“You never mentioned you were still involved with her,” Draco said quietly.
“Because it wasn’t important.” I pushed my plate away, appetite gone. “It was casual. She knew that.”
Percy’s dark eyes studied me. “You sure she was aware of that?”
“Can we not do this right now?” I glanced toward the door Jupiter had disappeared through. Through the bond, I could feel her hurt, but I could also feel her frustration at the fact that shewashurt. This whole situation was beyond fucked.
My room wasdark when I entered, but I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I stripped off my shirt and collapsed onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. Jupiter’s presence in my mind had dimmed to a faint pulse, like a distant heartbeat I could barely detect.
She was still blocking us out, which was a little trick I knew she’d been working on all on her own. Sometimes her presence would go silent, and it was like a splash of cold water on my brain.
A soft knock on my door interrupted my brooding.
“Not now,” I called, assuming it was one of my shield brothers.
The door opened anyway, revealing Lyssa’s silhouette against the hallway light.
“How the fuck did you get in here?” I demanded, sitting up. Shield quarters were supposed to be secured against unauthorized entry.
“I told the guard I was delivering something for Director Waverly.” She entered, closing the door behind her. “We need to talk, Eris.”
“No, we don’t.” I stood, keeping my distance. “You’ve said more than enough for one day.”
Lyssa’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, roaming over my bare chest before meeting my gaze. “I was upset. You can’t blame me for that.”
“She had nothing to do with what happened between us.”
“Didn’t she?” Lyssa stepped closer. “Everything was fine until she showed up with her nonsense.”
“The bond wasn’t planned,” I said firmly. “It was an emergency. She nearly died saving Aiden’s life.”
“How convenient.” Her voice dripped with bitterness. “The Assembly’s pet project just happens to form an emergency bond with the most powerful shield at Dominion.”
I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You weren’t there. You didn’t see what happened to her.”
“I knowyou,” she said, moving closer still. “This is your chance, isn’t it? The Ophis designation bonded to the Nightfall Shield. You’ll be legends.”
“This isn’t about power.”
She was close enough now that I could smell her perfume, the same scent that had once drawn me in, but now smelled stiflingly sweet. “Don’t pretend you don’t care about legacy, about being the best.”
“Stop,” I warned, stepping back.
“What does she give you that I can’t?” Lyssa reached for me, her fingers brushing my chest. “Is she that good in bed? Have you fucked her yet, or are you all taking turns?”
I grabbed her wrist, removing her hand from my skin. “That’s enough, Lyssa.”
“Tell me you don’t want me anymore,” she challenged, her eyes glittering in the darkness with fake tears. “Tell me you prefer her, a woman you barely know, over what we have. You know she can’t fuck you the way I do.”
“What we had was sex. I told you from the beginning it wouldn’t lead to a bond.”
“We could have been amazing together. My Libra magic complements your Gemini perfectly. Everyone expected us to bond eventually.”
I released her wrist and stepped back. “I never lied to you. I never promised you anything.”
Her expression hardened. “So that’s it? You’re choosing her?”
“The bond is already formed. It wasn’t a choice, but I’m not fighting it either.”
