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Ibring my cup to my lips and close my eyes as I inhale the intoxicating bitter caramelized aroma of my coffee before taking a long pull. The rich texture coats my tongue, and I let out a small moan of appreciation.
My eyelids flutter open, and I reluctantly put my cup down, my fingers already missing the warmth that seeped into my skin. When I finally glance up, Domenic’s eyes are on me. I blink in confusion, but he turns his head before I’m able to discern his facial expressions.
“So tell me everything. How are classes going? Is there any new gossip?” I ask, leaning my elbows against the table, ready for them to spill all the tea. Zina casually looks down at her food, picking at the pasta dish as though she didn’t hear me. Domenic keeps his gaze averted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Lucas looks down at his shoes, refusing to meet my gaze, not even trying to be subtle about it.
“Seriously?” Kali asks, glancing at the others as though they’ve betrayed her. They don’t even bother to acknowledge her, continuing their horrible attempt at ignoring us. I quirk a brow in question at Kali, the only one that will even meet my gaze, and my stomach sinks. I anxiously chew my lip, waiting for someone to respond.
This is the first time I’ve sat down with them in two weeks since our meeting in the library. Aside from our history class, I’ve barely been able to see them because of Maximus. He has filled every moment of my waking hours with combat training, and by the end of the day I’m so exhausted. I hobble up to the shower and promptly pass out, sleeping like the dead until my alarm wakes me in the morning and I have to do it all again.
The most we’ve exchanged are a few texts I sneak in while taking a quick water break. Maximus has been on my ass ever since he walked in on Kyros and me, and not in the fun way. I had to beg him to even be allowed to have lunch with my friends today. Normally, he meets me in the hallway outside of history and carts me off to a small private training room. Handing me a prepacked lunch to eat along the way. He works me until I can barely walk straight again, and not in the way I’ve fantasized about since he walked in on us.
My eyes move to him on instinct, finding him leaning up against one of the far walls, a permanent scowl etched on his face. Besides, we haven’t even talked about his lie and my sudden departure after finding out they’re my mates. I purse my lips at the thought, not even knowing how to broach that subject. He’s been so distant ever since that day in the library, not even indulging in our usual banter.
I still haven’t been able to speak to Adrian since he found me in Mexico. Any time I see him around the manor, he makes a quick exit, darting back to his room, where he stays holed up most of the time. I grimace at the thought, knowing I need to give him space right now, but pain pierces my chest any time I think of him. An echo of the loss that washed over me that day still clings to me, casting a dark shadow over my heart.
Well, a girl can only deal with one problem at a time, and right now, right now, it’s time to figure out what my shifty friends are keeping from me. I eye them suspiciously before my gaze drifts back to Kali.
“What’s going on?” I ask expectantly. It’s pretty obvious they aren’t telling me something.
“Katrina,” Kali and I both say, and she blinks back in surprise.
“I must be psychic. I mean, I probably am now, but the answer was pretty obvious. When doesn’t that catty bitch have something to do with it?” I chuckle, appreciating my humor. I cross my arms over my chest and lean back, ready for whatever mockery that girl has concocted now.
The weighted silence that had settled over the group lifts at my words, and the others stop with their horrible acting.
“Yeah, well, she’s been spreading some information around about you,” Kali says hesitantly, rubbing her arm nervously.
“Like?”
“Well, she’s telling everyone how you think you’re better than them, and that’s why you’re not in the rest of our classes anymore.” She winces, and I pat her arm sympathetically, seeing that she hates being the one to tell me this. “She’s saying that once you found out you’re a god you demanded to graduate automatically. Also she’s saying that you’ve tricked Adrian, Kyros, Maximus and Mateo into thinking they're your mates.”
“Okay, and people believe her?” I hedge, not knowing what to make of this. Of course, the first lie was something I feared the other students would believe, but for Katrina to stoop so low—nope, I honestly can’t even feign surprise at that. I huff out a breath of irritation, I really couldn’t care less about the first lie, but the second, the implication that my mates aren’t actually mine, that’s what really gets under my skin.
Kali nods reluctantly and glances around, surveying the students at the surrounding tables. Thankfully, no one seems to be listening, but she lowers her voice anyway.
“She’s telling them that’s why you’re in the trials, because you think you’re above everyone and want to leave. That you made the council put you in the trials.”
“And people believe that? Why on earth would I want to take part in the trials prematurely when the consequence could be me losing my powers?” I ask in disbelief, unsure of how anyone could think that.
Kali freezes at my words, along with the rest of my friends. Their heads craned towards us to hear our conversation over the surrounding noise. Oops, I guess I hadn’t told them that part.
“You could lose your powers?” Kali asks incredulously, taking on a pained look as though I purposely kept this information from her. I wince at the expression, needing to explain.
“I’m so sorry I forgot to tell you. My mind has been moving a mile a minute ever since we got back here.” I scrub a hand over my face, unsure how I could have forgotten to mention that.
“It’s okay. I can see that he’s working you to the bone. You’ve barely even touched your food.” Kali gives me a sympathetic smile, and I grimace down at my plate, completely forgetting about my lunch sitting there untouched. I hurriedly pick at my roasted chicken, knowing I won’t get an opportunity to eat later. Maximus tolerates nothing more than a five-minute water break.
“If it isn’t the god in disguise herself. Eating lunch with the peasant folk now?” Katrina sneers in my friends’ direction, and I bristle at the slight. Say whatever you want to me, I can dish it back just as good. But to take it out on my friends? Stacia and Veronica flank her. Veronica turns up her nose at me, flicks her long black hair over her shoulder, While Stacia stands there awkwardly. She avoids meeting Kali’s gaze, or any of us for that matter, staring off into the distance.
“How about you just go fuck off, Katrina, and go look for your attention elsewhere? And while we’re at it, don’t talk about my friends that way again, or else we’ll have a problem.” I breathe out through my nose in frustration, trying to get my anger to simmer down especially with it already being heightened by her bringing the guys into her petty issues with me. Nothing I do in this situation could be seen as good. People will look at me as a bully if I stand up against her physically, given my increased powers. But if I do nothing, I look weak.
“We already have a problem. First, you steal my boyfriend, and now you’re too good to stay in school with the rest of us. What are you going to do? Go cry to your daddy?” She snickers, vitriol leaking from every single word. To my dismay, her words elicit several other laughs from the surrounding tables. I grit my teeth, but pause as I feel a presence drawing nearer.
Maximus stomps in our direction, but I give him a sharp shake of my head, not needing him to get in the middle of this. I can take care of one mediocre bully myself. I stand from my seat, letting the metal legs scrape obnoxiously across the floor and causing several students in the vicinity to cover their ears at the shrill noise.
“Listen here bitch.” I step up to her, mere inches separating my chest from hers, and I see the fear flit through her gaze as she looks up at me, and I let the couple of inches height I have on her work to my advantage. “I don’t know what crawled up your ass, and I frankly don’t care. You can walk away now, or we can have it out, right here, right now. No powers, I promise.” I add sweetly, giving her a devilish grin. I honestly couldn’t think of anything more satisfying at this moment than putting Katrina in her place.
“I won’t do this here in the middle of this crowd.” She sneers before glancing around at all of the students listening intently to our every word. I don’t miss the way her hands tighten into fists at her sides, and the redness blossoming on her cheeks. I huff out a breath of amusement at that, she was the one to approach me in the crowded dining hall, and now she doesn’t want to have it out here?
