“Phoenix,” he breathed, like a prayer.
“Ryan.”
Slowly he pulled away from me. “If I don't stop now, I won't be able to.” Tension layered his voice.
“Then don't stop,” I said, staring up at him. “Just a little more.”
“A little more,” he agreed. Leaning down, he kissed me a second time. This kiss was hotter, more dangerous. His hands roved the length of my body, stopping at my br**sts and kneading. My ni**les hardened.
He tore away from me yet again. He was panting as he crouched on his knees. I lay where I was, needy, achy.
“I've never done anything like this before,” he said darkly. “I've been an instructor for over a year and I've never wanted a student. I never even dated another trainee.”
“Ryan,” I said. Kiss me.
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “We'll be punished for that. Boss will know. He always knows.” Ryan stood. He didn't speak a word as he disabled the ring and strode away from me.
“Ryan,” I called.
He stopped at the doorway. I don't know what I planned to say, but neither of us were given a chance to find out. An alarm suddenly erupted throughout the room, its shrill warning sending chills through my spine.
Ryan spun around and faced me. “Shit. Shit.”
“What's going on?” Fear coursed through me. Was the alarm for us? For our kiss?
“We've been invaded.”
15
“This is not a drill,” the computerized voice said over the intercom. “Repeat, this is not a drill.”
I jumped to my feet. Ryan was already racing back to me. He grabbed my wrist and tugged me forward. “Come on.”
Confusion rocked me. “I don't understand what's happening.”
“We're being attacked, Phoenix. This has only happened once before, years ago, but half of the student body was killed.” He had to speak loudly to be heard over the alarm. “If a sector is breeched, the computer usually locks all doorways, preventing the invader from moving from room to room. But the alarms are screeching and I haven't heard the locks click. That means part of the system has been compromised.”
“And that means…”
“Everyone is fair game,” he said bleakly. “Now come on.” He raced to the far wall and splayed his hands in a section that looked like every other section.
Blue lights scanned him from head to toe, and the wall opened into an arsenal. Tier after tier displayed guns, knives, throwing stars, and weapons I didn't recognize. My jaw nearly hit the ground. “That's…that's…”
“Plan B. There's an arsenal in every room of the building,” Ryan said. “Including your room. You're just not in the database to open the locks.”
Wow. I'd never known, never suspected. Maybe that was a good thing. “How could anyone know about this place and attack it? It's invisible.”
“I don't know how they did it, but we'll worry about that later.”
“Sybilins have bypassed security,” the computer said. “There are four Sybilins in sectors one, two, and three.”
Sybilins? My fear intensified, branching to every part of my body.
“Shit. It's worse than I thought.” Ryan sheathed several knives at his waist and palmed a pyre-gun. He tossed it at me, and I deftly caught it. “Hope you learned how to use one of those.”
I gulped. “I've practiced, and I almost always hit what I aim at.”
“Almost is better than never. The gun is locked on stun right now, so you don't have to worry about killing anyone. But don't fire if your friends or an instructor is nearby. If any of them carry alien blood, they'll be frozen in place and helpless.”
“Only Kitten is alien, and I swear to God I won't aim in her direction.”
Ryan snorted. “She's not the only one, Phoenix.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“Siren. Angel.” Pause. “Boss.”
“What? But they look…they look…completely human. And your dad? That would mean…”
“Yeah. Who better to track aliens than aliens? Does this change your opinion of me?” he asked with the slightest trace of bitterness.
“No.” It didn't. Not at all. I was just shocked. “Does the government know?”
“Of course. There are a select few who are trusted, but that's something the general public can never know. And something you might never have been taught.” Another pause. “If you don't want to engage the Sybilins, if you don't think you are ready to handle this, lock yourself in your room. Better yet, just reactivate the boxing ring.” He faced me as he said it, eyes staring deeply. Probing. “The Outers won't know how to bypass it, I hope, and you'll be safe.”
Hide away like a coward? Hide away while others fought—and maybe died. I'd rather die. I was here to become an agent, so I would damn well act like one. No matter how scared I was.
“I'm ready,” I said, straightening my back.
“Good,” Ryan said, but he didn't look happy about it. He looked mad and proud and scared. Yes, scared. For me? “Stay safe, Phoenix. Promise me.”
“I promise.”
He kissed me. No tongue this time, but a swift meshing of lips. Hard, comforting, giving. “Let's do this.”
He rushed out of the gym, and I stayed close on his heels. Chaos awaited us in the halls. Agents rushed in every direction, laden down with weapons. Students raced, too, but they were panicked, their wild gazes scanning as they demanded to know what was going on.
“Three Sybilins have breeched sector four,” the computer said. Pause. “Five Sybilins have breeched sector five.”
From the end of the hall, Kitten spotted me and sprinted to my side. Her face was pale, and her lips were pulled tight with worry. “I was sleeping and all of a sudden the alarms were going off and I nearly jumped out of my skin and I don't have any clue about what's going on and—”
I grabbed her arm to silence the babbling. “We're under attack. Sybilins like to fuse their lips with their prey and suck the water out of their bodies. Whatever you do, do not let one get on top of you. Understand?”
Her skin became even more pallid, but her pupils elongated like they did before she engaged in battle. Determination squared her shoulders. “I—Yes. I understand.”
I jumped back into motion, dragging her with me and closing in on Ryan. “Use any weapons you can find,” I said to Kitten. “Wait, I'll get you one.” Reaching out, I withdrew one of the knives from Ryan's waist. He almost sliced my arm off, but caught himself when he realized it was me. Note to self: Never take a weapon from Ryan without asking. I slapped the hilt into Kitten's palm. “Tell the others, okay. Warn them.”