Wild and Out of Control

|chapter forty-six|

|danica|

The corridors are mostly empty at this time of night, as cadets are either sleeping in their rooms, studying, or at the gym training.

     Shivers run up my arms as a cool breeze comes through the cracked open windows, and I rub my arms to warm them up. Gods, I hate the cold. If I had a say in where I would be stationed after graduation, it would be somewhere with eternal spring or summer. Oh, and access to water—rivers, lakes, or oceans, I don't care as long as I can swim. I love swimming; it was one of my favorite hobbies, along with climbing.

     It doesn't take me long to get to our floor. When I walk past Ridoc's door, I hear sounds coming from inside. Taking a step closer, I smirk as I register what those sounds are and how they're made. My man, Ridoc.

     Once I get to Violet's door, which is across from mine, I balance the books in one arm so I can knock on the wood with the other. I hear scrambling coming from the other side of the door, and it seems too loud to come from one person. Mutterings and whisper-yells are coming from the other side, and I put my ear up to the door to be able to hear. There's a crash and a pained yell that sounds an awful lot like it came from a man.

     What the hell?

     Violet has a man over? Oh. My. Gods.

     It appears that both my best friends are getting lucky tonight.

     I repeatedly knock on the door, wanting—no, needing to see who she has in there. I'm a hundred percent sure I know who it is, but I need to see who it is to confirm my suspicion. "Violet. Violet Sorrengail," I call sing-songily. "I know you're in there. I need your help, Violet Sorrengail. Please, let me in." I continue to knock until the door swings open to a disheveled Violet, and my lips pull into a grin. "Hey. Hey there, girl. What're you up to?"

     She glares at me as she pulls on the sleeves of the too-big shirt. "What? What is it that you want, Danica, at this late hour?"

     I pull the books and papers between us. "Research!" I shove past her and enter her room. Liam scrambles on the bed, pulling the sheets to cover that lower half of his body. "Hello, Liam. Nice evening?"

     His cheeks turn a dark shade of red as he rubs the back of his neck, his tell whenever he's nervous. "Uh, yeah. It was nice." He looks over my shoulder at Violet, and a small smile spreads across his face. "Better than nice. It was great."

     "Liam," Violet whispers as she swats her hand in the air. "Anyway, what is it you want my help with again that you had to interrupt our evening?"

     "Technically, it's night, so I didn't interrupt your evening."

     She gives me a look. "Okay, what is it you want my help with that you had to interrupt our night?"

     I look at the little clock on her desk. "Actually, it's ten past midnight, so it's technically early morning, so I didn't interrupt your night."

     "Danica!" Violet exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air, frustrated with me. She wouldn't be the first. "If you're just going to be an annoying interloper, then go bother someone else."

     My throat dries, and my breathing stills. Father was right, the more people knew me, the true me, they wouldn't like what they saw. They would find me tedious, annoying, and bitchy. I nod my head continuously as I hold the books closer to my chest. "Of course. I guess this could wait until later. Sorry, Vi-Violet."

     "Wait, Dani," she grabs my arm to stop me from leaving. "What do you want to discuss? And I promise, I won't get mad that you interrupted my night with this."