Chapter 32 War #2
Then Lucian gives a final nod. “Briefings will begin within the hour. Dismissed.”
Operatives begin murmuring. Moving. Pairing off. Orders are whispered. Names are passed around.
And just like that, the war begins. We don’t make it far. We’re barely out of the main hall when a Guild aide intercepts us, tall, stiff, earpiece in place, voice clipped.
“Director Ashthorne wants you in the South Briefing Room. Immediately.”
No need to ask who ‘you’ means. Jace nods once and falls into step without hesitation. The rest of us follow.
The South Briefing Room is smaller. Quieter. Designed for strategy, not spectacle. Frosted windows line one wall. A sleek black table stretches down the center with built-in displays glowing softly beneath the surface.
Lucian is already there.
He’s removed his coat. Rolled up his sleeves. His hair is still immaculate, but there’s something fierce and restless in his posture, a tension like a drawn bow.
He doesn’t waste time. “You’ll be working as a unit,” he says, as soon as the door closes behind us. “Effective immediately.”
My heart kicks.
Noah sits at the head of the table and pulls up the holo-display. Jace remains standing behind me. Luca finds the chair nearest mine and spins it around backward before sitting. Tex leans against the wall, arms crossed, watching Lucian like he’s waiting for a reason not to trust him.
Lucian’s gaze falls on me.
“You’re not a trainee anymore, Isobel. You’re not on the outside of this. You’re part of the team.”
I nod, trying not to let it shake. He taps the table. A digital map flares to life, a cluster of red points webbing across cities, ports, and hidden airfields.
“This is what we know so far. Mercer has people in six locations tied to illegal weapons movement. Two of them are former Guild. One of them used to run extraction out of Cairo. Another specializes in digital surveillance, and we believe she may have breached one of our southern data vaults.”
He points to a glowing dot near the center. “And here. There’s been chatter about a prototype.”
“Weapon?” Jace asks.
“Biochemical,” Lucian replies. “Something Mercer’s interested in. Something that doesn’t just kill. It disables. Breaks control.”
I stiffen.
Lucian doesn’t elaborate. “You’ll rotate across intel, recon, and field support over the next two weeks. Some missions will be hands-on. Others will require discretion and subtlety.” His eyes flick to Luca. “Minimal collateral.”
Luca offers a two-fingered salute. “I can be subtle.”
Lucian doesn’t look convinced. Then he turns back to me. “You’ll train with the team daily.”
“Understood,” I say.
Lucian watches me for a beat longer. Then, quietly, “I don’t expect you to be okay with this. I don’t even ask it. But I do expect you to be ready.”
“I’m good.”
His jaw tightens, the only visible emotion he lets slip. “Good.”
He straightens and looks at the boys. “Full loadout prep by morning. We start briefing the field teams in four hours. You have until then to decompress, rest, or get whatever it is you think you’ll need.”
He doesn’t dismiss us. He just leaves.
By the time we get back to my room, I’m barely holding it together.
The door clicks shut behind Tex, and for a few long seconds, none of us speak. The quiet isn’t awkward, it’s heavy. Saturated. Like everyone’s still carrying the echo of Lucian’s words in their bones.
He’s gearing up for war.
I pull off my blazer and drop it over the back of my desk chair. My boots follow, then my tie, my hair. I tug everything loose, like peeling away armor.
The boys move around me in practiced silence.
Luca grabs a bottle of water and flops onto the couch, tossing one to Noah without looking.
Tex opens the window a few inches and leans against the sill, staring out at nothing.
Jace stands near the bookshelf, arms crossed, brow furrowed.
He’s not looking at anyone, but I can feel the tension humming under his skin like a live wire.
Noah’s the one who finally speaks. “So. Full-time training.”
“They’re squaring it with the school,” Jace says. “We’ll stay enrolled. Get credits. But Guild training takes priority now.”
I sit on the edge of my bed. “What does that even look like?”
