‘Don’t call me Shortie,’ she complained.
As they set up on the adjacent mat, Allie wondered if the slight twinge she felt was disappointment.
Smoothing all doubt from her face, she turned to face Sylvain. ‘Ready?’
Unaware of her inner turmoil, he smiled. ‘Of course.’
Raj was right – the move was different with someone physically larger. She had to work harder to tilt her body to the angle needed to kick. Had to adjust her responses. It took several tries to get it right. By the end, though, her aim was unerring. Her bare foot ended up just beneath Sylvain’s chin. Right where it was supposed to be.
‘Nice.’ He pretended to bite the arch of her foot, and she laughed and stumbled backwards away from him.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Carter cast a quick glance at them. There was something raw and conflicted in his expression and she looked away quickly.
This whole training-together thing wasn’t going to be easy.
Unable to stop herself, she looked over at Rachel and Nicole, just in time to see Rachel try the same kick she’d just done and lose her balance again. Nicole moved to help her up but Rachel’s face was flushed with embarrassment and frustration. Jerry walked over to speak to the two of them quietly.
He didn’t seem to be criticising them. Instead, he appeared to be offering gentle guidance. But even from across the room Allie could see Rachel’s misery.
When training ended, Allie took a quick shower and threw her school uniform back on in her usual haphazard style. With her blouse half buttoned and her tie dangling from her hand, she hurried towards the door. But as she passed through the main dressing area, she stopped in her tracks. Rachel and Nicole sat in a corner, talking quietly. Both still wore black training clothes. Rachel’s head hung down in a posture of defeat, Nicole’s hand rested on her shoulder.
Sympathy unfurled inside Allie’s heart.
She knew she should make this all harder for Rachel. After all, that was the plan, wasn’t it?
Right now she should give her the cold shoulder. Make her feel lonely and isolated. Do whatever it took to convince her she couldn’t do this.
But seeing her like this tore at her heart.
When she walked over to them, Nicole shot her a warning look.
When did Nicole become Rachel’s protector? Allie wondered. Isn’t that my job?
‘Look,’ she said, ‘I just wanted to say’ – I’m sorry. Don’t do this. Be who you are, not who I am – ‘I’m sorry about how I reacted earlier. It wasn’t … fair.’ As she spoke, her hands twisted her tie into rope. ‘I know it’s hard. I hated my first Night School session, too. It gets better. I promise.’
Rachel’s face was red with exhaustion and failure but at Allie’s words a light seemed to fire in her eyes. Her bottom lip trembled.
‘Thanks, Allie. And I’m sorry—’
Allie held up a hand. ‘Don’t. I’m sorry. I was pissed off at you because I’m scared for you. You know why. You know everything. I don’t have to tell you. Just …’ She hesitated. There was so much she wanted to say. But Rachel looked exhausted. Now wasn’t the time. ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow. OK?’
Rachel bit her lip and nodded. ‘OK.’
Allie walked out of the room feeling better and worse. Better because Rachel didn’t think she hated her any more. Worse, because she’d just made it easier for her to tough out the worst week Night School had to offer.
I’m such an idiot.
When she stepped into the corridor, Sylvain was leaning against the wall across from her, one foot propped up behind him. One of the younger Night School students was talking to him, his face aglow with a kind of hero worship. His gaze lowered, Sylvain was listening patiently.
As if he’d sensed her presence, he glanced up, and his eyes met hers.
He said something to the student. With a disappointed look, the boy turned away.
Pushing himself from the wall, Sylvain walked to her.
‘How’s Rachel?’ His voice was low.
Allie thought of the way Rachel had looked at her just before she walked out the door.
‘She’s hanging in there.’
Talking softly, they walked down the long, basement corridor then climbed the stairs up to the ground floor. Their shoes squeaked on the polished wood floor.
When they reached the foot of the main staircase, they stopped. Sylvain pulled her close. Shutting her eyes, she leaned against him, waiting for him to say goodnight. To kiss her and tell her he’d see her in the morning.
But that wasn’t what he said at all.
‘Meet me on the roof,’ he whispered against her cheek, his breath making all of her nerves come alive. ‘At midnight.’
13
Thirteen
Half an hour later, Allie paced her bedroom with quick impatient steps. Every few minutes she stared at the clock. Time advanced with aching slowness.
Eleven forty-five … Eleven forty-six …
She knew what was ahead. Knew what Sylvain wanted up on the roof.
Her heart fluttered with nerves. It had been the most confusing day.
She thought of the look she’d seen in Carter’s eyes. The wistfulness she’d thought was there for just a moment.
Then she forced herself to stop thinking about it.
She looked at the clock again.
Eleven forty-seven.
She couldn’t wait any longer.
It was late enough.
She switched off the lights.
In the darkness, she made her way to the desk and climbed on top of it. The window was already open.
With easy assurance, she stepped out on to the ledge.
It was a clear summer night – cool but not cold. The air smelled faintly of pine and Allie took a deep, steadying breath as she balanced three storeys above the ground.
She’d performed this feat many times since coming to Cimmeria. The danger of it, the thrill of being one step from oblivion, was like an old friend and she smiled to herself as she felt her way across the face of the building.
