Dark Descent: The Arondight Codex - Book One by R Nicole (best books to read all time TXT) 📗

cardio, Purples. Adrenalin only gets you so far.” He pointed towards the door. “Out.”

I pouted and strode past him into the gym where I became intimately acquainted with the treadmill. As my feet pounded and my lungs burned, I was painfully aware of the spectacle my presence had created. I was the elephant in the room, physically and metaphorically.

Ignoring the prying eyes, I focused on the wall in front of me. I couldn’t lose my nerve on day one.

And Wilder… Could I trust him? I felt like we’d shared something after our reluctant adventures together, and I wasn’t talking about the colony of butterflies I was incubating in his name. He’d warned me about exposing my Light, then implied that he’d help me.

Glancing over my shoulder, my stomach fluttered as I watched him lift a set of weights. His muscles tensed, and I swallowed hard.

Whose side was he on?

* * *

The next week went by in much the same fashion. Wilder beat my arse—in a non-sexual way—and I worked out until I either threw up in the corner or collapsed.

Mornings were for stretching, cardio, and strength training, afternoons were a mixture of hand-to-hand combat and theory like Demonology: How to Spot and Identify. We were nowhere near starting the unit on maim and kill yet.

I did know the smoke demons who possessed humans were called Infernals. The spider-like creature we’d fought in Moorgate was a lesser demon who impersonated a human but didn’t use possession. Their bodies were solid and awkward, though they had little intelligence. Wilder called them foot soldiers, or ‘cannon fodder’. There were also many kinds of greater demons. They were more powerful, smarter, had their own version of Light, and appeared to be just like us, though some had certain extremities that were very demon. Balan were one kind, but not the highest in the ranks of Darkness.

By the end of the seventh day, things had finally started to get easier as I settled into the punishing routine Wilder had set for me. My least favourite part was dinner. And lunch. Oh, and breakfast.

The kitchen had been given strict instructions on what food I was allowed to eat, so that evening, like a special snowflake, I collected my pre-prepared meal and turned to find some place to sit. Wilder had said something about muscle and protein and another thing about fat, all of which went over my head. All I knew, was that I was forbidden from eating anything that’d been dipped into a deep fryer or rolled in powdered sugar. Pizza night was out then.

Romy, Martin, Alo, and Valeria were sitting at the middle table, laughing and chattering amongst themselves. When Romy saw me balancing my tray and staring out across the kitchens, she waved me over.

“You okay?” she asked, raising her eyebrows as I perched gingerly in an empty chair.

“My bruises have bruises.” I winced as I tried to find a portion of my butt cheeks that didn’t hurt when I sat.

“He’s a tough mentor,” she replied, smothering a laugh. “Sometimes I don’t think Wilder knows what pain is.”

“Then there’s the bit where I suspect he lost his taste buds.” I stabbed my fork into a spear of steamed asparagus and held it aloft with a grimace.

“Sucks,” Valeria said.

“Huh?” My forehead creased.

“Having to train with Wilder,” Alo replied.

“I’d rather choke on demon vomit than train with him,” Martin added, sinking his boot in for good measure. “Be careful, Scarlett.”

“Careful of what? His stellar personality?”

The Naturals laughed as if I’d told the funniest joke of all time.

“Be careful he doesn’t lead you astray,” Valeria explained. “Stick to the Codex and you’ll be fine.”

“Okay, is this the part where I panic?”

“Wilder has his own idea of what the Codex looks like,” Romy said. “Don’t stress too much about it.”

“I’m being tested, aren’t I?” I groaned and began to furiously slice the chicken breast on my plate. “I knew it.”

“It’s going to be harder for you, that’s for sure.” Alo shrugged and went back to his meal, shovelling food into his mouth.

I drifted off as the others started to talk about the comings and goings of the Sanctum. Scoffing down my dinner, I was hardly aware of their tales of demon fights, exorcisms, and routine patrols out in the city. Usually, I’d be all over it, but tonight my thoughts were on Jackson.

I’d been doing the bad friend thing again. Night after night, I’d only been able to drag myself to my room before I collapsed, so I hadn’t been to see him since I’d recovered from my Light hangover. Wilder kept telling me he was fine and if anything changed, Ramona would let me know, but I’d made him a promise. I’d go to see him when I could, but a week? It was far too long to leave him down there alone. Alone and mutating.

Saying bye to the table to Naturals, I dropped off my empty tray and made my way downstairs, my thighs protesting with every step.

Two flights of stairs later, I shuffled into the vault and crumpled against the bars of Jackson’s cell.

“You didn’t come back,” he said, not turning around.

“I’m sorry,” I replied, my limbs like jelly. “They put me into training and Wilder’s been brutal. I’m one big bruise.”

“Wilder?” Jackson turned, and my heart sank when I saw the anger in his eyes—eyes that flashed silver.

I nodded and curled my hands around the bars. The metal was cool against my skin, but Jackson’s glare burned straight through me.

“It’s been a week since I’ve seen you,” he said, “or at least I think it has. I haven’t seen daylight in so long, I’m not even sure if there is a sun anymore. There could have been a nuclear holocaust for all I know.”

“Jackson…” I shook the bars, but they didn’t budge. Damn this cell. “I’m sorry, okay? The schedule they’ve got me on is more than I can handle. Five in the morning until eight at night.”

“You’re going to be