Page 73 of Radiant Shadows

A snarl rose in my throat, and though I knew he was baiting me, I couldn’t just walk away.

“So that’s it,” I said loud enough for everyone in the simulation room to hear. “All of this because of the siren?”

Lord Dracul kept his maddening smirk as he moved away from me. “Lieutenant General Summers?”

I watched with disappointment as Igneaus stepped forward. I considered him a friend—I had been the one to give the man his teaching job at the Dome when he first found out his daughter was a shifter.

“You and the others will escort Mr. Rex back to his quarters and remain with him until he is prepared to depart,” Arthur continued. “Keep your sharp eye on him, will you?”

Igneaus saluted, and no pained expression formed on his freckled face. “It will be done, General.”

Arthur swept his hand forward as if he were dusting a dirty spot on a table. “Then escort away. The sooner he’s gone, the sooner we can improve the school.”

Again, Igneaus saluted, as did the other soldiers. “Come along, Caesar. Let’s get this over with.”

I had no choice. For all the talk of betrayal, the irony was not lost on me that I had been betrayed the deepest of all. So much for loyalty.

Chapter 27

Arya

My Tuesday afternoon training with Ms. Heather had convinced me to tell Tobias about my…condition. She hadn’t said anything on the matter, but my lackluster performance with light manipulation this evening was evidence to both of us how heavily this secret was weighing on me.

The past few days had been my most difficult yet. I couldn’t remember a time in my life when my hormones were so off-balance, when my emotions were so erratic, or when every sensation, even the dullest ones, felt so intense. And I was tired of carrying this alone. I needed to just come out with it. Now.

The full moon was in a few days, and even through a mile of water, I could feel the prickle of an impending shift. The last thing I wanted was to lose control and turn in front of Tobias without warning.

I should have told him right away. The truth was, I was scared he wouldn’t want me after he found out. Ursas weren’t like the other weres. Hounds were cool to look at, and every mao I’d ever seen was just downright gorgeous. Ursas, though—they were terrifying!

I’d always wondered why they never let out their shifter in defense class or to show off like the other weres sometimes did. Hell, Jackson practically lived in his hound form. But then I saw one shift. I happened to look into the sim room when one of them was training yesterday, and I finally understood why.

Ursas in their shifter form were mammoth, grisly creatures that could scare the pants off a skilled poacher. There was nothing pretty about them. And when they got angry, there was no limit to the destruction they could cause. That ursa had taken down an entire forest of redwoods. Sure, it had been in a simulation, but it was no less remarkable—or devastating.

A little voice in the back of my head whispered that Tobias would be disgusted with me if he found out. But I had to trust that what we had was stronger than that. Despite his random flakiness, we shared something...real. I felt it every time we were apart, and I saw it in his eyes whenever we were together.

Now, I had to put it to the test.

At this time on a Tuesday evening, Tobias should be playing the game I got him in the avian common room. So that’s where I headed, treading with purpose.

“Miss Walker, there you are,” boomed a commanding voice from across the hall.

I knew that voice.

I stopped and turned to see Tobias’s father marching toward me, an eerily satisfied smile on his face. As he came closer, I couldn’t quite pinpoint what about the smug smirk made him look so deadly. Except for maybe the wicked glint in his amber eyes, as if he had just won a very bloody battle.

“Good evening, sir,” I said, my tone flat with hesitation.

“You’re just the person I wanted to see,” he said as he stopped in front of me and clasped his hands.

“I–I am?”This can’t be good.

“Yes.” His smile widened as he put his arm around my shoulders in a gesture that assumed far too much familiarity. “I have takenthe position as Director of the Dome, and as such, I will now be overseeing your training.”

“Wha—You—I—” I stammered, shaking my head in confusion that quickly escalated to concern. “What about Caesar?

“Yes, poor Caesar. He’s taking a personal leave of absence, and I’ve been chosen to take his place.” His chest was so puffed with pride that it almost looked swollen.

Caesar’s leaving?This didn’t feel right. He would have mentioned something to me or at least made some school-wide announcement.

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