“Six to eight hours a day minimum,” Noah replies. “Field simulations. Combat. Tech interface. Tactical theory. Debrief and prep rotations. Only one rest day. Until further notice.”
Luca groans. “Goodbye, social life. I barely knew you.”
“You didn’t have one,” Tex mutters.
“Still rude.”
I let out a breath and lean forward, elbows on my knees. “So, this is it, then. We’re… in it.”
Jace looks over, his eyes finally meeting mine. “We’ve been in it. You’re just caught up now.”
No one contradicts him. And that’s what really gets me.
Because for all their teasing and chaos and unpredictability, these four boys — my team — are already miles deep into this world. They’ve trained for it. Bled for it. Sacrificed things I can’t even name yet.
And now I’m part of that equation. No more halfway. No more pretending I’m just along for the ride.
“I don’t want to let any of you down,” I say quietly.
Noah sits beside me and nudges my knee with his. “You won’t.”
Luca leans his head back against the arm of the couch. “Honestly, you’re the only reason I haven’t gone feral yet. If anything, we should be worried about disappointing you.”
Tex grunts in agreement.
Jace doesn’t speak. But he watches me like he’s memorizing the lines of my face, like maybe if he looks hard enough, he can protect me with just that.
I nod slowly. “Okay,” I say. “Then let’s train. Let’s fight. Let’s burn his whole damn network to the ground.”
I know they’re thinking the same thing.
Because war is coming.
And I’m walking straight into the fire.
The others trickle out as the evening fades, Noah first, mumbling something about needing sleep before his brain melts. Luca follows, tossing me a wink and a half-hearted, “Don’t miss me too much.”
Tex lingers, checking the window locks and giving Jace a look before disappearing without a word.
It’s just us now.
The room feels still in a way it hasn’t all week. Like something is waiting.
I sit on the edge of the bed and glance over at Jace, who’s by the desk, unbuttoning his uniform jacket. His shoulders are tight. Controlled. His movements precise.
“Jace.”
He pauses but doesn’t look at me.
I stand, wiping my hands down my legs.
Didn’t think the control freak’s ego would be so fragile.
I cross over to him. “Jace—”
I blink, and before I realize it, he’s lifted me onto the desk, standing between my legs.
My eyes widen. His hand squeezes my sides gently as he leans in.
“Try,” he murmurs, “to tell me you don’t feel this too.”
His fingers press into my hips, his eyes flicking down to my lips like he’s seconds away from devouring them.
“Go on,” he challenges, leaning closer, breath hot against my lips. “Lie to me.”
I push him away, sliding off the desk.
He pins me back to the desk, one hand on my lower back, another around my neck.
He squeezes gently.
“You can push me away all you want, but I’m not a man that listens when it comes to you.”
“You’re insane.” I lift my chin.
“Never claimed to be sane.” He smiles.
I slide my phone out of my pocket, unlocking it.
He eyes my phone, his hand loosening. “Who are you calling?”
I tap a button, letting it ring out on speaker.
“Iz? Everything ok?” Tex asks.
“Everything’s fine,” Jace bites out, grinding his jaw.
“Ignore him. Can you come back? I want you to stay instead.”
“No—” Jace says.
“Be right there,” Tex says, then the line clicks.
Jace scowls at me as I grin up at him.
“It’s my night,” he growls.
“I don’t care. It’s my room and whatever I say goes.” I step aside.
I look over my shoulder. He’s staring at the floor, his brows furrowed, his hands frozen in place like he can’t comprehend what’s happened.
Before he can say anything else, Tex knocks on the door.
I skip over, opening it.
Tex sweeps in. “Jace being an insufferable asshole?”
“Isn’t he always?” I lean against the doorframe with a giggle.
That seems to snap him out of whatever trance he’s in. He straightens and turns robotically.
I wiggle my fingers with a smug grin. “Buh-bye.”
Tex raises an eyebrow as Jace rolls his shoulder back and strolls out.
“This isn’t over,” he says, his voice low.
“It is for now,” I say, shutting the door behind him.