by A. J. Rosen
“Steak is hardly an ordinary breakfast food, Adrian.”
“When will you learn that I’m not just ordinary?”
“I don’t know. Maybe when you run naked down the hall screaming.” I ate a spoonful of Corn Flakes.
“Whoa. Do you want to see me naked that badly, Montgomery?” He pretended to look surprised. “You sure aren’t wasting your time.” Adrian leaned forward and the intense way he watched me sent a shiver up my spine.
“Not as badly as I want to punch your face,” I replied, causing him to laugh.
Get a grip, Avery. Adrian flirts with every female breathing. He doesn’t mean it, and it doesn’t mean anything to you either. Yet somehow, that no longer felt true.
“I need to borrow your phone,” I said, desperate to end this weird tension. To my surprise, he reached into his pocket and handed it over without saying anything.
“Hey, it’s locked.”
Adrian told me the passcode, and I repeated it out loud as I typed. The phone was unlocked, and a black wallpaper filled the screen. Why were those numbers so familiar? I gaped at him in disbelief. “Hey, that’s my birth date! Why is it your passcode?”
“Because you own me—body, heart, and soul,” he answered dramatically, putting one hand on the left side of his chest.
“Dude, I think you missed your calling. You should be in a soap opera. Such cheese!” I quickly texted Kris, letting her know what was up, and passed him back his phone.
A waiter approached our table and offered to clear our used plates and utensils. Once he was done, he looked at me and Adrian. “Anything for dessert?”
I took my last spoonful of the chocolate mousse, savoring every last taste. We’d spent the last twenty minutes talking about food—to be more accurate, I’d been talking about my top ten favorite desserts while Adrian had been telling me about all kinds of aphrodisiacs.
Adrian’s phone buzzed with a text. He scanned the message, sipped his coffee, and then fixed his gaze on me. “Kristen’s at the knucklebones game. Shall we go save her?”
“She doesn’t need saving.” I finished my mango juice. “She loves this kind of stuff.”
“Don’t you know how thirsty Awakeneds can be during the Gathering?”
“What?”
“This could be their last chance of hooking up with anyone without their other half knowing about it. Makes for thirstiness. And desperation.” Adrian shrugged. “Then there are those social climbers who figure they might as well take the opportunity to chase Royals while they have the chance. Knock them up so they can still have a connection with them. Dirty tricks like that, you know. And we both know Kristen is a target thanks to her royal blood and her looks.”
“Geez, Zeus! Some people are just gross. I had no idea. Let’s go. You should be the guide since I have no clue how to get there, and either this map is useless, or I suck at reading maps.”
“Damn, ending our date so soon? Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Adrian said as we stood and walked out of the dining hall.
“This was a date? I didn’t realize I was your type,” I joked.
Surprisingly he didn’t laugh but grabbed my hand instead. “You’re a beautiful girl, Montgomery.”
“Adrian . . .”
“Don’t worry, Montgomery. I won’t start something that I can’t finish. Let’s go find Kristen.”
I found myself momentarily stunned and stared down at my hand, still warm from his touch. What was happening to me? I’d heard that being Awakened meant heightened emotions and desires, but this was getting a little too intense.
As I crossed the lobby of the Hyped, trying to catch up to Adrian, I saw the three stern-looking ladies watching me like hawks. I shivered, and distractedly walked right into Adrian’s back. “Cheesy fusilli! Why did you stop?” I rubbed my forehead and groaned.
Adrian’s face had hardened. His eyes glistened with pain as he stared at the entranceway to the Hyped.
“Adrian? Are you okay?” I grabbed his upper arm and gave him a hard squeeze. He didn’t react to my voice or my touch.
“Avery?” said a silky female voice.
Standing in front of us was the stunning Marsela Costas, her thick dark-brown hair falling over her shoulders in loose waves, framing her heart-shaped face.
“Mars! It’s so good to see you!” I embraced her in a warm hug.
