CHAPTER 21

DORIAN

M y team and I stood back, our worry a tangible vibration in our muscles as we watched the medical staff cart Bromm away on a stretcher. Foryk and their other two teammates – I’d never bothered to remember their names – followed. We would have gone as well, and we’d tried, but only team members were allowed to tag along while they provided medical attention.

One moment we were eating our evening meal, the quiet murmurs of our peers a backdrop to the uneventful experience, and the next Bromm was face-planting in his food and, despite our efforts to rouse him, not waking up.

Markus came through the door from the kitchen to see what the fuss was about and paled when he saw Bromm being carted from the room. He glanced at us, making eye contact with me. A silent conversation of shared concern passed between us in less than a tick before he went back inside the kitchen like the whole thing just wasn’t worth his time.

If I didn’t know he was acting I would’ve believed it.

Colonel Granger came bursting through the doors then in a flurry of activity. She was trailed by a tall, thin, middle-aged man with greying hair and an equally tall but plumper woman in white lab coats, their noses held aloft as if they were superior to us all. And behind them were an entire squadron of masked guards. I never thought I’d get sick of seeing a gas mask, but that was where I was at. They were already dotted around the perimeter of the cafeteria, stationed at the doors and throughout the hallways, and even monitored our dorm room commons and entertainment rooms. We were no longer permitted to use the latter for their intended purpose. They’d been converted into communal study rooms instead.

Fuck, I couldn’t wait to get out of here.

The first thing I was going to do as soon as we were free and clear was call home. I hadn’t been granted a phone call like some of the other cadets, purely because I was a scholarship student and my family were nobodies in the grand scheme of things. Bromm was permitted a call here and there to his parents, but he complained that they were more like ransom calls than check-ins. It hadn’t taken us long to figure out that we were all being held hostage for the compliance of the affluent families who’d sent their sons here to study.

Cadmus was the only one who had any ability to contact his family, which consisted solely of his father. Those conversations were few and far between, but only due to Cad’s lack of desire to speak with the man. Apparently, they didn’t have the best familial relationship – or any relationship for that matter. The only time Cad spoke of his sire was when he whined about the ridiculous – and oftentimes frivolous – expectations forced upon him. Luckily, while held hostage, those things had diminished for the time being, and the whinging with it.

At first the situation made us suspicious of them both, until Cad had come clean about his own theories regarding his father. He wasn’t a good man, that was for sure. Cadmus, on the other hand… Don’t get me wrong, he was still a pompous prick, but after a solar spent together in close quarters I’d learned a lot about the guy enough to consider him a close friend. He might have come across as snobbish and arrogant when we first met, but I’d seen a different side of him emerge during our time together. It wasn’t obvious to see, but if you looked closely enough his compassion, kindness and loyalty shone through like a hidden beacon waiting for acknowledgment.

‘Back to your dorms everyone!’ Colonel Granger punctuated her command with a clap of her hands. ‘That’s enough excitement for one evening. Mealtime is over!’

A few cadets dared to release their groans of annoyance, though most of us were smart enough to keep it to ourselves. Surprisingly, they were ignored in favour of heading to the kitchen.

They had their own kitchen facilities. What could they possibly need of ours?

That answer became obvious when they came back out with a grim-looking Markus wedged in the middle. It didn’t look like he was in any trouble, but he was locked in a stare-off with the male scientist, who ran his long, thin fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair in a gesture of exasperation.

Markus opened his mouth to say something, something that didn’t look to be particularly kind if his hostility towards the other man was any indication, but Urman urged me forward and through the door before I could hear it.

‘Come on,’ he said, letting me go to practically drag the other two behind him from where they, too, lingered to eavesdrop. ‘We have our orders.’

We peeled ourselves away from the scene, our curiosity and our worry over Bromm causing our feet to drag.

Our dorm was relatively close to the cafeteria, so we made good time despite our slow, trudging pace. When we walked through the door and I spotted my bunk, ready and waiting for me to crawl into for what I hoped wouldn’t be another night of restless sleep, I immediately started stripping. I didn’t even want to shower, I was so eager to climb under the plush covers.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one to let the exhaustion win, either, but while Urman and Henrik went straight for the bathroom, quietly debating which one would get to shower first, Cadmus was stripping even faster than me.

