Torren winked at me, grinning, clearly pleased by my attention.
This was ridiculous. “Well, I'd better get back to it.” I walked a few feet away to make some room and began my warm-up. I’d been distracted long enough—I had another battle to prepare for. Torren seemed like a nice guy, but as soon as he found out who I was, he would keep his distance like all the others.
Time to get my head back in the game.
These short swords were fun to fight with, but I’d love to practice refining my fire ability. I knew it wasn’t possible at the moment and that I had to keep it hidden unless absolutely necessary. The only way I’d show my hand was if my life was at stake.
Selene and Ubel knew how powerful my parents were. Still, they didn’t know anything about me, and I wanted to keep it that way, mainly because being away from my Faction hadn’t lessened my abilities.
No onecould find out about that.
So far, I had only used common abilities most Aurathions possessed. I made sure even those didn’t seem too powerful. I relied heavily on my physical training in all my matches so far, and luckily, it was enough to get me through.
I heard a sound to my left and saw that Torren had stayed to watch me. I’d blocked out all the noise around me and hadn’tnoticed that he was still there. He watched me with a critical eye, but I managed to ignore his presence long enough to finish strong.
“You’re good. But if you’re interested, I think there are a few things I could help you with that would make you even better.” He cocked his head to the side and waited for my answer.
I knew I’d better warn him about Selene and Ubel. I didn’t want to be the cause of anyone losing their position or even their life because of me.
“That would be great, but I’m sort of persona non grata around here.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, “You don’t want to draw the attention of the Brummond or Selene. Helping me in any way will definitely do that.”
Torren stared at me for so long that it began to feel like a weight, pressing against my skin. “I’ll take my chances.” He turned and walked away.
Well then. I guess that settled that.
Chapter 4
Chloe
Iwoke up sweating and realized I’d rolled partly under Oliver in my sleep. My big guy ran hot, but I couldn’t sleep without his comforting presence.
Lately, even that wasn’t helping curb my restlessness, and I knew why… but I wasn’t going to think abouthimbefore my first cup of coffee.
I carefully slipped out of bed and headed to the kitchenette to turn on the machine. This used to be my favorite part of the day. Reverie and I would meet in the kitchen before class and catch up. It’s incredible how close we became in such a short time.
Sometimes in life, you meet people who immediately feel like family. Reverie was that from the moment I met her.
Really, she’s become a sister to me, and I miss her every day.
I knew enough about myself to realize that some of my feelings, at least initially, stemmed from hero worship for Adelaide and her Faction. They sacrificed so much in an effort to keep Aurathia safe and a home for all Aurathions. Their efforts obviously failed, but the fact that they persevered and kept going through all the past and upcoming trials showed I was right in my admiration.
Nothing else had feltrightsince Reverie was taken.
Seeing the pain my brothers were in, along with her other men, was agony for those of us who loved them.
Zeke had become a completely different man, and I barely recognized him anymore. He was no longer the quiet, thoughtful person he used to be. Now, he demanded action and would use any means necessary to get it. From the things Oliver had shared with me, there were no lengths he wouldn’t go to further his search.
Zane, on the other hand, had always been a little thrown off. (I say that with complete affection. I, too, could be considered the same at times.) But now it was more than that; he’d become quieter and leaned more into the darkness he’d at least tried to keep at bay before. His jokes had become so dark that they leaned more toward the macabre than the humorous.
The rest of Reverie’s Faction had followed them down the same path.
Granted, Nathan and Jet forged the path long before she actually disappeared. Both would rather cut your throat than speak to you if you had no valuable information in helping them get to Reverie. There had even been a few foolish girls who tried to garner their attention in her absence.
That was a mistake.
Those two didn’t give a shit if you were male or female. They would gladly dole out punishment either way. Friends of Kristine tried to make themselves scarce because both men looked for any excuse to rain down punishment on them.
Now, everyone avoided those two like the plague.
