CHAPTER 27

Two months into my training, I was apparently ready to go out on my first night shift patrol. To say I was shitting myself was an understatement. I thought they were absolutely bat-shit crazy to let an amateur like myself go on patrol. But hey, I didn't make the rules. If these morons thought I was ready, I guess I was ready.

Apparently completing that insane obstacle course in the gym was enough of a test to prove you could handle yourself out in the real world, fighting God knows what. They used the course as a hurdle that needed to be passed before you could start patrolling. It had taken me about eight attempts to get through the whole thing. It took an unbelieve amount of coordination, strength, agility and strategizing to get through the trapezes, platforms, rope bridges and bars—and that was at the easy level. Turns out there were different courses up there, all targeting different levels. I struggled to pass the first. Luckily for me I had an amazing teacher: Billie.

That girl was like a parkour god. She flung herself from things with so much dexterity. Before this, I always thought ninjas were a myth, but now I wasn't so sure. There was so much technique to the way you needed to bend your arms or kick your feet that I would never remember any of it if I needed it in battle. But I passed in training.

Billie spent tiresome mornings waking up with Griff and I to make sure I got it right. At first, my strength was the main issue. That and my fear. The thought of falling caused me so much trepidation that my body would lock up when I got up to the platform. I had to be coached into letting go of that concern by falling … over and over again. Through demonstration and repetition, I learned that the net would catch me.

Not like that would ever be the case in the real world, but hey, I doubt I'd need it out there, right?

If I had anything to do with it, I'd be staying on the floor at all costs.

From there, we worked on strength. Honing in on that hidden power Griff was training me to master. We started off easy, practising with the ropes and rock climbing wall on the ground level during my routine sessions with him. Between all the falling and catching and touching, it was still extremely hard to concentrate. Although nothing had progressed further between us, likely due to my avoidance of the topic, you could cut that tension with a silver-coated knife. He still continued to make subtle, and not-so-subtle, remarks and I continued to fuel them, loving the attention he was giving me and the energy between us. Luckily, I had a goal in mind which kept me somewhat in check and prevented me from jumping on my coach and wholly giving into the temptation. Once they had both approved my progress, we took it back to the rope jungle above and I was able to keep myself on it at the very least.

Finally, it was a matter of timing, making sure I knew when to release at the right moment. I had been told there was a neat trick about sixth sense I was yet to master that would come in handy. But until then, I had to rely on skill. After watching Billie and Griffin do the whole thing over for what felt like the millionth time, I picked up their technique. I would not say I did it even half as gracefully as Billie or with as much finesse as Griff. But I somewhat figured out the timing and did it nonetheless.

That led us to now; sitting in the back of a jeep alone with Griffin.

We had stopped off at a few prime locations for wolf sightings throughout the night, mostly along the outskirts of the city. The wolves tended to avoid heavily populated areas for good reason and generally stayed out of the boroughs unless they found a quiet, shady neighbourhood they could lay low in and hunt without consequences.

As we took turns heading out with our weapons to scout the area, each of them was clear. There were four of us in this patrol car: Carter, Griffin, Kitana and myself. Another few convoys took to other areas in the city.

Unfortunately, Billie's skill set of being extra athletic and nimble meant she was needed in another zone, often taking to the buildings and rooftops. That girl was so agile, I could totally picture her flinging from roof to roof, parkour-style like Black Cat.

Although it was the one time she was separate from the rest of her friends, it was obvious that she loved the adrenaline of the skyline patrol.

If there was any bright side to patrolling, it was that I got to be in a team with these guys. Before this, there would be a few nights every month where they would all disappear and I would struggle to keep the loneliness from creeping up on me as I attempted to find ways to entertain myself. There were a few other recruits that I had become friendly with but there would still always be times I'd be on my own. While it was probably good to have some alone time and not rely on everyone, it made the academy feel colder—more hostile—when you were alone. And since multiple groups would go out, it was eerily quiet in the compound. That's when the intrusive thoughts would trespass in the echoing hallways of my mind.

On our last stop for the night, Carter and Kit volunteered to do a round, leaving us alone in the car. Sometimes they were not so subtle about wanting us to hook up.

Griffin unbuckled his belt and holding the front seats, he flung his legs over to climb into the back with me. I swear everything this guy did looked like it took zero effort, even with his height and size. He was the definition of dexterous.

"So. Tell me, Cosmo."

"Tell you what, Wanda?" I grinned while he shot me a dirty look. "What?" I feigned innocence. "Only you can call me nicknames?"

He ignored me but continued with his line of questioning.

"What did you think was going to come from your relationship with the mutt? Didn't you know their kind have mates?"

"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "He always said he'd choose me instead."

"So he was going to reject her then?"

"I guess we never really thought that far ahead." I stared blankly out the window. "Maybe we hoped he'd never find her." The rain outside was falling heavy, creating little glistening tears that trickled down the glass. I followed them with my finger. "What about hunters, do we have mates?"

"We have soul flames."

I turned to him. "Soul flames?" I repeated.

"Deep soul connections with multiple people. We recognise them within ourselves like a flame that goes alight. Some burn brighter than others. If we choose to be with one of them, our souls tie together and become bonded. A part of you will always live within them—be attached to them. You make each other stronger and become in-sync as your intuitions align to make the ultimate hunting unit. But unlike with the wolves, there's no crazy fate involved or heart-wrenching, physically painful rejections because there's numerous options." He took in my shocked expression and chuckled.

"That sounds intense," I exhaled. "What's your opinion on it?"