We’d gotten used to seeing one another’s nudity here. We were all friends and no longer cared about clothes. It was almost as if it were a small rebellion against the rigid rules The Program thrust upon us, and we spent most of our time in our dorm without a stitch. We’d clocked the cameras ages ago, and we hoped they enjoyed the show.

And what a show we put on.

Cadmus, as a Drakfern, had two penises that he very much enjoyed flashing for the cameras. It got to the point where I wondered if he had an exhibitionist fetish or something. The amount of times I’d come out of the shower to find him fondling himself in clear view was, unfortunately, far too many to count. And from the way he tugged at them now, they were about to get another show.

That was until a feminine shout echoed throughout the room.

‘Stop!’

All four of us spun in unison to where a lone figure stood in the doorway to the bathroom, hands covering her eyes but not the flame-red tint to her skin.

‘What the…?’ was what fell out of Cad’s mouth while his hands, previously caressing his shafts, stretched to cover his half-risen cocks.

‘Stars above, what is it with you men and your damn dicks?’ she exclaimed, her voice pitched high and shrill.

‘Arty?’ asked Henrik, the shock evident in his tone.

‘Uh, yeah. Yup. Um… Hi…,’ she stammered, dared a peak through her fingers, then squeaked as she snapped them back into place. ‘Please cover up.’

In an extremely rare show of embarrassment, I watched with barely concealed amusement as Cadmus turned a few shades darker than his natural skin tone and fumbled around with his clothes. He even struggled through putting on his harness, strapping down his wings that he quickly hid under a loose shirt.

‘Cameras,’ Urman hissed out, but Arty shrugged in response, clearly unconcerned.

‘I already looped them,’ she admitted, which gave us all the freedom Urman and Henrik needed to burst out into full-bellied laughter. I thought I actually caught a tear glimmering in Urman’s eye.

She peered through her fingers again and when she saw Cadmus fully dressed, she dropped them. Until her eyes rested on me, then with another squeak they flew back up to cover her sight again, causing another round of laughter from the two idiots by the bathroom.

‘Dorian, man, put your damn clothes on,’ Cadmus snapped, and that was when I realised that I, too, had stripped and was standing bare-ass naked in front of our guest.

‘Shit,’ I hissed and went light-headed from the speed in which all the blood in my body rushed to my cheeks. I’d been so focused on Cadmus and his nudity that I’d completely forgotten about my own.

So, like the gentleman my mama raised me to be, I jerked my hands in front of my free-swinging dick as fast as I could to save the lady’s honour. Except I moved too fast, miscalculated, and smacked myself so hard I felt my balls suck up inside my body while my breath was squeezed from my lungs.

I wheezed, my body bending over protectively despite the fact that I was currently my dick’s biggest danger.

Now Cadmus joined in when Urman and Henrik continued laughing, though they were now leaning against the wall to keep themselves upright. Bastards.

‘I wasn’t sure if you’d be happy to see me or not, but I guess I got my answer,’ Arty teased, her comment unhelpful in calming everyone down.

She let me finish dressing before cutting through the levity.

‘I’m sorry for barging in on you like this, but Bromm gave me the location of the rendezvous point and there’s a problem.’ Her words dried up any lingering humour and we all snapped to attention.

‘What problem?’ asked Henrik at the same time Cadmus asked, ‘Why come to us?’

She addressed Cad’s question first. ‘I tried to find Captain Hironimus’ room first, but it looks like he has a permanent residence outside the academy. Then I found Markus, but he and Colonel Granger are in some sort of meeting with Program officials. High ranking ones, too. Interrupting would have blown the entire operation before it could start. I considered going to Bromm and Foryk, but the two new guys are a problem. So here I am,’ she finished with her arms extended as proof.

Then she answered Henrik’s question. ‘The problem is that the chosen location is where I just came from, and where I left everyone behind. If we head there to rendezvous then we’ll be putting us and them in danger.’

‘Shit,’ I swore.

‘So what now?’ asked Cadmus.

‘If you want to get out of here then you’re going to have to blast through this place right alongside me,’ she answered.

‘Blast…?’

Her grin was positively wicked, the glint in her eyes bloodthirsty in a way I’d never seen from her before as Arthur Mercer. Artemis, it seemed, was a completely different person, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. This person standing before me was a stranger, but was everything a lie?

Only time would tell, but that was apparently one thing we were currently out of.

