Page 58 of Feathers of Ash and Hope
I shouldn’t think about her that way.
“Alright then.” She sends me a strained smile, shrugs, and turns. Summer disappears around the next shelf in a heartbeat. I stand there frozen until her footsteps fade, only then realizing I never thanked her for saving me.
I sigh and slump back into my chair. Maybe Jared is right, and my social skills are severely lacking these days.
Granted, gratitude wasn’t my first reaction when I realized what she had done; more like horror and disbelief.
Her action still puzzles me, just like the concern I saw in her eyes minutes ago. Apart from Jared and Nan, I’m not used to seeing anyone worry for me.
I’m respected as a centurion, and we have each other’s backs within our flight, but to take a hit for me like that without knowing me?
I don’t know if that makes her brave, stupid, or simply reckless. The image of her being struck by lightning still haunts me, and the fact that she survived unscathed still baffles me.
I’m fine, I promise.
Her words make no sense. How can she be fucking fine after being roasted by lightning?
I sigh. She doesn’t deserve to be brushed off like that, especially since she didn’t even try to dig for information concerning the objects lying on the table. The least I can do is thank her and act less like an ass.
The following day,we’re in the sparring hall while the runners have a break between classes. Half of the room is shadowed by one of the Aerie’s towers, while the other half is bathed in gold by the afternoon sun. I lean against the wall, my eyes on Summer, who spars with Ilario.
The room is alive with the sounds of curses, grunts, and things colliding, either bodies or steel or both. Again, Ifind myself wondering about her. Who else knows about her disguise? She practically admitted that Cassius knows. But what about Ilario? I remember him crouching next to her after the lightning attack, looking worried.
Just how close are they?
Ilario demonstrates for the hundredth time how Summer has to put her body behind a punch to make it count.
“What’s up with you? You look like someone puked in your breakfast or something.” Jared strolls up to me.
“Nothing,” I mutter.
“Yeah, I know thatnothing. Want to hit the weight room? I would offer to spar with you, but I’m not a masochist.” He bumps my shoulder.
“Sure,” I say, but my eyes are still on her. Her punch is still shit, and the only thing Ilario does is go through the movement again. “What the fuck is he doing?” She surely won’t get it from watching him again. Otherwise, she would have mastered it by now. I stride over to them.
“If one way of teaching isn’t working, trying another is no disgrace,” I grumble. I place my hands on Summer’s hips, and she flinches at my touch. I ignore it and try very hard not to think of her soft skin beneath this tunic.
“Do it again. Slowly,” I instruct, and she complies. I twist her hips in time with her movement. Her gasp when her knuckles connect and the “umpf” from Ilario tells me they both felt the difference. She laughs in wonder before apologizing to Ilario.
Her smoky laugh and the wide smile on her face when she looks at me over her shoulder make my stomach flip. Her joy feels infectious, fizzing through my blood like thunderbolts, and I smile back. The air between us charges, and I catch my thumb, tracing tiny circles on her lower back while my hands still rest on her hips.
What am I doing?
I let my hands drop to my sides and step back.I get my face back under control and take another step back before I nod at her.
“That’s it. Do ten more, then change sides.” My gruff and clipped voice reestablishes the needed distance between us. I turn and stride off, but the warmth of her smile lingers in my chest.
“Thank you,” Summer calls behind me, causing heads to turn, but I resist and only raise my hand in acknowledgment.
Maybe being nice is not such a good idea, after all. It’s too easy to get sucked in by her light.
Another reason to stay away is Cassius. I saw him in the weight room this morning, pounding away at one of the targets like it was his mortal enemy. I always perceived him as reasonable and even-tempered, but since Summer arrived, he’s all over the place.
Yes, keeping my distance is important.
“What was that?” Jared looks confused when I get back to him.
“What? I just helped him out. He didn’t get the hang of it, and Ilario was doing a miserable job of teaching him.”
