A young woman at the nearest table broke into a wide smile and waved enthusiastically. “It’s her!” she whisper-shouted to her friends. Several students from different tables rose slightly from their seats to get a better look. It was fucking mortifying. Like being trapped in a bad dream standing in your underwear on stage.
As we moved further into the hall, a random guy stepped into my path. “Liam Davies, Aquarius. Welcome to Imperium!” His eyes were bright with genuine excitement.
Before I could even respond properly, a girl with copper hair joined him. “I’m Pia Samuels. Is it true you can create portals? That’s absolutely brilliant!”
“I—yes, sometimes,” I stammered. How the actual hell did they know any of this? Was I really such a hot topic of gossip that it reached overseas?
More strangers approached, introducing themselves even though I wouldn’t be able to tell you any of their names five seconds later. They kept rapid-firing questions about my designation, my familiar, my combat experience, and of course,moreportal questions. After Dominion’s less than warm welcome, it felt like stepping into the Twilight Zone.
“Back off,” Jamie snapped after the fifth person asked to see my tattoos, as if I was about to lift my shirt right here for them. Several people backed away, obeying him without question.
I was about to thank Jamie for the rescue when I noticed some mean-mugging coming from the far corner of the hall. Unlike the enthusiastic welcome from pretty much everyone else here, this group—about a dozen of them—watched me with unmistakable wariness and outright hostility from a few.
At the center of the group sat a blonde girl, and when her eyes found mine, something lurched in my chest. Gold irises, elven features, unmistakable beauty. I knew those eyes.
The woman who could have been Aiden’s twin stared back at me with none of the curiosity or excitement of the others. Instead, her perfect lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile but wasn’t quite a sneer either. Something cold and calculating in her expression made my skin prickle.
I forced myself to look away as a large shadow fell over me, and a warm, heavy arm settled across my shoulders. I tensed instinctively before recognizing Phoenix, another member of the Stardust Shield. Up close, he was even more colossal than I remembered from the gala, towering over me at around six and a half feet at the least. He was even more handsome than I remembered, with bronze skin, amber brown eyes and dreadlocks that were long enough to be pulled back into a messy bun. The man was built like a fucking tree.
“There you are. We’ve been waiting.”
With surprising gentleness for someone his size, Phoenix guided me away from the curious crowd. Jamie followed, keeping pace on my other side.
“Sorry about the welcome committee,” Phoenix said as we moved through the hall. “Word travels fast here.”
No shit. This place was less than a third of the size of Dominion. So small that I’d probably know everyone’s middle name by the end of the semester.
“It’s fine. Just, uh, caught me off guard. It’s been a long day.”
He led me to a table where the rest of the Stardust Shield waited. Lucas rose as we approached, his icy blue eyes warming slightly. He was even more handsome out of his tux too, with long, thick hair that curled, and thick, but well-groomed facial hair that made him look incredibly dashing and slightly pirate-like.
Theo, who could have passed for a freaking model with his bright bronze eyes and long dark hair and olive skin, smiled warmly at me, making my belly go all stupidly fluttery. “You made it.”
“Barely,” I drawled, fighting a yawn and losing. “Nice to see you again, Theo.”
His eyes brightened, as if he hadn’t expected me to remember his name. But forgetting any of these guys would have taken real effort. They’d been the only thing standing between me and a full emotional collapse the night of the gala.
“Jupiter,” Lucas, the leader of the Stardust Shield, said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him and pulling out the chair. “It’s good to see you made it okay.”
I hesitated only briefly before sliding into the offered chair, Phoenix taking the seat on my other side. “Thanks, Lucas.” I gave them each an appreciative smile, though I knew it wasn’t quite reaching my eyes, but they were too gentlemanly to call me out.
“How was the meeting with Winters?” Theo asked, passing me a basket of warm bread.
“Informative, I guess. There’s still a lot I need to figure out. This place is so different from Dominion. Kind of a culture shock. She mentioned you’d be showing me around tomorrow.”
Rowan nodded, pouring some water into my glass from a pewter pitcher. “Hope that’s alright. We figured you might appreciate guides who know where all the good hiding spots are.”
“When you need to escape the admirers,” Phoenix added, his shoulder brushing mine as he reached for his drink.
I managed a weak smile at Phoenix’s comment, but my gaze drifted across the Great Hall, pulled by an invisible, malicious magnet right back to that corner table. I couldn’t help but look over at the blonde girl again. She was openly glaring at me now, all pretenses of polite disinterest abandoned.
She sat wedged between two very large men—obviously Shield warriors. One of them, a guy with a shaved head and a cruel slant to his mouth, leaned in close, whispering something in her ear. Her lips curved into a bitter, humorless smirk, her eyes never leaving my face.
Beside me, Theo followed my gaze. I felt the sudden shift in his posture, the way his relaxed demeanor instantly vanished. His eyes narrowed, turning molten as he stared across the room.
“Ignore Eliza. She’s not worth the energy.”
Eliza.
