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“No, and I’m going to assume he wasn’t aware of this last minute schedule change because he definitely wouldn’t have kept it to himself.” My chest tightens with worry.
“What’s this about simulator mode? Why couldn’t that have been used last week?” I ask, my earlier thoughts playing on repeat in my mind.
“Fuck knows, but that’s twisted,” Zane states, his hand mindlessly lifting to stroke over his now-healed shoulder.
We part ways at the locker room like we’ve done far too many times in the past two weeks. Leila is silent as we change, as are most of the girls in here—Genie included—then we’re back out and quickly heading toward the arena.
The Bishops are waiting for us and we move to the entrance as a unit. It feels weird with no other years in here, like it’s bigger than it was before.
Following the crowd down to the bottom of the steps where Figgins waits, she wastes no time getting straight to it. “Today, I’ve split the Gauntlet into eight sections. This is how you’re supposed to train in it, not what happened last week,” she comments, and I’m surprised she’s so openly irritated by it. Leila’s eyes widen in shock too. “Today it will run as a simulator, which means if you happen to die at the hands of the monsters inside, you’ll find yourself waking up in the medical center. But, let’s hope it doesn't come to that, okay? You’ll also be entering in groups of six and not alone, so choose your team and we’ll get the ball rolling.”
All I’m hearing is last week was a complete clusterfuck and they’re just not telling us why, even among the professors. Fun.
Turning back to the guys, I stumble on my feet when someone shoulder checks me from the left. Leila manages to stop me from falling and I whirl around with anger to find Genie stepping up to Eldon with her eyelashes fluttering.
Bitch.
“Hey, Eldon baby, do you want—”
“Fuck off, Genie,” Brax grunts, interrupting her.
She turns a snarl his way, “I wasn’t talking to you.”
I’m almost sure she’s going to stomp her foot. Her hands are clenched so tightly at her sides I’m shocked her palms aren’t bleeding but, to my surprise, she turns her attention back to Eldon like nothing was said.
“There’s five of us already, and I was hoping you’d take the sixth spot.”
Eldon snorts, shaking his head at her and firing back before I get a chance to put an end to her. “Genie, my dick only gets hard for one girl and it’s not you. When are you going to learn that you’re not wanted around here?”
I gape at him, almost impressed, but annoyed that I can’t just beat the shit out of her like I want to. Her mouth opens and closes a few times but she still doesn’t move.
“Get the message and fuck off. We’ve got some big, bad monsters to fight,” Brax snarks, waving his hand dismissively, and Leila snorts while I try to hold it together.
Genie snaps her gaze to his again, her lip quirked with a sneer. “Maybe the monster in there will be a fucking gargoyle. Maybe you might know them.”
Oh this bitch. Fuck that.
“I’ll show you a fucking monster,” I bite, lunging for her, but I’m caught mid-air. Even with me restrained, she darts down the remaining steps with a yelp as I thrash in Creed’s hold. “Put me down. That bitch needs to be taught a lesson.”
“Save your rage for the pit, Shadow. She’s not worth it,” Brax mutters, and I relax in Creed’s hold. Turning to look at Brax, Creed slowly lowers me to my feet. He’s acting completely unfazed but there’s a slight darkening to his green eye, a shade I haven’t seen on him before, and I know that she affected him more than he cares to admit.
Cutting the distance between us, I look up at him from the step below. “You’re not a monster.”
“I am.” His eyes dip down, avoiding my gaze, and it pisses me off that she managed to hit such a sore spot with him.
“No, you’re not,” I insist, reaching for his hand. “If I thought you were a monster, I wouldn’t have wanted…” My words trail off, the memory hanging between us as he squeezes my hand back before wrapping his arms around me and pinning me to his chest.
I hug him back, basking in his heat as he holds me tighter. “You’re going to be the death of me,” he whispers against my ear, and I lean back with a grin.
“You’re welcome.”
He lowers me to the floor, and I quickly remember we’re not in our own little bubble. The guys grin at us and Leila wags her eyebrows like a fool while Genie and her friends all glare in our direction.
“Do you see why she didn’t get any kind of handbook, Dove?” Zane asks, a wry smile on his face and I smirk back.
“It makes total sense.”
The six of us wordlessly form a group and follow Professor Meade’s direction into our section of the pit.
