Heart of Glass [manxman]

Chapter Fifteen

The bell chimed quietly, signaling the end of class. Everyone rushed out of the room. No stragglers stuck around to ask me last minute questions, thank the gods. I was exhausted; I still ached all over. Yesterday's assignment had taken more out of me than what I'd thought.

Once I got home to assess the damage, I found I was right—it was all psychological, but that didn't make it feel any better. In fact, I felt worse than I had after the last two assignments. There was also a migraine blooming on the right side of my skull, just throbbing, aching around my eyes and in my teeth. The day was almost over. I could finish up my office hours, one more lab, and then go home, lay down, and just—

"I need a word with you." Louis. Fucking hell. He tore into the room, bursting right in and slamming the door shut behind him. Nothing about the situation looked even remotely appealing, and I wasn't in the goddamn mood to deal with his shit. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

Starting with harsh language and all was he? Well, if he were going to resort that low from the second sentence, then I sure as hell wasn't going to take the high ground. He'd just stepped on the landmine. "Well, I certainly wasn't thinking that you were going to burst through the goddamn door to throw another fit that'd put a toddler to shame. What's on your mind, Blanc? Enlighten me."

Louis's brows shot up incredulously, and a humorless smirk crossed his lips for a split second before he came forward, face blank, and pounded his fist against one of the desks. "You fucked up. You sent Hunter 27 in after I told you not to, and do you have any fucking idea what that did to him?"

"More idea than you'd think," I spat. "You're not the only one with access to the infirmary records." A quick lie, but it was necessary after my mouth almost got away from my brain.

"I didn't need them. Fuck Covenant Code, this is more important than that. You sent my Hunter straight into a trap. You sent him straight into an illusion, and we didn't think he was going to make it out alive. By the time we found him, he was in a pool of blood, he couldn't speak, and—"

"Look, Blanc, I'm sorry you're all bent out of shape over one fucking Hunter, but he knew what was in the job description. You can't come in here acting all wounded and pissed off because a job hazard actually fucking happened. Based on what I read from the few reports that came in this morning, he was just fine. He was cleared medically, and not to mention that sending him in to take the fall for the rest of the team was the only way to ensure that everyone else could get in and finish the assignment.

"Whether you realize it or not, the objective of the Covenant isn't to protect Hunters. It's to save lives. It's to serve the defenseless. Anyone that says they're a Hunter should be prepared for the risks that come with the job. It seems 27 had no problem with it, so what the fuck is wrong with you?" I waited, staring at him, wondering what the fuck he would say to counter it, and then, I had an idea. It was cruel, not very fair, but I wasn't in the mood to play fair. I wanted to rip him apart, send him fleeing the room to get the hell away from me, and leave me the fuck alone.

I straightened up, walked around the desk, and leaned against the front of it, the edge pressing into the small of my back as I folded my arms over my chest. "27 is the Glass Hunter, isn't he? He's your soulmate?"

Louis's face drained of color, his bubble bursting with the secret out. As far as he knew, I'd deduced it from how he was acting. He was being painfully obvious though.

"I suspected it during the meeting, but I never thought I'd be right. Gods, Blanc, there's a reason the Covenant pushes for secrecy, it's so shit like this doesn't happen. Like it or not, your soulmate is a Hunter. He knows what he's doing. He knows the risks. Maybe you don't like it, but you have no authority, no right to come in here and—"