Jane Brier’s early mornings in Eivel were usually quiet.
A grey sky beyond the window, the soft bluish glow of the stabilizer lamps at home, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee lingering in the kitchen as she slowly turned the pages of the morning paper. Outside, Eivel was beginning to stir, little by little, while another day at Katoptrium waited ahead.
Her work with Jack rarely followed anything resembling a proper schedule.
Some days they were on duty, and all it took was a single alarm before they were already crossing half the city toward another newly opened rift. Other days, like this one, were spent within the walls of the Agency: endless reports, strange cases to untangle, searching for patterns where there seemed to be none, and the occasional combat training session to remind them that even the quietest day could take an entirely different turn without warning.
Jane took another sip of coffee and lowered her eyes to the newspaper again.
Jack was probably already at the Agency.
The thought came to her without invitation and, despite all the time that had passed, still stirred that familiar flutter somewhere beneath her ribs.
Things with Jack had never been simple. She doubted they ever would be.
But if Jane had been given the choice, she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
