The other girls were doing much better. When I first arrived, a brightling had told me that half-bloods were supposed to have more grace and dexterity than others. My experiences in gym class and this one proved him wrong. The other girls were faster, stronger, better. At least in the physical sense. I knew that when it came to the ukulele, I’d still out-serenade them, so I had my strengths, too. Still, I couldn’t help the pang of jealousy that shot through me when I saw them easily maneuver through the task. Danna already had fifteen books stacked on top of her pretty, exuberant head. She took a step forward, then waved at me with a bright smile, acting as if she didn’t have pounds of paper on top of her. The books slanted to one side, almost falling, but she used her hands to steady them and took another step, as if she’d been born to balance books on her head.
I sighed, then looked at the pathetically small stack of hardcovers I’d gathered in front of me. I decided to be less ambitious—two books at a time. It was still a challenge. Every time I thought they’d stay on my head, they shifted to one side and almost fell. I constantly used my hands to adjust their position while I watched the other girls stack books on their heads without thinking twice. I growled out my frustration as I saw my name creep down the scoreboard. Through great effort, I’d inched my way past the fiftieth percentile, but it looked like this class was about to undo all my work.
Fucking books. We never got along. And I didn’t even have to read them this time.
Did my head have an especially uneven surface or something? I wouldn’t be surprised, because the stuff I thought of every day hardly made sense.
After my third failed attempt, I picked up a hardcover and measured its weight in my palms. I wouldn’t be surprised if Agness had ordered Dahliana to give me faulty, imbalanced books.
Professor Dahliana stopped before me. “You’re going about this the wrong way,” she said.
“Oh, really? What gave it away? Is it the fact that I have nothing to show for my attempts except for a messier head of hair?” I pointed to my scalp. I realized I sounded testy and annoyed. I shouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me, but everybody needed to be angry once in a while, so I continued, “This is the most useless class I’ve ever been forced to attend.” I watched as my name went even lower down the scoreboard, dipping together with my morale. What did I care about stupid numbers? My vassals and I were going to save the entire school and I’d be lauded as a hero. Right?
Dahliana, perfectly and gratingly poised, twined her fingers together and gave me a gentle look. I could sense her irritation boiling beneath her skin. She didn’t like my disrespect but didn’t want to show it. “You have to focus on how you’re standing, Cara. Look at your tiny shoulders. They’re tipped at the wrong angle, and you’re barely even standing straight.”
“Tiny shoulders?” I scrunched my nose. I thought I had a decent physique, a mellowed-out hourglass shape. Dahliana was just jealous. Since I didn’t mind improvement, I listened to the professor’s instructions. I sucked in a deep breath and focused on my posture as I placed the books on my head. I thought it might be working, but as I gently let my hands fall to my sides, the books wobbled and toppled, collapsing into a useless heap. I eyed my failure in exasperation.
“I need cake,” I said. More than just red velvet this time. Vanilla. Chocolate. Cheese and tiramisu. All the flavors of the world. I thought Hansel was feeding me too much of it, however. Being a half-blood did nothing for my metabolism, and my love handles were beginning to feel a bit too lovely.
“You can have some—”
“I’m tapping out.”
It wasn’t in my nature to give up. I was part crazy, and crazy people liked doing the same thing repeatedly in hopes of better results. Not this time, however. My head hurt. “I’m going to the next class early,” I said. “Get prepared so that I can make up for this one.”
“You have two more tries,” Dahliana said. “And it’s disrespectful to leave so abruptly.” She couldn’t stop me, however. The half-bloods had full control of their actions as long as they didn’t leave the Sanctuary. Goddesses were supposed to rule, so the council didn’t suppress autonomy.
“Well,” I said, waving my hand dismissively, “find your respect somewhere else. You’re not going to get it by constantly asking for it like a child.”
I grabbed my bag and tossed it over my shoulder before making my way toward the door. Danna finished her assignment, topping the class. She took a stack of twenty books from her head before carefully placing them on the table. Many other girls looked at her in awe. Her name was printed magically on the top of the scoreboard.
