TAINA STORIES

CHAPTER 29. He was pacing in front of them, his hands clasped behind his back, a small, soft smile on his lips, and then he stopped, turning to face them, those Implants flickering so gently his voice just barely above a whisper when he said, “The other Masters mean nothing to you. You don’t answer…

CHAPTER 28. Cassie didn’t say anything the next day, her eyes fixed on that big pot in front of her when it was Phoenix’s turn, her face so blank and stiff, but by the third day, when Phoenix could breathe and walk a little better, she didn’t let that bowl go, her eyes flicking up…

CHAPTER 27. Phoenix’s clothes were still soaking when she stood there, dripping on his carpet, her skin pebbling and cold, but she didn’t move, barely even blinking as he stared at her, leaning against his desk, that finger still against his arm. He kept her there for so long, never moving, those Implants flickering so…

CHAPTER 26. It was like meeting an old friend or an old piece of herself, a piece that she’d never thought she’d find again. She smiled, feeling that smooth metal against her skin, her eyes shining bright as she pressed her fingertips to the scanners just beside the trigger and heard it begin to hum.…

CHAPTER 25. The next day it was her wristband that flashed and her boots were a little heavy as she walked through the corridors. Phoenix just wished that Cassie hadn’t said all those things and planted those seeds in her mind, she’d just spent a day with him and nothing had changed between them, but…

CHAPTER 24. She watched Lyca shooting, watched those sharp, keen eyes tracking her flying targets, and Phoenix knew in just a few short days those eyes might grow dull and close forever. “The Master has a Fight next week,” she said, and for a moment the two women only stared at each other and Phoenix…

CHAPTER 23. Phoenix didn’t know if Mia listened to Belfire, but she knew she couldn’t. She waited for him, hearing their boots out in the corridor after training and the other doors click shut. She knew it was him, listening to him walking up to his door and opening it, and then she opened hers.…

CHAPTER 22. She heard that knocking the next morning, soft and distant, her eyes a little dry as she rubbed the sleep from them and sighed. It had been a long night, a long night of more encrypted files and no more answers, but at least she could say that he was looking. She’d caught…

CHAPTER 21. “Who protected you?” he asked. “Plenty of people,” she shrugged. “My parents until they were caught. Who else is there?” she shook her head. “She’s my responsibility.” “She’s not a child anymore, the only one responsible for her is herself.” “She’s just a kid,” she said, her eyes narrowing into thin slits as…

CHAPTER 20. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” he said, leaning back against his chair and folding his arms across his chest. “Each file is individually encrypted and I have to figure out how to decipher every Woodlander sale that was made after the day you were sold… and that’s just the start,…