Chapter 14 #2
“Understood,” Ariel said with a nod as the blond agent crossed the room to the prosthetic.
With a few clicks she opened the compartment that hid the sleeve of throwing knives.
She pulled out the knives, hoping the agent wouldn’t question that one was missing.
It was still in her back pocket. She stacked them together, hoping it wasn’t apparent that one of the sleeves was missing its knife.
Agent Talbot didn’t inspect them. Ariel tried not to appear too relieved.
Ariel turned to the faces expectantly watching her.
It was an interesting mix of agents, ex-experiments, and cadets.
“We’ll meet here tomorrow morning at ten to grab our supplies and take them to the obstacle course.
Then we’ll get ready to set the snares and traps.
” She gazed at the club members before finding Trina, Joline’s roommate.
“Trina, did your team figure out how to do your task?”
Trina’s brown eyes glanced at the agents before turning back to Ariel. She chewed her full bottom lip before responding. “I think we know how to make it work.”
“Good. That will help to corral any henchmen on campus to our location. I’ll have Agent Quackenbush with you tomorrow.
If she notices anything out of place with her sonar or whatever it is, then go ahead with the plan,” Ariel explained.
She hoped the agents didn’t question the mysterious plan too much.
They probably wouldn’t take too well to having the hippos released on campus.
Trina seemed a little apprehensive as well, probably not wanting to get in trouble or worse, kicked out of the academy.
“Any questions?” Ariel asked, turning her attention to the others. Everyone shook their heads.
“What about food? Being out in the sun working all day is going to make me hungry,” Simon said, his deer ears twitching as if agitated just thinking about it.
Ariel felt her ego deflate. She forgot to consider feeding everyone.
Plus, if their cover was a party, there should be food.
She felt dumb for not taking that into account.
She was about to say so when Lyla piped up.
“I got that covered.” Lyla pulled a sheet of paper and pen out of the bookbag she was carrying.
“I just need everyone to mark any dietary needs on here and I’ll see to it.
I’ll pack water, too.” She turned to Trina.
“Since you’ll be away from us, I’ll make sure to pack food in a cooler to take for both you and Agent Quackenbush.
” She nodded to the agent as she said her name.
“I’m always hungry, so food is often on my mind,” Lyla said with a smile that somehow seemed brighter than her pink hair.
Gabby shared the grin, putting an arm around Lyla’s shoulders, pulling her girlfriend close.
“Anything else?” Ariel asked, hoping she didn’t overlook any other important aspect of their day. When no one said anything, she clasped her hands together. “Then let’s go get some sleep. We’ll need to rest up for tomorrow.”
Joline watched as the club members trickled out of the classroom.
She glanced to the prosthetic leg on the table, wrapped in the blanket.
Why didn’t Ariel swap out for the better one yet?
As if noting where her attention lay, Ariel said softly, “I’ve wanted it back for so long, but now that I have it, it feels… tainted somehow.”
“Tainted?” Joline asked as the pair of agents gave one last weary look at the device before leaving Joline and Ariel alone.
Ariel tucked a lock of auburn hair streaked with silver behind her ear.
“I thought it was a symbol of how much Grimm cared about me.” A sour look crossed her face, like she’d just smelled something bad.
“Now I know that’s not true. I feel dirty just looking at it.
” She crossed her arms, glaring at the leg.
Joline put a reassuring hand on Ariel’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Maybe after tomorrow, you’ll never have to look at it again.
Or…” She chewed her lip, considering what to say next.
“We don’t have to use it at all.” Joline nodded to the pile of rope, IV lines, drawstrings, rags, and chloroform piled up on the front desk.
“We have plenty of supplies and will have two agents working with us. That’s not counting our special shifter abilities.
Maybe we could all spend some time in the morning practicing weaponizing our abilities.
They train us cadets how to do that as it comes naturally to some, but not others.
” Joline knew some of the rescues were human before while others had their innate abilities tampered with.
Ariel rubbed her chin and jaw before scratching at her neck in thought. “I feel like we’re running out of time. How are we going to do everything that needs to get done?”
Joline’s heart broke just watching the concern on Ariel’s face. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Ariel didn’t want to get her friends hurt, captured, or killed. Jennifer was wrong about Ariel. She did care. She just learned to hide that most of time, probably even from herself.
Before Joline knew what she was doing, she leaned in, pressing her lips to Ariel’s.
They were soft. Welcoming. She pressed her body into Ariel’s as she took her in.
She smelled of lavender and honey. Ariel was springtime after a long, hard winter.
Rain after a drought. And Joline hadn’t realized just how thirty she was for Ariel.
They’d been so busy planning, they’d been swallowing their feelings for each other.
Joline lost herself in their embrace. Ariel parted her lips, letting Joline in. Ariel tasted as sweet as she smelled. Joline’s heart thundered in her chest. She began losing herself, forgetting where she was, what they were doing.
Ariel pulled back, leaning her forehead against Joline’s.
She kept her body close. The warmth wrapped around Joline like a protective blanket.
It lulled her into a sense of safety and security.
Something Joline hadn’t felt with another person in quite some time.
It quieted the fear that usually lingered in her mind when she got too close to someone.
“I really enjoyed that,” Ariel said, her raspy voice a hoarse whisper. She pulled back, looking Joline in the eye. A fire burned in Ariel’s green eyes. The look she gave Joline had her pulse quickening.
“I wish I could spend the night with you, but I’m afraid we wouldn’t get much sleep.” Joline ran her fingers through Ariel’s silky hair. She continued to breathe her in, not wanting to forget a moment of what it was like to be this close to the shrew shifter.
Ariel chuckled. “You’re probably right about that. Hopefully once Grimm is locked up, our biggest worry would be not staying up too late when you have class the next day.”
Joline pressed a delicate kiss to Ariel’s lips before nodding. A slow smile slid across her face. “I can’t wait until you never have to say that name again.”
Ariel looked over Joline’s shoulder as if in thought. She turned back to her, locking her eyes on her. The passion still lingered, but it appeared muted. Subdued by responsibility, perhaps. “You know what, I do too.” A smile warmed her face. “Can you walk me home?”
Joline nodded before taking Ariel’s hand in hers.
It felt so natural to be close to Ariel, like they’d known each other forever and were finally reunited after many years.
There was a comfort Joline felt being around the shrew shifter, a warmth and feeling of home.
“I would love to,” she answered before leading Ariel away.