Chapter 289

I squeal – just a tiny bit – with excitement when I wake up in the morning, pressing my hands to Jackson’s chest and sitting up, looking over at Rafe and Jesse’s bed through the still-open curtain.

“Is it time?” I ask, gleeful. “Can we go? Did the weapons come? Did they deliver my paintball rifle?”

“No, it’s not Midwinter for gun nuts, Ariel,” Rafe murmurs in his bed, blearily rubbing his eye, clearly not as awake and excited as me. “They don’t bring the weapons to our room – obviously, they’ll deliver them to the field.”

“Oh,” I say, slumping a little in my disappointment. “Well, that’s okay, I’ll –“

But before I can further lay out my plans, Jackson’s big arm sweeps up, knocking me down off his chest and into a pile of pillows. “No magic energy for you today,” he groans, turning over and burying his face into the blankets. “You’re already too awake. And too chipper.”

“Jacks!” I gasp, laughing, too cheerful and excited to be offended, sitting up again and pouncing on him, smacking at his arms and chest. “Get up! Time for Games! We have to go!”

“I reject you,” he mutters as he covers his face with his arms, “I reject our bond – I reject the love that was once between us –“

I laugh, smacking him again and crawling over him, feeling his love and adoration for me flowing steadily down the bond even if I am annoying the crap out of him right now. I hop to my feet as Jesse likewise glares at me from beneath his blankets. “Oh, would you all cheer up!?” I call, skipping off to the bathroom. “This is going to be a great day! We’re going to have so much fun! I’m going to shoot everyone!”

As I dart into the bathroom, the dumbwaiter bell rings, confirming that I’m right and that it is time to get going.

Fifteen minutes later, when we’re all dressed and standing around in a circle hastily eating the breakfast sandwiches that came up for us, Jackson passes us each a good dose of energy through our bond.

“Do you think this is cheating?” I ask, turning my head to the side as I hold one hand in Jackson’s and the other in Jesse’s, watching with a bit of delight as a shudder flows through my cousin when the energy hits. I can basically see his hair standing on end.

“No rules against using magic,” Rafe says around his final bite of breakfast, kneeling down to tie his boots. “Though our team’s got the lion’s share of it, which is probably unfair. Keep an eye out for Tony skulking around near bodies of water.”

I grin, thinking of Tony emerging from the water like a swamp creature. “Are there lakes?” I ask, curious.

“We’re not supposed to tell you,” Jackson says, smirking at me as Jesse drops my hand when he’s all filled up with energy, moving over to his bed to find his own cap and pull it onto his head. I offer Jacks the last bit of my sandwich, knowing he needs more calories than the rest of us, but he just shakes his head and lifts his chin at me, indicating that I can eat it.

“You should tell me, though,” I say, stepping close to him and grinning up into his face. “Because I’m pretty.”

“Then yes, there’s a river,” Jackson says, grinning down at me and cupping my cheek in his palm. “We’re going to be in a sort of crevasse or a ravine with –“

“Jacks!” Rafe scolds, swatting at Jackson’s leg as he stands up. “You’re breaking the rules.”

“I can’t help it,” Jacks says, gathering me close to his chest and grinning at Rafe, laughter in his eyes. “She’s…really pretty.”

I wind my arms around my mate’s waist and turn my face up towards my brother, giving him a smug smile.

“All right, whatever,” Rafe says, laughing and whipping a hand out to knock the brim of my cap sideways, making me laugh. “Let’s move out, troops!”

Jesse, newly energized, gives a happy whoop and together the four of us head for the door and downstairs. I eat what’s left of my sandwich on the way, so incredibly excited that I don’t know how I’m going to keep it down.

We gather with the rest of the cadets in our year on the lawn in front of the candidate barracks, where eight rather gigantic helicopters wait. Rafe and Jackson immediately go into command mode and I stand next to Jesse, watching them with wide eyes as they call our team together, barking out orders for how to load up the helicopters and get everyone organized.

