Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
athena
You could not have paid me to make eye contact with Sinner. I did my absolute best to avoid him during training, then skipped dinner and the bathhouse to ensure I wouldn’t have any run-ins with him.
What the hell was wrong with him?
Why the hell had he walked in and kissed me like that? In front of everyone?
He’d treated me like I was his property.
Even so, warmth exploded in my chest at the memory.
Pull it together, Athena. You’re a strong woman who is not easily affected by lingering, deep kisses from assholes.
Though I was really, really starting to question the legitimacy of that statement.
I’d suppressed that supernatural longing for him since we’d been here. I’d tried my best, anyway. But every day, it was harder to keep it under control.
I assumed it was the same for him. His phantoms were probably sizzling under his skin, bursting to be let free from the suppression of the shields.
It was torturous for him. I’m sure it was. He’d lived with his magic readily available all his life, like a body of armor ready to lash out.
He was used to his shadows. They were his friends, his pets. They belonged to him, kept him company, even.
Hell, even I was starting to miss them.
When I was sure that the barracks would be dark and quiet, that most of the cadets would be out for the night, I slipped inside.
My boots didn’t make a sound as I moved toward my bunk in the corner. Sinner lay still in his own bed, the sight of him making my heart skip a beat.
Internally, I groaned. Get a freaking grip, Athena.
He was awake. I was sure of it. He didn’t move a muscle and his eyes were closed, but the hair on the back of my neck rose in warning as I made my way closer.
Silently, like a breath of wind, I slipped onto my cot.
Though as I got settled, a crinkling sound caught my attention.
What the—
Frowning, I slid my hand beneath the fabric and pulled out a handwritten note. The room was dark, but I could just make out the neatly written words on the white paper if I squinted.
Athena, meet me by the rocks. Midnight. Come alone.
My heart lurched. What the hell?
No way. It was probably Florence or someone else trying to take me out before the war games.
It could have been literally anyone. Anything.
But my initial instincts turned to curiosity.
Because what if this person could help me? Maybe it was Simon, and he’d offer to teach me some sort of trick to control my magic.
Whatever it was, it was a string. A hint. A moving piece in the puzzle.
Even if it ended badly for me.
I shoved the note back under my pillow and pretended to sleep.
I slowed my breathing, and I didn’t move a muscle.
An hour passed. Maybe more.
I waited until I was certain Sinner must have been asleep, then I snuck out of bed as silently as I’d snuck in, and I went to meet the stranger near the rocks.
The water roared as each swell crested, the sound rhythmic, the night peaceful. The water here was beautiful, and being alone, not having to worry about being bombarded with questions about my tier was glorious.
And I didn’t have to be worried about being kissed by the man I was fake claimed to.
I sat on one of the massive rocks, looking out at the dark water.
This was where cadets came to…well, hang out. Alone. In pairs.
But it was empty now. I was surrounded by nothing but the sound of the waves, the dark sky, and the rocks.
Since the day I was absolutely battered by the water, I’d developed a new respect for the sea. It sounded beautiful, yes, and I’d rarely had a chance to visit the sea when I was growing up.
But it could be deadly—even now, when it seemed peaceful. Calm.
Easy.
“I didn’t think you’d actually show.”
I jumped to my feet, whipping around and finding the shadow of a tall man looming over me.
And anger bubbled in my veins. I knew that shadow.
Leon.
I hadn’t seen him since he’d betrayed me.
The man was a traitor.
He’d pretended to be my friend. He’d supported me in those dungeons, or so I thought. He’d even pretended to help me.
But then he’d turned me over to the Ministry without a second’s hesitation. He’d gotten close to me, for what? So he could expose me to Director? My chest stung at the thought, as if the wound was fresh. As if the betrayal hadn’t happened weeks ago.
His face in the moonlight brought back those horrid memories.
“What are you doing here?” Arms crossed, I took a step back. I didn’t trust him. I didn’t even want to be near him.
But Leon didn’t appear threatening. He never had. That was how he’d so easily snuck into our lives. That was how he’d exposed us to the Ministry.
He held his hands out, treading carefully. “I’m here to help you, please.”
My hackles rose. “I don’t want your damn help.”
“Listen to me, please.”
“Stay back!” My voice whipped through the night air, piercing the sound of the peaceful waves.
He froze, keeping his palms out in front of him. “You don’t trust me, and I deserve that. But I do care about you,” he swore. “Sinner, too.”
