by MJ Prince
“It was no big deal,” I reply with a shrug.
“No big deal?” Dani echoes, looking perplexed.
I contemplate telling her then, but I don’t for a minute think I’m going to get away with what I did this morning and I don’t want to implicate Dani. She’ll find out soon enough.
Soon is sooner than I think. We stop by my locker on the way to the cafeteria, so that I can drop off my books.
I’m in mid-sentence, opening my locker, when I feel the heat of an explosion rushing towards me. I grab Dani and duck just in time to avoid the roaring flames. Dani gets up and I can feel my eyes widen as she releases a stream of wind and water from each palm, dousing the fire. I guess having elemental powers comes in handy in the face of a locker bomb.
I scramble to my feet and it’s at that exact moment that Raph walks past with Baron and Lance flanking him on each side. The crowd that’s formed in the hall parts like the red sea for them. I catch Baron’s smirk as he glances my way.
But I stop breathing altogether as Raph fixes that icy glare on me. He says nothing, not even stopping to look at my charred locker. But the look in those eyes tells me everything I need to know. It was him.
I feel like running after him and launching myself on his back. But I force myself to stay calm.
“What the hell was that?” Dani asks, her eyes wide as she comes to stand beside me.
“A death wish,” I mutter.
Dani looks alarmed as she follows on my heels into the cafeteria. I maintain my calm as I pick my lunch. I go for the fancy looking soup and fill my bowl to the brim.
“That’s a lot of soup,” Dani says, as she eyes my overflowing bowl.
“I’m hungry,” I reply simply, schooling my expression blank.
The cafeteria is packed full of people as I maneuver the room, Dani following close behind. But instead of heading towards the patio doors, I turn towards the center of the room.
Raph is sitting on his throne, surrounded by his loyal subjects, with his queen bitch sitting on his lap. Baron, Lance and Keller notice me standing behind Raph. One of them, I think it’s Lance, opens his mouth to say something. But it’s too late as I pour the contents of my overflowing bowl of soup over Raph’s golden blonde head.
The cafeteria plunges into silence and the only sound is Layla’s screech of death as she clambers off Raph’s lap. I wish I had two bowls of soup so that I could have doused her, too.
Raph shoots up in his chair and turns to face me. Everyone is staring now. Everyone. Beside me, I can hear Dani let out a whimper, but she sticks by my side.
“What the fuck?” Raph shouts. Even with soup running down his face, he still looks impossibly beautiful. It makes me angrier. I’m not the only one though, because he looks like he’s about two seconds from exploding. I should be scared, he’s meant to be freakishly powerful. He can probably set me on fire with just a snap of his fingers, but I stand my ground and look him dead in the eye. I realize then that I hate this guy. I don’t think that I’ve ever actually hated anyone before, but I completely, totally and utterly hate him.
“You firebombed my locker,” I reply flatly, glad for the deathly calm in my tone, although I feel far from calm.
“And you blew up my car!” He hollers. A round of gasps followed by whispers break out around us.
“Because you tried to drown me last night!” I scream back.
“And why was that, Jaz? You think feeding my trophies to the fishes is cute?”
Another round of gasps.
We stare each other down in silence, and no one else makes a sound. It’s so still, I can literally hear my own breathing.
“Well, I guess we’re even now,” I say finally, my voice a ragged whisper.
Raph seems to calm down then and it makes him all the more dangerous. He flashes me a smile which is as beautiful as it is disturbing.
“Oh, no, baby, we’re far from even.” The promise echoes through my ears long after he stalks off out of the cafeteria and I take my seat at the table in the remote corner.
Dani and I eat mostly in silence as conversation around us resumes. But I can still feel eyes on me. I half expect one of the other Dynasty heirs, Layla in particular, to come and mouth off at me or worse. But nothing happens.
“I can’t believe you blew up Raphael St. Tristan’s car,” Dani says, as we finish eating.