“Holy crap,” I whisper, watching the efficiency with which they work, the ease with which they assume command. “They’re like…good at this.”

“I know, it’s gross,” Jesse says, slumping next to me with his arms crossed, doing his best to live up to his worthless and profligate reputation.

I grin, nudging him with my elbow. “You’re probably good at it too.”

“Yes,” he says, turning bored eyes my way, “but unlike the rest of you, I choose not to live up to my potential.”

I burst out laughing and give Jesse a shove before Rafe barks at us to make ourselves useful and help carry some of the supplies onto the chopper, whose blades are starting to turn. We hop to it, but even as we do I look around at the other teams, easily spotting Luca’s tall form across the field. I send a pulse down our bond and he instantly looks up, his eyes finding me with satisfying speed.

Luca grins at me, and I think I see a wink as I wave hello to him. But then Rafe is next to me, sighing and grabbing my arm, hauling me forward and scolding me for fraternizing with the enemy. I laugh, climbing onto the chopper and telling him to unhand me. After all, that’s my sniping arm and it can’t risk being damaged.

We’re in the air remarkably fast after that, with me buckled into a seat pressed between Jesse and Jacks, Rafe sitting on the other end of the helicopter chatting with three other warrior Cadets for whom he has a special mission. The other half of our team – five more students – are on the other helicopter and are going to meet us there.

I can barely contain my excitement, practically vibrating with it.

My eyes moving to the hard-shell cases strapped to the center of the helicopter that I know contain our allotted supplies which – I was surprised to discover – Rafe and Jackson also had to negotiate for, picking and choosing which weapons to equip for their team.

“Is it in there?” I whisper, leaning over to Jackson, desperate to know.

He laughs, looking down at me with real pleasure. “Of course it is. Why are you so obsessed?”

“I’m just really excited.”

I grin, my eyes moving over the boxes, but I sit up straight when I see one of the warriors with whom Rafe is speaking looking over at the three of us, frowning with his eyes trained on me.

“Is there a problem, Miller?” Jackson says, leaning towards the Cadet under his command, his movements slow and dangerous like a lion that’s spotted a threat to his pack. My eyes go wide as I watch Jackson put himself between me and this man who’s frowning at me, reminded again that my mate – who is so sweet and gentle with me – is, in reality, no one to be messed with.

“I just…don’t fucking get it, McClintock,” Miller says, casting a hand out towards me as he locks eyes with Jacks.

“It’s Commander, in this situation,” Jackson says, his voice dropping lower. “And luckily, no one asked you whether or not you ‘get it.’”

“Look,” Miller snaps, pushing his luck a bit. “I just know we sacrificed a lot of resources in order to get this…shrimp on our team. And I know he’s in with your crew or whatever, but it doesn’t seem wise to have –“

“Enough,” Jackson says, the Alpha command rumbling low in his voice.

Miller sits up straight, his mouth snapping shut as everyone in the helicopter realizes what’s happening and turns towards Jacks and – consequently – to me.

“Not that Commander Sinclair and I need to explain our logic,” Jackson says, looking around and meeting everyone’s eyes individually. “But our reasoning for making such a heavy bid for Cadet Clark will make itself abundantly clear when you see what he can do.”

I blush a little bit, even if I feel smug at Jackson’s words. But I lift my chin and look around at everyone else in the helicopter, hoping with sudden desperation that I can live up to my mate’s faith.

Don’t worry, Jackson says directly into my mind, snapping my attention up to him. You can.

A smile breaks onto my face, and I nod once as the helicopter tips, starting to head down.

“All right,” Rafe says, drawing all attention to him. “Get ready, troops. The moment we land? We’re at war.”

Jesse nudges me with his shoulder and I turn to see him smiling as big as I am, equally excited. “You ready to kick ass, baby trouble?” he asks, holding a fist out to me.

I ball my own fist and bump it against his. “Oh yes, your Grace.” I say, beaming at my cousin. “I sure as hell am.”