For a moment, I was tempted. So tempted to walk out with him just to prove I could. But then I caught sight of Draco’s face across the room, his expression not angry like the others but hurt,genuinelyhurt, and something in me faltered.
Before I could respond, a hand clamped firmly on Leo’s shoulder, pulling him back slightly.
“Do you have a death wish, Leo Daniels?” Percy’s voice was deceptively calm, but I could feel the rage boiling beneath the surface.
Leo looked between us, confusion giving way to understanding. “You’re with the Nightfall Shield? I didn’t realize?—“
“She’s the Nightfall Shield’s axis,” Percy stated flatly. “Which I think you knew perfectly well.”
“It’s not official,” I snapped, anger flaring.
Percy’s dark eyes fixed on mine. “We need to talk. Now.”
“I’m clearly busy,” I replied, moving closer to Leo again.
Aiden appeared beside Percy, his golden eyes hard. “Either you come willingly, or we make a scene. Your choice, princess.”
The hostility radiating through the bond was so intense it was giving me a headache. Or maybe it was cosmic crashes catching up with me.
Leo raised his hands in surrender. “Look, I don’t want any trouble. I didn’t realize there was already something?—“
“There isn’t,” I insisted, though the bond pulsing between us made that a lie.
“Jupiter,” Draco’s voice came from behind me, softer than the others but no less insistent. “Please.”
Something in his tone made me turn. The hurt I’d glimpsed earlier was still there in his eyes like a kick in the throat.
I sighed, turning back to Leo. “I’m sorry. I need to deal with this.”
He nodded, stepping back. “I get it. No hard feelings.” He shot a wary glance at the four men now surrounding me. “Though you might want to tell your shield that the territorial caveman act isn’t a great look.”
With that, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving me alone with four very angry warriors.
“What the actual fuck?” I hissed, crossing my arms over my chest.
Percy’s jaw was clenched so tight I thought he might crack a tooth. “Outside. Now.”
“No. I’m having a good time, and I don’t answer to you oranyof you.”
Eris stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Jupiter, please. This isn’t the place for this conversation.”
“There doesn’t need to be a conversation at all. I was dancing. That’s it.”
“That wasn’t dancing,” Aiden said, his golden eyes flashing. “That was foreplay with an audience.”
I felt my cheeks burn, both from anger and the uncomfortable truth in his words. I had been putting on a show, deliberately trying to provoke them.
“Fine,” I finally said. “Two minutes. Outside.”
I stormed past them, pushing through the crowd toward the terrace doors. Cool night air hit my flushed skin as I stepped outside, the music immediately muffling behind me. The terrace was mercifully empty, everyone else too busy enjoying the party to bother with fresh air.
I heard the door open and close behind me as all four of them followed. I turned to face them, arms still crossed defensively.
“Well?” I demanded. “Say whatever it is you need to say so I can get back to my night.”
Percy stepped forward first, his dark eyes glimmering with red magic. “What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what you’re doing to the bond?”
“WhatI’mdoing to the bond?” I laughed incredulously. “That’s rich coming from you.”