Show-off, I thought. But I quickly banished jealousy from my thoughts. She was my best friend. I should be happier for her.
I needed a breath of fresh air. I pushed the door of the classroom open and made my exit. Danna noticed me leaving before I stepped out, and we waved at each other. Her mood soured when she saw how dejected I was, and that sent guilt spiking up my gut. Theo followed me once he noticed my leaving. With broad strides, he closed the distance between us with a look of concern on his face.
He clasped his hand over my shoulder and squeezed tightly. “You feeling okay, Cara?”
“Just a little under the weather,” I said. From being a sore loser. I tucked my tongue between my teeth and made my way down the corridor. I pulled my timetable out from my bag to glance at it. My next class was spell control. I had more than enough time to get there.
“Could we get some cake before heading to spell control?” I asked. “I’m famished.”
Theo grinned. “Anything for you, Cara.”
He was so sweet that I almost reconsidered my decision to get cake. There was a limit to how much sweetness a girl could take. Seeing him smile like that brightened my mood slightly, but it was immediately soured again by seeing Agness exit another classroom that was down the corridor. She was dressed in her usual turtleneck top and jeans. She spotted me walking toward her. I hoped she’d leave me alone and be on her merry way, but instead, she pivoted in my direction and blocked my way.
I sighed.
I’d run out of patience to deal with Goddess McBitchface. “Am I in trouble?” I asked.
“And why do you ask that?” She looked at me like I was a criminal.
“Just making sure. I don’t know whether you look pissed because that’s your default expression, or if it’s because you’re angry.”
Agness actually didn’t seem pissed at all. She wore a carefully crafted mask of calm, and my petty insult didn’t offend her. “You’re not in trouble, but I do need to speak with you in private, and it’s good that I’ve bumped into you here. Theo, could you please leave me alone with Caramel?”
“I need to send her to the next class,” Theo said.
“She’s in no danger when with me.”
Tension gathered between us. Glancing at Theo, I could sense that, just like me, he doubted Agness’s promise.
“I won’t ask twice,” Agness said. She placed a hand on the wand strapped to her belt, warning us that if we didn’t listen to her orders, she’d have to take action.
With that, Theo caved. As only a vassal belonging to a half-blood, he stood no chance against the goddess. Theo, not withholding his affection, placed a kiss on my cheek and strode down the corridor. Before leaving fully, he let his gaze linger on me.
“Don’t worry about me,” I said, waving him on. “I’ll be fine.”
“You don’t have to act as if I’m Odin himself,” Agness said. “I’m merely here to talk.”
“Odin?” I asked.
Agness nodded. “A vassal who lost his mind ten centuries ago. We had him put down. It would serve you well to pay attention during your history classes. There is much to learn from past mistakes.”
“I’m less concerned about that,” I said. I looked over Agness’s shoulder, watching Theo leave. He turned around a couple of times to ensure my safety. The level of care he displayed caused my heartbeat to waver.
He really didn’t need to be that worried. Equipped with my wand, I probably wouldn’t be completely useless when in a fight against Agness. It was an upgrade from that hanger I’d tried using in my apartment back on Earth. “I’m more focused on the secret happenings of this school. You know, dead bodies like Miley and all.” I laughed sheepishly, then studied Agness for her reaction. “Are there any updates about that?”
Agness maintained a blank expression. “We’re still busy trying to solve the mystery behind that.”
“The rest of the girls are concerned. Is this a one-time occurrence? My gut tells me otherwise.” I folded my arms across my chest and tipped my chin up. Facing Agness like that might have been a bit too ballsy, but my time in the orphanage had taught me how to stand up to bullies. Agness looked elegant on the surface, but ultimately, she was like the rest of them—oblivious to the wrongness of their own actions. “How many more girls have to be killed unjustly because of your incompetence?”
I saw apprehension flitter past Agness’s eyes.
