“Hi,” the girl with warm brown hair said, offering me a genuine smile. “I’m Vega. Taurus. Your declaration was pretty badass.”
I blinked, surprised by the compliment. “Thanks. It wasn’t exactly how I planned to make my first impression.”
“Better than being boring,” said the lanky guy with shaggy hair—Rick. “Everyone’s still talking about it.”
“Not all bad things,” added Hector, the muscular guy with short dark hair. “Some people think it’s cool.”
I shot Tye a suspicious look. He maintained an innocent expression that didn’t fool me for a second. He’d definitely prepped these people to be nice to me.
“So,” Vega continued, leaning in, “is it true you can create portals? Because that would be so useful. I’m always running late to class.”
I laughed, some of the tension leaving my shoulders. “It’s a little more complicated than that, but yeah, sort of. Still working on the control aspect though.”
Rick was a Pisces with a dry sense of humor that matched mine. Hector, a Cancer, turned out to be knowledgeable about combat techniques, though he wasn’t a member of a shield team. For the first time since arriving at Dominion, I felt myself relaxing.
Until Vega’s eyes darted over my shoulder. “Speaking of people talking about you...”
I followed her gaze to see the Nightfall Shield seated at a table across the hall. They weren’t alone. Two other prominent shields flanked them, and several women hovered nearby, clearly vying for attention.
“What’s with the fan club?” I asked, nodding toward the group.
Vega rolled her eyes. “Those aren’t warriors. They’re magic specialists hoping to be chosen as an axis. The blonde one by Aiden? That’s Melissa. She’s been throwing herself at him for months.”
“Literally throwing herself,” Rick added. “Last week she ‘accidentally’ fell into his lap during lecture and I thought she was about to fuck him where he sat.”
“Not all axis candidates are like that,” Hector clarified. “But those particular ones see it as a status thing. They just want prestige and protection.”
I watched as one of the women leaned over the table, giving Percy a clear view down her shirt. His expression remained utterly bored.
“They don’t look impressed.”
“They never are,” Lydia said. “But that doesn’t stop the parade of desperate candidates.”
I felt something shift against my arm.‘Bored,’Noodle complained.‘Want to explore.’
“Behave,” I whispered mentally.
‘No,’he replied simply, and before I could stop him, he slithered down my arm and onto the floor.
“Shit,” I muttered, watching him disappear under tables.
“What?” Tye asked.
“Nood’s making a break for it.”
Tye’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”
I tracked Noodle’s path across the dining hall with mounting horror as he headed straight for the Nightfall Shield’s table. More specifically, for the feet of the women clustered around it.
“This is about to get interesting,” Rick said, following my gaze, his eyes comically wide on my black mamba.
The first scream came from a redhead who jumped back so violently she knocked over someone’s drink. The second was from Melissa, who actually leapt onto her chair, shrieking, “SNAKE! THERE’S A SNAKE!”
The dining hall erupted into chaos. Several people stood on chairs while others backed away. The Nightfall Shield, to their credit, didn’t move an inch, merely looking down at the floor with varying expressions of surprise and... was that amusement on Draco’s face?
“I should probably...” I gestured vaguely toward the commotion.
“Definitely,” Tye agreed, but he was fighting back laughter.
