I shook myself out of my thoughts. I couldn’t afford to get lost in my head. Kristine would love nothing more than to catch me unawares. I’d taken several beatings from her and her men until Selene made it clear that I was not Kristine’s to torture.
Sometimes that kept me safe—sometimes it didn’t.
Entering the hall, I took in everyone's positions. Most were insignificant to me. But I did notice Evan was sitting at a table, being his usual loud and obnoxious self. He was one of Kristine’s men. I was shocked to find out she already had a well-established Faction here. Of course, she was Nexus; I suspected the serum played a significant role in that.
Approaching the buffet, I grabbed a plate and filled it with whatever was nearby. Everything tasted the same to me; it was all just fuel I needed to survive.
I felt a hard bump on my right shoulder. “Move over, bitch. Let your betters eat.”
Great, Kristine was here to brighten up my evening.
I didn’t acknowledge her and turned, making my way to a table far away from the one she usually sat at. I’d learned quickly after I was approved to fight in the coliseum, not to allow her to provoke me.
The one time I did, I couldn’t lie on my back for a week. Selene punished Kristine, too, but her punishment was just a slap on the wrist. Strangely enough, I thought it was more about possession than anything else. Whether she loved or hated you, she was tightfisted with her things.
When it came to Selene, either emotion could get you killed.
The one thing I had on my side was that Ubel didn’t take kindly to losing money, and even Selene didn’t want to irritate him.
I’d hate to meet Trent Storm if he were Ubel’s boss. But he was only seen from a distance, lately at the coliseum, and I was told that was rare—so high up that only his silhouette was visible. Otherwise, he remained a mystery to everyone here.
It was ironic that Selene didn’t see that her punishment kept me out longer than fighting with Kristine did. I sighed. There were many ways to punish that left no mark, and Selene wasskilled in all of them. If I ever gained enough power to kill the bitch, I might challenge my mother for the opportunity.
“We decided to sit with you. I wouldn’t want you to feel lonely, way over here by yourself." Kristine, along with Evan, sat down at my table. “I’m sure my company is better than that redhead bitch you sat with back at Emberhold.”
I winced at the mention of Chloe. Her friendship had been priceless to me, and even though I wouldn't want her near here, I missed her every day.
Evan leaned over and kissed Kristine on the cheek. “I can guarantee that. No one can compete with your greatness.”
Her relationship with Evan upset me on a different level. Not that I wanted anything to do with the evil bastard, but because he resembled Jet to a disturbing degree. He was much smaller, and he had green eyes instead of Jet’s beautiful, soft brown, but other than that, he could’ve been his brother.
Kristine smiled briefly but then returned her attention to me. “Don’t think just because you’re winning in the coliseum that Selene or the Brummond are going to suddenly go easy on you.”
“I don’t think that.” I lowered my eyes to my plate and started eating as quickly as I could. Using every bit of willpower I had not to slap a bitch. Being meek didn’t suit me, but I’d learned to swallow what pride I had left. I trusted that my time was coming; I just had to be patient.
Evan used his ability to tip his glass of milk, spilling it all over my tray and covering everything. I kept eating as if nothing had happened. Worse things had been done to me. Milk mixed with my food was the least of it. And his weak-ass telekinetic powers didn’t impress me either.
“Gross.” Kristine wrinkled her nose in disgust. “I bet if your men saw you now, they’d break the bond right away. You’re not fit to be a Nexus for anyone."
What she thought didn’t matter, but her words stung just a little. The things I’d done and been forced to do truly might horrify them if they ever found out. At the very least, they’d lose respect for me.
“Let’s get out of here. I can’t stand to watch her eat that disgusting mess one more second.” Kristine stood and said, “You’ll throw my trash away, won’t you?”
I didn’t look up.
“Hey, I know you heard her talking to you,” Evan said, as my tray went flying from the table and onto the floor.
I glanced up, wishing I could annihilate this asshole. I’d burn him alive if I could, but in the end, I just nodded my head. There was no point in resistance…at the moment. There would come a day when I’d unleash on them, and you better believe that I was keeping score.
“Come on, baby. She’s almost too pitiful to even bother with.” Kristine slipped her arm through his and shot one last smirk at me before heading out of the dining hall.
I ran my hands down my face and took a deep breath. Just a few months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to take her shit. Now I knew that her taunts couldn’t hurt me, but Selene’s cat-o'-nine tails would.
I heaved my tired body up and, usingmytelekinetic ability, started cleaning the mess. (Another new ability I’d mastered since coming here.) I didn’t mind revealing this ability because it was relatively common and one of the last to be severed when a bond was broken.
I wish that I could say swallowing my pride had gotten easier over time, but it hadn’t. Kowtowing to that bitch and her men never got any easier. I thought I hated her back at the academy, but that was nothing compared to how I felt about her now.
As I left the dining hall to head back to my room, I caught a few looks of sympathy thrown my way. I’d been shocked tofind out that most of the Aurathions had voluntarily come here, hoping to catch the eye of a Nexus. The serum allowed them to pick and choose whom they wanted, rather than letting their Faction form organically. The competition was fierce, causing fighters to turn against each other regularly.
