Return Once More by Trisha Leigh Read Free Book Online

“Octavian—Augustus—was actually Julius Caesar’s great-nephew but he was adopted and groomed to be his successor.”
    â€œI guess I missed out on my chance to be a princess, guys. If only I’d been born, um …” I trailed off, attempting fruitlessly to calculate in my head how many years ago Caesarion had died. Or been killed. I shoved more cheeseburger in my face while Analeigh and Sarah laughed.
    â€œTwo-thousand five hundred and ninety years ago. Give or take.” Oz wiped the cheese off his hand with a napkin. He didn’t look up as he took another bite of his sandwich.
    â€œI can totally see you as a princess, Kaia,” Sarah giggled. “Your family is as close to royalty as it gets now.”
    â€œShut up, Sarah.”
    â€œYeah, you are
totally
wrong,” Analeigh protested.
    â€œThank you, Analeigh. You’re a good friend.”
    â€œShe’s wrong because you would never wear a dress long enough to be a princess.”
    I threw a roasted potato at her face but missed. It slid down the blond waves that hung almost to her waist, then plopped onto her shoulder. She gave me a dirty look and flicked it onto the table, grabbing a cloth napkin to dab at the oil left behind in her hair.
    After we settled down, Sarah changed the subject, asking Oz where his observation would take him tomorrow.
    â€œPearl Harbor,” he replied. “I’m looking forward to it, I suppose.”
    I hadn’t been to Pearl Harbor, but I’d seen the holo-files. Only Oz would look forward to watching a bunch of people blown to smithereens.
    â€œYeah, that should be
interesting,
” I mocked.
    Oz grunted his response, missing or ignoring my sarcasm, and Sarah patted his arm. She leaned over to press a kiss to her boyfriend’s freckled cheek, her fingers teasing the black hair at the nape of his neck. “Leave him alone, Kaia. You know Oz will be happy when his traveling days are over and he can hide out in the Archives all day.”
    I loved the Archives at the Academy, too, but not as much as being present at the events. It helped me understand, to pick up on the mood of a thing and not simply the actions. But Oz was … shy, maybe? Focused? Snobby? Either way, he wasn’t big on interacting. He preferred to be alone in the Archives, reflecting on our recordings until his brains slid out of his ears.
    â€œHow many rules did you break today, Kaia?” Sarah’s mischievous gaze sparkled. “Should we bust out the Guide when we get back to the room, take bets on your sanction?”
    Oz’s serious gaze fell heavy on my face as it burned. Analeigh and Sarah kept giggling, snorting that if Caesar hadn’t been able to hold my attention, who would.
    â€œSeriously, I think she might have missed him altogether,” Sarah gasped.
    â€œOhhh, and he could have been her father-in-law!” Analeigh hooted. “He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would have approved of a girl like you, Kaia.”
    It was weird to think of the man we saw murdered yesterday in a different context. My True mourned him. His father. Something shifted in my gut, an uncomfortable twinge. “Can it, you guys. It’s not even a serious infraction to mess up an observation as an apprentice, and you know it.”
    â€œ
You
would know. I’m sure you have that page dog-eared.”
    Most of my Guide to Sanction Determination was in fact dog-eared. It outlined potential infractions, and according to their severity, intent, frequency, and a host of other factors, suggested appropriate sanctions. I liked to be prepared.
    Analeigh sighed, sobering as she returned to her typically grave self. “Seriously, Kaia, I don’t understand why you can’t just do what you’re told.”
    Oz’s silent, judgy stare started to unnerve me, even though it wasn’t uncommon coming from him. He and Analeigh both followed every rule to the