by Alice Wilde
A throat clears loudly behind me. I turn toward the sound to find Nyx standing there, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Tink and Trixie are standing on either side of her mimicking her stance.
“Where is she?”
“Where’s who?” I ask.
“Don’t play dumb,” Nyx says, rolling her eyes. “Where’s Kate?”
“I…I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since class.”
“Liar,” Nyx hisses and Tink and Trixie click their tongues at me in disgust. “You little snake. I’m not going to ask you again. Where’s Kate?”
“Really, Nyx, I have no idea.”
Nyx glares at me for a long moment before snapping her fingers and walking off, Tink and Trixie shooting dirty looks at me as they follow after her.
Why would Kate suddenly disappear? If Nyx doesn’t even know where she is then something must be wrong. Worry surges through me as I try to think back over everything that happened today and what I know about Kate. Once again, nothing is making sense. I have to try to find her, but I don’t want to be weighed down by my bag.
I walk to the far side of the room and step through one fire and into the next.
Forget dropping off my bag, this was a bad decision. As soon as I realize all three of the demigods are waiting on the other side of the barrier, I whirl around to leave, but not fast enough.
Thorne grabs my wrist and yanks me back around to face them, Fenn stepping into position behind me to block my way of escape.
“Where have you been?” Thorne asks.
“That’s none of your business,” I retort.
“Hey, she sounds just like you,” Fenn says.
“Shut up,” Rhys growls. “Answer him, Eden.”
“I was just getting something to eat from the Feasting Hall,” I answer quietly. “You can check my bag if you want.”
“Check it,” Thorne orders.
Fenn steps up behind me and takes my bag. I flinch at the sound of tearing fabric as he wrenches it open and reaches inside to pull out several pieces of fruit and a pastry. He throws them over to Thorne and Rhys and then chucks my bag to the side before he steps back and leans against part of the wall, biting into a crisp, red apple.
“Guess she’s telling the truth,” Fenn says, licking apple juice from his lips.
Thorne tosses the food onto one of the chairs and steps up to me so we’re barely more than a few inches apart. “Where else?”
“I…”
My mouth goes dry at this, as I try to think of how to answer him. I can’t very well tell him about the secret door, can I? He probably wouldn’t believe me if I did, and I doubt Headmistress Parthenos would be all too thrilled to find out I knew about another entrance and had told them before telling her.
“Kate’s missing,” I finally answer, the words falling uncomfortably from my lips.
Thorne watches me thoughtfully for a few seconds and then steps back.
“This is true.”
“What,” I gasp. “How do you know that? Where is she? You better not have hurt her!”
I know I shouldn’t be challenging him, but I can’t help it.
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Thorne says with a wry grin.
“Yes, actually. I would.”
“Fine, but you’re going to have to do a little something for me first.”
I hesitate for a split second.
“Okay, what do you want?”
Thorne takes a seat in one of the high-backed chairs and pats his lap.
“Come here. Sit with me.”
Everything in me revolts against obeying his order. It feels like my feet are rooted to the ground as I reluctantly try to move forward but can’t.
“Here, let me help you out,” Fenn says through a mouthful of apple.
He extends one of his legs and thrusts his foot into my lower back, forcing me to stumble forward and onto my hands and knees in front of Thorne’s chair.
“On second thought,” he says, “I quite like the view from right here.”
I sit back onto my knees as I glare back over my shoulder at Fenn, but he’s ignoring me, his attention already back on his apple.
“So, where is she?” I ask, directing the question at Thorne.
“Did you really think a little kneeling in front of me was going to get you anywhere? No, we haven’t even started.”
“Then tell me what you want.”
Rhys scoffs from the window seat.
“What I want,” Thorne says slowly, “is for you to show me just how well you can take care of me.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know what I mean. After all, you were more than happy to give Rhys a sample of your charm earlier today, were you not?”
I look up at him in confusion, and then it dawns on me what he’s talking about.
“You…you want me to kiss you?” I ask.
“No.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I want you to make me want to kiss you.”
An unpleasant chill runs down my spine at this. How was I supposed to make him want to kiss me when I had no desire to kiss him? The only reason I’d kissed Rhys earlier was…I don’t know, as a means of diversion. But with Thorne?
“I—”
“Come now, time may be running out for your little half breed. Don’t you think you should waste a little less time on pointless conversation?”
I try to think through all the books I’d read on seduction and lust both in class and the secret library, but putting information into practice is a lot more complicated than reading.
“Hurry up,” Fenn says. “Start the show already.”
Thorne shifts forward and takes me by the arm and then leans back in the chair, pulling me toward him so that I’m now kneeling between his legs.
“If you’re as good as you think you are, then perhaps this will be the only night we have to practice before our next class,” Thorne says, arching an eyebrow at me. “Now. Make me want to kiss you.”
Is that all this is about? Making sure we get practice in before our next class with Freya?
