Page 65 of Cruel Destinies

I nodded in understanding. “So the cloaking device phases along with the smart clothing.”

Kai smiled and snapped his fingers again. “Harvey, we have a winner.”

Pulling at his already-straightened uniform again, Arthur said, “The military would benefit from having these. I’ll inform Celeste that we have requested your latest creation.”

“Outstanding,” Kai replied with an unamused tone.

I subdued the smile that was trying to cross my face. “Well, Arthur, I can’t imagine you came all the way to the Dome just to check in on Kai’s inventions. Is there something I can do for you?”

The general eyed Kai before returning his gaze to me, likely debating with himself whether or not to speak in front of the kitsune.

“It’s about the siren,” Arthur said at last.

I should have guessed.

“She has a name, Arthur,” I corrected. “I presume you’ve come to check on Arya’s progress?”

“On the contrary, I’ve come to give her one-on-one training,” Arthur replied.

I shouldn’t have been shocked by his abruptness, but I was. “It’s been just over one week since your last visit. We’ve escalated her combat instruction, but Arya is not ready for military training.”

“No one ever is,” Arthur said, looking over his shoulder at Nikolai. “Are they?”

The Candida boy straightened his back. “It’s hard, sir, but it’s worth it.”

Arthur turned back to me and raised his hands to the sides, as if they were a weighing scale. “We could wait weeks, months, evenyearsbefore you feel like the girl is ready. But you know as well as I do that time is not on our side.”

“I can’t deny the urgency,” I replied. “But at the same time, if you try to force somebody to wear shoes much too big for them, you can guarantee there will be tripping and falling. And if those shoes are even bigger than we believe them to be, Arya might not be able to get back up.”

Confusion splashed across Arthur’s face.

“We might break her,” I clarified.

The general tilted his head. “If the girlisthe prophesied siren, she willnotbreak.”

It was apparent that Arthur wasn’t going to be swayed. He hadn’t come to the Dome to ask permission, but he’d at least had the decency to talk to me before going straight to Arya.

I set my jaw, momentarily looking at the students working hard on their projects, a few more trickling in. Thankfully, the glass walls were soundproof, and the commotion that had occurred between Kai and Arthur hadn’t drawn their attention.

I wondered if I’d done Arya a disservice, bringing her to the Dome. Her life had been in constant flux since the day she’d arrived. Throwing the military at her now would be another whiplash.

At the same time, the military general brought up a good point. When would Arya be ready? If the vampires did decide to lay siege on the Dome, the school would be in grave danger. No training I could provide would help Arya—or the school for that matter—if such a thing occurred.

I need an update from Julian.See if he knows what the vampires are planning.

Sighing, I brought my eyes back to Arthur and raised a single finger. “You can have one session with her. This afternoon. In lieu of the exercises I had planned for her. She can show you her progress.”

This small victory showed on the strong features of Arthur Dracul.

“But I will be there to monitor everything,” I added. “As will Celeste. If I find anything to be...excessive, I’ll put the session to an immediate end.”

Arthur nodded. “I am amenable to those terms.”

I had an extreme desire for Arthur to leave the research lab. His authoritative presence was exhausting.

I cleared my throat. “In the meantime, feel free to visit the dining hall if you’re hungry. If food doesn’t interest you, I’m sure somebody is in the simulation room testing their abilities. You could always go and observe potential recruits.”

Saying those words made me sick to my stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was have more students pulled early from the school. But I would’ve said anything at that point to rid myself of his presence.

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