“And threw his trophies in the ocean.”
She throws back her head and laughs then. After a moment, I join in. It was pretty damn funny. Too bad I don’t think I’ll be laughing for very long.
11
I sleep with one eye open, still convinced that the pay back that Raph has waiting for me is going to be the mother of all pay backs. But a few days go by and nothing happens.
I’m exhausted as I step out of my room that morning to grab some breakfast before getting ready for class. I’ve barely made it two steps down the hallway when I hear giggling coming from across the hall. A girl? No, sounds like girls, plural.
I roll my eyes and eye Raph’s room in disgust, just as the double doors fling open. Raph walks out into the hall dressed in nothing but his black boxer shorts and I think my jaw hits the marble tiled floor.
He was wearing swimming shorts at the party a few nights ago, but I was too furious to see anything other than red. I do notice now though that this guy is seriously ripped. His abs and chest are so defined, that they could be carved from the marble floor that we’re standing on. He’s cut like a diamond—not a shred of fat on him. Combine that with his flawless golden skin, defined arms and the powerfully muscled thighs of a soccer player, and this guy is like sex on legs. I stamp down that thought because since when did I have such a dirty mind? Add to that the fact that I hate this guy.
I’m suddenly all too aware that, again, I’m only wearing a pair of barely there sleeping shorts and a grey vest. The way that those uncanny blue eyes rake over me, makes me want to run back into my room and grab a dressing robe. But I stay rooted to the spot.
“Not planning on sneaking out to blow up someone else’s car this morning, are you?” Raph asks, as he leans back against the doorframe of his room.
“No, not today. I think I’ll wait until you get a new car,” I retort, although I know I sound distracted. It’s not easy to stay focused when the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen in real life is standing practically naked in front of me.
He flashes me one of those impossibly beautiful smiles, as if he knows exactly where my mind is. In the gutter, that’s where.
I notice then that he’s got a dimple on each cheek and it only adds to his infuriating perfection.
“See something you like, Jaz?”
My gaze travels behind him to the not one, but two naked girls lying on his enormous silk sheeted bed. I suddenly feel sick. This guy is a total pig.
I purposefully rake my eyes over every square inch of his rock hard body before flashing him a frosty smile.
“Naah. There’s nothing here that I like.”
He smirks in response.
“Sure. Is that why you keep staring at my chest?”
“You’re disgusting—go back to your orgy, you pig.”
Those vivid blue eyes flash like twin flames.
“Jealous, Jaz? You know you’re always welcome to join.”
I gape at him in a mix of outrage and embarrassment, because I really can’t stop staring at him and it pisses me off. I notice that he has a row of tattoos along his left rib cage. It looks like a row of suns with their rays intricately woven together. No doubt a tribute to the element that this prick lords over. So really, just a tribute to himself. Typical. But the artist in me can’t help but admire the skillfully etched tattoos and the foolishness in me can’t deny that they look sexy as hell on him. Stop staring. I command myself.
“’I’d rather have all my teeth pulled out, then fed back to me.”
“Lying again, are we? There isn’t one girl on campus that wouldn’t drop their panties for me. All
I need to do is look their way. You’re no exception.”
I think I throw up a little in my own mouth.
“I can see that confidence is clearly not an issue for you,” I reply. “But unfortunately for you, the only way you’ll ever get to see my panties is if you …” I trail off suggestively, because I think I’m going to enjoy shattering that odd fascination in his eyes.
“Kiss my ass first,” I finish sweetly.
His smile grows wider.
“I’d love to, Jaz, but only if you suck my dick after.”
“What?” I gasp. “What did you just say?” I gape at him in shock, not quite able to believe that he’d be so damn crude. But then again, this is Raph.
He quirks an eyebrow in response.
“Would you like me to say it again?” His voice is perfectly casual, as if he’s merely discussing the weather and not asking me to suck him off.