“Geez, you’re all grown up!” She pulled away to look at me and shook her head in awe. “And what a beauty!”
Besides possessing an allure that could match Aphrodite’s, Marsela also had the kindest heart. Just like Kris, she never saw ill in anyone. I said, “You should see Kris. She looks like a legit model.”
Adrian still hadn’t said anything. Even with a few inches between them, I could feel the coldness inside him. It felt like the temperature had dropped a few degrees, and it had nothing to do with the December weather.
Marsela’s eyes locked with Adrian’s. So much was unspoken between them. “Adrian.” She gave a curt, acknowledging nod. “It’s been a long time.”
Adrian responded in kind. The tension building up between the two of them was making me uncomfortable.
I cleared my throat, hoping to shake the awkwardness. “What’re you doing here?”
The Costas, being one of the Royal families, had their own family mansion inside the Royal High Court. Both of Marsela’s parents and her grandmother lived here. “We’re here for Valeriya, Dimka’s cousin. It’s her first Gathering, too, but unfortunately, her parents couldn’t come, so we’ll be at Court all December.”
Marsela had moved to Russia with her soul mate once she found out that she was pregnant, and her son was born soon after. The news of their child had sent Adrian spiraling, as if he had lost his mind. He quit college and used his trust fund to travel the world. His parents had let him, thinking it was better than if he were to remain at home, sad and lonely. Instead, Kris told me he’d spent his time jumping from club to club, attending numerous parties—trying to avoid thinking about Marsela, even if that meant being drunk most of the time.
“I’m glad she has you guys to accompany her,” I replied, smiling.
Adrian grunted.
“It’s really nice to see you, Marsela. I wish we could talk more, but I’m running late for the knucklebones thing and my mom will kill me if I don’t get there soon.”
“Try to have fun, okay?” She briefly glanced at Adrian before adding, “To be reunited with your soul mate is the most wonderful experience a Hellenicus will ever have.”
I tried not to wince, knowing the last sentence must have felt like a dagger in Adrian’s heart. Who would’ve thought that two people who had been madly in love with each other could become so cold and distant? Marsela headed out through the entranceway of the Hyped and in the direction of the Royal Quarters.
“Why did you have to start a conversation with her?” Adrian’s voice broke. “You know how I feel about the bitc—” I elbowed his ribs so hard that it probably left bruises. “Ow! What the hell was that for?”
“I know she broke your heart, but refrain from calling her names. It’s pathetic to be disrespectful to an ex. At one point, she was your everything.”
“You want to know the truth? I wish I never loved her. It has ripped me apart and messed with my mind. I’m sorry, Montgomery.” The elevator dinged. “I’m going to head back to my suite. Say hi to Kristen for me.”
Before I could say anything, Adrian turned and strode across the lobby of the Hyped toward the entrance and disappeared into the cluster of people, out of sight.
“There goes my guide,” I murmured to myself with a sigh.
Chapter Seven
Part of me wanted to go after Adrian, but I knew I had to get to the stupid knucklebones game before anyone—especially my mom—noticed I wasn’t already there. Luckily, one of the elevator but
tons was labeled Social Room, so I managed to find my way to the correct floor even without my guide—or my map.
As I stepped off the elevator, the feeling of being watched rushed over me. I caught the Royal surfer boy, Damian, as his eyes ran critically up and down my body. His behavior was nothing like yesterday when he had acted like I didn’t exist. My gut told me he was one of the guys Adrian had been talking about, thirsty to sleep with as many girls as he could before he found his soul mate. Imagine clicking with him? I shuddered at the thought. Would his behavior even stop once he had a click? I shot him my best don’t-even-think-about-it look and strode toward the social room.
Vlad was standing outside the door, looking more serious than the Court Guards, in a black suit, white shirt, and dark-green striped tie that was almost the same color as his eyes—moss in the depths of a forest. Despite the suit, he looked a little scruffy, not his usual clean-shaven self. Like he’d had a rough night too. What was he still doing here?
