“Here is where we’re heading, and here is where we’ll go in,” Verynai pointed to a series of prints and maps and Jackson had to concentrate to keep up, taking down notes that he hoped he’d be able to decipher later. “Normally, we wouldn’t deal with all this paper crap, but it is easier for you to be able to keep this for future reference. I miss my iPad.” he joked solemnly.
This was all so new. They had done nothing like this in class. Up until now, everything had been combat based, working on their physical strength and technique. Or researching into the past of the Sons, or the past actions of the Mortuorum. Nothing like this.
Jackson was fascinated. This felt right.
He felt the warrior he was about to become.
Chapter Twenty-Five.
The night seemed to go on and on and Jackson needed to clear his head. There was no way that he was going to be able to sleep tonight with all the information and instructions that had been thrust at him still churning around his mind. Weapons check list, official Sons of Satrina uniform to be pressed, essay to be written for Master Warrior Kelton, not to mention the nerves and excitement that were buzzing around the edges of his brain. It was almost too much to contain.
Sitting on the bed, drumming his fingers on the edge of his desk, Jackson suddenly jumped up. Sitting still was driving him CRAZY. Music couldn’t distract him. Reading was an impossibility. He had to get out of there, shake some of this nervous energy off or he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep and he’d blow his chance at the field combat.
Walking out of his room, the halls were buzzing with trainees speaking to the few who had been selected, grilling them for information as to what they were to expect when they were lucky enough to get out there in the big, bad world. Jackson didn’t want to hang around. He knew that if he got chatting with the other guys, he would be in danger of exploding. He also knew that there was no point in heading down to the gym to work off some of this nervous energy as the place would be packed. He needed quiet.
Rounding the corner and heading out over toward the main reception area. The only place Jackson could think of going was out to the gardens. He was hoping that the place would be deserted, seeing as the night had grown more than a little chill with the threat of snow lingering in the air. Everyone seemed to be huddling up in the warmth indoors, so he was hoping to strike lucky.
Pushing through the heavy double glass doors, the icy air hit him like a thousand tiny needles stabbing at his exposed skin. He crossed the grass quickly toward the gnarly old wooden bench and just as he was about to sit, Jackson saw movement out of the corner of his eye and swung around.
Aisline was stood with her back to him, staring out at the glittering sky line. Her dark hair wavered in the sight breeze. Jackson could tell from the way her shoulders tensed that she knew she was being watched, but he couldn’t turn away from her. Watching as she slowly turned to glance over her shoulder, her eyes shone when she spotted that it was him and she grinned, heading over to where he was stood awkwardly by the bench.
“Hey.” he said.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
“Just clearing my head.”
Aisline chuckled and looked back out over at the horizon, “I know what you mean. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
Crazy was just one of the words he’d use to describe the situation right now. Sure, that was hitting the nail on the head how he’d felt walking out here, but seeing Aisline had him feeling like someone had his heart in a vice grip and was squeezing the life out of him.
He wasn’t concerned for himself. He was concerned for her. He’d managed to force all thoughts of her to the back of his head while they had been in the field talks, but seeing her again now brought it all back in a rush. Yeah, yeah, he knew she could more than handle herself. After all, she’d planted him firmly on his ass on numerous occasions during training. But. And, it was a bit But. This was real. There was danger out there. And, it wasn’t because she was a girl. She’d proved that she was up to the task, and even better than some of the guys.
It was because it was her.
Jackson tried to peal his eyes from her, and failed. “Yeah, crazy.” he muttered, running a hand over his eyes.
Ash turned to look back at him and smiled. Shit. That smile could kill him. She was so goddamn beautiful, and didn’t seem to know it which only made her all the more appealing.
He’d tried so hard to keep things light, to keep everything on an easy friendship level, but this latest turn in events was threatening to topple him. How could he keep things casual when she was going out there, putting herself in danger? Of course he knew that this would happen eventually, seeing as they were all training toward the same goal, but he thought he would have plenty of time to get his emotions and feeling under control by then. This crush had crept up on him like a constrictor, tightening every time he saw her.
“Are you okay?” She asked. Jackson had just been stood there silently looking at her for several minutes and he looked a little sick.
“Huh? Yeah. Fine.” Jackson shook his head, scrunching his eyes shut and moving away from her. Moving his feet resolutely toward the bench, he sat down heavily and brushed a hand roughly through his short hair.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Suddenly, she was next to him, sitting down on the bench to the left of him, so close that her denim clad thigh brushed his.
He wished that she had just walked away. Out of sight, out of mind. Well, probably not, but at least her presence wouldn’t be a constant reminder. Seeing her there, she looked vulnerable to him. She was half his size for Christ’s sake. They could snap her like a fucking twig.
“Hey, Jax. What is it? Talk to me.” She rested a hand on his arm, and he jumped like he’d received a high voltage electric shock. Her eyes widened in shock. What the hell was wrong with him? She thought to herself. “Jackson?”