My face goes up in flames because I’m suddenly imagining doing just that and I’m mortified when my gaze drops down to the package bulging in his black boxer shorts. Holy shit, is it meant to look that big?
Stupid hormones. Before I can embarrass myself, I turn on my heel without another word, and stalk off down the hall, all too aware of those heated blue eyes glued to my ass as I take each step.
I sit in elements class later that morning feeling anxious. Magnus had warned me that I’d have to take this class, but I’d forgotten about it until now, too caught up in my ongoing feud with Raphael St. Tristan and the other Dynasty heirs.
“I don’t think they’ll call you up on the first day,” Dani whispers to me as we sit up on the bleachers with the rest of the class. Professor Roman is standing on the grassy field below, waiting for the last stragglers to take their seats.
Unlike the other classes, everyone in the senior year seems to be in this one class. From where we’re sitting, I can see Raph sitting on the first row with Baron and Lance to his left. I see Layla’s perfectly straight golden blonde head of hair to his right, with Ivy and Keller next to her. One perfectly manicured hand curls around his shoulder and I feel something twisting in my traitorous gut. He shakes her off after a second and I can see her flash him a hurt look.
“Looks like they’re on the outs again,” Dani comments, following my gaze.
I roll my eyes, because the last thing I need is to hear a running commentary on Raph and Layla’s ‘epic love story.’
“Makes sense—I mean I did see him walk out of his bedroom this morning with two naked girls in his bed. The guy is a pig.”
“Holy shit. Was that awkward? What did he say?” Dani asks.
Only because I think it’ll shock her even more, I say, “He asked me to suck his dick.”
Dani’s eyes go as wide as saucers, and she chokes on her next breath.
Thankfully, Professor Roman starts speaking then.
“Welcome to the first elements class of your senior year.
“We’ll start off today with the usual—opening duel between two Dynasty heirs.
“Raph and Baron, you’re up.”
I watch as Raph gets up from the front row, followed by Baron. They make their way to the center of the large field, shaking hands formally in what looks like part of the duel etiquette. But I see the grin that the two exchange. They clearly enjoy this and something tells me that these two are probably the best at it.
I have no idea what ‘it’ is until the duel starts. I expect Raph to make the first move. But he hangs back, waiting with the patience of a predator.
The bleachers are silent in anticipation, until Baron unleashes what looks like a water tornado. I hear my gasp of surprise because of course, I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. People on Earth didn’t just summon water tornados. It’s a reminder of exactly where I am and who I’m surrounded by.
Raph easily intercepts the cyclone of water with a burst of pure fire. You’d expect the water to put out the fire but in this case, it’s the other way around. The heat of the flames seems to vaporize the water until there’s nothing left but mist. I don’t know how the hell it happens, but I have a feeling it’s because of what Dani told me the other day—Raph is the most powerful Seraph that Eden has seen in generations. As I watch the duel, riveted, I can see that it has to be true.
The crowd roars with excitement as the two fighters exchange water for fire, thunder for wind, lightning for storm. I remember then what Magnus told me that day in the hall with the murals. The Dynasties each have their set of elements that they’re closest to—Baron, being an Aldebran, is clearly all about sea, storm and wind, whereas Raph, being St. Tristan and also a sovereign heir, could pretty much use any element. But it’s clear that fire and light are his forte.
Baron is good—there’s no doubt in my mind that he can wipe the floor with any of the other students here. But Raph is just better. Faster, sharper, tactically masterful and far, far more powerful.
The duel ends with a blinding flash of white light which consumes the entire field. For a split second, I’m totally blinded and can see nothing but white.
When the light clears, Professor Roman declares Raph the winner and the bleachers erupt with cheers. I feel like I should be clapping, too, but I remind myself that Raphael St. Tristan is an asshole whose sole purpose is to make my life a living hell. So, I keep my hands firmly at my sides.
