Page 41 of Nova Academy

‘We will need to rotate sleeping and night watch arrangements. Pick two to stay in my spare room, I don’t care which, and we can alternate the watch schedule for each room. If you’re staying with me, follow me now. I’m not waiting for you.’

Foryk stood, shooting Bromm a look I didn’t understand that made him sit back down when he tried to follow. Instead, Urman volunteered to go with them, and both Bromm and Dorian were leftlooking rather confused.

‘I guess we’re integrating, then,’ Henrik spoke up.

‘Guess so,’ said Bromm, then eyed me from his periphery like I couldn’t see him watching me.

‘I’m off to bed then,’ said Dorian, rising with a stretch and moving towards one of the bedrooms. There were extra bunks inlaid in the walls of the spare room that allowed for us to have our own sleeping spaces, but there were two larger beds in each room that needed to be shared. Whoever ended up in the main room would have more privacy, so I assumed before he left that Foryk would share it with Bromm like they had last night.

‘Wanna share with me?’ Bromm asked from beside me.

‘Uh…’ At first I didn’t realise he was addressing me, but then when I turned and saw the tentative hope in his expression my brain glitched and I didn’t know what to say. My answer should have be a firmno. Sharing was too much of a risk for detection and would prevent me from finding a way to sneak out. And yet… My head was nodding yes before I realised what I was doing.

My mind blanked at the stunning sight of his smile directed towards me, his beard parting to reveal those wickedly sharp-looking teeth. He used my moment of distraction to pull me up, holding onto my hand as he led us into the main bedroom before I could regain control of my body. And my senses.

I failed before I could even try when he stripped out of his clothes, leaving only his underwear and the obvious outline of his bulge. I knew exactly what lay beneath, and that knowledge did nothing to stop my mouth from watering at the sight.

No.Stop it A. This is a terrible idea. Abort. Abort!

‘Well, are you coming to bed or do you want me to put on a show?’ he teased, and it sounded so much like what I imagined a lover would say than a teammate that it took me aback even more. So much so that I physically stepped backwards. I needed to get away. I need to salvage this situation. Someone else could share thebed with him tonight.

But you want to,a voice whispered in the deepest recesses of my mind, forcing me to acknowledge a truth I was trying to ignore. I wanted to climb right into that bed with him. I wanted to see how far he was willing to take his flirtation. I wanted him totouchme.

I had never allowed myself the luxury of exploring my body, someone else’s, or letting them explore mine. Obviously, it couldn’t happen, but that didn’t mean I had to completely shut myself off from my desires, right? I could crawl into bed with him and fantasise about what could have been. I could take comfort in the way his presence pressed against mine. I could absorb his heat and keep it as a reminder ofalmost.Almostfriends.Almostlovers.Almostliving.

So I damned the stars and chose to be selfish. Just for one night. Only one moment. Libby would forgive me for it. In fact, if she were here, she’d be cheering me on.

Except she wasn’t here.

A stab of that old pain pinged through my chest and spread throughout my body like tiny little pinpricks in my bloodstream. It brought me out of my head for a tick and reminded me of what was at stake.

We lay there on our backs, so close we were almost touching. I really could feel the heat from his body as if it were a caress against my skin. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, his scent of ocean salt and musk practically burning as it branded itself into my brain. It was a scent I was forever remember, fantasy fuel, and something I would cherish long after I’d moved on.

I startled when skin brushed against mine, his hand inching closer and closer and tentatively touching the back of my hand. He paused, waiting to see if I would allow him to continue. I shouldn’t. It was cruel to the both of us to pretend like this could happen, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.

Slowly, his fingertips softly stroked my knuckles, and my handturned palm-up of its own accord. An invitation.

He took it, tangling our fingers and pressing our palms together. His skin was a combination of smooth and calloused, as if he’d spent a lot of time working with his hands but attempted to wash the evidence away without much success. It was an interesting juxtaposition that had my heartrate skyrocketing. I was sure he could feel my erratic pulse through the contact.

He inhaled as if to speak but closed his mouth with an audible snap. Then his grip tightened as if he were afraid I would pull away. Truthfully, it was a real possibility and we both knew it.

I listened as he made another attempt. When he finally spoke I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. ‘Goodnight, Arty.’

I struggled to comprehend my emotions. I considered that perhaps it was a swirl of relief combined with a sinking feeling of disappointment that washed over me. He wasn’t going to try anything else, and I couldn’t let him. I wanted him to, yet I was glad my secret would remain safe.

This whole situation was beyond confusing.

So, I decided not to let it confuse me. I accepted things for what they were, that this was as far as they could go.

‘Goodnight, Bromm,’ I whispered, my voice breathless with an undercurrent of desire and overwhelm.

And then I closed my eyes and fell asleep, our hands still entwined.

CHAPTER 20

Artemis

The metallic scent of blood was a typical partner to the smell of disinfectant and body odour. It filled my nostrils sharply, reaching inside my head to start pounding on my sinuses like it was trapped and trying to escape through my eyeballs. I was used to the sensation. My time in the lab was up, but they had left me to rest before moving me today, in case doing so caused an adverse reaction.

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