Chapter 7
Seven
Operation Mask, the code name by which the military would refer to Jade’s undercover assignment, took seven hours to outline and develop with Commander Matherson and Major Clarke, who would oversee operations at headquarters.
Jade took care in crafting her alter ego—Lady Elena Tavigne from the region of Ellyris.
She slipped easily into the role, as though she had been born into it. The life she might have lived in another timeline, if things had gone differently with her parents.
Jade fashioned every aspect of her new identity, from backstory to mannerisms to speech patterns. She lost herself in the character so much, she had trouble remembering she was still herself as Theo walked out of the second-floor conference room beside her.
Only a few dim lights still burned in Command, the silence around them pressing them closer together.
Jade hadn’t been alone with Theo since the moment the day before in his room, the moment that made her stomach flip when she thought about it.
Which was why she had tried not to think about it.
Too much was at stake tomorrow at the masquerade for her to fall into the trap of his warm grin and captivating eyes.
“How do you feel?”
Jade’s face whipped up to meet Theo’s, his eyes tender and the lines around his mouth soft. She scrunched her brows together.
“How do I feel?” About you? Words died in her throat as her heart pumped faster. How could she answer him? Why couldn’t he say how he felt first?
“About the mission.”
Of course. The mission. “Oh. Right. Well, to be honest, I’m . . . excited about it.” Her pulse evened out as her mind returned to the details of her assignment.
“That’s good,” he replied earnestly, forehead wrinkled. “That’s what I hoped. I just wasn’t sure if . . . it was affecting you.”
Jade faced ahead, her lips pressing into a tight line.
Theo didn’t have to say another word. She knew what he meant.
Honestly, she was surprised he remembered her background.
She’d been a baby when her family’s lives were overturned and they moved into the cottage by the creek.
Theo hadn’t even been living nearby then.
She rolled her lips together before her cheeks pulled them into a sad smile. “It’s not lost on me,” she said, angling her face up to Theo, “but it’s not affecting me. I never lived that life.”
Theo’s hand reached out and grabbed hers, squeezing for half a second before returning to her side. Sparks shot out from his touch, lighting every nerve in Jade’s body. The urge to reach out and take his hand again tingled through her fingers, but she balled them into a fist to resist it.
“It’s actually huge for me. I haven’t done a role this in-depth before. They’re usually given to more experienced intelligence agents.” A real, wide smile replaced the sad one. “No, it sounds like fun. I know it’s my job, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like work.”
They descended the stairs back to the ground floor, and when they reached the bottom, Jade felt Theo’s gaze on her. His hint of a smile sent her stomach into a tumbling routine. “That’s what happens when you’re talented. I knew I was right to recommend you for intelligence.”
Jade eased into the moment, letting out a relaxed laugh. “It still amazes me that you could see it when we were just kids.”
“Seriously?” He glanced at her with raised eyebrows. “You would disappear and watch me from up in a tree or behind a bush, just waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.”
Jade chuckled. “You make me sound like a jungle cat.”
“You practically were.”
She laughed again. “I didn’t know until I joined the military how much I would love this job.
The higher I rank, the more high-profile and high-risk jobs I’ll get.
Each one gives me the chance to prove myself.
” Jade stopped before the door that led out into the base, locking eyes with Theo.
“Matherson told me that Grand General Devereaux was considering me as a potential replacement for her one day. I could be the grand general of the military, advising the king. It would give me authority. I could actually effect change.”
The quick flash of Theo’s eyes around Command’s almost empty lobby spoke volumes again without him saying anything. He knew what change Jade wanted to bring about. He knew what her parents had done.
But Jade couldn’t speak those words aloud.
Jade lowered her voice and took a step closer to Theo.
“Maybe it’s a long-haul strategy, but it’s the best I’ve got.
I want to show Matherson and Devereaux and maybe even the prince how dedicated I am to this job and how much I want those promotions.
No matter what, I’m going to keep going after what I want. ”
Theo watched Jade closely, a gentle curve to his lips, his gaze never wavering. “That makes two of us.”
There it was again, that charged energy wrapping around them that sent her heart slamming against the inside of her ribcage.
Jade couldn’t ignore how close they stood to each other, her head tilted back to meet his eyes.
The way he looked at her created an electricity in the air around them.
A thin layer of sweat formed on Jade’s palms, and she fought against the desire to wipe them on her trousers.
He didn’t move, didn’t speak. Jade struggled to breathe in the new stuffiness surrounding them.
His eyes betrayed the unspoken words hidden behind his lips, but this was neither the time nor the place.
They were at the front door of Command, for goodness’ sake, flanked by the lobby and the officers who crossed to and fro.
A lieutenant came up behind Jade, headed for the door. “Captains,” she said with a small salute, the corner of her lips quirking. Jade cleared her throat and nodded at the lieutenant, who held the door open for them as she exited.
Theo led the way, unequivocally unperturbed as he strode out into the twilight. Was he even feeling a fraction of what consumed Jade?
“Want to go grab a bite?” he asked over his shoulder. “It’s been a long time since lunch. Plus, I need to see for myself how good that chocolate pie is.”
It took a moment for Jade to regroup after Theo’s sudden change of subject. He stopped walking to let her catch up with him before they continued on to the dining hall.
“It’s definitely the best thing to eat on base here. But you’re probably used to finer dishes after working at the castle.” Details were coming back to Jade. She’d mentioned the pie to Theo in her letters on more than one occasion. And apparently, he’d remembered.
“Not as fine as you might think.” Theo stuffed his hands into his pockets as a lazy grin stretched across his face. “We still had our own military cooks. No access to the castle’s kitchens.”
Jade couldn’t help but mirror Theo’s expression. “I thought that was one of the perks of the assignment.”
Theo shook his head and sighed dramatically. “I’m afraid our time there was ‘perk’ enough.” He glanced over at Jade as they walked, pulling her attention to him. His eyes glimmered in the remaining rays of sunlight. “I’m looking forward to finding out what life is like here.”
A slow smile caught the corners of Jade’s lips. Fireflies twinkled around them, creating a sparkling backdrop against the balmy summer night, and for a moment, Jade forgot there was anyone else on base.
“Me too.”
Theo cocked an eyebrow. “But you’ve already been living here. You should already know.”
Jade let out a good-natured scoff as she elbowed Theo in the arm. “Yes, but not with you here. That’s uncharted territory.”
The dining hall came up on their left, emanating muffled chatter and warm beams of electric light, standard across military bases. A few troops filtered out the front door, effectively ending Jade and Theo’s conversation.
Theo grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, ushering Jade inside in front of him with a momentary gentle hand on the small of her back.
The soft touch sent a rush of warmth through Jade’s veins.
She kept her eyes straight ahead, refusing to give away how such a small gesture from Theo affected her.
Theo’s arrival at base had thoroughly resurrected all her buried feelings for him.
She would tell Theo how she felt after the masquerade. She wouldn’t sit around and wait and hope he might say something first. Even if he didn’t reciprocate, it was better than torturing herself with the maybes and what-ifs.
But first, she had a mission to focus on. Grannam or Arabella or both might have something planned. She couldn’t let anything throw her off her game.