He ripped a ball of Flame across the gym, hitting the target dead center.
“Nice, Patcher,” Ms. Ceylon said. “Harkly, your turn. Just aim for the center like Reese.”
I really didn’t like her right then. I held out my hand, shaking a little. God, why did he have to be such a showoff? He knew I couldn’t blast that stupid target. I mean, I could, but then I’d risk releasing too much energy. Probably even blast the target to shreds. I quivered with restraint as I released a bolt. It skipped along the mat and crashed into the wall.
Ms. Ceylon blew her whistle. “Nice try, Harkly. But no one’s beat Patcher yet. Keep practicing.”
I glared at Reese, and he craned an eyebrow, a smug expression plastered on his face. So what if he showed me up here? What did that prove? I doubted he could beat me if no one else was around. No, that wasn’t true. I’d never gotten to spar with him. But he knew I couldn’t take him on in front of everyone. Punk.
He sauntered his cocky self off the mat over to the Shythe girl, and my insides flamed. I blew out a deep, cleansing breath and took a seat on the bench for the rest of the block.
After power training let out, Lana and I hurried to our room to get changed. She wanted desperately for me to dress up with her and wear one of her corsets, and I finally conceded—picking out a light pink one with lace trim. It was way too perky for my sulk, but maybe it would make me seem less downhearted.
We met Jace and Nick in the back of the Academy, where we were allowed to store our vehicles, and I rode with Jace to the club.
Once we were in Cogs, Lana ran up to Devon and jumped into his arms. Yeah, she was definitely getting serious about him. They fit together so well it made my heart ache, missing that feeling for myself, although I was truly happy for her.
Glancing away from them, I studied the lighting system above my head, looking at it differently now that I understood—somewhat—how it worked. Jace came up beside me.
“Come on,” he said, taking my hand. “Let’s dance.”
I looked around, expecting to see Reese, but he was MIA. I laced my fingers through Jace’s, trying not to feel guilty. It was apparently—at least for Reese—over between us. I needed to move on. I wasn’t using Jace as the rebound guy, he deserved better, but I was confused about how to behave around him. I hoped he’d discover he’d been wrong about his feelings for me and that soon things would go back to normal between us.
I finally nodded. “All right.” Then I allowed him to lead me to the floor where Lana and Devon were dancing.
Almost a week ago, Jace had held me the same way he did now, and my world had shattered. My stomach knotted as he drew me closer. I tried to shove my unease away—telling myself I had no reason to feel ashamed—and wrapped my arms around him tighter.
We swayed to the slow music. An orchestra of violins and guitars engulfed us as steam swirled. I attempted to lose myself in the warmth of his embrace. I felt comfortable in his arms, protected. But just like the night of my birthday celebration, dancing with him felt off, strange, and like something was missing.
Jace pressed his lips to my forehead, leaving them there as he cradled me to his chest. He smelled like wind and ocean, with a hint of something sweet that was only Jace. His head pulled back, and I looked into his eyes as he moved closer. I panicked. Could I kiss him again? I wanted to. I wanted to kiss him freely this time, without Reese between us, and discover if I could feel for him what he felt for me.
But before our lips touched, someone interrupted our trance. A Narco stood beside Jace, one that I’d seen at the Academy. “Can I cut in?” he asked, lifting his brow.
Jace squinted at him, then looked to me. I shrugged. “I don’t mind,” I said, disappointed and a little relieved at the same time. I hadn’t been sure if I could actually follow throu
gh with the kiss.
“Yeah, that’s fine, man,” Jace told the Narco. “But she’s mine for the rest of the night.” He made his statement clear by kissing me on the cheek before walking away.
I smiled to myself, thinking Jace had come a long way if he was levelheaded enough to allow a Narco to dance with me rather than picking a fight in the middle of Cogs. Maybe he was accepting that we could live in peace, after all. Or maybe he was trying to prove something to me. Either way, I was relieved.
The Narco nodded his head once to me, and I moved closer, allowing him to take me in his arms. He was taller than Jace and even Reese, so I felt awkward with my head pressed against his chest. But he was being gentlemanly, keeping his hands along my back. I guess he just wants to dance.
Before we could become comfortable with one another, someone else near us asked to cut in. Are you joking? Lana’s pink corset must have made me look like a hot commodity. I backed away, but then froze as Reese took the Narco’s place.
The club suddenly felt ice cold as the blood drained from the top half of my body. His hands hesitantly clasped my waist, but he kept a small distance between us. There was no warmth—no Narco power emanating from him. I urged my heart to calm as I closed the gap, molding my body into his embrace. He took a sharp breath.
Reese kept his head forward, eyes trained on something…other than me. Fine. I swallowed my pride and rested my head against his shoulder. His body stiffened.
My mind reeled, but I had to think of something to say. “How’re you liking the Academy?” Lame. But I was only trying to break the ice shield around him.
He huffed. “It’s all right.” He swayed us back and forth, but didn’t say anything else.
I timidly ran my hands along his back, reveling in the feel of his muscles beneath his leather jacket. I squeezed my eyes shut. “Reese…”
“Don’t.” He drew away from me a little.
“Then why are you dancing with me?” I looked into his eyes. They were still focused away from me.