Page 148 of Wings of Destruction

My lips tug into another sneer because it feels much more comfortable than a grimace.

The doors to the empty classroom are locked again. I tug at the pin in my hair holding most of the longer strands away from my face. My fingers shake and the pin drops to the floor.

Bending to pick it up hurts.

At this point, it’s natural to pick the lock, natural for the click of the mechanisms to sound before the cogs disengage.

I twist the knob and slip inside, shutting the door quickly behind me. I’m stealing the book and I’ll hide. I have an entire mountain underneath me, right? There’s caverns and hidden places. I’ll go deeper than anyone, avoid the dens and the wet places, and disappear until they forget all about me.

Maybe my mysterious study buddy had written another letter in the book for me.

I don’t know what I’m hoping for. Another note, or simply wanting to reread what I wrote about the general and the king, to remember my stance. There’s no such thing as freedom or peace if there isn’t balance.

Books, candles, and go.

This classroom might have been mine, too, if circumstances hadn’t changed. I glance around at the row of chairs circling the podium. Where would I have sat, if I’d wanted to get a good look at the professor?

There. I pick one of the desks from the rest. I’d set up shop in the middle row and I’d have one of these cubbies assigned to me.

What kind of books would I have chosen to read if I weren’t focusing on tactics between aerial and land mounts?

The sour sensation in my stomach increases, the raw throbbing in my wrists mimicking the beat of my heart. The notebook is exactly where I left it, tucked between its neighbors and unbothered. I pluck it out from the shelf and open it to the middle where I’d left my folded letter with my original opinion.

My note is missing. My lungs burn as I flip through the book frantically. I pull at the collar of the dress and my thoughts scramble for some kind of order.

“How did I know I’d find you here?”

Kieran steps out of the shadows and I blanch, dropping the book. The corner digs into the top of my foot but I refuse to look away from him or blink. Panic bleats once, freezing my core, then it disappears entirely.

I back up a step and meet his eyes. The world around me slows and dread thickens in my chest but I stay quiet. Unsure what move to pull out.

Kieran’s expression is set in a carefully blank mask and he regards me with unexpected warmth. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?” He’s back to purring. Back to using that low baritone to drag velvet over my prickly skin. “You’re predictable.”

The Ether take me.

“You’re intelligent. You’re the kind of woman who devours books like they’re oxygen. Any kind of knowledge. Am I right?”

I’m powerless to look away from him and fighting my past feels impossible.

How would I feel about Kieran if we’d met as equals? If his father hadn’t murdered my family? The beats tick by while he waits for me to say something and I study him.

If he’d been a normal man who passed through Fallkirk to trade, or to apprentice, I’d be intrigued. I’d want to get to know him. And if I’d seen him fight, I’d ask if he were open to training me based on his skills alone.

He’s been forged into a weapon on the battlefield. Those skills are only won through diligence and pain.

His mask is nearly perfected but there is an air about him. I need to run before he makes any sort of decision about me.

My mother taught me to be skeptical. My entire life, she beat it into my head, a caution that can only come from personal experience. Trusting him is suicide. Giving him the benefit of the doubt amounts to the same.

His gaze slowly flickers over my body, taking in my free hands, my stature, drinking in my scowling face.

“What?” he pushes. “No comeback from you? No barbed and vile curse? Come on, Morgan. Taunt me to make yourself feel better.”

I might have thought he’s purposely pushing me into a corner but his expression says otherwise. His eyes narrow, his jaw tightening in small yet subtle movements.

I note them and store them away for later. I step back again but I’ve got nothing to defend myself.

Kieran sees the shift and subtly eases himself over to the cubby. “I guess it’s not a big deal to add stealing to your list of offenses.”