Sudden anger surged through me. The injustice of it all made want to punch Agness for letting such a terrible thing happen. Many of the girls in the Sanctuary were catty and immature, sure. But they were still young and naive. They didn’t deserve to be taken away from home then sacrificed.
“What do you mean bodies?” Agness asked.
“Uh.” I licked my lips, as if I didn’t already look nervous enough. “I’m assuming there was more than one murder.”
Agness narrowed her eyes at me. “And what gives you that impression?”
“Um… common sense?” I mentally slapped myself for being so incompetent at lying. They should have that as a class here, since the goddesses liked stupid classes so much—lying 101. It wouldn’t hurt to know how to get out of sticky situations like these with the powers of deceit.
Her lingering stare warned me that she didn’t completely buy into my lie. I fidgeted on the spot, shrinking back.
Agness tucked a loose strand of hair behind her hair. Not that there was too much hair for her to put away in the first place. She always appeared neat. “I wanted to warn you about Devon.”
“What? That’s he’s a prick?” That wouldn’t be news. Then again, he’d been acting differently recently. “I’m entirely aware of that, even though your concern is appreciated.”
Agness shook her head. “He’s not going to harm you. I’m worried about the contrary. You’re aware that you hold too much power, yes?”
I gestured over my shoulder. “You mustn’t have heard about my recent, terrible performance. You wouldn’t be saying that if you saw me fail.”
Agness raised a brow, indicating that she didn’t understand where I was coming from. I didn’t understand myself either, so we were on the same page. “You hold great power, Cara—”
“You’re almost making me sound like a special, chosen wizard. Don’t tell me that I belong in another one of those plot lines. Where’s the sorting hat?”
Agness pinned me with a hard look. “Can you stop interrupting me? I’m trying to warn you about something serious.”
I sucked my cheeks in, pursed my lips, then nodded. “Oops. Continue. We were talking about Devon?”
“Yes. My vassal’s son. Maxwell told me that he’s concerned about Devon’s safety. You see, Maxwell is blessed with the gift of foretelling, and especially for those close to him, he can receive visions. Recently, he saw one between you and Devon and warned me that your interaction with his son might prove fatal.”
“We weren’t having sex in the vision, right?” I asked, my mind immediately jumping to the most horrible thing I could think of. Typical. At nineteen, my hormones hadn’t quite subsided yet. “That’d be an awkward conversation to have with your son. ‘Hey, son, I saw you banging that chick, and I want to warn you not to do that, since she might accidentally break your dick while carrying out that nonsense.’”
Agness gaped at me. I snorted at her flabbergasted expression. You’d think that as a goddess, she’d have seen it all and wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. “No, of course not. Where do such thoughts even come from?”
“That’s a mystery to me, too. I might or might not let you know when I find out the answers.” It might have been due to Aphrodite being my mother, but I highly doubted so.
Agness shook her head. “It’s not”—she cleared her throat—“intercourse that Maxwell saw you in. You were standing somewhere with white walls. Maxwell couldn’t pinpoint the exact location. You hurt Devon very badly.”
“I’m not the violent kind,” I said halfheartedly. The dark thoughts still plagued me every so often. “I wouldn’t hurt my vassals.” I cared for them all, even though half of the entourage needed to tone down on their levels of assholery. Thoughts of any harm coming to them almost hurt me on a physical level, and I was surprised to find myself having this much care for them.
“Perhaps,” Agness said. “But you’re not in full control of your actions.” She twined her fingers and looked at me like I was a conundrum.
Agness finally broke the silence and said, “Be wary about your emotions. Controlling them is a sign of mental strength, and as much as you worry me, I see that you have good control of them. Don’t let me down.”
I had no need or intention to prove anything to Agness. Still, I didn’t rebut.
Agness continued, “I asked Devon if he’d like to pull out of your team of vassals, since his life is as stake, but the stubborn oaf refuses to part from you for no apparent reason. He’s insisting on being with you no matter the cost, even if that cost might be his own life. I’m not sure what you did, but that man is dedicated to serving you.”
