It was simply put, but my heart expanded. Would she feel the same way if she knew what I could do? I opened my mouth to tell her, but I couldn’t do it. All I could offer was, “I want to be on yours, too.”
That satisfied her, and she rolled over. Moments later, she began to snore.
I lay awake for a long time. Trix poked me with her nose, and I stroked her absently. The new blue dots in her brown eye almost glowed in the darkness.
It seemed we were both in the grips of changes beyond our control.
Mari was still out cold when I gave up on sleeping and headed to the showers. Giggling greeted me as I entered the washroom, and I froze.
It broke off suddenly, and a female face peeked out of the largest shower stall—the one Mari used.
“Oh,” Maddy exclaimed. “Sorry, we thought everyone was asleep.”
We? Then a male voice commented, “We’ll be out in a jiff.”
And another rumbled, “Told you this wasn’t a good idea.”
“Maybe she wants to join us,” said a third.
“No, thank you,” I responded, my lips twitching. How many were in there?
“Well, the offer stands,” the voice replied.
“Hey, I’m calling the shots here,” Maddy stated. “This is a one-female deal.”
“No biggie,” I was quick to say. “Take your time—it’s a big washroom.”
A huffed male laugh sounded, and the door closed. I moved into a stall near the end and shut myself in.
Another giggle, and enthusiastic splashing followed a single, low groan that reverberated right through me. Then silence fell. A moment later, the main door to the washroom shut behind them.
I finished my own shower and fetched Trix from the room as Mari snored on, oblivious. Moments later, I stood beneath the stars with my dog and looked up at the mix of brick and stone.
The sky was just lightening toward dawn, but the academy building was quiet as a tomb. Considering the Dire tendency to moonlit runs, the students must still be tired from Night Games.
I wondered how many other teams had failed miserably. Surely ours wasn’t the only one. Might be the only one who’d almost killed someone, though. Three someones to be exact.
My stomach twisted as I remembered Darius’s parting words to me on the path. The alpha wasn’t the type to forget a grudge. And he had connections.
This might be the last morning Trix and I stood on these grounds. No matter. I could pick up on my old dreams if Cara would let me. But what would she do if she found out my touch could kill? She knew I’d killed the feral, but she’d thought I’d done it telekinetically in a fit of anger. Somehow, that seemed much easier to control, I would imagine. Although I remembered how Mari made the ground shake when she got upset...
Maybe mine wasn’t the only talent that hinged on emotions. Did the council have a place to lock people up if their gifts were too dangerous? The thought terrified me.
Apparently, not everyone was asleep. A tall form jogged out of the woods. He was dressed in the academy black tee and leggings, although both appeared to have been pulled on in a hurry.
“Hey, Anna.” Cody greeted me with a grin.
“Hi, Cody,” I replied. “You couldn’t sleep, either?”
He shrugged. “I don’t sleep. Prefer to run.”
It hinted at a troubled mind, and I reflected that everyone had things to deal with...
“I would have thought you’d still be out cold,” the Sabre said as we headed back toward the building.
I bit my lip. Had Cody caught wind of our team misadventures?
He answered that when he continued. “Heard you had a rough go last night. Sebastian said you and Matt have been pulled from the physical stuff for today. So, are you up for breakfast? Ryan makes a mean omelet.”
