AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ariana straightened. “We? Who’s we, and how did I not know about this?”
Kann muttered a litany of Drexian curses as he cast his gaze to the floor. “Volt did not tell you?”
Ariana’s eyes flashed as she rapidly tapped one toe. “He did not.”
“I’m sure there’s a good reason, hon.” Reina patted Ariana’s arm and shot a pleading look at Kann.
“He must not have wanted to tell you until we were sure we could find him. Kax has been on a series of missions that have kept him out of contact for long periods of time. There is no guarantee that we will be able to track him down, but Torq is working on it.”
“Torq?” I asked, before I could stop myself. “He’s working with you on this?”
Kann looked at me, along with everyone else. “He is. His clan status gives him access to a fellow high born like Kax, so he offered to use his connections.”
How elite was Torq’s clan? From what I knew of Kann, he didn’t come from a low class like Volten, although he didn’t flash his clan around like Torq had done when I’d first met him. I was starting to get the idea that Torq’s house was more powerful and influential than I’d thought, which was such a strange concept. I’d come from a town where no one had any real status, and I’d never even had a friend who was wealthy. Now I was dating a guy from one of the most important clans on the planet?
Not dating, I reminded myself. That had been my rule as much as his. We were friends with benefits. But were we friends? I’d never have said we were when he’d blackmailed me into tutoring him, but after spending so much time with the Drexian, he felt like a friend. But, again, he’d blackmailed me, which wasn’t friend behavior.
Were we frenemies? Was frenemies with benefits a thing? Could sex lessons be considered benefits? They definitely were a benefit for me, and I wasn’t being arrogant to say I thought they were for him too.
“So, we wait until Torq’s connections come through?” Ariana stood and stamped one foot. “How can I keep waiting when I know that Sasha is being held in an enemy prison?”
“It won’t help Sasha if you fly off without a plan or a solid target,” Fiona reminded her. “We’re all working hard on it. The Drexians are working on finding her, Earth Planetary Defense is working on it. Everyone wants her home.”
“Not as much as I do,” Ariana whispered.
The pain in her voice was so raw, my stomach twisted in response. Why hadn’t Torq mentioned his part in the search for Ariana’s sister? But had I told him that I was helping? I guessed we didn’t share everything, although now that I knew what he’d promised, I had to talk to him. I had to make sure he was doing everything he could to find this Kax guy.
Now how was I going to shake this group and get to his room without raising suspicion?
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Torq
Droplets of water clung to my skin as I stepped from the bathroom with a towel slung low around my hips. The hot shower had done nothing to calm my nerves after seeing Jess in the corridors, but at least I wasn’t covered in sweat from my catch-up training with Kort on the climbing wall.
My new friend hadn’t made it easy on me, but at least he hadn’t stabbed me with a dagger or pushed me off the wall. It had felt good to return to climbing, and my limbs were loose and warm, even though I was sure they’d be sore the next day. The next day in the School of Battle could mean a lecture on sparring technique, but it was more likely to be hands-on training for the upcoming battle of the schools, which meant my muscles would get no rest.
“That’s what being a Blade is all about,” I said to my empty room, flicking a glance at my clan crest and then forcing myself to look away. The wings on the crest were a rebuke, a reminder that I hadn’t lived up to my family’s expectations.
Then I remembered what Kann had said. Blades was my new family. My Blade brothers were the ones I had to rely on now. Well, most of them. I scowled at the memory of Dom. That Drexian had it in for me, but I didn’t know why. It was possible I’d offended him last term, especially since he wasn’t from an elite clan, and that had been important to me when I’d arrived at the academy.
That version of myself seemed foreign to me now. I’d been so sure of my own superiority just because of my family name, which I now recognized as foolish and wrong. I hadn’t been superior in the trials. If I hadn’t been with the human cadets, I never would have made it out alive. Not that I could explain any of my realization and change of heart to the Drexian who despised me. Mostly because he didn’t seem interested in talking.
He was a Blade, after all, and Blades were about action. Unfortunately for me, that action included trying to kill me. I’d just have to watch my back, like my new adversary had advised.
I pulled off my towel and briskly rubbed it over my body before tossing it on the foot of my bed and pulling on a pair of snug, black, boxer briefs that reached mid-thigh. I preferred to sleep in nothing at all, but it wasn’t unheard of for instructors to have surprise dorm inspections, and I’d rather not have to stand at attention with my cock hanging out.
A pounding on the door made me wonder if I wasn’t about to enjoy one of those surprise inspections now, but I pressed my hand to the side of the door to open it before it was opened for me. I backed up as Jess stormed inside then closed the door behind her, startled to see her.
“I did not expect you to—”
She interrupted before I could ask her if I’d forgotten that we’d arranged to meet. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were helping with the search for Ariana’s sister?”
I was taken aback for the second time in as many seconds. “What?”
She spun to face me, her gaze locked onto mine. “You offered to use your clan connections to track down some High Commander named Kax who is apparently hard to find?”