Still, I took the time to study her, attempting to merge the man I’d known with the woman standing before me today. The stubborn clench of her jaw, the way she squared her shoulders as she stared us down, silently begging us to cooperate, not to mention the fact that she wasn’t leaving us behind even though by all rights she should… that was all the Arty I remembered. Still as self-sacrificing, still as stubborn, and still as mysterious as ever. It was all I needed to trust her intentions, and I jumped into action.

‘Grab your go-bags. We move out now,’ I ordered.

My team immediately mobilised, throwing their already-prepared bags onto their backs and lining up in front of me as they waited for further instruction. Except I had no clue what the plan was, or how this was going to play out.

I levelled my eyes on Artemis, who matched my gaze steadily. There was an entire swarm of emotions swimming inside those dark brown depths, but her posture was relaxed, albeit still primed for an attack, her demeanour calm but ready.

‘There won’t be any time to go back for the others once we’re inside the facility, so we need to get them now. Discretion with such a large group will be impossible, so scrap that. I’ll need your help carrying everyone out. Besides Reece and Adara there will be at least twenty-three small children I’ll need help carrying out, so keep your arms free and leave any fighting to me.’

‘Stars above, this is actually happening,’ Urman muttered under his breath, but we all heard him.

‘You really are a girl,’ stated Cadmus unhelpfully, apparently still stuck trying to wrap his head around that fact.

She shot him a look full of reproach, but there was an undercurrent of guilt. Her standoffishness as Arthur Mercer made a lot more sense now that I understood more about her situation. She was likely trying to keep an emotional distance from everyone since she was lying about something as big as her gender, not to mention she hadn’t planned to stick around.

Yet she’d still let people in. Or rather people had barged their way past her sky-high walls whether she liked it or not. And now here she was, risking everything to make sure we all got out as well.

This woman was something else…

‘Yes, I’m a woman. I can answer any questions you have for me later, when people’s lives aren’t in danger, yeah?’

Shocking the shit out of me, he actually backed down looking sheepish and properly chastised.

Who cared about her past offences when she could put Mister Entitled in his place so efficiently?

I grinned at her as I gestured for her to lead the way. She cast me a sidelong glance like she couldn’t figure out why I was smiling under such dire circumstances, but I had seen her in action before. While undercover she’d punched right through what was supposed to be an indestructible punching bag and welded a metal door shut with her bare hands to keep us safely locked up during the hostile take-over.

And then there was the surveillance footage of her leaving nothing but death and carnage in her wake, all the while ensuring the innocent victims in that scenario were freed safely.

Yeah, I didn’t know her as well as I could, but I trusted in her capabilities to get us all out of here alive and in one piece.

We marched out into the dorm’s common room as a united front, but I immediately called them to halt. ‘Wait. Artemis, you can’t be seen yet. Until we have everyone together we still need to aim for discretion.’

She frowned but nodded, conceding to my point.

I turned to the guys. ‘Surround her but make it tight. We need to make it look like we’re just walking as a team of four.’ Then I faced Artemis, my brow raised in question. ‘That good with you?’

‘Being surrounded by a team of attractive men in uniform? However will I cope?’ she snarked, taking me aback. This new version of her was difficult to process and merge with what I thought I knew. I was going to have to reprogram my brain to see her as who she was and not who I expected her to be.

‘I can surround you any time you like,’ Cadmus flirted with a wink . Aaand he was back.

‘All right, Cassanova. We’re about to collect her boy toy, so rein it in.’

Bringing me right back to the first encounter we’d ever had, Artemis flushed a deep crimson. She was such a juxtaposition of badass and innocent that it gave me whiplash but also made me admire her all the more. I didn’t know much about what she’d already survived, but I could see how much it had affected her socially.

I let my heart ache for all she’d lost and missed out on the way she’d been raised, but only for a couple of beats. Then I focused back on the task at hand.

Safely ensconced in the centre of the group, she was pushed right up against my back so far that I could feel the swell of her breasts as they brushed against my shoulder blades, and I worked very hard not to picture her nipples swelling beneath her shirt and pressing up against me from behind.

She was a tall woman, but we men were thankfully taller than her enough to block her from sight, and we moved away from our dorm towards the infirmary where Bromm had been taken, Foryk in tow. They were about to be in for a bit of a shock, but at least we’d be together in the coming adventure.

An adventure that involved a bunch of kids, I reminded myself, and my brain supplied images of snot-nosed toddlers running around with special abilities just like Artemis. Oh, the havoc they would wreak.

Ah, shit.