Abruptly, he got up from the bench and stepped away from her. How was he going to get out of this? He was freaking out about her safety and he couldn’t hide it. And he couldn’t exactly tell her, could he? Jackson wished that he’d just stayed in his room now. Coming out here had made everything that much worse. How was he supposed to concentrate out there on the streets, when he knew that Ash was out there, too?
Especially when she wasn’t his to protect.
Why, when everything was going so great, did it now feel like it was all FUBAR? Because he’d done the one thing he told himself not to - felt something more for her than friendship. He should have had the sense to keep things simple and see her only as a close friend. But, no. It was more. He couldn’t help it. He felt like slapping himself in the head. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
“Jackson? What the hell’s going on with you?” Aisline’s tone of voice had changed, from concerned to testy. This wasn’t like him at all, and she didn’t like it one bit. They were friends. Hell, he was one of her best friends and he should have been able to talk to her about anything, so why was he turning away from her now? “Are you worried about the going out in the field?” she asked.
Jackson barked out a bitter laugh. “No.” he growled.
“Well, what is it then?”
“Just leave it, okay?”
“No. I won’t. What the hell’s eating you?” Ash got up to stand in front of him, forcing him to face her, which was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
“Please, Ash.” His voice was barely a whisper.
“No. What’s going on?”
Jackson shook his head and looked down at the ground, anything to avoid looking into her eyes. This was frigging ridiculous. He’d had it all under control. Why mess it all up now?
“Jackson? What is it? Is it the field? You know you can do this. You’ve got this. You’ll be fine.”
“But, will you be?” he glanced up to look at her before standing, just as her face changed from sympathetic friend to enraged female Warrior.
“Are you shitting me? You think I can’t handle i
t? What the hell, Jackson?” She roared and abruptly pushed him away, causing him to stumble.
Oh. Crap. This was not going to plan. Not that he’d had any sort of plan, but this definitely wouldn’t have been part of it if he’d had.
“I didn’t mean it like that-” he started to say, but Aisline cut him off.
“Like hell you didn’t. You’re just like the rest of them, thinking that the little girl can’t handle it,” she said, each word laced with venom, “Well, think again. I can do this, probably better than half the guys in there!” she ranted.
Jackson groaned, “Really not what I meant.”
Aisline glared daggers at him, “Well, what the hell did you mean then?” She really hadn’t expected this sort of crap from Jackson. Denver, maybe, but not Jackson. She thought he was someone that she could count on.
“Ash…” he started but couldn’t finish. What was he supposed to say? He couldn’t even get it straight in his own head. How was he supposed to articulate his thoughts to her?
“Jackson?” her voice was demanding, hands planted on her hips defiantly as she glared up at him. He could see the anger swirling in her eyes and suddenly he felt his shoulders relax as the tension left him. He knew it wasn’t funny, but he had the sudden urge to laugh. Any Mortuorum picking on this girl just because they thought she was a harmless little female was definitely be picking on the wrong one. She’d hand them their balls on a platter before they could blink.
“Are you laughing at me?” she demanded, getting more furious by the second, “I don’t know what you think is so funny. I’m not laughing here.”
Before he even knew what he was doing, which was a good job because if he had planned this moment, he knew that he would have chickened out, he leant down, gently holding her face in his hands and brushed his lips across hers. She made an unexpected sound, but she didn’t stop him. Running a hand through her hair, he kissed her slowly, still unsure of his actions, but not unsure enough to stop. Especially when she returned his kiss, snaking her hands around his hips, pulling him closer to her.
This was the best way he could explain to her what he meant. Words just didn’t cut it. Their bodies were locked together, limbs entwined, and he never wanted to let her go. This was the thought that he tried to project to her as he kissed her deeply, walking her backwards until their bodies bumped into the solid brick wall.
The night was no longer chilled. Snow may have started falling, but the heat between them made it feel like a summer’s night. This was the moment they had both been waiting for. The moment they had both put off in the pursuit of their warrior dream. The moment they’d put off in the name of friendship.
Running his hands up the side of her body, he deftly hitched her up and hooked her legs around his waist. Holding the small of her back with one hand, he let the other roam over her warm, smooth skin.
Bending his head, Jackson let his lips roam down the valley of her neck. Aisline moaned and gently bent her head back, letting her hair cascading loosely. This was the act of ultimate trust between them - baring her neck to him. Jackson didn’t take this act lightly and kissed her throat deeply.
Bringing her face back to his, Aisline felt a rush like never before. Jackson. It was unbelievable to think that they hadn’t done this before. Every movement of their bodies were in sync, just like how you read about in those trashy romance novels. But, there was nothing trashy or romantic about the heat that was radiating from the two of them. Heat. Hot. Desperate.
That line had now been crossed. Neither of them wanted to take it back. They were locked in the moment. Jackson’s hand brushed her waist and Aisline moaned seductively.
Kissing him intensely, Aisline nipped at his lower lip, brushing the sensitive flesh with her elongated fangs, a drop of his blood falling to her tongue.
And, then reality hit Jackson like a tonne of bricks. This wasn’t going to make things any better or easier. This new connection would only confuse things further. What the hell was he thinking?
