I flashed him my violet eyes, and he froze, then tilted his head. “Dez?”
His grip loosened, and I wrenched free. I ran and jumped onto the ledge of the ship. Pulling the chain on my pack, I hurdled off the back of the airship behind Lana, Nick, and Jace—my glider wings spreading as I hit the open air.
Chapter Nineteen
THE OCEAN CAME AT ME FAST. I cranked the gear on the Steam Glider, and its canvas wings flapped, lifting me higher. Nick let out a whoop and pumped his fist in the air. I laughed.
The wind whistled in my ears as I glided over the bay. No matter what had just happened on the airship, the feeling of soaring through the sky was amazing. I shivered as the cool night air whipped across my face.
Soon the shack came into view, and Jace pointed down. I turned the gear and my wings stopped flapping. They stretched out wide as I glided, coasting past the pier. I angled back, stretching my legs out in front of me and hit the gravel running. I rolled as I couldn’t come to a complete stop on my feet. Thankfully my glider wings were tucked securely back into the device’s pack. Being gouged with copper wire would be painful, I imagined.
I jumped to my feet and ran. Jace, Lana, and Nick were ahead of me and almost to the back of the shack where the levibikes were stashed. I glanced over my shoulder, but no one was following us. My heart thudded heavily. I didn’t know if they weren’t pursuing us because we’d managed a successful getaway or because Reese had stopped them, allowing me to escape. Either way, I was stoked.
Nick and Jace uncovered the levibikes. I hopped on behind Jace, and we quickly hovered away. None of us spoke as we hit the back roadways. I think we were still in shock that we’d actually gotten away. But we weren’t clear yet. And no one wanted to jinx the mission until we were safely back in the Academy.
We didn’t park inside the Academy grounds. The gates were locked and bolted. We stashed the levibikes in the woods behind the lot and climbed the fence. I was surprised it wasn’t shielded by Charge, but realized that would be hard to explain to anyone who wasn’t Kythan and happened to touch it. I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts centered. My mind was thinking of anything and everything other than what had just happened.
I didn’t want to consider what seeing Reese in a uniform could mean. First, it didn’t make sense. He’d never said one thing about being a part of the Narco guard. Second, what did keeping a secret like that from me mean? What was he hiding? Had our whole relationship been a lie? And third, how could he be a part of the guard with his power? It was too risky. I gritted my teeth. I was still concerned for him even though I was furious.
As we neared the side entrance, I began to relax. The door remained ajar. Mr. Liam had kept his word. We snuck inside, creeping along the basement walls. When we reached the custodian room, I sank down, burying my head between my knees.
A hand caressed my back. “Dez, we’re fine. We made it.” Jace spoke reassuringly into my hair and wrapped his arms around me.
“I know.” I pressed into his embrace. “I just can’t believe how close we came to getting killed.”
Nick spread out a blanket. “We only have a couple hours till morning.” He lay down. “Better get some sleep so we don’t look like we’ve been out all night on a secret mission raiding the Council’s airship.”
“Good idea,” Lana said, settling down beside her brother.
We had agreed that it would be too risky to attempt getting back to our units in the early morning hours. So we’d decided to stay in the basement until first light. No one would question random students roaming the halls in the morning. We just had to make sure no one questioned our alibis.
I’d just gotten back to my unit after bathing when I saw the light on my communicator flashing. I raced over and snatched it up. My first thought was Jace—I worried we’d been found out somehow. But my heart nearly leapt from my chest as I saw a message from Reese, instead.