Chapter 26 #2
“Oh, please.” I laughed. “If I’d fabricated it, there wouldn’t be proof. But here we are. We are wasting precious minutes while your system is probably being compromised right now.”
I sighed with theatrical exhaustion, popping my hip out. “If you want to win this fight, you’ll let me out and let me finish what I started. Or you can sit here and let me die while your precious network burns. It’s your call.”
The silence stretched thin before the simulator pulsed green.
The chamber sighed open, and I walked out, smoothing my uniform as I walked back toward Dimitri. I inhaled his cinnamon and nutmeg scent greedily without throwing myself at him because I was a professional.
Jarvins smirked approvingly, twig shifting from one side of his mouth to the other. “Elegant deceit, psychological manipulation with a controlled narrative spin. Your confidence sold it. Jonas, you’re up.”
Jonas hesitated at the simulator’s threshold. He swallowed hard.
Jarvins chewed on the twig in his mouth as he blocked his way into the simulator and studied him.
“If you don’t want to participate, decide now,” he said evenly.
“You risk your life on this mission the same as in the real world. I can have you removed from the academy without punishment, but you will not be permitted back.”
Jonas’s shoulders tensed. His eyes darted toward the rest of us—me, Dimitri, Ominous, Brynn, Zara—then back to the floor. He shook his head once. “I can do it,” he said, but his tone lacked conviction. “I just need to prove that I can.”
Jarvins sighed quietly and stepped aside. “Your call. But remember, the simulator doesn’t care about pride. It only cares about ability. Once you are in, I will not intervene. It is solely up to you.”
Jonas nodded, though his hands were trembling, and he walked inside.
The door hissed as it sealed behind him.
“Why do I have a bad feeling?” I muttered to Dimitri.
“Because your instincts are warning you,” he whispered back. “I feel it, too.”
“He should’ve walked away,” Zara stated.
“Idiot.” Brynn shook her head.
The monitor showed him standing alone inside the chamber. The walls blocked him in, with no exit.
“Vitals are steady,” Jarvins murmured, staring at his tablet.
Jonas jumped as the voice filled the space.
“You are a traitor!”
He flinched so hard he stumbled all the way back until he hit the wall behind him. “N-no—I’m not—”
“Vitals are not steady anymore,” Jarvins muttered.
“Liar.”
Jonas’s breathing hitched immediately, and he sucked in big gasps. “I’m not lying! Please, I’m not—”
The chamber’s oxygen monitors spiked, something that hadn’t happened with me, Dimitri, or Brynn.
Zara pressed a hand to her mouth. “Is he claustrophobic?”
“He tunnels through walls,” Brynn stated obviously. “Clearly not.”
Jonas’s body trembled, shoulders shaking as the panic built.
Jarvins stared at him, brow furrowed. “Come on, kid. You’re stronger than this. Talk through it.”
Jonas couldn’t hear him, though. His chest rose and fell too fast. His pupils were wide, reflecting the orb of light above him.
“Traitor!” the voice boomed again.
“Please! I’m not—I swear—” He pressed his palms against the wall, gasping. “Let me out, I can’t—please, I can’t breathe!”
His panic hit a breaking point. He shifted, bones cracking, and his underwear fell to the ground before a small brown mouse scurried out of them, trembling violently.
Zara gasped, tears already streaking down her cheeks. “Professor Jarvins, can you get him out?”
Jonas was in his mouse form, but he was still panicking.
“Vitals are erratic,” Jarvins muttered, pressing a button on the tablet. “Jonas, you need to stay calm.” His voice overrode the voice screaming traitor, but it was as if Jonas couldn’t hear him.
He squeaked in terror. Jonas bolted for the door, tiny claws scratching frantically at the smooth metal as he launched himself at it.
Thud.
He bounced off and ran at it again.
Thud.
“Let him out!” Zara screamed. “Professor Jarvins, please, he’s going to run out of oxygen! Let him out!”
Jarvins's fingers flew across the screen. “I’m bypassing protocol by doing this, but…”
Jonas’s mouse form slammed himself into the door again, harder this time. The sound echoed through the speakers like a crack of lightning.
Thud. Crunch.
The door opened before the oxygen level dropped too low, but it was too late.
Jonas had smashed his head into the door so hard he broke his neck.
“Shit, no. Jonas…” Zara stumbled back and fell to the ground in horror.
His mouse form lay crumpled near the door, small and still.
Jarvins stood frozen for a long moment, the twig slipping from his mouth to the ground. His jaw worked silently before he finally forced words out. “Simulation override,” he said hoarsely. “Let’s end this session here.”
