Page 31 of A Sky of Storms
Fallon Auger had a strong will, that was obvious. I wondered whether her competing against her sister was about saving her pride or something else entirely, though I had a hunch. I’d seen how Fallon had made friends where her sister had made subordinates. The siblings were night and day.
Something about Fallon drew my interest, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. She caught my eye, sure, and judging by the attention she was getting, she caught others’ too, but it wasn’t her physical appearance that intrigued me. There were those who, like Victoria, wished Fallon harm, and then there were others who sought her out for another reason. It was obvious she had admirers, despite how many sneered at and taunted her. If I had been here for any other reason, I might have thrown my hat in the ring and shown her how she should be treated. Not the crude words or the lusty looks. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, and I needed to keep my mind focused on the end goal.
Soft steps sounded and the hooded guy appeared as though out of thin air once again. I inched forward, hoping to get a good look under the hood, only to have Victoria cut dangerously close in front of me. Fuck.
“Well, do you have them?” she snapped, pointing a finger at the guy’s chest.
“Yes,” he replied, taking out a bundle from inside his cloak and handing it to her. “Everything you asked for.”
She looked at the bundle, testing the weight of what he had given her, then unravelled the fabric and held up pulse gun. “It’s Sylvetti made?”
“Of course, only the best for you.”
Whoever the hooded guy was, he seemed to defer to Victoria. The conversation was already vastly different to the one he’d had with Mark, who was clearly at the bottom of the food chain.
“Fallon?” he asked.
“I’m dealing with the bitch,” Victoria said, turning the gun over in her hands. I couldn’t help the jolt of disgust that went through me at the way she spoke. There was no love there and it was clear Fallon’s life was under threat. “What about your side of the plan?”
“In motion.”
Victoria smiled. The image was sinister in the low light. “Perfect.”
“Good.” The guy nodded, stepping back a few paces. “I’ll report back.”
“Whatever,” Victoria replied, flicking her ponytail and turning around.
She reefed the door wide open, flooding the room with sudden blinding light. I blinked furiously, retreating into the dark. By the time my eyes readjusted, the hooded guy was gone.
“Shit,” I swore under my breath.
I shook my head, pissed with myself for not being any closer to knowing who the mysterious hooded person was once again. I quickly grabbed my clothes and changed, allowing myself to become visible.
Pieces were coming together, but there were so many more I needed to uncover before I could try to put them into one whole coherent image. It was infuriating. I strode from the room, my mood evident with each stomp of my shoes. Despite the trials only beginning, I felt like time was running out.
At this time of night, the academy was quiet. Most Potentials were fast asleep, unaware of those sneaking around and scheming in the halls. As I passed the training areas I spotted Ace sitting with his back against a wall. His head was bowed, his shoulders rising in an even rhythm. The guy had serious trust issues and the fact that he chose to sleep out here alone was beyond sad. It must be lonely, feeling like you only have yourself to rely on.
I couldn’t imagine a life like that. My family meant everything to me and without a doubt, I knew they would be there for me no matter what, just as I was for them.
Reaching the dorms, I opened the door to find Kayden storming up the steps. He disappeared for a few seconds, the sound of his feet still audible, as well as the words he was muttering between breaths. Something about keeping her out of his head, whomever that was. He reappeared, descending and pulling to a stop at the bottom, his eyes widening as he saw me. He quickly recovered, replacing his look of shock with a smirk.
“Lurking in the night?” he asked, raising a brow. His words came out puffed. He must have been pacing for a while.
“That’s what all good vampires do,” I said with a shrug as I made to stride past him up the stairs.
He grabbed my upper arm. Kayden was huge, but up close it was hard to ignore just how big of a guy he was. Pure muscle too. “Aren’t you gonna ask why I’m awake, smart ass?”
“Safety-testing the steps?” I replied, tugging free.
Kayden huffed a laugh. “You’re a funny guy.”
“I’m a real barrel of laughs,” I deadpanned.
“You’re from the Verdant Plateau, right? What’s it like?”
“Green,” I said, then decided to be straight with him. “Peaceful. The people are happy, the city is thriving—at least they were until…” A thought popped into my head and I looked at him curiously. “Anything strange happen in the Crimson Steppes lately?”
“Huh?” Kayden tilted his head. “Like what?”
