Chapter 14 #2
“Listen up,” Aiden began, pacing in front of us like a caged predator.
“Training is changing. We’re upping the sparring to twice daily.
” A collective groan rippled through the space.
Great. “From now on, we focus on survival,” he continued, voice cold and precise.
“Fighting isn’t clean. It’s unpredictable.
It leaves you exhausted, bleeding, and outnumbered.
So, you fight dirty. You fight to wound.
You fight to survive.” He stopped pacing.
“Only one dagger today. No magic.” His gaze cut through the room.
“If I catch anyone using magic, the punishment is ten lashes. This is not about skill; it’s about instinct.
Disarm. Harm. Break your opponent if you have to.
The only rule is no killing.” A few cadets shifted uneasily.
Ryan leaned closer to me. “Well… this should be different.”
“Let me demonstrate,” Aiden said, slicing through the murmurs. My stomach sank. His eyes locked on me, that familiar, infuriating smirk curving his mouth. “Ruin. Front.”
Gods. Apparently, hurting me the other day hadn’t been enough.
I stepped forward, forcing my spine straight. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to demonstrate with Jasmine?” I offered lightly.
“That’s funny, because yesterday you were all for fighting me, Ruin. What happened? Got cold feet?” he taunted. He stripped his daggers and let them clatter to the floor. I did the same, leaving only one secured to my thigh.
“Fine. You don’t scare me, Aiden,” I replied, glaring.
He smirked. I swallowed and glanced toward Gia and Ryan, which was a major mistake.
Aiden slammed into me without warning. The air ripped from my lungs as my back slammed into the mat.
Before I could recover, his hand closed around my throat, and he hauled me up like I weighed nothing.
“Pay attention, Ruin,” he growled near my ear.
Panic flared, but instinct burned hotter.
I drove my boot into his chest with everything I had.
He released me. I hit the ground hard, rolling as my fingers yanked my dagger free.
Without thinking, I hurled it straight at his head.
Gasps echoed through the room. Aiden caught the blade an inch from his face.
“Good one,” he said calmly. Then, with a sharp smile, “But now you’ve given up your only weapon.” He tossed the dagger back at me. I twisted just in time to avoid it, and he was already charging. He scooped me up by my thighs and slammed me into a stone pillar.
Pain exploded up my spine. My vision blurred, frustration boiling over.
I wrapped my legs around his torso, grabbed his head, and drove my forehead into his.
Pain detonated through my skull, but it worked.
He stumbled back, fury twisting his features.
The room had gone silent. Every eye was on us. Shock. Awe. Maybe even entertainment.
“You’re not paying attention again, Ruin,” Aiden snapped. A blade whistled past my face and buried itself in the pillar beside my head. I froze, breath stuttering.
“What the fuck, Aiden?” I shouted. “Are you insane?” He charged me again, gripping me by the throat and slamming me into the stone column. A pained groan escaped me.
“Insane?” he echoed. “That’s cute.” He stopped inches from me. “No. War is insane.” He tightened his grip, cutting off my airflow. My fingers brushed the hilt of the dagger lodged in the stone beside my head.
His mouth grazed the shell of my ear, breath hot.
“And if you don’t keep your eyes on the threat, you die.
” The bond flared painfully in my chest. “And if you die,” he whispered, “I die.” His gaze met mine.
“So, pay the fuck attention.” Before he could react, I ripped the dagger free and buried it into his side, right below his ribs.
Aiden gasped. So did I. The pain ripped through me a second later.
“Seems you’re not the one paying attention,” I groaned. Aiden stumbled back, clutching the hilt of the dagger. The room was deadly quiet. Jasmine stepped forward. As Aiden slowly pulled the blade out.
“Cadet Yarrows, that was completely unacceptable,” she stated. I placed my hand over the wound and healed it, which in turn healed him. “You will now face a punishment for going after your—”
“No, it’s fine,” Aiden interrupted. He turned toward the others.
“Pair up,” he ordered. “Fight like your lives depend on it.” His eyes locked on mine.
Something unreadable passed between us before he walked away.
