AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My immediate reaction to that tone of voice is to nod, even though a part of me remembers that this is the man who told me I no longer held his interest.
I push away that thought. Too much has happened since then that proves I mean something to him. That he values me enough to sabotage whatever he’d been trying to do to Veer so that I would be safe.
“Is that understood?” he growls.
“Yes, sir,” I whisper.
A breeze meanders down the alleyway, bringing with it the acrid scent of burning. I blink over and over, my eyes stinging, both from the fire and out of relief that he’s still alive.
Professor Segul’s eyes darken. “Tell me what happened.”
“We went to the venue early, and there was a van—”
“From the beginning.” His voice is hoarse. “Explain to me why Odin is so determined to bring you into his family.”
My jaw tightens. He heard that too? “He just wanted a free accountant, I think. But I said enough dirty bullshit to put him off.”
“Phoenix.”
I can’t remember the last time he called me that.
“It was induction week,” I say, my words halting. “Representatives from the families came in to introduce themselves and the kind of work they do. After a long presentation, people from Shango’s organization brought barrels of palm wine and held a party. I got talking to the only group of people who weren’t dancing, and…”
I cringe as the rest of the story spills from my lips. It’s hard to admit to getting drunk on fermented tree sap on my first week of freedom. Even harder to admit to having slept with the first boy who showed me an ounce of interest, but as Professor Segul stares at me, those dark eyes bore into my soul.
“It meant nothing,” I murmur. “The next morning, I woke up with a terrible hangover. Veer lay passed out in his bathroom, so I got dressed and escaped. He acted like he’d forgotten, and I have no idea how news spread to Odin.”
“When you both went missing, Charlotte Bress suggested that you’d gone to patch up your differences,” he says.
My chest deflates, and my gaze drops to my feet. “Oh.”
So, Dad had been right about the dangers of sharing secrets in this world.
“Then what happened?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“According to Thor, you’re about to become his new cousin, now you say you’re not. There must be something more to this than a one-night stand.”
I give my head a vigorous shake. “Absolutely nothing. For the next two years, he acted like I didn’t exist, and I didn’t go chasing after him.”
Professor Segul continues glaring down at me, and the lie curdles in my belly.
“Okay, I tried talking to Veer because I didn’t want to be the kind of girl who had flings with just anyone. When he pretended that he didn’t remember, I backed off.”
“Pretended?”
“He apologized last week, explaining that his uncle would have forced him to get married if he discovered.”
“And that’s when you resumed your relationship?” The menace in his voice makes my skin tighten.
“No!”
“Then explain why you couldn’t follow one simple order.”
“Charlotte liked his friend, Axel, and she wanted me to tag along.” When Professor Segul doesn’t respond, I blurt. “That’s it. She’s my friend and I wanted to support her as much as she supported me.”
Silence stretches out between us for several heartbeats. The hum of traffic mingles with the chatter coming from the people gathered on the garden square, and with the distant roar of the sea.