You can forget how dangerous anything is if you do it often enough.
Sliding her feet along the ledge, she traced her fingertips across the rough brickwork, feeling for indentations that could provide a grip.
She was heading for a spot where the roof dipped low enough to make access fairly simple. But to get there she had to pass two windows. The first was Rachel’s.
When she reached it, the window was open but the lights were off. Feeling a bit guilty for not telling Rachel what she was up to, she slid past it with silent steps.
She was just about to move on when she heard soft voices floating through the window.
Allie’s brow furrowed. Who was Rachel talking to in the dark?
She stopped on the far side of the window to listen. The voices were both female. But they were speaking so quietly it was impossible to make out words. Then she heard a soft peal of musical laughter, like bells ringing. She knew that laugh. Rachel was talking to Nicole.
A quick pinprick of jealousy pierced her.
She knew she was being unreasonable. Nicole and Rachel were both science geeks and they’d always had a kind of steady respect for each other’s intellect.
Now that Rachel was in Night School, they must be getting closer, that was all.
As she hurried away from the window, Allie told herself that this was a good thing. Nicole was brilliant in Night School. She was really looking out for Rachel.
But the voice in her head wouldn’t be quiet.
I’m right next door. Why didn’t Rachel come to me?
The next window she passed was closed. Through the glass all she could see was the wooden shutter inside. Cimmeria had lots of empty bedrooms now.
Just beyond that was the low dip in the roof. Making her way to it, she reached up to get a grip on the tiles.
At that precise moment, someone reached down and grabbed her wrist.
All
ie stifled a scream.
Instinctively she pulled back, losing her balance. Her heart pounding, she teetered on the narrow ledge, scrambling for a foothold.
But the hand on her wrist was solid as stone.
‘Allie, it’s me.’ In the darkness above her, Sylvain peered down at her. ‘Jump. I’ll pull you up.’
Allie didn’t move. His grip was strong but death waited below her if his hand slipped. Her life would be in his hands.
Her heart pounded a staccato rhythm.
‘Don’t let go.’ She warned him.
His eyes were locked on hers. ‘Never.’
Jump.
Still, she hesitated. She didn’t know why she was afraid. If Sylvain was basically her boyfriend now, shouldn’t she trust him more than anyone?
Taking a deep breath, she jumped.
Using her upward velocity as an aid, he pulled her on to the roof with such ease it felt like flying.
She landed hard on the slate tiles beside him.
He steadied her, one arm around her waist. Her body pressed against his as she sought her balance. The jump had sent adrenaline racing through her bloodstream, heightening her awareness of every point of contact between them. She felt as if she was pressed against a flame.
Swallowing hard, she tried to act normal.
‘Bloody hell, Sylvain,’ she complained. ‘You scared the life out of me.’
‘I thought you’d seen me,’ he said. Loosening his hold on her, he motioned for her to follow. ‘Come over here. The night is so clear. The stars are incredible.’
A breeze blew her hair as she followed him up one of the roof’s steep peaks.
‘Are you certain we’re OK up here?’ Allie whispered as they walked.
‘It’s safe,’ he said. ‘No guards.’
‘I haven’t been up here in ages.’ She stepped cautiously over a loose ceiling tile.
‘It’s not easy to be alone now,’ Sylvain said. ‘We’re constantly watched. But I noticed the guards don’t patrol the roof. This may be the only place.’
They stood at the base of a gigantic, Victorian chimney that soared ten feet above their heads. Sylvain leaned back against it with insouciant style. He might have been standing beside a swimming pool instead of on the roof of a school in the middle of the night.
His confidence was undeniably sexy. Butterflies swirled in Allie’s stomach.
‘The security is weirding me out big time,’ she said, keeping her voice cool. ‘There’s a guard in my corridor. Creep factor high.’
‘It’s much worse than it was when I left to go home,’ Sylvain conceded. ‘It had begun then – there were more guards. More obsession with security. But it wasn’t as intense. Now, everyone is so paranoid. They see Nathaniel around every corner.’
‘Totally.’ Allie agreed. ‘And yet Isabelle says there hasn’t been an attack since I left. So why are they being so intense? I mean, yeah, he is evil and he is out to get us. But there’s no need to freak out about it.’ She made a flippant gesture. ‘We’ve all been here. Done this.’
Sylvain considered this. ‘It’s because of what they are hearing from Lucinda in London. I understand why they are afraid. But they are giving up too much freedom in exchange for safety.’
He gave a resigned sigh. ‘Besides, if one of our teachers is working for Nathaniel, what good would a thousand guards do?’
A cool breeze lifted Allie’s hair and she shivered, stretching the ends of her sleeves down over her hands.
‘It’s so hard to believe.’ She looked up at him; the shadows hid his expression. ‘I wish we knew which one. I hate being suspicious of all of them.’
‘Raj’s team is working on it,’ Sylvain said. ‘They will find him. And soon, I think. Raj says they’re close.’
‘Isabelle said the same thing.’ Allie’s voice was impatient. ‘But how do we keep just going into their classes when one of them wants us dead?’
