Page 71 of Nova Academy

‘Yes, sir,’ I said, straightening from my slouched position.

‘I’m glad I caught you alone. I wanted to discuss something with you.’

The muscles in my face tightened. ‘Me? What about, sir?’

‘None of thatsirstuff, Arthur. Can I call you Arthur? You can call me Markus, but only when we’re alone,’ he winked, and I could see how someone might find it charming if not for the emptiness in his eyes. ‘I was hoping to talk to you about a possible opportunity. You see, I’ve been tasked with recruiting for a very particular job, but there aren’t that many who would be a good fit. You, however… I believe you to be a perfect match.’

‘Why me?’ I asked, refusing to refer to him by his given name.

The elevator stopped on another deck that neither one of us needed, and a group of cadets joined us that I recalled seeing during combat training.

'Why don’t we discuss this more later?’ Markus suggested now that we had company. ‘You cadets have your evenings free, correct? Why don’t I swing by your room and take you for a meal? I am the best chef on board The Carina, after all. Let’s chat over good food, hmm?’

The other cadets gave me a strange look as they listened in, but I ignored them. ‘Sure, that sounds like a plan,’ I agreed.

‘Perfect,’ he gave a toothy grin, but it seemed more like he was baring his teeth.

The elevator stopped on the training deck and we all stepped out aside from Markus. He stayed inside and gave me a pointed look as the door descended. It didn’t escape my notice how the vessel rose again through the decks we had just passed.

He hadn’t needed to use it, then. He had joined me with the sole purpose of speaking to me alone. And if he knew I was alone, that meant he had eyes on me without my knowledge.

Fuck, did he know?

I didn’t have the chance to connect into the ship’s servers to check because my team and Dorian’s showed up at that moment, and class started right after. My only option was to wait for a moment alone or until tonight’s meal. Either way, I needed to inform Adara of the new developments and their possible repercussions.

???

I wasn’t able to find the time to connect to the servers all day. At first there was class, and then during the midday meal I was surrounded by my squad and their ribbing over this morning’s light-hearted banter. They continued to tease me all the way through flight training. We actually got the opportunity to practice using the joystick, and the jokes the guys produced had my face so red I felt my heartbeat throbbing through my cheeks.

Bromm, too, though the heavy-lidded side-glances he kept sending my way didn’t help the situation at all. Instead, I found other parts of my body throbbing throughout the afternoon, and I was starting to look forward to my meeting with Markus if only to get away from it all.

‘Hey, have you figured out which instructor you want on our free day?’ Reece asked when we had made it back to our room. I had sent a message to Addy through the holo-tabs and was awaiting her response.

‘I don’t know. I thought maybe Gwym so Cadmus could get the chance to stretch his wings?’

The man in question gave me a gentle shove. ‘You just want to get up close and personal with them, don’t ya, you kinky bastard.’

I smacked him away good-naturedly. ‘I’ll admit I’m intrigued. I’ve not had much exposure to winged people before. Sue me.’

He winked. ‘Role play, I like it.’

That brought a round of laughter that allowed me to slink back from the group a little. Our meal would be arriving soon, but I hadn’t had the chance (or the guts) to tell them I wouldn’t be joining them. I was hoping to use Addy as a scapegoat, but she still hadn’t replied, so I was going to have to wing it and figure out a different excuse that wouldn’t raise too many questions.

I thoughtsomequestions were inevitable at this point. I was between a rock and a hard place, but this was the intended outcome of my time at Nova Academy. I needed an in to get back to The Program and find Libby, and my time here was just for that.

Adara finally made an entrance, aiming straight for me. The captain followed behind her, and on his tail was Markus. I was expecting him, sure, but when he came in rolling trays of food, something he said in the elevator made a lot more sense. He had called himself the best chef on The Carina, and it seemed that it was, indeed, his job.

Addy bent low to whisper in my ear. ‘I don’t like this.’

I grabbed her around the waist and dragged her onto my lap so I could whisper in ear in return. I understood it would have looked rather intimate to an outsider, and I got a few confused looks alongside some underscored with hurt. The latter came from Bromm and the captain, but I couldn’t give them an explanation. Hopefully when I was gone, Addy could provide some closure for them regarding the entire situation.

‘I know, but this was the plan,’ I reminded her.

‘Markus is in on it?’

‘Seems so.’

‘Does he…know?’

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