Raph’s gaze travels up to the top row and those vivid blue eyes lock onto mine as he walks back towards the bleachers. He flashes me that frighteningly beautiful smile. A taunt. I know then that the inferno he unleashed in class that first day was barely a flash compared to what this merciless asshole is capable of and he was using this duel to demonstrate the full extent of his power to me. To let me know exactly what and who I’m messing with.
My stomach twists painfully. Not just because I realize that this feud with Raph will clearly end in defeat, but also because I realize he was right—I can’t do anything remotely close to what he and Baron just did on that field. I’m no Dynasty heir. Hell, I’m not even a full Seraph. I’m a nothing and no one, just like I always have been and I sure as hell don’t belong here.
“Please come tonight—you’re going to love it,” Dani asks, as she rifles through my overflowing closet.
I still can’t get used to the fact that I now own more clothes than I’ve ever owned in my entire life. I was more than happy to agree to let Dani come over and pick out an outfit earlier. But I’m not so happy about the fact that she’s pleading with me to go to a gig tonight.
Granted, it’s a Friday and it’s a gig that she’ll be performing at. But I’m not exactly a social butterfly and going to a gig on a Friday night where there would, no doubt, be other students from Regency, doesn’t sound very appealing.
“Please—you’re like my only friend here at Regency. You have to come and support me tonight.”
Dani pulls a mock sad face and I can feel myself relenting. It’s her next words that seal the deal, though.
“Besides, you don’t want to stick around here on a Friday night. The Dynasty heirs might throw an impromptu party and you’ll have to suffer through it locked in your bedroom.”
I jump up from my huge ass bed and begin looking through my closet, too.
“Fine. You’ve convinced me,” I reply, rolling my eyes.
Dani gives me an excited hug in response.
“You’ll love it. Battle of the bands at Twisted is insane and the band I sing with is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.”
“Where’d you meet them?” I ask, as I try to find something sensible to wear. I’d never been to a gig before, so I have no idea what’s appropriate.
“I take music lessons during the summer in Arcadia. These guys are from the same music center as the one I go to, and they kick ass on stage.
“I still can’t believe this is your room and that I’m actually in Sovereign Hall. I never thought I’d get to step foot in here. I also can’t believe how many clothes you have. You’re so lucky.”
I can’t help the sadness that creeps into my smile then.
“It wasn’t always like this, Dan,” I reply. “Most days I still don’t really believe any of it is really mine.”
Her eyes turn serious then.
“But it is yours—all of it. So, you need to own it, girl.”
I feel myself smiling in response.
“And the first step to owning it, is to wear this tonight.” She holds up a tiny black dress which looks so tight, that it’s almost indecent. I have a feeling that Magnus didn’t have much involvement in picking out the contents of his seventeen-year-old granddaughter’s closet. Because if he did, this tiny black dress would definitely not have been included.
“Oh, no—no way,” I reply.
Dani just smiles back at me in response.
12
Clearly under-aged drinking isn’t an issue here in Arcadia, or at least not at Twisted.
The DJ is still playing as the first band sets up on stage, when Dani orders a second round of drinks. We’re with two of her band mates—two alternative rocker type guys and a red haired girl with tattoos covering one arm. Just like Dani, they’re laid back, cool and utterly normal. A welcome break from the spoiled brats at Regency.
They don’t suspect that I’m not exactly one of them—i.e. half human and supposedly a Dynasty heir. But then again, why would they? That makes me relax all the more, which is no easy feat, given that I’m wearing the tiny black dress that Dani coerced me into wearing. Paired with sky high black heels, I may as well be back at Rodeo Ricky’s.
Dani’s band goes off backstage and I’m in mid-conversation with Dani, when her eyes widen as she looks at something behind me.
“Can I get you a drink?” The voice behind me is familiar and the smile drops off my face when I turn.
Aquamarine eyes look down at me and I find myself face to face with Baron. Dressed in a grey t-shirt and black jeans, he’s undeniably gorgeous. Too bad he’s best friends with my arch-enemy.