My stomach knotted, butterflies twisting inside. “Vlad. You’re here,” I said softly, as if afraid he might disappear if I spoke too loudly.
“I am.” His voice sounded as hesitant as mine. He paused before he reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a black cell phone, which I instantly recognized. “Here.”
“My phone! Thank you! Where did you find it?”
“In my coat pocket.” Noticing my confused look, he elaborated, “I lent you my coat last night? You must’ve put it in there before you—well, before you passed out.”
“Did you”—I paused and cleared my throat to hide my nervousness—“Did you carry me back to my unit?”
“I even cleaned you up and tucked you into bed.”
“You what?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot what happened last night?” When I didn’t respond, he said, “That’s okay. As long as you don’t forget to pay for the cleaners.”
“What?”
“You puked on my favorite shoes.”
“I wasn’t even drunk,” I whispered to myself. “I’m mortified. How much do I owe you?”
One corner of his lips turned upward, forming a breathtaking smile. One that he had never given me. “Nothing. I’m just kidding. You don’t need to pay for anything. I’m just happy that we’re not yelling at each other.”
“Are you going to stay?” I asked, hopeful.
“Yes.”
“Why?” Surely my words last night were not the reason for his sudden change of heart.
“I was able to sort out a deal with my job after all. I’ll be working from Court most of the time. But I still need to go in for the trial.” He paused before admitting, “You were right. I should be here for Kristen.” He caught my eyes. “And for you.”
Vlad had just said that I was right. That had never happened before, even when it was true. And second, he wanted to stay here for me. My phone presented an avenue for escape, and luckily there were tons of texts from Kris, but also three missed calls and a voice mail from Carlo. “I suppose we should probably head in there, then, and get this over with.”
Vlad held the door for me. My eyes habitually scanned the crowded room for Kris. People on one side of the room were sitting on the floor, tossing all five knucklebones pieces into the air and trying to catch them on the backs of their hands. In the middle of the room, others were trying to throw the pieces into the opening of a small vessel. I had played both of these versions of astragaloi as a kid, but this was something else entirely. Vlad noticed my confusion. “They have to throw the dice onto the table thirty-five times. Each side of the die has a different value, but unlike the modern game of dice, it’s not the side of the astragaloi faced up that counts, but the side that lands on the surface.”
“Geez, Zeus, how do you know so much about this game? Do you remember all this from your first Gathering?”
He pointed at the table. “This one is my favorite version of astragaloi. I love counting those numbers.”
This was surprising. I had thought that for him games were a waste of time. I was about to make a joke about how his first Gathering must have gone if he was so keen on counting numbers instead of courting women, when I heard a laugh I would recognize anywhere. I swiftly turned and saw Kris standing near the corner of the room, her face full of joy and her arms wrapped around someone I’d been dying to see: Carlo.
Emotion crashed over me. Pain, confusion, anger. I curled my hands into fists at the sides of my body, clenching so tightly that my palms started to burn. My nails dug in deep as I fought back tears.
“Hey, are you okay?” Vlad put his hand on my arm, but there was nothing that could ease the internal pain I was feeling. Without replying, I stalked across the room to Carlo. Adrian had been right: Kris did need protection . . . from this two-timing liar.
“Avery!” Kris beamed at me. Carlo put his hand out as if we were meeting for the first time. I didn’t know how to react—damn, was he good. For the last year he’d been texting me, telling me all sorts of bullshit, and then suddenly here he was, wrapped around Kris. What a player.
“Ave, this is Domenico.” Her green eyes sparkled.
Domenico? Did he think he could get away with not telling her his real name? Or maybe he had given me a fake name. Whichever it was, he had lied and that was far from okay.
Swallowing hard, I filled my lungs with a gulp of air, then exhaled as I plastered a sarcastically gracious smile on my face. “Hi, again,” I said as casually as I could. “Sorry I haven’t returned your calls. But I see you’ve found my best friend.”
“Pardon?”
“Oh come on.”
