Page 45 of The Last Dragon
“Nobody’s going to believe you,” I snap, my fingers curling into a fist, nails digging deep into my palms. He flashes his teeth with another large grin.
“Want to test that theory?”
I’m about to fucking swing at him. Maybe I’d knock some teeth out, but a quick pull by the arms eases me. I whirl around and there they are—eyes glimmering like molten gold, red and amber hues flickering like the fire itself. She shakes her head with questions hanging off of her lips, but there is no time for words. Not between us anyway. Not here. I glance back at Alex.
“What do you want?” I ask quickly, ignoring the gathering crowd around us. His grin grows bigger as he licks and sucks off the blood on his lower lip.
“Your unit,” he says with a faint laugh. I shoot him a piercing glare, prompting him to raise his hands in a defensive gesture. “Whoa,” he exclaims, still wearing that grin. “I meant to be in it. After all” —he drops his arms— “there should be three Hunters in a unit, not two.”
“Oh so you’re a Hunter now?” I scoff. His attitude won’t work in this unit—arrogant, uncontrollable, and sure to drag everyone down. But if he truly knows about the Redsnout, then I don’t have a fucking choice. Maybe if I let him in now, keep him close, I can get out of this mess. Or at least make sure it doesn’t come back to Nida. If he does anything to her, I’ll—
“Fine,” I say, feeling the bitter taste in my mouth. Nida mutters in disbelief, her hands still wrapped around my shoulder. She knows as much as any of us that if we don’t let him in our unit, we’re all dead, including those who don’t even know it yet.
“What the hell, guys?” Ilian whines, flinging his arms out to the sides with his fingers splayed. “What’s he want?”
I glare at Alex, waiting to see if he’s going to be the first one to open his mouth. To my surprise, he doesn’t, despite his love for talking. He remains calm, but his eyes dance with excitement, knowing perfectly well he has the advantage over me. I’ll remember him for this. His eyes stray, quickly jerking his chinin Ilian’s direction before looking at me again with a growing, twisted smile.
“He’s in our unit,” I say.
“The hell he is!” Eryca yells. “I ain’t letting this piece of shit into our unit.”
“I lead this unit. I say who comes and goes.”
Eryca glares at me. “You left this unit years ago and suddenly you lead it just because the general placed you in it? You didn’t even want to be in this unit. Why should we listen to you?”
“I didn’t ask to be placed back here. And that’s exactly the type of attitude that’s going to get us killed.” I lower my voice, careful not to draw more attention from the growing crowd.
“Killed?” She scoffs, crossing her arms. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m still alive and you’re pretty much dead to me.”
“Sheesh, if I knew it would have caused this much of a hassle, I wouldn’t have joined,” Alex says.
“You shut up,” I snap, grabbing him by the crew neck again.
Just a twist. A small crack of the neck and it all would be gone.
“Easy,” he mutters.
“I told you what would happen if you came near my unit again,” I say to Alex, tightening my grip. He grins.
“Thendo it,” he says. “Getyourfive minutes of fame.”
“Zel,” Ilian cuts in, pressing his hand on my shoulder, making me face him. “You aren’t serious about having him in our unit, are you?” His voice is tinged with concern, his brow furrowed in worry.
I don’t say anything, my fingers still curved on Alex’s crewneck as Eryca spits curses at me.I’m losing control.
I catch a glimpse of Lieutenant Wain making her way through the gathering crowd, pushing and shoving away the cadets.
“Ladies, please!” she yells, silencing Eryca’s and Ilian’s voices. “If you need something sorted, take it up on the mat.”
The crowd begins to calm and scatter. I let go of Alex’s collar, the tension still lingering in the air. I take a deep breath, hoping to calm my nerves.
Raumen darts his eyes between me and Alex before speaking. “Do you really think this is best for our unit?”
It’s not. But I know this is the only way I can keep Nida and myself safe. I nod, and moments later, Raumen purses his lips with a slight nod.
“Alright,” he says. “I trust you.”
Everyone calms and returns to their meals. Alex gives a wicked smile, fixing his jacket and approaching one of our benches. I extend my arm, pushing him out of the way.
