Chapter 336

Jesse feels the change in the room almost immediately and turns towards the rest of the group. “Yeah, Rafe beat me in the end,” he says with a wide smile, breaking into the silence and carrying on as if nothing happened. He doesn’t dropping his hand from its place on Daphne’s back but certainly not staring at her anymore like she’s the only person in the room – perhaps on earth.

“He had my help,” Luca says with a proud smirk, shutting the door behind him and striding happily to the center of the room.

“I mean, if I had simply had command from the start –“ Jesse says, sending Jackson a wicked grin.

I look anxiously between my brother and my cousin, seeing the question on Rafe’s face as he starts to put together the start of what I’ve known for a long time.

“Oh, you’re lucky I gave it to you at all,” Jacks calls, grinning at Jesse as the cheerful vibe returns to the room. I grin a little as I turn my face to Jackson, because it’s clear to me that he’s completely oblivious to the Daphne drama. Rafe roughly shakes his head like he’s trying to clear it, as Daphne moves away from Jesse and takes her spot on the couch next to me. He blinks hard like he’s not sure if he believes what he just saw.

“And what other choice did you have?” Jesse asks, putting his hands on his hips as everyone else settles into the room. Luca comes to me immediately and I reach out for his hand, squeezing it as he drops a kiss to my cheek and then settles on the floor at my feet.

A very tiny growl grumbles in Jackson’s chest but I put a hand on his knee and he settles, taking a deep breath and shoving down his newly intensified instincts regarding his mate.

“The other choice would have been me!” Tony says with a happy grin, leaning back on his palms as he sits next to Ben across from me, the coffee table between us. “Though honestly, I was perfectly happy messing around with the drone and the sniper rifle Ari left me.” He turns to me with a wink. “Thanks for that, babe.”

Luca growls this time and I can’t help but laugh.

“Any time, Tones.” I say, wrinkling my nose at him.

The dumbwaiter bell rings and Jesse moves off to fetch our dinner as the rest of the group happily chats. My stomach growls audibly as I turn towards the dumbwaiter – we didn’t have lunch, after all, and it’s been a long and busy day since breakfast. The mood is very cheerful in the room as we all eat the cheeseburgers and fries that the kitchen sent up, everyone filling me in on the results of the games.

Apparently, once Jesse quite ably took control of Jackson’s abandoned team, Ben brokered a deal between my brother and my cousin so that Jesse and Rafe took Wright’s entire team out together. Then, they went head-to-head in a bloody – or at least paint-y – battle that lasted most of the day. Halfway through the story the results arrive, slipped under our door, and we spend a great deal of time pouring over them and fussing over our victors.

To my distinct pleasure, Tony took top kills again – and this time he wasn’t disqualified. Luca and Jesse likewise distinguished themselves, though Rafe took the crowning champion spot now that he has two Games wins under his belt.

Jackson, Blythe and I are listed at the bottom of the page with little to distinguish us, except two stars next to my name that indicate I killed two team leaders, alongside DQFF. I grin to see the stars, knowing that it probably killed the Captain to give them to me since I earned them in direct rejection of his order that I play the game as assigned.

“Honestly it was a little unfair,” Rafe says, turning his eyes towards me, smiling happily now that he’s put the Daphne business out of his mind. “It was supposed to be four teams. When Jesse and I ganged up on Wright, it was a pretty easy business.”

“Yeah well,” I say with a happy sigh, stretching my arms above my head. “Sometimes a girl just needs a day off.”

“Seriously, Ari,” Ben says, raising an eyebrow at me. “What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was jealous of Tony,” I say with a smirk, making my grey-eyed friend burst into a grin. “He can’t be the only flashy wild card in the Games. I like to keep people on their toes too.”

“Yeah, but you’re just a copy cat,” my friend says, grinning at me. “I’ll always be the progenitor of the plan to toss a grenade into my own team and then go home to chill.”

“I live in constant awe of your devious mind, Tony,” I say, laughing and giving him a little bow. “I take no credit for originality.”

He grins at me and nods and I laugh, loving that we have this connection.

“Seriously, though,” Luca says, frowning up at me. “What the hell happened? Jesse told us you just showed up, shot Jacks, and left.”

I don’t miss the subtle jealousy in his voice.

“Yeah well,” I say with a happy sigh. “I needed to send a message.”