Carlo—or Domenico—looked at Kris, who shared the same look of confusion. My anger bubbled like hot lava as he continued his ruse. “You’re really going to pretend that you don’t remember me?”
“What’s there to remember?”
That was it. I couldn’t contain my fire any longer. I swung my arm back and hit him right across his stupid, pretty face. The sound cracked and he stumbled backward to land on his behind. The buzz of excitement around me died down—nothing but dead silence now. Kris looked at me then down at Carlo. Her expression morphed from confusion to shock. She apparently decided that Carlo needed more help, and crouched down on the floor next to him, staunching the blood pouring from his nose.
A hand came down on my shoulder and I turned, expecting it to be Vlad. Instead, I came face to face with a Court Guard.
“By order of the Court Guards, you are hereby in custody for an act of violence on Court Grounds.” His voice was deep, and he didn’t wait for me to respond before he pinned my arm behind my back.
I was about to yelp in protest when Vlad cut in. “Commander Hudson, I believe? I am Lord Ambrosia.”
The guard bowed and nodded. No introduction needed. Everyone knew who Vlad was.
“I am Ms. Montgomery’s legal representation. There’s no need for handcuffs. I will escort her with you to holding.”
Hudson gave him a nod and then let go of my arm.
“Are you okay, Avy?” Vlad whispered to me, putting one hand on my shoulder.
“Of course.” I unclenched my fist then curled my fingers again. It didn’t ache as much as I would’ve thought.
As I was ushered out of the social room, I heard Kris calling my name and I turned to catch a glimpse of her. She had to tell me something—I could see the urgency in her eyes. But I was yanked away before she could say another word.
Chapter Eight
Commander Pete Hudson had left us to wait for the verdict in a small waiting area in the Court Guard Headquarters. Vlad had immediately started furiously texting someone. The mystery of who he was texting was solved the moment Adrian strode into the waiting area like he owned the place, and sat down on the other side of me, sandwiching me between the two guys.
“Damn. What a rebel, Montgomery,”
Adrian said.
“Yeah, yeah. Go on, continue winding me up and I’ll have to add your name to the bottom of my long list of rebellion.” Two Court Guards were on the phone with the Court Hospital to find out how much damage I had caused. “You know,”—I turned to Vlad and gave him a look—“you just earned a new nickname. I’m calling you General from now on for putting Commander Hudson in his place.” I rubbed my wrist, still feeling how hard Commander Hudson had gripped me.
“Can you not?” he said.
“You’ll just have to deal with it, General. Sort of like how I’ve told you not to call me Avy and you never listened. Two can play that game.”
We fell into silence and the whole thing felt more real. The Court Guards hovered over the administrative desk as I waited for one of them to come over and drop the bomb. Vlad must have noticed me staring at them anxiously because the next thing I knew, he fished his phone out of his pocket and said, “I’m calling your father.”
“Whoa, whoa, hold on a sec there, General.” I held up both hands in surrender as I stared at his phone, hoping there was no signal here. “No one is saying anything to my dad.”
“Listen, Avy, this is serious. And since you’re under eighteen, a parent needs to be notified.”
I wasn’t happy about it, but I had no other choice. It was only a matter of time before my parents were informed, anyway. I suppose it would be better coming from Vlad than Commander Hudson. Vlad walked off to make the call.
“Man, this sure feels nostalgic. It’s been a while,” said Adrian as he took in the surroundings.
I couldn’t help but smile—I needed a dose of levity, and I was glad he was feeling less crusty than he had been after running into Marsela. “What? You’ve been to jail before? Shocker.”
Adrian laughed. “Not just me. Vlad was here too.” I looked at Vlad, who had just gotten off the phone. Adrian must be joking.
“Vlad was in jail? What for?” I asked.
“We were in Royal Bar. He decided to play the knight and save a damsel in distress. Except this knight was drunk, and the damsel wasn’t actually in distress. He took down every guy in the room who tried to stop him anyway.” Adrian chuckled and Vlad looked mortified.