“And on that note, I’m out.”
She and Pantar disappeared, and Oren turned to us, his expression growing serious.
“Everyone, be on guard. If Kristine can find a way out of Reverie’s challenge, she will, by fair means or foul. She knows that Reverie will annihilate her, and she won’t want my father to learn of it.”
“I figured as much. Kristine has abilities that we weren’t aware of, and it's come back to bite us. We need to try to find out what else she’s hiding.” Zeke ran a hand through his hair, obviously stressed at the situation.
Nathan entered the room, and Oren said, “It’s time for you and Reverie to go to the dean to discuss Faction housing. I know we can sleep in her dorm, but I can ensure her safety more easily in one of the houses.”
“Should Zane and I go with him?” Zeke asked, taking a sip of his coffee. “We can present ourselves as potentials, and our third-year status might help the process along.”
Oren looked thoughtful, “That might be a good idea. You won’t be allowed to move in until after her initiation and the ritual, but it may expedite things.”
“We’ll go first thing Monday morning. You know our Nexus isn’t going to be happy about leaving Chloe.” He raised a brow at Oren.
“That’s true, but if you talk to Chloe, I bet she’d help convince her.”
Oren pointed his palm at our pallet, and the mattress rose into the air, landing in the correct rooms on the beds, with the sheets and blankets intact.
“What the fuck, dude?” Nathan growled out. “Why in the hell didn’t you do that when we brought them out here?”
“I don’t want my Faction brothers getting lazy,” he smirked and then disappeared from the room.
“That guy has a lot of secrets he needs to share with us.”
Nathan narrowed his eyes at the place Oren had been standing.
He wasn’t wrong.
“Are you alright, man?” Zeke moved closer to me and asked in a soft voice.
“I will be.”
He nodded and clapped me on the back, not pressing me any further.
I could see us growing close. He was a man of few words, like me, and he clearly took care of the people he considered friends. I could respect that.
“Is everyone ready? I don’t want her out of my sight for too long.” Nathan pulled on his boots.
None of us had anything to say about that because we all felt the same way.
Chapter 24
Reverie
We materialized in my room, and Pantar curled up on my bed, shrinking to his smallest size as I headed toward the shower.
I was anxious to see my parents and discuss this new marking thing I’d done. Honestly, I also wanted to check in on my dad. I couldn’t imagine the things he’d been through, and I just wanted to be with him. I was overjoyed that my mom had him back in her life, and I prayed that Rue would also be returned to her. She deserved all the things, and if I had anything to say about it, she’d get them.
Stepping out of the shower, I dried myself, my thoughts drifting back to what I’d walked in on in Jet’s dorm. I thanked every deity I could think of for listening to my instincts and checking on him—the thought of what might have occurred if I hadn’t terrified me.
I was going to wipe the floor with that rapist bitch. Smirking, I thought of how silly the boys were for worrying about Kristine fighting dirty. Apparently, they were under the impression thatI was naive and wouldn’t know how to fight someone who didn’t stick to the rules.
I rolled my eyes at the thought. Nathan knew just how ruthless I could be. It seemed the rest of my men would soon find out. My parents had taught me that there was no such thing as a fair fight. You did what you had to do to survive.
No matter what it took.
I wrapped the towel around me and went back into my bedroom. Since I was leaving the academy, there was no need to dress in preparation for initiation. I pulled on some jeans, a Chris Stapleton concert tee, and my boots. After applying some mascara and lip gloss, I brushed my hair and braided it, so it hung over my shoulder, then headed out of my room.