Jasmine was clearly still ordering a punishment for me, but had Aiden actually respected me at that moment?
“That guy seriously seems to have it out for you,” Jackson muttered, tossing a piece of bread onto his plate as he leaned forward, elbows propped on the edge of the table. He ran a hand through his short black hair, shaking his head.
“Yeah, no shit,” I grumbled, jabbing my fork into a piece of meat.
“It’s the most annoying fucking thing.” I wasn’t even hungry, just pushing the food around, until I noticed Alaric standing near the doorway of the feeding hall, subtly nodding me over.
My heart stuttered. “Excuse me,” I mumbled, standing a little too fast. “Be right back.” I didn’t wait for a response.
I slipped through the tables and made my way outside, where Alaric waited just out of sight, half in shadow. He looked like something out of a dream, the setting sun outlining his figure in warm gold.
“Hey,” he said, voice low and full of concern. “I heard what happened this morning. Are you okay?” His hands rose to gently cup my face, his thumbs brushing softly over my cheekbones.
I leaned into his touch, nodding. “Yeah. I’m okay.” He let out a quiet breath of relief, his forehead coming to rest against mine. The small gesture made my chest ache in the best way.
“Thank the gods,” he whispered. He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, and I melted. This was why I loved Alaric; he was kind, gentle, and loving toward me.
“I’m really starting to like this whole boyfriend thing,” I teased, my cheeks flushing as I gazed up at him.
Alaric chuckled, his blue eyes crinkling with warmth. “Yeah, me, too.” His voice was so soft it almost made me forget the chaos of the day. Getting on my toes, I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and slipped out of his hands before I lost all self-control.
“See you later,” I said with a smirk and a quick wave, heart racing as I ducked back into the hall. Couldn’t have anyone, especially Aiden, suspecting anything. I slid into my seat as Luna asked,
“Don’t you think it’s kind of weird they’re upping our training?”
“Definitely,” Gia replied, nodding. Her braid swaying behind her like punctuation. “This level of combat? It’s second-year material.”
I swirled a bite of spaghetti, and my appetite suddenly returned. “I think it has something to do with the Eastern Encampment failing.” That earned me a pair of raised brows.
“You really think they’d keep something like that from us?” Gia asked, voice tinged with concern.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But it’s suspicious. Why hide it, unless there’s something bigger going on?”
“Maybe to avoid panic?” Luna offered, shrugging. “Some of the first-years still flinch every time a shadow moves. If they found out war was coming sooner than expected, they’d lose it.”
“Fair point,” Gia muttered.
“Well…” I sat up straighter, determination hardening in my chest. “I’ll see what I can find out. Something’s off. Aiden knows more than he’s saying. Jasmine, too. Probably all the unit leaders.” I glanced at each of them in turn. “Whatever they’re hiding, I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”
Staying true to my word later that evening, I slipped out of my dorm under cover of darkness, every inch of my body aching in protest. Today’s second round of training had been brutal, worse than the last, and I’d gotten my ass handed to me again.
My muscles screamed, but I forced them to move.
Summoning a small flame to guide my way, I crept down the path toward the unit leader's quarters. Was it reckless to go knocking on Aiden’s door this late?
Absolutely. Especially considering he’d been even more of an asshole lately.
But I needed answers, and after all the shit he had put me through, he definitely owed me that much.
The hallway was cold and quiet, shadows pressing around the flicker of my flame. When I reached his door, I froze. Moans. Low, rhythmic, breathless. Jasmine’s voice. Followed by his deeper one, grunting in pleasure. The flame in my palm sputtered as I stood there, paralyzed.
My stomach twisted, nausea rising like bile in my throat.
Red-hot fury bloomed in my chest, mixing violently with a jealousy I didn’t want to claim.
I wanted to storm in there and drag her out by the hair, but I knew better.
I told myself it was just the mate bond.
Just magic. Just fucking magic. I turned away, smothering my flame and swallowing down the lump in my throat.
Besides, I shouldn’t care. Aiden could do what he wants.
I was with Alaric and I only had to learn to work with him, not love.
But if I couldn’t get answers from him, then maybe the library could offer something better.