I reach for another drink as someone with a tray passes by. As I take a gulp, I catch sight of the same guy I watched arrive. His long black hair flows around a shadowed face. His lips are all I see, and they aren’t smiling. He feels forbidding, yet I want to be near him. My body sways toward his. I fight the motion.
I go to find Deidre and see her longingly staring at the exposed neck of a handsome man. I watch as her hand drifts over to him, then completely through his head. She pouts, then lights up when she sees me.
“I miss blood. I’m so thirsty all the time. It’s torture,” she admits. “But, the party’s great. How are you doing? Met any guys you want to hook up with?”
“Where did you learn that expression?” I ask in horror.
“I listen. I see what people look at on computers. It’s easy to spy. Besides, I was never a prude,” she replies.
I roll my eyes, and answer, “No, I haven’t met anyone I want to hook up with. But, I am enjoying myself. I owe that to you since no one else I know bothered to invite me to this party.”
“Oh, sugar, things will get better. They always do,” Deidre sweetly foretells.
“Actually, you may be right. Do you see that man with the long black hair? I keep getting the urge to go talk to him. It feels as if he’s drawing me in,” I confess, if only to a ghost.
“Go,” she commands. “You’ve got nothing to lose. You took a chance on the party, and it’s working out fine. Why shouldn’t he?”
I give in to temptation. I let my instincts take control, and I walk his way. I stop to pick up two cups of the potent drink, so I can use offering him one as an excuse to talk.
His dark eyes meet mine as I extend the drink to him. I’m all but lost in them. It’s almost like I know him, yet there’s no way I could have forgotten meeting such a man.
“Thank you,” his deep voice rumbles, sending shivers through my body.
“You’re welcome,” I manage to mumble. Not cool, but at least I’ve spoken.
“Why did you bring me a drink?” he asks.
“You appeared to be all alone, and I thought you might be thirsty,” I lamely reply.
A smile lights his face, and he loses the forbidding stature he’s shown all night. “I think there’s more to it than that,” he states.
“True,” I sigh. “You’ve been hiding in the shadows, and I was drawn to you. I think I sensed a kindred spirit or something.”
“Do you hide in shadows?” he asks.
“Most definitely. You see, most of these people hate me. They bully me whenever they can. I find it best to be sort of invisible.”
“You’re not tonight. I saw you dancing,” he tells me.
“It’s dark, and hard to see who everyone is. They’re all pretty much drunk, too. So, it felt safe to have some fun. So far, I’m blending,” I explain.
“But, you saw me, and I saw you. So, it’s not as difficult to see faces as you may think,” he declares.
“Then, maybe out of the class environment, no one gives a shit who I am,” I state in frustration.
He laughs at my cursing, and asks, “Who are you? Why are you hated?”
I look around for a way out of this conversation. I find I’m reluctant to tell him who I am. We’ve been getting along just fine, but when I mention Hades it’s sure to ruin it all.
“Hey,” he says pulling my chin back around so that we’re facing each other once more. “There’s no reason to hide from me. If I want to know something, I have many ways of getting the information. Wouldn’t you rather tell me than have your enemies give me their distorted version?”
Yes, I would. I clear my throat, and begin, “ My name is Ember. I’m new here. I sinned by turning up late. Then, there’s also the fact that I’m the daughter of Hades, which I didn’t know until I was dragged here. I’m judged by what my father did. It doesn’t help that I have a teacher who refuses to believe I never knew my dear old dad. He’s announced to my class that I’m a fucking liar. He twists everything I say. The only friends I have here, who are alive, won’t stick around me because I make things worse for them. That leaves me with a ghost for a friend. I’m considered a freak. Now, do you get it?”
“That’s a lot to deal with, Ember. I’m Saul, and I consider myself a freak. You need to remember, though, that you’re not the only one who’s been treated this way. I’m not exactly a favorite, you see. My kind are relatively new to the school. We didn’t used to be allowed in. If you really look around, you’ll see that we’re all freaks of some kind. That’s why we’ve been chosen. You wouldn’t have been brought here if you didn’t belong.”
I hear his words, and I try to let them sink in. It’s hard to do, especially when I let myself look around at everyone else. I don’t see freaks. I see talents I can’t comprehend.
My eyes meet those of Eden. He’s in a group of the people who bully me the most. He’s watching me talk to Saul. He’s too far away for me to tell if he’s just watching out for me, or if he’s displeased about something. Eden’s difficult to read at any time, and how concerned can he be if he’s consorting with the enemy?
Chapter Eleven
"Words they don't know to make amends
All they do is push you to the edge
But it's not wasted
It's all done for you."
~ Black Veil Brides
We fall in pace together automatically. This is the easiest time I’ve had being around anyone living here at the academy, thus far. The party is huge, expansive, taking up the entirety of the outdoor area on the human world side of campus. Apparently, it is veiled from humans, and gods don’t like to come here. Neither do most of the teachers, because they prefer to feel the magic of the old world, Olympus. It feels strange to them to be in a place where magic doesn’t feel alive and natural.
Me, and others like me, we know what it’s like to be human. And so, it doesn’t feel strange or unnatural to be here.
