When they were out of earshot, Tye whistled low. “Well, that was intense. And also kind of hot.”
“Shut up,” I muttered, shoving him playfully.
“He’s not wrong,” Lydia said, linking her arm through mine as we headed toward the exit. “The sexual tension was thicker than oatmeal.”
“There was no sexual tension,” I protested, though I couldn’t quite meet her eyes. “Just regular tension. I’m pretty sure they hate me.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Tye laughed.
As we walked through the corridors, the whispers continued, but a few students even nodded in acknowledgment as I passed, not hostile at all.
“Looks like your little performance changed some minds,” Lydia observed.
“One battle at a time,” I said, wincing as my muscles protested with each step. “Right now, I need food, a shower, and about twelve…thousandhours of sleep.”
“Lunch first,” Tye insisted. “You need to refuel after using that much magic.”
He was right. Magic depletion was dangerous, especially for designations with higher power levels. The Assembly had drilled that into me after I’d collapsed during my second month of training. I needed calories, and lots of them.
The dining hallwas already buzzing with accounts of the morning’s fights when we arrived. Conversations paused briefly as I entered, then resumed at twice the volume. I ignored the stares and loaded my tray with enough food for two people.
We found Vega and the others at our usual table. Vega immediately scooted over to make room for me.
“That was incredible,” she gushed. “The way you moved through freaking nothing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Thanks,” I said, already shoveling food into my mouth with zero regard for appearances. “It’s not as easy as it looked.”
“You made Percy Whitlock eat dirt,” Rick said, wide-eyed. “Do you know how many people have ever managed that? None. The answer is none people.”
I swallowed my mouthful of pasta. “He’s not invincible.”
“Could have fooled everyone else at Dominion,” Hector said. “The Nightfall Shield has won every combat trial for three years running.”
“Well,” I said, reaching for my water, “there’s a first time for everything.”
The conversation shifted to classes and upcoming assignments, and I was grateful for the normalcy. For a few minutes, I could pretend I was just another student having lunch with friends, not the controversial 13th zodiac who’d just challenged the academy’s power structure.
That illusion shattered when Melissa and her friends walked by our table, deliberately knocking into my chair. “Enjoy your moment,” she said, voice dripping with disdain. “They’re just curious about you because you’re a novelty. It won’t last.”
I turned slowly in my seat, fixing her with a level stare. “Is there something specific you want to say to me, or are you just here to be unpleasant?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Stay away from the Nightfall Shield. They’re not interested in some Assembly experiment.”
“Time for thestay away from my manspeech....” I sighed, and Lydia snickered.
“You don’t belong here,” she hissed. “Everyone knows it.”
“And yet, here I am.” I smiled, all teeth. “If you’re done, I’d like to finish my lunch without the smell of desperation ruining my appetite.”
Tye choked on his drink, and Vega pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh. Melissa’s face flushed red. For a moment, I thought she might actually try to hit me, which would have beenamusing but ultimately more trouble than it was worth. Instead, she stormed off, her friends trailing behind her like ducklings.
“She’s been after them for years,” Vega explained once they were out of earshot. “Her family is connected to the Whitlocks somehow. I think they expected an arrangement.”
“Arranged bonds went out of style centuries ago,” Lydia said. “Even the most traditional families know they don’t work if there’s no compatibility.”
I poked at my food, suddenly less hungry. “The Assembly wants me to bond with the Nightfall Shield.”
The table went quiet.
