Page 4 of Aviatrix

“You’re grounded until further notice,” he repeats with false authority and zero shame.

I step forward anyway. “I’m the best damn pilot in this hangar, and you know it.” And you owe me, you spineless bastard.

He folds his arms, settling into that smug, commanding posture I used to mistake for confidence. “You’ve always had a problem keeping your emotions in check. Which is exactly why you won’t be flying until you’re under control.”

I open my mouth, wrath simmering in my throat, when a smooth, drawling voice slashes through the hangar.

“Miss me, Quay?”

I turn, and find my past leaning against a fuel cart like he owns the place.

Major Eli Kopelman. Cocky smirk. Flight suit half-zipped. Piercing green eyes that haven’t changed a bit.

My pulse betrays me before my mouth can.

Of course he shows up now.

Just as the world ends.

TWO

THE FAINT SMELL OF DESPERATION

“Did you need something?” I snap at Eli, then shoot Lark a death glare.

Eli chuckles low as he pushes off the fuel cart, all easy swagger and voltage. Every move charged. Like he knows exactly how much tension he’s causing just by existing.

He always has.

Tousled hair. That smug, slow-burn grin. The long, lean body that ruined me for anyone else at flight school.

Eli Kopelman is a walking detonation button, and me? I’m already halfway lit.

He knows it, too.

For the first time in a long time, I’m dangerously tempted to let the Eli distraction in.

“Nova!” Gary shouts from across the hangar, harsh and urgent.

I inhale through my nose, giving myself a moment.

“I’ve been grounded,” I mutter, the bitterness cutting sharper than shrapnel. This isn’t the first time I’ve been left out. First, it was my dad vanishing into days-long briefings before disappearing completely. Now, it’s Lark sidelining me when I’ve logged more hours than half this base.

Eli's smile curves wider. “I heard.” He jerks his chin toward Lark. “Explains the shaky leadership around here and the faint smell of desperation.”

Another blast explodes nearby.

Lark stiffens. “This is an active military zone, Major Kopelman. You don’t get to waltz in here like you’re in charge.”

Eli gives him a slow once-over. “Right. My bad. I wasn’t aware the standard uniform now included crooked buttons and poor decision-making.”

I choke on a laugh, turning it into a cough. Lark’s face darkens, red against his white collar.

Eli looks at me again, like he’s peeling back time with a single glance. “You look good, Quay. Angry suits you.”

They used to call him Phantom at the Academy. Always gone before you noticed he was there. Always in my head before I could stop it. Always leaving me, even when I asked him not to. Some things never change, not really.

I roll my eyes. “Still got that ego problem, huh?” Not that he’s nearly as conceited as he comes off. I might be the only one who knows that.