The laugh that rumbled out of me floated over the ocean. “You expect me to believe that? You’re the reason we’re here, Leon!”
He frowned. “You have to understand—”
“Understand what? That you’re one of them? That you were on their side the entire damn time?”
He took another step forward, then stopped himself, running his hands through his hair and letting out a long sigh.
He looked different. Before—in the dungeons—there’d been a spark inside him. A touch of mischief under that grin of his. But it was gone now. That or I was just a big, fucking idiot for ever trusting him.
Yeah, the second part. I shouldn’t have ever put any faith in him.
Besides Mags, he had been my only friend down there.
Then he’d stabbed me in the fucking back.
His lips tightened into a thin line. His now nearly lifeless eyes met mine from under his dark lashes, almost like he struggled to not meet my gaze. “I’m not working with her. I swear. I’m just doing what I need to do to survive here, okay? Same as everyone.”
I scoffed. “You’re helping her kill innocents. You’re helping her kidnap mystics. Because you’re selfish and pathetic. You’re destroying lives to save your own. That must be some life worth living you’ve got there.”
He blinked quickly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“No?” I pushed, throwing my arms out. “Then, please, enlighten me.”
He opened his mouth and took another step toward me, then stopped himself.
Come on, I thought. Get angry. Push back. Show me who you really are, because I really have no fucking clue anymore.
Tears stung the back of my throat. No. I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t get upset over him. I had too many other people to worry about. Mags. Benedict. God, even Katherine.
I couldn’t waste my energy caring about cowards like Leon.
“Forget it,” I muttered. “I won’t believe anything you say, anyway.”
Leon tensed, and my stomach sank. I tried not to care. I wanted it to hurt him.
But I couldn’t turn off my emotions. I couldn’t just stop caring about people the way he did.
“This looks bad. I know that. But I’m not working with them.” He looked from side to side, ensuring we were alone. “In order to take them down, we needed to get inside. We all did.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“I can’t stay here long. They’ll notice if I’m gone too long.”
“Who will notice?” I scanned the beach. Shit, I should not be speaking with Leon in the middle of the night.
“The other shields. Look—” He pulled up one pant leg, exposing a symbol on his skin there—a triangular rune with lines crossing each other. “When you see this symbol again, you’ll know what to do.”
“Absolutely not.” I shook my head. “I’m not listening to a word you say. This is a trick to test my loyalties again, isn’t it? To see if I’m really ready to fight for the Ministry?”
“It’s not.” He dropped his pant leg and straightened. “And I think you know that.”
A voice echoed in the distance, followed by a round of laughter.
Dammit. We were no longer alone out here. It was no longer safe.
“I have to go,” Leon said. “I’ll contact you again when it’s safe. Just know, you aren’t alone in this, Athena.”
And then he was gone—back to wherever the hell he’d been hiding since Sinner and I had been shipped here.
My heart took a few long minutes to settle. I’d dreamed of the day I’d see Leon again. Of the revenge I’d take on him. I’d fantasized about showing him exactly who the fuck he’d been dealing with.
I wasn’t someone who was easily tricked. Not twice, anyway.
Gritting my teeth, I gripped the wrinkled note he’d left. No, there was no way I’d trust him.
How did he expect me to believe that he wanted to help me now? That the symbol branded onto his calf meant something?
The voices grew louder, and a few fellow cadets approached the rocks below. I sat silently on the large, cool stone, ensuring they couldn’t see me, and breathed deeply, trying to once again enjoy the peace this night possessed.
That peace was no longer possible, not when a loud moan echoed from below. Then another.
I sucked in a breath. Wait—were people actually—
Pushing myself to my hands and knees, I crawled over to the edge of the rock and peered to the ground below.
Two cadets were caught in a passionate embrace. I couldn’t make out their faces, just their silhouettes as the man pulled the woman’s jacket off her shoulders and settled on his back on the ground. She wore only a bra beneath and straddled his hips.
He wrapped his arms around her curvy figure, shoving his face into her cleavage.
I should have looked away. I should have given them their privacy. Should have known better than to linger.
This was freaky! I was being weird!
But my stomach liquefied as he reached behind her and unclasped her bra. As her breasts spilled out of the fabric, she arched back, giving him—and me—a better view.
She moaned and ground her hips against him as he cupped her breasts.
Shit. I was going to back away. I swore I was. Then I’d head back to my cot and forget I ever saw anything.
But before I’d even moved, a large hand clasped over my mouth, and a heavy body pinned me to the rock from behind.