"Well, I think it's a lot cooler than just having a mate." He said the word with disgust. "But, that shit sounds like a lot of fucking commitment. I'm just glad we get a choice though. A choice of who and a choice of following it at all. It's not some predetermined, against all odds bullshit. You're not blinded by them and the bond before you make that decision. You have control. And a sane mind. You need to choose to spend your life with that person. To tie yourself to them. You have to want to."

"I guess that does make it more special in a way," I whispered.

"You know, I'm not opposed to being a rebound. I could help you forget all about him, help you move on." He moved closer to me. I didn't make any attempts to stop him.

"So I've heard." With the car so quiet, I was sure he'd hear the obnoxiously loud beating of my heart or the shift in my breathing as it became shallower.

His lips grazed against mine, so light I didn't know if I was imagining them actually touching. Maybe they weren't. But they lingered there, hovering just out of reach as his hand explored my leg. This was the most ballsy he'd gotten since our dancing at the club and I wondered what had changed. Was he just tired of waiting or was there just something about being out of the compound and in a car together at night? Maybe it was all the talk about mates and soul flames and choosing who you wanted. Either way, our relationship was changing. We were only getting closer and closer with all the proximity and time spent together. It was only a matter of time before we gave in. I tried to ignore the warm sensation that pulsed underneath his hand. His other one found its way to the base of my top, tracing the edge of the material.

The door suddenly flung open and we jumped apart.

Well, I jumped. I'm sure Griff heard them coming and would have loved the audience.

"It's all clear," Kitana announced, clearing her throat. She gave me a cheeky wink as she noticed our compromising position. She looked to Griff who didn't seem shy at all. If anything, he may have been slightly annoyed that we were interrupted, giving her a playful glare that morphed into a devilish smirk which she returned with a wide grin.

"Not so sure it's all clear in here," Carter teased as he slid into the driver's seat. My response was a simpering, embarrassed smile. Griff didn't make any moves to return back to his original spot in the front, his smirk only widening at his friend's comment, so Kit took the seat he gave up, settling in beside Carter in the front.

This was the last stop we had for the night, so with the all clear it was time to head back to the compound. Griff's hand remained where it was on my thigh as we drove back in the early hours of the morning. And as our friends drifted off into conversation, I tried to listen and offer some input while the ridiculously sexy guy next to me continued to stroke my thigh, talking to the others as if nothing was going on while he occasionally looked my way to see the blush spread across my cheeks.

When we arrived back and headed for bed, he pulled me aside at the stairs in the Chill. Carter and Kitana continued on up. The other patrols had beat us back and would have already gone to bed. The gym we had just come through was starting to fill up with all the other warriors that were getting ready for morning training, but luckily we'd be dismissed for the rest of the day, catching up on sleep to prepare us to go out again tonight. It was a requirement that every one of us do a week of night patrol once a month. So there was a long week ahead of us. But at least I knew how it all went now.

Tucking us behind the steps so we were slightly more alone, he pulled me in close to him, still holding my wrist to keep me in place. My heart was beating a million miles per minute. His other hand found my waist. His face came down to mine and he ran his nose along my ear and down my neck. His fingers left my wrist, pushing the hair back from my face and tucking it gently behind my ear to give himself more access.

"That was fun," he whispered seductively against the shell of my ear. "Until we were interrupted." His soft lips brushed against my skin ever so slightly. It was driving my body insane. So much so that I momentarily lost the ability to speak, so instead I mumbled some sort of agreement.

He laughed huskily against my neck before giving it a gentle kiss. My body temperature was rapidly rising and I didn't know what to do about it. With his lips still on my skin, he continued. The words rumbling through me caused butterflies to erupt in their wake. "My offer still stands. If you ever want to take me up on it, just say the word."

He pulled away slightly, putting a slither of space between us so he could smile down at me. The most perfect fucking smile. I bit my lip as our gazes locked.

I was not going to have sex with him.

Who was I kidding, I was definitely having sex with him.I mean look at him. He was so gorgeous it hurt.

Before I could make a move or figure out how to speak again, he lowered his head down and gently kissed the corner of my mouth.

"Sweet dreams, Supernova," he breathed. And then he let go of me and disappeared up the stairs, leaving me alone to catch my breath. I leaned against the wall beside the steps, using it to support my weight as I tried to decipher what had just happened and bring myself back down to reality.

When conscious thought returned back to me, I eventually lugged myself up the steps. Kit was sitting up in bed expectantly when I arrived. She looked me over with a knowing smile. I didn't so much as glance at her, knowing I'd spill everything when what I really needed was sleep and to replay it over and over in my head—to savour the moment for myself.

"What was all that about?" I didn't need to see her to imagine her curious but pleased expression.

"Nothing." I bit my lip in nervous excitement, the response too fast to be anything casual.

"You good?"

"Yep. Perfectly fine," I swiftly replied as I walked past her to my bed and got straight under my covers.

"Alrighty," she purred.

I was anything but fine. I was falling for the guy. My head was a mess and my heart was probably in an even worse state. And by the burning in my body, that fire that Griffin ignited in me, I wondered if he could be one of my soul flames. But he had basically just told me that he thought they were too much commitment. So I guess that answered if we could ever be something more.

Either way, he was still offering part of himself to me. Now I needed to decide if I was ready and if I could handle having him casually. At this point, if I was being honest, there was no going back. I needed him and I needed more. The little tastes I'd been getting just weren't enough. I might not get to experience that bond with him but maybe the soul flame—if that's what those sparks were—would make it the best sex I would ever have.