Page 60 of Phoenix Academy: Madness

"I mean with Xavier and Reggie. How do we handle something like this?" Pushing my hair back, I shake my head. "I don't know what to do about it. This is the first time I've been part of a love... rhombus?"

David chuckles. "I don't think I'd call it that. More of a complicationship."

I roll my eyes at him. "Nevermind, I've decided Icanlet you go after all. I think I'll replace you with a calendar of dad jokes and a picture of furrowed eyebrows."

With a shocking little curve to his mouth, he bounces his eyebrows up and down, scowling then arching them by turn.

I laugh, and laugh.

We go inside.

We don't talk to each other about what comes next.

Neither one of us knows. So for now, we live for now.

* * *

"And then you twist this way, put pressure on the wrist, and step forward—no, other leg—until the assailant lets go of the weapon."

Irritated, I try to follow David's instructions, and eventually I get there. The knife falls out of his (frustratingly strong) grip, and I've officially demonstrated my ability to do one of the toughest moves that will be on our Weapons Combat final, according to Kade.

Stepping back, I stretch off my aches and pains, still frustrated and irritated. David, on the other hand, looks positively unbothered—a harsh switch in our positions. Apparently when it comes to combat practice I'm the scowling one and he's the peppy one.

We turned to combat practice when, after falling into another scorching hot kiss, he pointed out to me that we were both risking going too far. Given that I could feel his dick against my skirt through his pants, and I'd pushed my hands up under his shirt far enough to practically undress him, I had to admit David was right. So we took a step back, and found something else to concentrate on: what we (supposedly) came here for in the first place.

The problem is, of course, that we can't exactly practice the close-up moves, or anything else that might get a little too...excitableif we're not careful. So instead David has been drilling me (or not drilling me, as the case may be) on disarming moves, which are done mostly at a distance, standing up and not straddling him on the mat.

They're pretty fucking sexless.

Yet I find myself wanting to find ways to make them otherwise. I don't know what it is, exactly, but being alone with David, and knowing that I can finallyhavehim, has made me feel wild and reckless. Seeing a smile on his face, or even just a lack of a scowl, has helped too. He seems looser, more relaxed, morereal.

"Okay," he says, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off his face. Even sweaty he's hot and broody. "I think we've done enough disarming drills. Maybe we should try something else?"

"Like what?" I put my hands on my hips, trying not to let my frustration show. "We've done almost everything."

"Not almost everything," he points out. "There's target practice."

I glance over at the targets against the far wall, unenthused. The truth is that I wish we could just makeout some more. I don't know how long I'm going to get to have him like this before we have to face brutal reality and deal with the rest of the trio. As soon as we talk to Xavier, which means talking to Reggie, we'll have to face the beginning of the end.

It's frustrates me enough that a tiny bit of blue magic leaks out of my fingertips, and I have to shove them behind my back while I push down my emotions, pretending to consider the targets when really I already know what I want to do next.

So it surprises me when David suggests, "Or we could just... talk. About everything. Like you mentioned."

My eyes fly to his face. "Really? You'd do that with me?"

"Of course." Reaching out, he tugs me towards him, and I slip my hand into his. "I know you have questions. I don't like to talk about myself too much, but to you? Well, I'll say anything."

His mouth quirks up a little, and I wonder how I missed the sweet, charming boy beneath his hard exterior.

"Anything?"

"Yep."

"Even about what makes you... different? Because you don't have to," I hurriedly clarify, seeing his expression subtly change. "It's none of my business if you don't want to share with me."

"It's not that. I'm just surprised you didn't figure it out by now. I thought with the familiar bond you'd be able to tell right away."

"Tell what?"

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