Dark Matter - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 2

Chapter Twenty Eight - Unbelievable

The next morning, Leah woke with the sun, slowly gathering conscious as the darkness disappeared from her room. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, her lids heavy with exhaustion. She felt languorous, filled with a contentment that made her bones heavy.

The fluorescent clock on her nightstand read 5am, but she couldn't bring herself to care that she'd managed so little sleep. Last night had been worth the sacrifice. Even in her dreams, she'd felt Jared's kisses, reliving every moment from when she'd spotted him on the windowsill to when he'd left her at her door with a possessive kiss and disappeared down the corridor.

It made her heart thrill and her blood tingle – like she was speeding down a hill on a bike, letting her hand lift off the break and watching as the trees and the sky meshed together into a light-scattered dream.

She lay there silently as the building woke up around her, as feet padded down the corridor outside her room and water began to drone through the pipes. The mundane noises were enough to bring her back to reality, to remind her of what the S.I.S had planned for today.

More importantly, it reminded her of what she had planned for today, what she'd known she had to do the moment Jared's lips first pressed against hers.

She had to talk to Tai.

She sat up slowly, blinking sleep out of her eyes as her tranquillity fled in the face of such a necessary and cruel truth. Tai deserved to know what she'd done. He deserved so much more than that, but this was the only thing she could still give him.

The thought made her unsteady. It rose like silk in her throat, cut like nails in her veins, consuming her so completely that when a sharp knock rapped against her door, she jumped.

She tumbled out of bed and threw the door open to find Riley on the other side, already clad in battle-gear.

"Hey, want to go to –" Riley cut off, frowning. "Why aren't you dressed?"

Leah glanced at her clock and cringed. She'd switched her alarm off when she'd woken and had then laid awake, oblivious, as the clock ticked past the time it'd been set for.

"Um. My alarm didn't go off," Leah said.

Riley grunted and then turned away. "Well, get changed. Andrew wants us in the conference room in five minutes."

Leah nodded and closed the door, pulling her gear on in a rush and tying her hair back into a messy bun. She wished she had time to brush it, or shower, but instead she raced out of the room, knowing that doing either would just get her in trouble.

When she reached the conference room everyone else was already there, talking quietly. Tai, Riley, Marco, Andrew.

Jared.

Her eyes focused on him instantly. Distant thoughts were travel across his face and for a moment, her heart sank at the severity she saw there. But then he noticed her and all that seriousness disappeared, replaced by a wicked smile that lit slow as a fuse, making her blood tingle and thrum.

She was about to move towards him when Tai appeared at her side, swinging an arm around her shoulder and kissing the top of her head.

"Hey," he said softly. "How'd you sleep?"

Leah dragged her gaze away from Jared, whose expression had darkened dramatically, and swallowed.

"I slept well, thank you," she said, her voice robotic as guilt drowned her.

Tai frowned, but before he could speak, Andrew moved to the front and the room fell silent.

"Okay everyone, let's keep this short," Andrew said. "Jared, Tai and Marco will be leaving first. Jared, keep Tai and Marco's handcuffs loose and remember, if you make one false move, they're both authorised to take you out."