gut that it wasn't the end.

Whoever did that to Rebecca wasn't finished, and it was just another mystery I needed to uncover. Why would somebody use the methods of The Schatten in a place they weren't welcomed at all? Why risk the organization, if it really was someone from The Schatten?

Furthermore, if they had sent someone here, why wouldn't Alena and Heinrich tell me about it? Was it because I hated working with other agents or was there something they weren't telling me?

Hell, with the way all of this was going I would need to start putting all these theories down on paper and try tackling them one by one. But the first one on the agenda was getting into The Brotherhood, and as I saw Dante standing at the entrance to the combat building, just staring at the students that were passing by, an idea formed in my head and I knew he was the person that could help me.

Don't get me wrong, I knew all three of them were lethal, but where Adrian obviously hated me for whatever reason and Jax steered clear of me, Dante seemed to be eager to let me fight more that first night, and I knew he would be able to help.

"Hey," I called out as I came close enough, lifting my hand from my pocket and waving at him. His dark eyebrows furrowed, his eyes narrowing at me, but there wasn't anything malicious in the way he looked me over. Hell, there wasn't anything warming either, but he was a better option than any of the others. "Dante, right?" I asked, feigning innocence as I closed the distance between us, keeping the smile on my face even as the pain pulsed in my cheek, reminding me it wasn't as healed as I thought it was. "I'm Vega," I murmured, extending my hand in his direction, hoping he would take it. But he kept staring at it as if it held poison, and my momentum of a good mood shattered faster than it came. "I see," I mumbled, stepping away from him. "You're just another puppet, aren't you?"

"I'm not a puppet," he grumbled, looking over my shoulder as if he expected for someone to appear right behind me.

"Whatever you keep telling yourself to sleep better at night." I shrugged. "I know a puppet when I see one, but I was hoping I was wrong about you." I looked him straight in the eyes. "I guess not."

Irritation flashed over his face, and before I could move he was right in front of me, towering over my body by at least a few inches. Shorter than Adrian but I had a feeling just as equally lethal.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Vega," he said, loud enough only for me to hear. "And that conversation you want to have cannot be held here."

"How do you know what I want to talk about?" I asked, daring him with my eyes, flaying myself open for him. His fingers wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him as his lips pressed against my ear, whispering what I needed to hear.

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