I balked hearing Agness’s statement about Devon. He was devoted to me? I still couldn’t wrap my head around his one-eighty.
“I wish you good luck,” Agness said, palming my shoulder. “I’m a busy woman and have someplace else to go, but do keep what I’ve told you in consideration.”
“I’m really not sure what to make of it,” I said.
“Just be careful. I only have the students’ well-being in mind.”
“Uh, sure.” I kept my mouth shut, refusing to point out the irony of that statement.
Agness left me standing alone in the corridor. I already had the layout of the Sanctuary roughly memorized, and it wouldn’t take me long to get to the next class. Right before I put one foot in front of the other—in an unrefined fashion that would let Dahliana down miserably—Liam and Devon appeared from a corner.
As soon as they spotted me, they came to me, with Devon leading the way.
“I bumped into Theo,” Devon said. “He told me about what happened. You feeling all right?”
“Just jaded,” I said. Too much drama and information was swirling through my mind.
Unexpectedly, Devon swept me into his arms. I eyed Liam, sharing looks of puzzlement when Devon planted a kiss on my cheek. His lips were soft and left a tingling sensation where they brushed across. Liam’s expression lit with both jealousy and passion, and I had a feeling that he wanted to do the same thing to me.
“You tried your best,” Devon said, running his hand down the side of my arm. His touch left a trail of heat on my skin. “Don’t sweat over it.”
Really? He wasn’t going to reprimand me about the concentration camps and whatnot? I thought he’d be more concerned about me dropping in the ranksm since it put him in danger, too.
“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?” I asked. He’d already answered this question, but his change in demeanor might take a while to get used to.
“Because you deserve to be treated well,” Devon said.
Liam squinted an eye. “Did you use your powers on him?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Cara’s just warming up on me,” Devon replied.
“Looks like it’s happening too much,” Liam added.
“Yep,” I said, trying to get used to the love I felt when he hugged me.
Chapt
er Ten
Devon and Hansel waited for me outside my bathroom as my arms fought a battle. Out of all the challenges I’d faced in the Sanctuary, this might have been one of the greatest. My arms strained. My breath knotted in my throat as I struggled against the odds.
But my fucking top wouldn’t come off.
It was stuck around my torso, bunched in an awkward manner, locking my elbows in a weird position where they pointed toward the ceiling. The backs of my arms ached, and so did my back. Fucking top.
I spun and looked at myself in the mirror. My bra was pulled up slightly, showing off the underside of my boobs. Showing boobs off was supposed to be seductive, but with the way I looked currently? With my frazzled hair and the puffiness of my cheeks, I gave off the impression that I’d been run over by a truck. Boobs or not, I wasn’t seducing anyone while looking this pathetic.
Should I call the guys in for assistance? Hansel did choose this top for me, after all. I wouldn’t have slipped it on if I’d known that it’d be so damn difficult to tear off. I growled in frustration and tried wiggling the damn thing off, but it was more stubborn than me in the morning. The fabric wouldn’t budge!
I spent another five minutes in misery, bumping around the toilet, knocking over soaps and almost tripping over myself trying to undress for a shower. Today just wasn’t my day. First, all my efforts at climbing up the scoreboard had been useless, and now this?
I groaned, finally giving up. “Hansel!” I shouted. I’d gotten used to asking for his help. He always seemed to be ready at my side, eager to offer his service. I knew Hansel spoiled me too much, but I enjoyed the attention. Max never gave me any of his. He was too busy on his phone all the time, and when I caught him cheating, I’d found out the reason why.
Hansel pulled the door of the restroom open. “Cara?” he asked. I glanced at him, forcing my embarrassment down. The strange way I stood wasn’t exactly the most dignified image I could project. “What’s happening?” I studied Hansel’s beautiful features, his blonde hair and sea-green eyes. Why did I even bother thinking about Max when I was with somebody like him?
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