Fine. If it’s a show they want, it’s a show they’ll get. All I have to do is pretend. Harpy or not, here I come.
I’m so glad that is not something I said out loud because it still takes me a minute to gather the courage to force a soft smile to my lips. Harpy or not, I’m not ready for this…but they can’t know that.
I sit up off my heels and place one hand on each of Thorne’s thighs, praying inwardly that I can remember enough information from the books I read over the summer to make this quick and easy. Thorne shifts slightly in place, his expression giving way ever so slightly, but it’s as much as I need to tell me he hadn’t actually been expecting me to do anything. With this running through my head, I suddenly feel a surge of courage coursing through me.
I grin, looking up into Thorne’s eyes as I lean toward him and run my fingers ever so slowly up his legs, my thumbs caressing the inner part of his thighs.
He observes me silently, and it’s only now that I realize not one of the demigods is making a sound. I can feel his blood pulsing, pounding through his veins. I briefly look up at him through my eyelashes, long enough to watch as Thorne nervously licks his lips, swallowing hard as I draw ever nearer to his body.
My hands stop just short of divot where his legs meet with his groin. I pause for a few seconds, forcing myself to remain calm and collected as my own heart pounds away ferociously in my chest. If I make it out of here alive, it’ll be a miracle.
As soon as I’ve managed to refocus myself, I look up into Thorne’s eyes once again, as I dig my nails into his thighs and I push my body into his own. Leading with my breasts, I allow them to press against his groin and then move slowly upwards.
He lets out a quiet, involuntary grunt as I do this, and for a moment I wonder if I’ve hurt him and then Thorne shifts in his seat. It takes every ounce of willpower to keep me from pulling away from him.
Kate. I have to remember Kate.
As soon as Thorne adjusted his position, I felt him. I mean really felt him, pressed between my breasts. I’ve stopped moving completely now, trying to think of some way to end this without going any further, but Thorne doesn’t seem quite ready to be done with me yet.
As soon as he notices I’ve stopped moving, Thorne’s jaw tightens.
“You haven’t managed to win me over yet, harpy,” he growls low.
I glare up at him, and then much to both of our surprise I grab his cock firmly though his pants and slowly tighten my grip.
“Kiss me,” I say as I stare into his eyes.
Thorne wrenches me off the floor and into his lap, as he crushes his lips to mine in wild fervor. A moment later, he jumps up from his chair and I fall to the ground as he realizes what he’s just done.
He towers over me, staring down at me in a fiery rage before reaching down and grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and lifting me off my feet and into the air.
“What…”
Thorne trails off, overwhelmed with anger. Tossing me to the side, he storms across the room toward the stairs.
“What about Kate,” I call after him as loudly as I can force air back into my lungs.
“How the hell should I know,” Thorne snaps before slamming the door to his room shut behind him.
“Damn, girl,” Fenn says, breaking the silence that follows. “Just wait until Nyx hears about this.”
“Fenn, don’t,” I start to say, but he’s already disappeared through the entrance.
“You better watch out,” Rhys says darkly, looking down at me through his thick, dark lashes as he walks slowly by me and up the stairs to his own room. “I’ve heard sirens are excellent at torture.”
Gradually pulling myself to my feet, I grab my torn bag and make my way up to my room. That had all been for nothing. Whether or not Thorne actually knows where Kate is, he hasn’t kept his side of the bargain. It had all been a trick, and I was the only one who’d paid the price.
I wish I’d had more time to think things through before coming back. Maybe I should have listened to Michael… maybe I shouldn’t have come back at all.
15
Thorne
Damn it. That was close… too close.
I don’t know what I was thinking. Allowing Eden to get that close was like playing with fire, and of the three of us, I should know better.
Father would be so disappointed if he ever found out how close I got to letting myself lose control over the situation. Not that he’ll ever find out.
Sitting down on my bed, I try to think things through rationally, but as far as I can tell… there’s no rational explanation for any of this. I hate to admit it, but there’s only one thing I can think to do at this point.
I wait until I’m certain all the others have gone to bed before leaving and heading out across the grounds. It’s well past curfew by now, but it’s not like that mattered right now…or had ever really mattered to me.
I find the section of the garden I’m looking for and pull aside the thick branches and step inside. The space is covered in debris, likely from the storm that hit over the holiday. It doesn’t take me long to clear a path, although it’s unlikely anyone else would consider what I’ve just done a path.
The clearing isn’t far ahead, and I’m glad to see that it’s still intact. Standing in the middle of the circle, I close my eyes and focus and then mutter an enchantment under my breath. Wind rushes up around me and then darkness.
“Son,” a cold voice says, addressing me as soon as the rush of wind dies down.
“Father,” I respond in greeting.
“So, what is it you’re here to trouble me with now?”
16
Eden
I try my best to fix the tear in my bag the next morning, but there’s not much I can do. It no longer zips, but at least it can still carry things.