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Zara sobbed into her hands, and that shocked me. She’d been as horrified as all of us when Mara died, but I hadn’t realized she’d been close with Jonas.
My chest ached for her to lose a friend that way, but as an agent, we’d lose members of our squad. It was inevitable.
Brynn turned and walked away without a single word.
“Fuck.” Ominous ran a hand down his face before the shadows consumed him.
Dimitri’s fangs had slipped down slightly, but when his gaze met mine, he held his arm out for me to take. “Let’s go.”
I wrapped my arm around his and let him lead us away from the simulator wordlessly.
Jonas had only wanted to prove he could do it, but he hadn’t been cut out for this life. I’d known that when he cowered during the siren mission, but I hadn’t expected him to smash his head into the door until he broke his neck.
The spring air clung cold against my skin as Dimitri and I walked the path past the academy’s front courtyard. Everything felt unusually still, but I’d seen enough death to know it was only my perception at the moment.
The Fountain of Apex was still trickling, but it sounded muted. The outside fae lights faded to faint blue orbs that hovered like low stars over the grounds.
My feet padded quietly against the grass.
Dimitri walked beside me, his arm tight around mine, and his aura humming in the air meeting mine. But it was his, so it soothed the leftover adrenaline and horror from the last assignment.
“Rune,” Dimitri murmured. “You’re thinking too loudly.”
“How do you know that?” I asked in a huff.
“Your aura is all over mine. It’s so chaotic.”
I took a deep breath and calmed my aura. “Sorry.”
His lips twitched in amusement. “It’s okay. I like it.”
Before I could decide whether he was flirting or just taking pity on me, a low, mocking voice cut through the air. “Clinging to a vampire who doesn’t even want you?”
Fucking Darian.
He lounged against the academy’s stone wall near the entrance, the fae light gleaming off his dirty blond hair. He was smirking, but his eyes were colder than I’d ever seen them, which was saying something.
“What?” I stopped walking. My fingers curled automatically around Dimitri’s arm, a hiss coiling in my throat before I could stop it.
“The famous pianist,” Darian continued lazily, eyes flicking to Dimitri. “Making a mockery of his family. Everyone knows he already has a mate, so what’s this?” He gestured to where our arms were locked. “A fling?”
I didn’t get the chance to reply.
Dimitri moved faster than my eyesight could keep up with. I hadn’t even felt his arm move from mine.
The air cracked with the rush of his speed, and Darian’s back hit the wall so hard the stone trembled.
Dimitri’s hand clamped around his throat, fangs bared, eyes burning blood-red as he got in my ex’s face. “The only mate I have,” he snarled, “is Rune.”
The smirk vanished from Darian’s face as if it had never been there. His hands had transformed into talons and sliced against Dimitri’s wrist, but the academy suit made it impossible to tear through.
My heart slammed in my chest at Dimitri’s confession.
Dimitri dropped him.
“Fuck you!” Darian slid down the wall, gasping, clutching his throat.
“Stay away from her,” Dimitri hissed, and then he turned, grabbing my hand. His fingers were still shaking as they threaded between mine.
He pulled me ahead.
I stumbled after him, barely keeping up as we crossed the bridge toward the houses.
“Dimitri,” I murmured, glancing up at him. “You didn’t have to—”
“Yes, I did.” His voice was low, rough, and dangerous. “He doesn’t get to talk to you like that. Not him or anyone else.”
We passed through the courtyard gate, and my gaze snagged on something.
No, someone.
A shape slumped against the pillar. Long blonde hair tangled against her cheek, a faint shimmer of sweat coating her skin.
“Cora!” The sound tore out of me before I even realized who I saw. I sprinted forward, pulling my hand from Dimitri’s.
She was crumpled awkwardly, her head lolling against her shoulder, her breath shallow and ragged.
“She looks as bad as Eleanor did,” I whispered. “Last year.”
Dimitri knelt beside me. “Rune,” he said tightly, “that means that she’s been poisoned.”
My pulse spiked. “Cora,” I whispered, shaking her shoulder gently. “Where were you? You said you were going to the restroom.”
Her eyelids fluttered weakly. “I tried…” Her voice was faint, disoriented. “I don’t…remember what happened. I just need sleep. That’s all.”
“You need the infirmary,” I said, already hooking an arm under her knees and another behind her shoulders. Her body trembled against me as I lifted her up. “Come on.”
“Rune—” Dimitri started, but I cut him off.
“Grab my phone from my belt and call Tibby. Tell him to meet us there.”
He nodded sharply, his hand brushing my hip as he pulled the phone free. The warmth of his fingers left an ache in its absence, but I didn’t let myself think about it.
Not right now.
