Page 17 of Nova Academy

Stars above, what was wrong with me?

When he rose from the bunk, I kept my gaze on the holo-tab that I was flipping around in my hands. I noticed his erection pointing directly at me in my periphery as if it were issuing a challenge and calling me out for my wandering eyes. After a beat, he strutted into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

I released a breath I hadn’t realised I was holding, and the sound seemed to echo within the small confines of the room, grabbing Reece’s attention as he jumped down from his bunk. He eyed me as if I were a puzzle he couldn’t figure out, though there was a small gleam ofknowingin that look that made me feel like a small child caught red-handed.

Foryk’s large body interrupted the silent interaction when he slid off his bunk and blocked our view of one another. He seemed oblivious to the weird atmosphere, but when he turned around, hisown erection practically smacked me in the face. It was so long and large that he needed to push it down with his hands to avoid a collision. His gaze snagged on the closed bathroom door, and he let out an impatient huff at the grunting that sounded from behind it.

Was Bromm…?

Uncomfortable in the suddenly very virile room, I stepped outside to avoid any more run-ins with pointing penises.

A few clicks later I was joined by a put-together Reece. He leaned against the wall beside me, quiet but in a contemplative way.

‘You must have grown up in a pretty conservative family,’ he surmised, and it took me a moment to get over my surprise that he had initiated a conversation with me before I really heard what he said.

‘Um, not conservative necessarily,’ I began slowly, debating how much truth to include in my answer. I decided on being as honest as I could without giving anything away. ‘There weren’t many options where I grew up, and we weren’t exactly permitted to… mingle.’

His brows lowered, a V-shaped wrinkle forming between them. ‘That sounds pretty conservative to me,’ he rebutted. It wasn’t unkind, just confused.

I lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. ‘It was more strict than conservative. Lots of rules. Not much opportunity to… uh,explore.’

I knew I should have felt some level of distress and self-consciousness having this conversation with anyone, let alone a practical stranger, but that wasn’t the case. If anything, it lifted a weight off my shoulders I hadn’t realised was there.

‘You’ve never…?’ he asked, and he didn’t need to finish he question for me to understand his meaning.

‘Nope. Never.’ And I was surprised to learn how unashamed I was of that fact.

‘Do you even know what you like?’

I frowned, not understanding. ‘What I like?’

His pale skin flushed a deep crimson at the question, and Iwondered what it was exactly that he was getting at.

‘Do you like women? Men? Both?’

I high-pitched giggle escaped me, and I smacked my hands over my mouth to keep any more from escaping. It was the furthest thing from a manly sound that could have come out of me, and I worried I’d just given myself away. I decided to pretend it hadn’t even happened and hope for the best which seemed to be the correct choice from his reaction. He was more amused and embarrassed than suspicious, thank the stars.

I bit my lip to prevent my smile from forming at how out of his comfort zone he seemed when he was the one asking the questions.

‘I don’t think it matters,’ I finally said.

He look he shot me was filled with bewilderment. ‘Why wouldn’t it matter?’

My head shook as I answered. ‘I’m not here to find a lover. I don’t have room for that sort of thing in my life. I don’t know if I ever will.’

I mumbled the last part in a low whisper, not intending for him to hear it, but the shock and sadness in his expression clued me in that I was unsuccessful.

Luckily, Bromm and Foryk exited the room then and interrupted Reece before he could speak up. I straightened from my perch against the wall, already walking down the corridor towards to elevator to lead us up to the mess hall. I didn’t need to look back to see Bromm and Foryk glancing between me and Reece. I could sense their gaze trying to penetrate my mental armour to discover what lay beneath.

I had noticed other team leaders sitting among their teams like they were a cohesive unit, though a few still held themselves separate and their group’s vibe was strained. I remained one of the latter, but this time Reece shot me a look the said he was beginning to understand why. I contemplated that as I ate, watching over my team through the invisible wall I had erected. I couldn’t decideif it was a good thing that there was at least one person who understood my need to stay aloof and unattached, or if he would keep digging into the reasons behind it and uncover something that would put the both of us in a precariously dangerous position.

There was a lot for me to ruminate over today, it seemed, but not all of it was imperative to my mission. All irrelevant matters would have to be cast aside to ensure I didn’t get distracted. That’s what ruined the best laid plans. I could attest to that from personal experience. The mission didn’t go according to plan and I had panicked, only for someone else paid the price.

And what a terrible price it was.

CHAPTER 9

Reece

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