"So, I'm guessing you have never met the man himself?"
He doesn’t have to explain, his sheepish grin enough. I’m drawn closer to him, almost bumping into his massive shoulder as we walk along the sand and rocks on the shore. "No. I always thought my father was some human bum. A man who didn’t want commitment, especially to my mother, and ran off before he could get stuck with her." I laugh quietly at that.
He laughs too. "Ah, so your mother isn't a walk in the park either?"
"That’s an understatement. She's the most narcissistic, materialistic person I’ve ever met. I love her as my mother, but she kinda sucks at this. Always has. I don’t think she meant to have me, so I guess I'm grateful she allowed me to exist. But with the small amount of information I have, I feel like she’s more likely to be the dangerous and evil one than my father."
I don’t know why I feel so comfortable. I don’t think I’ve had enough to drink to cause this kind of lack of inhibitions. Only about half a cup, maybe a little more, drinking slowly just for a slight buzz and to blend in. It doesn’t taste bad though, like beer. It’s some kind of mixed drink with a sweet taste. A mix of wine with someone else.
"A very good attitude to have, but, Ember, you don’t have to be nice to someone just because of who they are for you. I strongly believe everyone has to earn their way into someone’s heart and mind and trust. Take this school, even those who get accepted still have to learn and prove they can be everything that’s needed. Only ten get chosen at the end of this."
"Which is why, as much as I hear the advice to put my head down and blend in, something feels wrong about it," I admit, stopping and turning toward him, meeting his dark eyes highlighted by the moon which seems so large and close here. "Even if teachers would rather I shut up and do what I’m told, I don’t think it will do me any favors three years from now. If I want to be a Guardian, I have to stand out."
The wind gusts for a moment, blowing my hair towards him, feeling like it’s a little wild, I go to twist it up in a knot, only for a stubborn piece to fall out
over my ear.
I got to reach up to tuck it back with a huff, but my hand meets his, and I suddenly feel warm all over. Especially in places I wouldn’t expect just meeting this guy. Then again, being ill all the time has meant I haven’t gotten to pay enough attention to guys to feel anything. Unless you count posters of Pete Wentz and Adam Levine or Adam Lambert, which would be entirely barking up the wrong tree anyway.
I'm no prude, not necessarily shy about the idea, well-informed thanks to my mother’s many partners and openness about all things sex. But I haven't done anything.
It’s all about theory right now.
The throbbing I suddenly feel when he pulls the hair expertly up with a precise move a human could never make, so I can get it all out of the way.
And though my body’s focus is on Saul and the pull I have to him; I feel this tingle at the back of my neck. It’s a lot like when I know a ghost is in the room, but I don’t think this is any spirit in, even Deidre.
Saul is saying something, and I automatically answer even as my eyes scan behind him and catch the dark eyes of Eden on me once more.
On us.
He has no readable expression, so I don’t know if he’s planning on coming over here doing something malicious, or rather less; something else to keep his constant gaze on me.
But no that would be ridiculous to think after the way he’s treated me and how he hangs around with Holly, Layla, and their friends.
Friends who have gotten denser now.
Holly, Layla, and three other boys I believe to be demi-gods gather in a disorganized semi-circle. Eden is there on the outside of the group as well as another boy, who I'm guessing is also a harpy or something similar. He has wings expanded, showing off to some of the girls, though they pay him little mind. But these are black.
Maybe an angel or something.
And then two other girls who look like they could be twins, short red hair and freckled cheeks, are playing with a pile of wood.
Are they trying to start a fire? If so, they kind of suck at it.
Saul turns to see where I'm looking and then gives me a tight smile. "There's always a new group of them each year. Elitists, dangerous, but there aren’t usually as many demi-gods involved. I think you’ve had an effect on them."
Saul winks at me, and I scoff. "Yes, they're in love with me, obsessed, can’t you tell?" I raise an eyebrow at him and then point to what they’re trying to do. "Should I help them"
"It would certainly make a statement."
Layla breaks away from the crowd, coming to us, tumbling, really. She had too much to drink and flings herself on Saul.
I feel the sting of jealousy, though there’s no right to. I have no claim on him. We haven’t even so much as kissed, though his lips look pretty inviting. They must look that way to her too as she wraps her arms around his neck and tries to go in for it, though he comically moves his head back and down to look at her.
"Saul, baby, why don’t you come play with us. You’re missing all the fun."
He takes her arms gently off of him. "I think you could use a little less fun," he says, and I don’t think she gets the joke, and I try to turn my laugh into a coughing fit.
Then, he turns to me. "Would you like to get out of here? These parties will happen pretty often. Nothing to miss here if they’re making you uncomfortable." The look of shock as Layla looks at us would make a great photoshop, but I go for something else bold instead. "Sure, just a sec."
I smile straight at Eden as I produce a fireball, much more easily than I expected, and hurl it at the group. The two redheads have to dive out of the way, but then the pile of wood ignites.
"You’re welcome," I tell Layla before turning, Saul reaching his hand out for me to grab. It feels so simple and natural to grab it, so I do and let him lead me back inside the building, a back way to the dorms. All the while, I can feel dozens of eyes on me.
