After our tenth day of tests, Aurora stands before us all and gives a single clap. I have a feeling she does it more to get our attention than to actually show appreciation for us. She doesn’t strike me as the type to applaud anybody—she’s way too serious for that. The massive training room in the lower level of the institute headquarters has become like a second home to me, and the sound of her palms striking together echoes off the high ceiling and walls.
“Well done,” Aurora says, and even though her tone is just as businesslike as ever, I can tell she means it.
There are fewer people here than there were when we started. Rumor has it that the people who don’t pass the tests are moved into other departments where there’s less chance of them going into combat, and there are now only eight of us left.
I had to hop into a quick shower in the locker room after my last test, where I was attacked by several senior members of IUM to see how well I could hold up against multiple enemies. My dark hair is still sticking to my face a little, damp from the shower, and I’m shivering slightly, the air conditioning in here after the warmth of the shower wreaking havoc on my sense of temperature.
“Hey, you want my jacket?” Logan murmurs.
I jump in surprise and look over at him. He’s standing next to me, something that seems to happen pretty often. It’s strange. The other trainees all seem to gravitate toward him, drawn in by his talent, his charm, and his gorgeous face… and he seems to gravitate toward me.
I have no idea what to do with that. All I know is that I have a much harder time focusing when he’s nearby. And I really want to stay focused. I want to do my best here.
Tilting my chin up, I glance at him. He’s looking at me with an eyebrow raised as he waits for me to give my answer. I swallow, surprised to find my throat dry. “Um, I’m okay, but thank you.”
“Sure. No worries.” He shrugs and focuses on Aurora again.
I wrap my arms around myself as I turn my attention back to her too.
I’m not quite sure why I said no. I mean, I am cold. But the idea of wearing Logan’s jacket, of letting the lingering warmth of his body heat in the fabric warm me up, of ending up smelling like him? It makes a shiver work its way up my spine, one that has nothing to do with the temperature. His oak and cinnamon smell is already too damn enticing. I don’t think it’s a good idea to wrap myself up in it, especially if I’m trying to stay focused.
“You’ve all done admirable work,” Aurora continues. “Starting on Monday, you will begin the final round of challenges.”
I can practically hear everyone working to hold back their groans of despair, and I can’t blame them. I feel about ready to groan myself. After the past two weeks, even I’m worn out, and that almost never happens.
“But you’ll be doing things a little differently on Monday.” Aurora arches a brow. “Instead of doing things on your own, with others either not present or only sharing space while they do their own challenges, from now on you’ll be assigned partners.”
Partners? My heart lurches.
Oh, no, I can’t do that.
I’ve never done well with partners. At school, I was always much better at doing projects on my own. I like not having to rely on anyone else, and I like being able to do things just the way I want.
Unaware of my internal freak-out, Aurora pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket and begins reading off pairs of names. As she calls out the names, each recruit looks up to acknowledge the person they’ve been partnered with, and I hold my breath as she says my name.
“Raelyn and Logan,” the flinty blonde woman announces. “You two will be paired up.”
Oh.
Uh oh.
Chapter 6
Logan immediately glances over at me, an unreadable look in his eyes as the corner of his mouth curls upward. He knows as well as I do that we’ve been competing for the top spot in the recruitment program all week, and I wonder if he’s happy or annoyed that we’ve been put together as partners.
Come to think of it, I wonder if I’m happy or annoyed.
On the one hand, I really do prefer working on my own. On the other hand, Logan is really skilled, so it’s not like I’ll end up having to do all the heavy lifting on our team. He’ll definitely carry his own weight.
On the other other hand, I’ll be working closely with a guy who’s so fucking handsome that I can barely look at him without feeling a flush creep up my cheeks.
Part of me is nervous as hell about that, and another part is secretly excited that I now have an excuse to stop avoiding him.
“Guess we’re on the same team now,” Logan murmurs, still gazing down at me.
Right on schedule, my cheeks turn hot. “Guess so.”
His grin widens a little. “I’ll try to keep up with you.”
With those words, he holds out his hand for me to shake. I take it, trying to ignore the way my stomach flips at his touch.
Fortunately, I’m saved from having to think of anything else to say, because Aurora steps up to us after she announces the remaining pair and the recruits start to disperse.
“You two have been at the top of the challenges every time,” she says, looking back and forth between me and Logan with those calm yet piercing eyes of hers. “We work hard to try to pair up agents whose skills are compatible, and the choice was obvious to us. It seemed to me that nobody else would be able to keep up with either of you at your level, so we’ve put you two together. I expect great things from you on Monday. Don’t let me down.”
My stomach is actively flip-flopping now, lurching around in my torso like a dying fish.
No pressure. You can totally do this, Rae.
Logan grins and nods at Aurora. “We won’t.”
He sounds completely confident, and the deep rumble of his voice when he speaks makes my heart beat a little faster. I swallow and nod too. “Thank you, Ms. Montgomery. We definitely won’t.”
She turns and heads out of the room, and Logan gestures for me to go ahead before following after me. We make our way up to the main level and then head toward the front door of the complex.
Logan holds the door for me as we step outside, and we both hesitate for a moment in front of the IUM building. I make the mistake of meeting his gaze, and as soon as I do, it’s almost impossible to look away. He’s taller than the average guy, which means he’s a lot taller than me, and when he takes a small step closer to me, I have to tilt my head back a little.
“I’m glad Aurora paired us up,” he says, and there’s something in his voice that I’ve never heard before. Something different than the way he sounded when he spoke to me in the training room.
Whatever it is, it makes my breath catch in my throat. The words I try to speak get trapped there too, so instead of saying anything, I just nod mutely at him.
He’s glad.
And I think I am too.
He holds my gaze for another moment, his dimples popping out as he grins again. Then he dips his head and turns away from me, heading toward his car in the employee parking lot.
Finally, my exhale rushes past my lips. I watch him get halfway across the lot before I drag my gaze away and head toward my own car.
We have the entire weekend off, thank goodness. I need it.