‘We look out for each other,’ he said. He reached for her hand, pulling her closer. ‘You know, I watched you train tonight. You were vicious. Focused. You can take care of yourself. You know that, right?’
His words made her face warm.
‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I guess I’m doing OK.’
‘More than that,’ he said. ‘You’re one of the best we’ve got. They should send you after this spy. Whoever it is.’
Allie tried to imagine fighting – really fighting – Zelazny or Jerry. Or worse, Eloise. But she couldn’t. They’d always been her authority figures. Essentially one step away from family.
Suddenly she didn’t want to talk about this any more. It was too depressing. The betrayal and the lies. The awful cost of it all.
She leaned against Sylvain’s body and he wrapped his arm around her, enveloping her in his warmth.
‘We’ll find him, Allie,’ he said. ‘Whoever it is. We will find him.’
His lips were very close to hers now. She held her breath in anticipation of the kiss. Instead, he turned her around until her back rested against his torso.
‘For now, though,’ he whispered the words in her ear and his breath tickled her deliciously, ‘we have this.’
He pointed up. Allie followed the line of his hand.
The universe gleamed above them.
‘Oh …’ she breathed. ‘It’s so beautiful.’
With no moon to outshine them, the stars filled the sky with an unbelievable brightness.
It wasn’t dark at all.
She leaned back to see better; he tightened his arms around her waist, securing her. He was so close she could feel his muscles move. When he breathed, his breath stirred her hair.
‘They say it takes so long for light to travel that the glow we see when we look at the stars happened millions of years ago,’ he whispered. ‘Looking at the sky is like looking back in time. Many of these stars are dead now. Burned out.’
The thought sent a melancholy shiver through her.
‘That’s sad,’ she said. ‘It makes me feel so … temporary.’
‘Everything is temporary,’ he said into her hair. ‘Even the stars don’t last.’
His fingers traced light patterns on her forearm. The delicate, swishing movements were maddening. He was touching only her arm but she could feel that touch in her stomach.
‘I don’t want to be temporary …’ she whispered.
Then his arms were around her pulling her close and they were kissing with all the stars spinning above them.
His lips were firm against hers at first, demanding. But when she tangled her arms around his neck he grew gentler. Teasing her lips with his until she parted her lips to him with a gasping breath.
His hands ran down her spine, flattening against the small of her back, pressing her harder against him. As she pulled his head down to hers to deepen the kiss, his fingers found the hem of her top and slid underneath it.
Now his hands were warm against her skin. Curious. Stroking up her spine and down again until she found it hard to breathe.
His lips traced a line of heat across her cheek and down along her jawline. Allie leaned back in his arms, letting him support her weight entirely as he planted delicate, butterfly kisses on her throat.
The necklace he’d given her – the lock and key – hung around her neck. He picked it up with a light touch.
‘I’m glad you’re wearing it,’ he said.
‘I love it,’ she whispered, breathless.
He pulled her back to him, wrapping her in his arms. He held her tight – so tight she could feel the hammering of his heart. With her secured like that, he lowered his body down to the roof tiles, bringing her with him, until he lay flat on his back with Allie on top of him.
She looked down at his face. In the starlight his skin appeared incandescent – like it was illuminated from the inside. His blue eyes sparkled like sapphires.
They were both short of breath by now. They’d kissed before but this was different and they both knew it. Everything was more i
ntense. They were completely alone up here. They could do anything they wanted.
There was no one around to stop them.
Allie’s heart raced. Reaching down she traced the lines of his cheekbones with her fingertips. The straight cut of his jaw. His full lips parted at her touch and she traced them, too.
‘Allie, I love you.’
All of Allie’s breath seemed to leave her. She looked at him in shock.
‘Sylvain …’ she whispered. She knew what she was meant to say now.
I love you, too.
Only she couldn’t say it.
She wanted to. But her lips wouldn’t form the words.
The moment hung there, half finished.
‘From the moment I met you,’ he whispered, breaking the silence. ‘From the moment you sat down at the table that night and looked at me with those eyes … You were so full of fire. So full of honesty. I didn’t want anyone in my life. But I needed you.’
Allie’s heart hurt. She knew this – she’d always known. And she cared about him, too. Very much. They’d fought back from a dark place together. Forged something quite wonderful out of it.
So why couldn’t she say it back? What was the matter with her? He was beautiful. He was perfect.
Confusion roiled within her but there was no time to think about it before they were kissing again.
He was more passionate now. His hands stroked her body, touching her everywhere. Her hips. Her stomach. Nobody had ever touched her like this but she wanted him to. She wanted to be wanted.
Then he reached for the edge of her top and started to lift it.
Her body tightened.
Instantly, he stopped; searching her face with his eyes. ‘Tell me.’
Flushing, Allie dropped her gaze. ‘It’s just. I’ve never …’
‘I know,’ he said gently.
Somehow this made her feel worse. She scrambled up until she was sitting, facing him.
How did he know? Was it written on her face?
She was mortified.
She knew he was more experienced than her. She could just tell. Sylvain was the first boy she’d ever properly kissed. Then there had been Carter. Things had gone a little further with him but not much.
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