Chapter 26
rune
. . .
Another message lay on my desk when I woke up that morning:
I used to think you were something special, but now I’ve realized that you’re nothing compared to her. Still, your rejection stings. A man needs his pride, Rune. I intend to claim my vengeance from you one way or another.
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might detach.
It was Darian again, obviously. Who else would’ve had the audacity to write shit like that to me?
His stupid little notes had been showing up at random intervals for weeks.
They had been flirty or possessive, until now, but if he had his scales set on someone else, maybe he’d leave me the fuck alone.
I crumpled the note and tossed it into the trash.
Everyone else was waiting for me as I rushed out. I’d been forgetting my morning tea, which made me a little irate, but my favorite mug had been shattered. What was I supposed to do? Perhaps I was just pouting.
“Took you long enough,” Brynn muttered as we walked out.
“You literally just walked out here a second ago,” Ominous pointed out.
She huffed, crossing her arms. Moving over toward Dimitri, she smiled up at him. “What do you think about the assignment?”
Dimitri looked past her, straight to me, his expression tightening with a clipped determination to ignore her. I appreciated it. “Rune,” he said, like he’d been waiting on me to come out. “How’re you feeling?”
“Good.” I smiled, stepping closer to him as we walked. The brush of our shoulders was casual, but my heart thumped harder. “I do love the term two classes, honestly.”
“They are a lot more fun,” Cora agreed with a smile, moving her hair to the side to show off my brother’s mark.
I grinned as I looked at the shimmering phoenix scorched into the side of her neck. “Congratulations on mating my brother.”
“Thank you so much.” She blushed, smiling down at her feet. “I suppose this makes us family.”
“I suppose it does.” I liked Cora, so I wasn’t mad about that. I just hoped her sisters were as kind as she was.
“They said they’ve fixed the simulator glitches for Apex Simulator 2.6,” Dimitri said, his voice low and intent as we left the house and walked toward the simulator. “Security’s been tightened. Doubled up on the firewalls, apparently.”
I arched a brow. “I know. That’s why we have our improv assignment there today.”
“I don’t trust it,” he admitted. “Be careful, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
The walk was uneventful, and when we made it to the simulator, Jarvins was already pacing outside of it.
“Right on time. You’re undercover operatives for this assignment.
Mid-mission, your backstory collapses. You’re accused of being a spy.
They throw you into a chamber that seals airtight.
You escape only by proving you’re not what they say you are.
This will be an individual effort rather than a team effort. ”
A collective groan went around the class.
Jonas raised a tentative hand. “So, are we in any real danger?”
Jarvins turned, the twig he was constantly chewing on pausing between his teeth. His stare was dry as he regarded Jonas. “Didn’t you hear the part where you’re trapped in an airtight chamber? Yes. If you fail to convince the enemy that you’re not a spy, you can die.”
A hush fell over the group.
Dimitri stood just off my shoulder, crimson eyes sliding toward the professor, then flicking briefly to me. “No glitches this time?”
Jarvins stopped pacing. “I assure you, there will be no more glitches. Drecken himself came and checked the system. As did Professor Duskwyn from the House of Innovation.”
Relief spread through my chest. If Drecken had touched the enchantments, nothing would happen.
“Professor Jarvins, can I use the restroom before my turn?” Cora raised her hand, shifting from foot to foot, long blonde hair bouncing. “Sorry. I meant to go on the way here.”
Jarvins flicked his wrist. “Be quick.”
She nodded, flashing me a smile before hurrying back toward the academy.
Jarvins clapped once, loud enough to make Jonas flinch. “All right. One at a time. We’ll monitor from here. Dimitri, you’re up.”
The door hissed open with a sound like a deep breath. Frost licked the edges before vanishing, and Dimitri stepped forward.
“So, the simulator is already set up as the chamber?” Dimitri asked.
Jarvins nodded. “Good observation, and good luck.”
Dimitri glanced over at me once.
My heart skipped a beat as I met his gaze. Then, he entered.
The door sealed behind him with an airtight pop.
Through the monitor above the simulator, the feed was visible.
He was inside a small box with only shadows. The only light was a flickering fae orb low on magical essence above him, and it showed that he no longer wore his uniform. He was in his boxers only.
I bit down on my lip hard.
Dimitri was toned. His muscles were carved beautifully, and his boxer shorts left very little to cover him.
