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Kazu waited a beat, then another. He knew he was dismissed, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure whether the Scarlet mission had been resolved.
Grey picked his head up from his teacup and lifted his brows, as though he was surprised by Kazu’s presence even though Kazu knew he knew he hadn’t yet left.
“Was there something else, Kazu?” he asked.
“I just…I wanted to know if you had made your decision,” Kazu said, shifting with discomfort. It felt like an admission though he didn’t understand why.
“Regarding?”
Kazu refrained from rolling his eyes. He was well-aware Grey knew exactly what he was talking about and chose to pretend otherwise.
“Embyrlyn,” Kazu said. “The Scarlet mission.”
“Ah.” He stirred in the sugar, the spoon grazing the side of the teacup every now and then. When he finished, he set it on the saucer and lifted his eyes. “While I appreciate your time and the thought you put into your pupil, Kazu, I’m forced to disagree. Embyrlyn will be sent on her first Scarlet mission in a week’s time, just after the full moon.”
Adrya
The second the academy gates came into view, a sigh of relief tumbled from my chattering mouth. I hadn’t expected it to be this cold, which was stupid because I had lived here my entire life. I should have known.
My heart continued to beat rapidly against my chest, and I glanced over my shoulder, looking for…
But I knew he wouldn’t follow me. He wouldn’t dare. As far as I knew, he was on some mission for Master Grey and that was all Father would say of it. It sounded like there was more, but what that was, I couldn’t even begin to guess.
Instead, I smoothed my cloak down and tried to regulate my breathing. I undid my hood and combed my fingers through my hair in hopes of righting any stray strands of hair that slipped loose during my hurry of returning. My cheeks were certainly flushed, but that didn’t mean anyone knew where I went…or who I saw.
The guards were slowly stalking their assigned territory. Judging from the leaves clipped to their cloaks, this was the earth pack. I couldn’t make out Captain Byron, thank goodness. If he were out here, he’d probably already smell me by now. Although, thatdidbeg the question of where the captain was…He did have a reputation of not just supervising, but getting down in the trenches with his pack. It made him one of the most respected captains at Bloodmoon Academy, unlike my father…
I shook my head. I couldn’t think about him right now. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally conjure him up right now while my brain scrambled to attempt to sneak back into the castle.
I scanned the building, my eyes catching sight of the cooks’ doorway to the kitchens. My heartbeat pounded against my chest, even with my slowed breathing. I hoped the lavender and sage mix continued to mask my scent. I wasn’t sure how Matthyw could sniff me out, but he had always been different…
No.
I wouldn’t think abouthimeither.
Maybe if I could get to the cooks’ door without being caught, I might make it to my chambers without being noticed —
A twig just in front of me snapped, and I jumped, slapping my hand over my face. My eyes widened. I didn’t move, didn’t even breathe.
There was a shadowed silhouette in front of me, probably a few feet away. Had I done anything to give myself away, made a noise, a whimper? Had I breathed too hard?
But the wolf shifted and turned to head back to where he came from. I held my breath until I could barely make the silhouette out at all, until it blended with the shadows surrounding us. Only then did I let out a breath of relief.
I made my way as silently as I could. Just as my fingers reached for the knob of the cooks’ entrance, someone grabbed my wrist and yanked me away from it. On instinct, I used my free hand and curled my fingers into fists, ready to fight —
Only to find a familiar tawny pair of eyes sparkling at me with annoyance.
I pressed my lips into a thin line in order to ensure I said nothing that would give us away and let Rianne lead us from the door around the academy. She placed one single finger to her lips as a way to hush me before we crept a few paces forward. From there, she reached up. I craned my neck and my eyes widened in surprise — the fire escape ladder was here.
I huffed a breath. I wasn’t used to this level of sneaking but I knew Rianne wouldn’t give me a choice in the matter, especially if the Earth pack was on guard.
I reached up and took the ladder in my hands, hoisting myself up. I managed to bite back a grunt, ignoring the strain in my shoulders, my arms, as I pulled myself up. I hated everything to do with upper body strength. And running. And anything that required me to exercise unless it was some kind of physical combat training. I didn’t understand what the difference was, but my mind insisted there was one and my body followed.
By the time we reached the second-story window, I was out of breath. Rianne had to pull me inside, and I plopped up gracefully into a heap on the floor of the dormitory we shared.
“And you’re the heir to the Fire pack?” Rianne asked doubtfully, though her lips flickered up in amusement. “So? Where did you get off to this time?”
I stood up, wiping my hands together in hopes to get the dew off of them. “I just needed…to get out,” I said. Rianne was my friend, my confidant, and yet, I couldn’t find it in myself to tell her the truth of where I had been, ofwhoI had been with.
