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“I’m good, thanks,” I muster as Leila steps closer and squeezes my shoulder.
“Raven…please tell me, for your sake, that Sebastian isn’t your brother.”
I scoff, head dipping until my chin hits my chest. “I wish I could tell you that.”
The sound of pounding footsteps echoes around us, getting louder until the floor practically vibrates beneath my feet. Expecting a herd of assholes ready to finish what Sebastian started, I stand tall again, bracing myself for a fight. Instead, Eldon, Creed, Brax, and Zane appear moments later.
“What the fuck did we miss?” Eldon barks, sweeping his hair back off his face as he casts his eyes over me from head to toe.
“Nothing,” I grumble, relaxing at the fact that I’m not under attack.
“It definitely wasn’t nothing,” Leila argues, and I glare at her, but she’s not looking in my direction anyway. “It was Sebastian.”
Traitor.
They’re already confusingly overbearing as it is. Why is she making it worse?
“The fuck?” The cords in Brax’s neck tense as he scans his eyes over me, but I wave them off.
“I’m good. I need to get to class.”
“We’ll walk you,” Creed offers, but even as I shake my head, Leila steps to my right side and the four guys seem to circle behind us in a protective stance.
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Why?” Zane asks, a hint of hurt to his tone, but that can’t be possible. I don’t even know these people.
“Because I have enough drama with my brother. You guys didn’t mention you’re known as the freaking ‘Bishops’ on campus, and even if I don’t know what that means, it’s causing more issues and giving me unnecessary attention. I’m strong enough without you. You have no idea what I’ve already survived getting here.”
Silence is all that greets me as I continue toward the open field where the rest of the students are all spread out and seem to be warming up. I’m almost sure they will take my statement and respect my boundaries, but I’m foolish like that.
A hand wraps around my waist, pulling me back against a hard chest as lips brush against my ear. “Get used to it, Little Bird.”
* * *
Focusing is more challenging than I care to admit. The run-in—or hijack as I prefer to call it—with Sebastian has me on edge. It definitely, one thousand percent, has nothingat allto do with the way Eldon held me earlier.
At least in this lesson, the professor introduced herself to me. Professor Eleanora Figgins. A soldier, a warrior, and, as far as I can assess, a badass bitch. Her brown hair is braided back off her face, revealing the three claw scars that dominate her right cheek. She wears them with pride and a sense of honor that bewilders me. The realm is so much bigger outside of Shadowmoor. I don’t understand the greater good we’re training for, the sacrifices being made, the belief in the cause, and the integrity that some have.
I’ve only missed three ordnance classes since the term began, so everyone is still in preliminary training mode, which involves endurance, strength, and agility. Apparently they want our bodies to be weapons too before we can actually get our hands on the real deal. Luckily for me, you need all those things to survive Shadowmoor for more than a day.
“Excellent, now I want each of you to run the circuit three times, starting at a slow jog and building up so that the third time is as fast as possible. It’s not about being the quickest. It’s about training your body to maintain a steady speed, but harbor the energy to push hard and fast when necessary,” Professor Figgins orders. A few groans ring out around the field from the other students. She has already had us lap the circuit twice, getting a feel for what everyone can do, and now she wants us to go again.
“Save me now, Raven. I’m going to pass out,” Leila mutters, sweat beading at her temples at the mere thought, and I grin at her.
“You’ve got this. You just have to dig deep.” My attempt at reassuring her fails drastically when she side-eyes me with a huff.
“When I call out your names, I want you to join the starting line. I’m matching you with those I think you can hold and maintain with. Let’s see if we can make that possible.”
“Yup, definitely separated then because you’re crazy fast and I’m the little slow tortoise you hear about in old folklore,” Leila whines before moving to the line at the sound of her name being called.
She glances back over her shoulder with a pout and I stick my tongue out at her, which only adds a glare to her disapproving features. Genie, two of her friends, and a handful of other girls step forward before Figgins shoots a flare gun into the sky. As we watch, they all set off at a slow pace, allowing me a moment of reprieve as I take a deep breath or two.
A shadow casts over me after a few seconds and I really should have expected it, counted down to it happening, if I’m honest. Glancing to my left, I find Creed, but he’s not looking at me. He’s watching the other students run the circuit. After staring at him for a solid thirty seconds, I realize he’s simply standing beside me and not forcing a conversation. That I can handle.
The silence becomes more comfortable as Leila enters her second lap, the two of us standing side by side. His arm grazes mine occasionally and I try to act as unfazed as possible, but it’s more complicated than it looks. Every nerve ending is on edge, especially after my encounter with Eldon earlier. I can’t think when they’re around, and it’s a feeling I’ve never experienced before, which leaves me completely off-kilter.
All too quickly, the group reaches the end of their third lap and another group joins the starting line. I’m acutely aware that the Bishops, two other guys, and myself are the only ones not yet called. Leila doesn’t mention anything as she comes panting to a stop on my other side, basking in the comfortable silence until the second group finishes too and I’m called forward.