He held the phone up to my face to unlock it, then pressed it to his ear. “Tobias,” he said the moment my brother answered, “we found your mate. She’s been poisoned. We’re bringing her to the infirmary.”
I could hear Tibby’s panicked shout from where we walked back over the bridge.
Dimitri winced, pulling the phone away slightly. “Yes, now. We’re on our way.”
We rushed across the yard and up the steps to the academy. Cora’s face was pale, and her heartbeat had turned faint and uneven.
By the time we headed up the stairs and reached the infirmary doors, Tibby was already there, his hair sticking up like he’d run his hands through it a million times.
The moment he saw us, his expression broke with fear and relief. “Cora,” he breathed, rushing forward. His hands were shaking as he took her from me, cradling her to his chest. “Cora, wake up for me. Please. Please be okay.”
I’d never heard my brother beg before. Let alone care about anyone but our family so much.
My own bonds tingled in my chest as we burst through the doors. The sterile golden glow of the healing runes reflected off the walls.
Everything smelled of lavender disinfectant and herbs.
Koa was there, sitting half sideways in one of the chairs, listening to Professor Greenblood’s lecture. He looked up instantly, as if he’d scented me, his brown ember-flecked eyes locking on me.
“She needs purgegut venom,” I blurted. “She’s been dosed with that human poison.”
Greenblood moved before I’d even finished the sentence. “On it.”
“No need,” I said, already moving to Cora’s bedside where Tibby had sat with her. “I’ve got it.”
I pressed my fingertip to her cheek, letting my venom flow through her skin.
Cora convulsed, gasping sharply before bending over and retching. The sound tore through the room.
Tibby held her tighter, whispering into her hair, voice cracking between words. “Shhh, you’re okay. It’s okay, I’ve got you, Cora. I’ve got you.”
Her nails dug into his sleeve, trembling violently as she vomited again, emptying her stomach on the floor. The puke evaporated under the cleansing runes.
“Her system’s purging it,” I said softly to my brother. “It’s working.”
Tibby just nodded, tears running down his cheeks. He didn’t stop holding her, and it made my heart happy to know he’d found his mate, well, mates.
When it was finally over, Cora sagged against him, limp and shaking, but no worse than she had been.
Moments later, the infirmary doors burst open again. Nym and Sylver rushed in, their expressions flickering from distress to relief.
“Cora!” they cried in unison, rushing to either side of the bed.
Sylver’s voice broke halfway through her sister’s name. “Is she—?”
“She’s okay,” Tibby said, voice quiet but firm. “Rune found her.”
They both burst into tears, clutching her hands.
Nym’s eyes cut to mine. “Thank you, Rune.”
“Of course. You three are family now.”
They both smiled sadly at me before fussing over their sister.
The sight made my throat ache.
For a long time, none of us said anything. The only sounds were Cora’s weak breathing and Tibby whispering something I couldn’t quite hear.
I exhaled and leaned against the wall, trembling. “I can’t believe she was poisoned on campus during class time.”
Dimitri’s hand brushed mine, and it sent sparks up my arm. “We found her before the symptoms got worse,” he reminded me. His red eyes were shadowed with something I couldn’t quite figure out. “That’s what matters.”
“Maybe,” I murmured. “But if this happened to her here, then it could happen to anyone at any time. She’s my sister-by-mating. I should’ve realized sooner, Dimitri. I should’ve—”
“Rune,” he said, stepping closer. His voice was so gentle it almost undid me. Dimitri was not gentle. “You can’t blame yourself for everything that happens around you. You’re not poison, lethal darling. You’re the antidote.”
I blinked up at him, startled by his words. The way his gaze lingered on me was like he was memorizing my face.
Before I could say anything back, a familiar warmth pressed against my arm.
“Hey, little vixen,” Koa said, handing me a bottle of water. “You’re shaking.”
I hadn’t even realized it, but he was right. I looked at the bottle, then back at him. “Little vixen?”
He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. It felt appropriate. In the most positive way possible. Like, you are cunningly gorgeous, but not rabid like woodland creatures, I swear.”
A weak laugh bubbled up, and I moved forward, hugging him. “Thanks, Koa.”
He froze, then melted entirely, his warm arms coming around me. “Anytime.”
Dimitri’s gaze caught mine. “Why don’t we get out of here? It seems like they need time alone.”
I nodded, pulling back from Koa’s warmth. “We’re going to go. Let me know if you need anything,” I told my brother.
“Thanks, Rune.” Tibby’s arms were around his mates, as his sick mate lay in the middle of his chest, her sisters curled around her. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I waved before leaving the infirmary with Koa and Dimitri in tow.