AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ayden laughs and takes me in his arms. “No, it’s entirely the result of the time we spent training together before the test.” He kisses my hair and winks mischievously at me.
“Oh-ho, someone’s pretty full of himself,” I retort, stretching up to kiss him on the lips.
“When the evidence backs it up,” he says with mock indignation.
“I guess it’s time to call it a day,” Holmes chimes in with a smirk. “It’s like we agreed: you guys leave, I’ll lock the doors and make a big ruckus with my key spirit so it’s obvious that someone’s training in here in case one of the Fabricis shows up. And if anyone knocks, I can’t hear because of all the noise.”
I’m so grateful to Holmes for doing this for us. And I have to admit I was pretty surprised. If our lie gets exposed, then she’ll be in trouble too, but she didn’t hesitate for a moment.
Ayden told me she’s always been a little unconventional and someone who regards rules as flexible. Plus, they’re good friends. So she immediately agreed to help us.
“Thanks again,” I say, but she waves her hand dismissively.
“No need to thank me. I’m happy to help. Now go. Your time is running out.”
She shoots us a friendly smile and then resumes training with her spirit. Ayden and I leave the gym. I shower as fast as I can, change into fresh clothes, and I’m so glad when we finally have some time alone together.
We go to his room, which triggers strange feelings in me. How many times have I walked along this corridor? How many hours did I spend in my old room? When we reach his door, I glance at mine. And sure enough, I feel a twinge of homesickness. I wish I still lived here.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
I nod. “It just feels weird not living here anymore. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. And I wonder when the Fabricis will declare their mission complete – or a failure. What happens to me after that?”
Ayden pulls me in close and puts his arms around my waist. “We’ll figure something out. There are a handful of Council members who aren’t thrilled about you living there. I’m hoping they’ll do something about it sooner or later. I have faith in Mr. Cunningham. And I’m trying to persuade Dad to do something.”
We enter his room, and Ayden closes the door behind us.
“How did it go with your dad earlier?”
I sink down on Ayden’s bed and study his face. I heard the announcement summoning Ayden to the principal’s office. It sounded like his father had something serious to discuss with him. Ayden’s been spending a lot of time with the other hunters lately, out on deployments or in meetings. And he’s constantly reporting back to his dad. I can tell Mr. Collins is trying to keep his son as busy as possible so that we see less of each other in school.
I look at Ayden and wait for a reply. His tense posture and serious expression tell me that something’s wrong.
“What happened?” I ask.
He sits down beside me, pulls me toward him, and buries his head in the curve of my neck. His warm breath brushes my bare skin, and his lips touch that sensitive area, kissing it tenderly.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” he whispers. “I’m going to refuse the assignment. I don’t want to be separated from you even more than I already am.”
That doesn’t sound good, and it makes alarm bells go off in my head. “What kind of assignment?”
He lets go of me and looks me in the eye. “I’m not sure exactly. I only find out the details if I accept the assignment. But I figure it’s about testing a candidate.”
The mere mention of this stirs up memories in me, and I gulp. I recall our first encounter, our dates, all the time that Ayden and I spent together. But the words he said to me, his gorgeous smile, his touch, and the intoxicating intimacy only served one purpose: to test me and find out if I was worthy of being a key carrier and being accepted into this world. Back then, Ayden came to a clear decision. And I remember vividly how much it hurt to find out the truth behind his seductive mask.
And now he’s supposed to do all that again? Make moves on a young woman in order to test her? The idea makes me sick.
Ayden holds me against his chest. “I’d never behave the way I did with you. Anyway, it was different with you,” he admits. “You got under my skin in a way nobody else ever had and made me want to break all the rules. I wanted to be near you, to talk to you, touch you. And I knew that was a bad idea. So I tried to distance myself. But that didn’t work out too well.”
“So your only choice was to push me away,” I sum up. “You did that pretty successfully.”
Ayden smiles sadly. There’s pain in his eyes. That period was hard on him too.
“Like I said, I’ve decided to turn down the assignment. I’d have to go to Boston. For two or three months at least.”
My eyes widen. “That long?!” Well, what did I expect? I know these kinds of assignments take more than just a few weeks.
“Hey,” he says, caressing my cheek. “Don’t look so horrified. I already told Dad I’m not going.” He leans forward and kisses me. His breath brushes my skin, warm and soft. His lips part, and he whispers, “I couldn’t stand being away from you for that long.”
