BLOOD AND BONE | rewritten

17

As she stared at the handle of her locked door, Delphinium debated which would get her killed first: her paranoia or need for clarity. Perhaps both at the same time.

It had only been a day since the murder and things were strangely quiet in a way that promised more was to come. Staying inside her quarters helped Delphinium avoid Jake and Jaxon, but the longer she stayed silent the more she felt the claws of uncertainty raking at her heart. She had honored what Jake ordered of her, having not told a soul. Surely the other two hadn't either, but Arlo...she wasn't so sure. What would happen if it came out to the IMC that she was involved in a cover-up? Not only that, but she stole a weapon. Whether the man attacked her first or not, this could be the misconduct charge that tipped Hunt over the edge.

Turning the blade over and over in her hand, Delphinium pondered the depths of what Jake and Jaxon could have dragged her into. They clearly knew the dead man. Even if they hadn't known him personally, the circumstances were beyond suspicious. Jaxon had said something of the dead man's associates, which meant he was part of a larger group that seemingly had it out for the two. If that was true...

She needed to scramble away from whatever was in danger of unfolding. Remaining in the dark for any longer would drive her insane with negative anticipation. She would likely die of worry before the first knife was even thrown.

Still, these days were beginning to parallel her time as a killer, and she was trying to nip it in the bud.

Perhaps that was her answer: do anything it took to uncover Hunt's terrorist. Even if it meant approaching Jaxon for answers. With any luck afterward, she'd take any opportunity to change her name, dye her hair and flee to somewhere no one knew her name.

She shrugged on a jacket. Her uniform was made of tight-fitting fabric perfect for hand to hand combat, meaning it was too fitted to easily conceal a weapon. Surely Hunt had done that purposely. It would be terrible if she was caught with it. But worse if Jaxon turned on her for asking questions he didn't want answered.

The door opened without a sound. The cavernous hallway was empty. Delphinium stared at Jaxon's door, diagonal to hers. You have to, she told herself. You'll regret it if you don't.

A sigh. She always regretted everything she did.

The three knocks on his door seemed to magnify in the echoing compound. Once it was done, she found herself praying he wasn't inside. She could still-

The door was cracked open. When he saw it was her, Jaxon's face hardened. He already knew what she was there for. Wordlessly stepping from her path, he ushered her forward and closed them in.

"You shouldn't be here," he said before she could work herself up to speak first.

"I have to. I have no problem withholding the truth, but-"

"Good, then we don't have any problems."

"That man was a problem. Even if he's dead and buried, uncertainties will arise."

Sighing, Jaxon threw himself into his chair. "Those uncertainties don't have to concern you. Evans and I took care of the body, and we'll take care of whatever happens next."

"Like you'll take care of me when I become a loose end that needs to be tied?" Instant regret sunk in when Jaxon's face snapped back to her. But there was no more promise of violence in it than usual.

Delphinium strode forward. "The other night, we were lured to the event by a rumor of Azarius Bryson's attendance. Instead, only the two of us were attacked by someone with a connection to Jake Evans. That was not a coincidence." A pause. "That man wasn't working alone. What happens when his associates come at us for killing him?"

It was certainly a gamble that he wouldn't kill her outright for drawing such conclusions. But that was why she had gone to Jaxon and not Jake. Jaxon had leaned in when Jake was cutting his throat. That said something about him.

But Jaxon remained apathetic. "I won't give you the answers you want. If you really want to know, go to Evans."

Sensing that he was shutting down, Delphinium receded. She could see a tinge of the other night's anger in the set of his mouth, so she guessed his lips were not sealed of his own will. But she refused to take the other option. She was not seeking out a torturous death today.

"Worse is going to happen," Delphinium warned, backing toward the exit. "And when it does, one of us is going to end up dead. Not Evans."

She would just have to do everything in her power to assure it would be Jaxon, and not her.

With that, she opened the door, leaving Jaxon watching after her with hard eyes.

And as she did, her heart dropped through her chest and straight to the floor. Jake Evans stood only a few paces away, and she needed no further clues to tell he knew exactly why she was there. She was near enough to notice a ring pierced through the base of his nose.

"I told you not to dig any further," he said in a strangely calm tone, soft under the thundering of her heart. Delphinium watched his every movement, prepared to sidestep him if he attacked.

"I look out for my own interests."

"As do I." His eerie eyes bored straight through her. Watching her escalating fear, listening to her frantic thoughts.

Okay... She needed to navigate this very carefully. There was nothing she wanted more than to retreat to the safety of her quarters before this escalated.

"If you want me, I'll be in the training room," she said, managing to stand her ground against all odds. "Jaxon is inside."

"As I guessed," he said of her first statement. "Isn't that why you have a blade hidden under your jacket?"

Delphinium glanced away, her gaze pinning onto his hands. More particularly, the three rings he wore. Which were made of human bone.

Forcing a skeptical frown onto her features, Delphinium said, "There is no reason for me to risk being caught by the soldiers who pat us down every other moment." If reason didn't work, she knew making the other person feel foolish usually did make them second-guess themselves.

"That isn't your first lie. Not after you said your criminal charges." Delphinium swallowed imperceptibly, seconds from deploying her power. Jake lowered his head to pin her with a darker gaze. "I know a professional killer when I see one."

Before she had a verbal reaction, her blade was drawn and held between them. "Do not pretend to know anything about me." It was nearly impossible to keep her hand from visibly shaking. How did he know?

But her response was proof of how untrue her statement was. He'd baited her. He knew how to bait her. Delphinium's breaths came in short bursts. He had been watching very closely.

Not even bothering to look down at the blade she pulled on him, Jake turned into Jaxon's quarters. It was an utter dismissal.

Delphinium was not even a threat to him.

But the true terror came in the fact that he hadn't needed to threaten her life. Within only two meager interactions, he already guessed what she wished to keep hidden. Even with minimal pressure, she was left panicking. What happened when he really cared to destroy her?