Pulling away from her and roughly setting her back on her feet, he held her at arm’s length and was unable to meet her eyes again. “I can’t….” he muttered before turning and crashing through the glass doors, leaving Aisline staring after him totally dumbstruck, breathless and still wanting.
What the hell was all that about? Why was he running? Finally, they’d pushed through the friendship barrier and he ran before the going got good. Aisline didn’t know what to feel but cold and alone.
Jackson felt like his head was going to spontaneously combust from the pressure. He shouldn’t have kissed her. He shouldn’t have done half of what he had. What the hell was he thinking? It was all going to be so much worse now. If she hadn’t responded, hadn’t kissed him back and pushed him away, it would have been better for him.
Now, he felt more screwed than ever.
Chapter Twenty-Six.
This was it. The time was finally here.
A few nights after being chosen for the first wave of the real world training, Aisline found herself creeping along the side of a building in the dead of night. Blending into the shadows in her full Sons of Satrina warrior uniform, she was at one with the darkness. With her hair tightly bound and wrapped and dressed head to toe in black, she felt like the warrior within her had finally burst forth.
It was bloody freezing. Snow had been forecast and the ground was littered with black ice. It wasn’t the ideal situation for them to be out in the field for the first time, but the hunt didn’t ever take into account the state of the weather.
The dark of night threw ominous shadows stretching in all directions, giving the enemy the opportunity of many hiding places from their wary eyes. Ash was loving every goddamn minute of it. Even though it was only early evening, the winter’s day had quickly given way to the night. The butterflies in her stomach were threatening to burst out of their hiding place at any moment to flutter at the cage of her stomach, she was that nervous. But, it was nerves of excitement. This was what she had been trained for.
She was currently in hot pursuit of the master warriors in their team.
They were out.
They were out in the real world.
Aisline could only think about the here and now. There was no way that she would allow any thought of Jackson or what had happened, or nearly happened, hamper her concentration. A lapse in concentration could equal death in the real world.
So far, they hadn’t come across much, but everything was clearly stored in her mind, ready to make a full report when they got back to the academy. It didn’t matter to her so much that they hadn’t encountered any sign of the enemy yet tonight. Just being out here and working with the other warriors was a thrill in itself. It was the not knowing what could happen, that was the buzz. Anything was possible out here.
Just think, only a few months ago, the only thing on her mind was what she and her friends were planning to do the following weekend, or whether she could sneak out of the house without a lecture from her parents. And now here she was - out from behind her mother’s suffocating apron strings - out hunting the enemy that had plagued them for a lifetime.
It was perfect. She wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything in the world. Sure, she thought that she had been happy enough in her old life, and she had been at the time. But, now she knew that this was the life that she was meant to lead. Danger, intrigue, excitement. She had it all now.
“What a waste of time.” Denver complained. Loudly.
Aisline had had more than enough of him already. He didn’t keep tight with the group. He didn’t keep his mouth shut and he was thoroughly pissing everyone off. Denver was the only glitch in this training exercise, and a major one at that. If only she had been paired with someone who took being a warrior seriously…
Rounding a corner, Master Warrior Dixon halted and turned on Denver, radiating menace from his very pores. “For this assignment, if you don’t pull your finger out of your ass and pick up your game, you’re going to
fail. And I don’t just mean fail this particular assignment. I mean, I will make sure that you are forcibly thrown out of the Sons of Satrina academy on your ass. Are we clear?” he hissed through gritted teeth.
Aisline looked on as Master Warrior Dixon berated Denver, and Dixon was looking like he was going to spontaneously combust with barely concealed rage, while Denver only scowled like a petulant little kid.
“I haven’t done anything.” Denver grumbled.
“That’s the whole bloody point! You’ve done nothing but complain. Cooperation from you has been minimal and we’re more interested in watching your incompetent back than we are in finding what we came out for!”
Even in the strategy meetings that had been spread over the previous nights, Denver had done nothing but nit-pick and argue over how they were supposed to be doing things. He’d argued with the Master Warriors who had conducted jobs like this for decades upon decades. Every time he opened his mouth, he made their hackles rise in annoyance. Denver knew best and no one could argue with him otherwise. The boy had a knack of getting on everyone’s nerves. He had a pompous way about him and he thought he knew it all. He thought that he knew better than anyone else and wasn’t afraid to voice his objections, even when he was talking utter bullshit. But, it was that attitude that could put them all in jeopardy. He wasn’t a team player in the least. It was the Master Warriors who were in charge of this operation, not him, contrary to his own personal opinion.
Ash was pleased that Master Warrior Dixon had called him out on it finally. They had all clearly been biting their tongues, but out here and now, it wasn’t the place for him to act up. It was time to man up and fall into line. She, for one, was sick and tired of hearing his whining voice and was ready to plant him one herself if he didn’t pack it in.
Master Warrior Dixon turned to converse with Master Warrior Merion and the two graduate warriors moved to block and guard Aisline and Denver. The wait didn’t bother her. It was the thrill of the chase that had captured Aisline. They hadn’t come across any Mortuorum yet. Their base had been empty save for a cell phone, which they would hand in to the technicians to see what information they could gleam from it.
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