A streak of possessiveness ran down my spine as I noticed Brynn staring. If my parents hadn’t made it very clear to me I wasn’t allowed to kill anyone while at this academy, she’d be dead.
A gruff voice spilled into the room he was in. “You’re a traitor! Do you know what we do to traitors?”
Dimitri didn’t flinch. He wore a perfect calm and detached mask. “You think I’m a traitor? I have nothing to hide from you.”
“You expect us to believe you?” the voice boomed.
Dimitri sliced his palm open on his fang, his blood dripping down his arm as he held it up. “I’m confident enough to swear a blood oath that I have no true need to hide from you.”
“You swear?” the voice echoed.
“I swear.” His blood glowed red before the simulator blinked green, and the door swung open.
Jarvins arched a brow. “Simple and unimaginative.”
“Yet effective,” I murmured.
He didn’t disagree as Dimitri came out in his suit rather than his boxers, and relief swept over me from that.
I loathed Brynn staring at him.
He was mine.
Dimitri walked over, and I locked my arm with his.
His eyes widened as he glanced down at me, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he moved closer.
Just like he should.
“Brynn, you’re up.” Jarvins clapped his hands.
She glowered at me as she stomped into the simulator, the door slamming shut behind her. When the chamber sealed around her, the monitor’s hue shifted gray again.
“Aren’t you delightfully possessive?” Dimitri murmured, amused.
“You’re going to be my mate,” I stated simply.
“Yeah,” he whispered, tightening his arm around mine. “I am.”
Brynn grinned inside the simulator, running a hand through her dark hair as she tried Dimitri’s trick with the blood oath, but the monitor blinked red.
“Fascinating,” Jarvins muttered, jotting something down. “I wonder why your method didn’t work for her.”
“Because she didn’t believe in her blood oath,” Dimitri guessed.
On-screen, Brynn laughed and leaned toward the table. “You don’t believe me?” she said, voice dropping low with sultry and dangerous undertones. “You really should.”
She traced her finger over the walls, whispering her promises of not being a traitor.
It was difficult to watch, but surprisingly, the monitor turned green, and the door slid open.
“She flirted with them.” My mouth dropped. “How was it so easy for her?”
“She seduced the enemy,” Jarvins corrected. “Bold but effective.”
Brynn stepped out of the chamber, smirking.
Jarvins turned, twig shifting in his teeth as he studied me. “Rune, you’re next. Call out if anything weird happens, but it shouldn’t.”
The chamber door opened again. Mist curled outward as I let go of Dimitri’s arm and walked inside. The door sealed behind me with the same audible pop.
Instantly, the temperature dropped from cold to freezing. The soundproofing swallowed every trace of the outside world. The silence was so complete that it felt thick, pressing against my chest.
My academy suit was gone, and in its place were my black cotton bra and panties. My two mate marks were fully on display, and I had to admit I liked them being visible. I didn’t like being in my underwear, but it was fine.
“You are a traitor!” the accusation screamed through the speakers.
The words bounced off the chamber walls. The room’s light orb flared with the voice.
I tilted my head, letting my braid slide over my shoulder, and smiled. “Oh,” I said softly, forcing my voice to put on a sweet, deceiving tone. “So, you found out.”
The light above me brightened rather than flickered.
Their gruff tone sharpened. “You admit it?”
They wanted me to deny it, to fight them on it, to plead my innocence. But that was what a guilty party did when they panicked. So, I didn’t fall into the trap.
I let a small, knowing laugh escape. “I am a traitor,” I said, pacing slowly, fingertips brushing the icy wall as I walked. “But not to you.”
The voice faltered. “You expect us to believe that?”
“No.” I turned toward where the voice seemed to come from, as if I could see through the sound even though I couldn’t.
“I don’t expect you to believe anything.
Belief can be swayed easily. I know you’re more intelligent than that.
You already understand that infiltration works both ways.
You think they sent me here for you? I’ve been feeding them misinformation since the day I was embedded. ”
“Prove it,” they said.
“Check your system logs.” I dropped my hand and walked toward the middle, standing there with my arms crossed. “You’ll find security breaches from two weeks ago in the siren drive. False intel about your base coordinates. Who do you think planted that? Oh, and you’re welcome.”
Silence.
“You think I’m their spy,” I continued, not bothering to move from my spot. “But tell me who benefits from me being locked in here? They want their mole caught. They needed me out of the way. Congratulations. You’re doing their job for them.”
The voice crackled, uncertain. “You could have fabricated this.”