His right hand is tucked in his pocket as we stroll through the bottom floor area where the desks and chairs are there for studying - the place I was bullied when I first came. Instinctually, I look up and make sure no one is waiting to dump something else on my head. But there is no one. I don’t want to put all my trust in Saul, but he doesn’t seem to be like the others right now. Even if it bites me in the ass later, there’s nothing to worry about at this moment.
I look around at the two paintings that span the wall to my left and point. "Why do I almost never see Hades depicted here? Did they rip them all down when he did...whatever it was that he did?"
Saul shrugs but then shakes his head. "From what I understand, it's more than that. It’s not my place to speak on what happened, but what I know about your father’s history is that one, he was mostly a busy guy. Always in the underworld, away from others, and getting his job done. Plus, who wants to see a bunch of dead people in art?" he asks with a soft laugh, making me smile.
"You’re probably right about that."
"There are a couple, on the south side. One from when Zeus fought the titans and one from when he was given the Underworld to rule. I can see the resemblance."
His eyes shine in a strange way, and his hand slips from mine to my hip as he leans down, a veil of dark hair coming over my face. It’s like a privacy curtain for whatever our lips might decide to do.
That same aching below, our lips crash together, his hand bunching up the bottom left part of my shirt as his tongue slides easily inside my mouth. Tasting him is like the feeling of fire in my palm.
But then, he’s inexplicably ripped away, his teeth catching my lip and causing a trickle of blood to run down to my chin as I process what's going on.
I should have seen it coming, with his eyes on me all night, but it made no sense. Still does not as I watch Eden unfurl his wings and lift Saul up into the air.
Chapter Twelve
"If you keep shutting me out it's gonna haunt you
When you choke on your words."
~ New Year’s Day
My life has been full of all kinds of drama, but never the kind that makes the news or causes the kind of gossip this fight might, assuming anyone hears about this. No one’s around, anyone who wants to be at the party and anyone else who didn’t go likely locked in their rooms too scared to get in trouble. And I don’t know if Eden will ever admit to this act of...can I call it jealousy?
There’s only one way to find out.
For a moment, I watch in horror, afraid the beautiful, stained glass ceiling is going to burst open as Eden yanks Saul high into the air. But then he just takes him to the top landing of dorms, about six doors down from where mine is located. He lets Saul down and pulls him close with his fist wrapped around his shirt. I run up the stairs, lack of wings making me slow, but I have to stop whatever this insanity is. When I get up there, Eden is threatening him through gritted teeth, and as I shove him, forcing him to let go of Saul, I hear the words "take advantage."
"What the fuck? You just can’t handle yourself, can you? Why are you even here? Following me like some stalker. Go back out there to all your bitchy girlfriends and let them fawn over your damn wings and model poses," I tell him, leaning over to see that Saul, obviously more graceful and unbreakable than a human, is fine. No windedness or injuries. No falling off the balcony.
"Don’t you get it? He’s luring you to your room. Taking advantage of you," Eden tells me, gesturing toward Saul whose hands are up in surrender, but he looks like he has no idea what Eden’s problem is.
And this is the first time I’ve seen real emotion from Eden, not just dismissal or some asshole facade. But what does he want?
"So, dumb Hades daughter can't look out for herself?" I ask him, trying to control my explosion, but I push at him again and again. He steps back a couple of times, but I know it’s of his own volition - super strength is not my talent, and he kind of has something like that. His body is rock hard.
"Not what I'm saying." His voice is so desperate it shocks me into stopping.
"
Why do you even care, Eden? Why would it even matter? You didn’t save me from being attacked and bullied. Never will. You don’t care about me. I'm just another student, one everyone hates, you and your damn friends included." My voice may be quiet now, but I grit it out with conviction, so he gets it. That it hurts and he has no right to step in now. "Saul is the only person so far who hasn’t scorned me for who my father is, though he’s little more than a sperm donor to me."
Eden blinks and then runs his hand through his dark hair. It is a sexy move, and I hope he can’t hear the way my heartbeat pounds in my chest, for reasons that have nothing to do with rage.
"I don’t know. I just couldn’t let him do what he was trying to do, Ember. Do you even get what he is?"
Saul finally steps back into the picture as I look back at him with questioning eyes, wondering what Eden even means.
I remember what held said, that his race, whatever he was, was still a little ostracized in the community. They've only been considered for the academy in the last decade. There aren’t much like him here. Maybe it’s prejudice again.
"You should know my powers don’t work like that, nor am I using them on her," he responds which still tells me little, about the unspoken question.
"An incubus is always seductive, demon. Whether you want it to be or not. She would have opened her damn legs for you in a heartbeat and then regretted it, the moment you didn’t talk to her ever again."
Saul raises his fist, but I place my hand on his chest.
I don’t know who to be angry at here; this is all new to me. For all I know; the truth is somewhere in between what these two are saying. It does explain the heat pooling between my legs and how drawn I was to him, but I had no plans for spreading my legs.
Bane of Hades (Guardian Academy Book 1) Page 6