Poison & Wine [Eric Coulter]

07.

"Are you insane, talking back to him?" Natalie whispered harshly, catching up with Olivia as they followed Four and Eric through the winding corridors, deep into the compound.

"I'm not afraid of him."

"I heard some of the others talking last night. He's the youngest leader in Dauntless history." James, who appeared at Olivia's right, had clearly been eavesdropping. "He was second in his class."

"Who was first?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the back of Eric's head as he thundered along in front of the group.

"Four, but he declined the position. Twice."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, following the trainers through the dark until they reached a heavy metal door that opened into the training space. It was massive, the walls on the opposite end covered in shadows, making it appear as though it went on forever. Areas with weights, punching bags hanging from the ceiling and padded mats were spread around the room.

"Alright, listen up," Eric began, stopping in the middle of the room next to Four, two black duffel bags resting at their feet. "Two of you grab these bags and let's head to the roof."

No one made a move. He raised his eyebrows at the group and gestured impatiently to the bags at his feet.

"That wasn't a suggestion, initiates! When you're given an order, you move, understand?" His voice echoed through the room as James and the boy who had transferred from Candor, Malcolm, hurried toward the bags and slung them over their shoulders. The rest of the group turned and followed Four through another heavy metal door and up a rusted metal spiral staircase, the only light leaking in from the training room, leaving the steps in shadow.

Olivia was at the back of the group behind Natalie, the echo of their rhythmic steps on the stairs echoing in the small space. She let out an involuntary gasp as she missed a step and stumbled, feeling gravity pulling her backward. She squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting the painful impact of her spine against the sharp steps, but it never came. Instead, she felt a strong arm around her waist and a warm torso pressed against her back.

"Watch where you're going, Amity," a deep voice growled dangerously in her ear as the others continued climbing ahead of her, unaware of her fumble. She could feel Eric's breath on the back of her neck as she regained her footing and glanced over her shoulder at him, her amber eyes meeting his steel gray ones.

"Get moving." His arms fell from her waist, the cold creeping back over her body as she turned and hurried up the stairs to make up the ground she'd lost. She attempted to slow her breathing to mask the embarrassment that she was sure was evident on her cheeks. She could feel his eyes burning into her back as his footsteps thundered - maybe a little too closely - behind her.

The sun was just beginning to rise over the buildings on the far side of the city as they reached the top of the staircase and exited onto the roof. Olivia breathed in her first breaths of fresh air since arriving at Dauntless as she watched Eric push his way through the others, moving to stand next to Four at the edge of the rooftop.