He froze, his back still to the entrance.
"Jax."
That voice. It wasn't sharp like Ava's. It wasn't icy like Celestia's. It wasn't hesitant like Azara's.
It was calm, smooth, and held an easy authority that made every head in the cafeteria turn.
He turned slowly.
Thalia Steele stood there.
She wasn't dressed in flashy armor or a tight-fitting uniform. She wore the standard academy blazer, but on her, it looked different. Tailored. Perfect. Like the fabric itself was honored to touch her skin.
Her golden-yellow hair caught the light, and her blue eyes, sharp and intelligent, were locked directly onto him.
'Kai's sister,' Jax thought, his mind instantly cataloging her. 'How did that idiot Kai come from the same genetic stock? She got all the good stats.'
His eyes instinctively flicked to her chest, then her legs, then back to her face.