Checking my schedule, I see that I’m meant to study with Thoth and Babaluaye today, at least that’s a positive. I hadn’t seen Thoth since last year, but he’d been one of my favorite professors…and Babaluaye’s classes were always interesting, even if they were also somewhat disturbing.
I grab my bag to start packing it for the day when I notice the little red notebook has slipped out onto the floor. I’d nearly forgotten about it.
Picking it up, I flip it open to find just a single page stuck to a white surface. There’s a small golden-nib pen strapped to the inside cover and three names written across the page.
Rhys, Fenn and Thorne.
No surprise there. Underneath each of their names is a list of words with space to write my thoughts beside them. The words are different for each one of them, and I wonder what theirs say about me.
Beneath Rhys’s name is written control, vulnerability, and mood. For Fenn the words are maturity, thoughtfulness, and responsibility, and for Thorne, temper, servitude, and failure. I have no idea what these have to do with school or our studies, but if these are the qualities that they want me to take notes on that’s exactly what I’ll do.
I pull the pen out of its holder and stare down at the page in front of me. Well, there’s no use waiting to jot down my thoughts when I already know what I want to write for each of them.
Next to the world for control, I begin to scribble down my thoughts.
Rhys is lacks control in its entirety when it comes time to…
I stop writing as I watch my words vanish before my eyes. What was the point of this if my writing doesn’t last more than a few seconds anyway? I tuck the pen back into its holder and snap the notebook shut, replacing it in my bag along with my other books.
There are other things I need to get done today, and…oh!
I jump up from my seat on the floor and throw my bag over my shoulder, almost spilling all of the contents in the process.
Kate.
I can’t believe I’d forgotten! I need to try to find her and at least make sure she’s okay. I rush out of my room, slamming the door behind me and nearly tripping over a sleeping Fenn.
“What the—”
He rubs the sleep from his eyes as he sits up from his spot on the floor outside my room.
“What are you doing there?” I ask and then shake my head as I continue down the stairs before he has time to think of an answer.
“Hey, wait—”
I don’t hear the rest of whatever Fenn is about to say before slipping through the entrance and into the main common room. There are a few students milling about, some are grabbing a coffee or juice from Bacchus’ statue while others are dozing off or chatting with their friends.
“Excuse me,” I say, approaching a small group of girls. “Have you happened to see Kate anywhere?”
“Who the hell is Kate?” one of the girls asks, turning around to look at me. As soon as she sees me, her mouth snaps shut and she turns her back to me.
“She has red hair,” I continue, but then stop. The others have all turned their backs to me as well and have stopped listening.
I sigh and go over to another group of students, but they react in much the same way, except they completely ignore me as they continue on with their conversation. Talking louder every time I try to ask them a question.
Fine. I’ll have to do this on my own.
Climbing the stairs up to the female wing of the dorms, I step through the entrance only to step out on the other side and find myself overlooking the common room. Confused, I turn and step through the doorway again. Once again, it’s as if I’ve just walked out of the dorms instead of trying to enter them.
Frustrated, I make my way back downstairs and outside. If no one was willing to help me, and I couldn’t access the normal dorms, then I’ll just have to try my luck looking for her in the gardens.
As I walk through the gardens, checking the various places she’d shown me when Kate had still considered us friends, I can’t help but regret all that had happened between us. But for now
, I just hope that she’s okay.
I don’t find her in any of the places I remember her showing me, and I head back toward the class buildings in defeat. As I pass by the statues in the garden, I look over at the statue of Astria and then cross over to her and kneel.
“Welcome back, Eden,” Astria’s voice whispers in my mind, “I see you’ve made your choice. It won’t be long before you will see the consequences of your decision, and you are right to think that there will not be another chance to choose. However, there are still many trials to come. Stand strong, be brave, and above all, stay kind.”
I sigh deeply as her voice dies away in my mind. What was the point of this when everything was so vague? At least last year she had given me more direct advice, but now…I don’t know. Writing down what she said, I continue on to class.
Thoth’s class is first, but my excitement fades the moment I step into class.
At the far side of the room is Nyx and sitting beside her is Kate. They’re chatting away with each other as if nothing had ever been wrong. None of the Demigod Trifecta have made it to class yet.
“Hi, Kate,” I say as I draw near. “Are you okay?”
Kate glances up at me with a look of confusion.
“Of course, she’s fine,” Nyx answers for her. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
“I…Well, I was just worried after what you said yesterday.”
“What are you talking about?” Nyx asks. “You really must be obsessed with us if you’re starting make things up now.”
“What? No, I was just worried. Kate are you sure you’re all right?”
“I’m fine,” Kate says, cocking her head to the side as if she’s trying to decide if I’m losing my mind or not.
“Go away, stalker,” Nyx says loudly. “Can’t you see she doesn’t want to be friends with you? Just leave her alone already.”
My cheeks burn hot as the other students turn to look at me, and I drop my eyes to the floor as I walk away to find an empty seat on the other side of the room.