“I’m not a Command recruit. You can’t pull that shit on me.”
“What shit?”
“Stealing tech.”
Fuck.
Gray flashes me a grin. “You know, you could’ve just asked me for it.”
“Really,” I challenge. “You’d let me take a jammer out of this room?”
“Depends on what you want it for…”
I hesitate. Then I opt for honesty, because I’ve got nothing to lose and it might score some points with him.
“I want to be able to talk to Xavier freely.”
His jaw tightens slightly. “About the captain?”
I nod sheepishly.
He goes quiet, several seconds ticking by. Then he surprises me by saying, “Keep it.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s fine. I’ll sign it out under my ID.” There’s a buzzing noise, and he reaches into his pocket for his comm, checking the screen. “Kallister says it’s time for your training.”
Chapter 9
Kallister waits for me in the elevator bank near the landing hangar. He greets me with a warm smile, reaching out to squeeze my arm.
“How are you acclimating?” he asks.
I don’t bother lying. “Not everyone has been friendly this morning.”
His gaze softens. “Ah, I’m sorry. But you grew up with Julian, so you of all people should know that Mods don’t always take kindly to strangers. They’ll warm up to you.”
“Probably had a better chance of that happeningbeforeFiona decided to tell everyone I’m an inciter.”
Kallister’s eyes flash. “I wasn’t aware she’d done that.”
“I don’t know for sure. But Gray seems to think so.”
“I’ll speak to her,” he says tightly.
He presses a button on the panel, and I’m surprised to realize this elevator has more than three options.1, 2, 3,andll.Lower level would be my guess.
“I thought the Dagger was only three floors,” I say as he hits thellbutton.
“It is.”
And yet we ride the elevator down another level. The doors open to reveal a hallway illuminated by eerie blue light.
It takes a second to realize it’s neither a hallway nor a light.
We’re in a daggerstone cave.
Swallowing a gasp, I step out of the elevator and take in our surroundings. A long, narrow passageway with uneven stone walls stretches out before us, and above our heads the entire ceiling is covered with daggerstone.