“Which was?” Rafe asks, raising an eyebrow at me, not so delighted with my performance as everyone else. “Seriously, Ariel, the Captain’s not going to be happy. You’re going to be in deep shit about this – way deeper than he was.” My brother points at Tony here.

“Did you get in trouble?” I ask, blinking at Tony in surprise.

“Demerits,” he says with a shrug, like it can’t possibly matter to him. “Restriction to my room until further notice. That sort of shit.”

I frown. “But I…just saw you in Newtown…”

“What the Captain does not know,” Tony says, “does not hurt him.” He presses a sincere hand to his heart – one that is immediately betrayed by his wicked grin.

I laugh, opening my mouth to ask more, but Rafe interrupts.

“I’m serious, Ariel,” he says, his face looking a great deal like dad’s as I turn my head to him in surprise. “What’s your plan here, trouble? It’s one thing to throw a grenade into the Games just to throw everyone off – but have you thought about the fallout to this?”

“Of course I have, Rafe,” I say, frowning at him, not liking how much he’s underestimating me here. “Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid and did this just because I’m mad.”

“But then why –“

Almost precisely as if I timed it this way, a hard knock comes at the door. Rafe goes quiet as we all turn towards it.

“That will be for me,” I say with a sigh, standing up and smoothing my hands down over my uniform before starting off for it.

“Ari,” Rafe says, standing up and starting along with me.

But I turn back to him as I reach the door, putting a hand out towards my brother. He goes still. “My grenade, Rafe,” I say quietly. “My fallout. I’ll handle this.”

I turn back to the door and pull it open. As I turn my face up to the Captain’s glowering one, I unconsciously press my thumb against the mini mark that Jackson gave me this afternoon, wanting this tiny support even if I’m pretending to be all brave and stoic and alone on this. A warm pulse of support comes down my bond with Jackson and I wrap it around my heart, letting it bolster me.

“Cadet Clark,” the Captain says, glaring down hard at me. “Would you like to join me in my office?”

“No thank you, sir,” I say quietly, quite calm, folding my hands behind my back and looking up at him as evenly as I can.

He goes immediately beet red with rage.

“Please, sir,” I say, stepping back and nodding towards the rest of the room. “This involves more than just me. There are several here who are necessary to this conversation.”

“This conversation is regarding your insubordination and your possible expulsion.”

“Yes, sir,” I say quietly, still holding my ground. “Amongst other things.”

His mouth falls open a little bit as he sees me refuse to collapse to his will. “You will come downstairs, Cadet, or you will be expelled from this Academy.”

“With all due respect, sir,” I say quietly. “I am not leaving this room before we have this conversation in the presence of all of these people.”

“Really,” the Captain says, sneering down at me and glancing over at the group assembled in the room. “You risk expulsion because all of these people need to be present for this conversation? Including the Academy’s youngest tailor?”

I grimace a little, realizing I may have made a mistake there – and as I glance at Daphne and see the way she shrinks a little against the couch I realize that she’s probably not supposed to be here.

But. What’s done is done.

“Yes,” I say, boldly raising my chin. “I stand by my statement. All of them.”

“Well, Cadet,” the Captain growls. “If you refuse to come downstairs, then I am forced to inform you here and now that I will be journeying down there myself to process your expulsion paperwork. For insubordination and blatant defiance of orders.”

“You’ll regret that,” I say quietly, still meeting his eyes. “In expelling me you’ll cost this military the strongest weapon it has. Something that could actually turn this war around.”

The Captain blinks at me, shocked and confused. But then his anger retakes possession of his will. “Your actions have been deliberately insubordinate, Cadet,” he growls. “You were ordered to play in the Games as drafted and you made a mockery of the exercise, intentionally disrupting other Cadets’ educational training. While you were a fine military candidate, your arrogance and willful determination to have your way at the expense of your fellow Cadets mark you as a danger to the future of the nation’s military.” He leans closer now, anger boiling in him as he says his final words through his teeth. “Not it’s savior. And for that, you will be expelled.”

I nod, hearing every word he says. When the Captain straightens I loose a long breath, keeping a tight hold of my wolf’s fur between my mental fingers, not letting my temper slip for a moment.

“All right, sir.” I say, nodding once. “Are you finished?”

He pauses for a moment, studying my face. “I am.”

“Good.” I take a deep breath and straighten my shoulders. “Then let me begin.”