Page 21 of Facade

Heath’s thoughts went back to the mystery of Jace’s unusual behavior and friendship with the new monitor. Why? What was different about Voudrie, who was so obviously intellectual? There had to be more to this than a love of running.

Heath enjoyed running, but he and Jace had never jogged together, or bonded over it. They kept to their own routines and schedules.

Jace had volunteered to give Voudrie a tour of the campus, and explain the duties of the job. Better him than Mitch or Ray, neither of whom were impressing anyone. It made sense that Jace would take being a mentor to the new monitor seriously.

Being supportive of a new coworker, however, did not necessitate sitting next to each other at meetings, running, and sharing meals together. That seemed more like friendship than a mentor and mentee conferring over a job.

Jace also had actual conversations with Clark, rather than his usual less-than-communicative behavior. Heath had dubbed him 007 out of fondness for the cranky shifter, but also because it was fitting.

Then, there was Jace’s sudden change in clothing choices. Coaches and teachers in the physical training department were the only members of faculty exempt from the dress code for the rest of the staff.

In all the years Heath had known Jace, the combat trainer had worn tank tops and shorts, sometimes sweats, often going shirtless on hot days. Now, he exclusively wore muscle shirts, never taking them off. That gave Heath the impression that Jace was hiding something.

But what? The only possibilities Heath could think of were scars, or a mate mark. To his knowledge, 007 hadn’t been injured, and didn’t seem the type to be embarrassed by a scar.

Jace was open about longing for a mate. If he had a mate mark, he wouldn’t hide it. He would brag, and display it proudly.

Maybe he was making too much out of this, or just trying to distract himself from more serious issues. None of the other professors acted curious, or seemed to think something odd was going on with Jace.

With a sigh, Heath moved Rascal off his lap, and stood to clear the table. He decided to change out of his work clothes and read for a while before heading to bed. The distraction might serve him well.

There was no point in staring at the board. No epiphanies had come to him like a gift from the universe. Heath was as mystified as ever.

Jace

There were two additional emergency drills over the next twelve days. Clarke and her students responded even more swiftly than they had the first time. Jace was so proud of her.

Powered students in his classes seemed to respect Clarke. They were thrilled to have beaten the casters and elementals in the drills, and were determined to do it every time. Jace had heard some of them mention how supportive Clarke was, primarily with the underage students.

He wanted to brag about her to all of his friends, telling them how amazing she was. Being unable to do that was almost as frustrating as the lack of time they had alone together. But it couldn’t be helped at the moment.

The mountain lion shifter had involuntarily shifted twice, once in the main quad, once in the common room of the dorm, when his cat panicked. Neither were accustomed to the noise and crowds of campus life. Fortunately, no one had been injured.

Knowing exactly what he was going through, the older students were very supportive and helpful. Jace wouldn’t put all the responsibility on them, though. He would have to stay close until the kid had control.

The new rabbit shifter had also lost it in a crowded room, which was almost as bad. Triggering the hunting instincts of predatory species could be fatal. Jace was on constant alert to prevent accidents.

Between the drills, the hiccups that always came with a new term, and their already full schedules, Jace and Clarke had barely been able to see each other. The morning runs were the only time they had together, and that wasn’t private. They had managed to meet for lunch the previous weekend, which was better than nothing.

The students were settling in. Jace consoled himself with that thought, hoping their schedules would be more flexible in a couple of weeks. Dean Stanhope seemed mollified. Drills were probably over for the time being.

The casters and elementals had improved their timing, but still looked poor in comparison to the powered students. Ray and Mitch, the assholes, were not handling that well. Their favorite pastime seemed to be throwing venomous glares and insults at Clarke.

She acted impervious, but that didn’t stop Jace from wanting to bitch slap them, or strangle them, depending on the day. It didn’t help his temper that Jace had found nothing that led to Charlie. Not a single clue.

He had scoured the campus, personally performed mandated locker checks in the training center, and watched everyone. With the exception of Ray and Mitch being whiny babies who hated having to actually earn their paychecks, no one stood out. Jace had no leads.

Clarke told him that Russell was definitely on the prowl. When she had shifts in the library, he flirted more than he worked. While that was irritating, Russell did seem to be open about his hobbies and activities outside of work.

He didn’t appear to be hiding anything. His constant presence did prevent Clarke from searching the library. Jace wasn’t concerned about that.

They had gone through the library before the staff arrived. And it was doubtful the perpetrator would leave something incriminating in a public space.

Finally, it was Saturday. Like the weekend before, Jace drove into Clementine, and picked up food from one of his favorite restaurants. He and Clarke had decided that it would look more normal to eat together openly on campus than sneaking into one of the dorms or dining in town. This arrangement had the added advantage of them staying in proximity to the students in the event they were needed.

Clarke seemed to enjoy teaching, and university life. She was really good at it. Jace fervently hoped that the fallout wouldn’t be severe after Charlie was found.

She wasn’t breaking any laws. Jace had pored over the statutes to be sure of that. Her degrees and job experience were legitimate. However, Clarke had come here under false pretenses.