Page 6 of Wicked Titan

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here yet.” Am I really considering Nathan’s offer?

Elliot throws his arm over my shoulder as we continue our misguided tour. “Well, I think you should stick around for a while. It’s been extremely boring around here and I have a feeling that’s about to change.”

“So, you are always ludicrous.” My aggravation is lost on him as he points out a few things that will not help me find my way around at all. The school seems even larger on the inside. There’s no way I’ll ever learn my way. “Can you please just show me enough so that I’m not lost for days?”

“Sure, milady.” He curtsies as I roll my eyes.

“Shouldn’t that be a bow instead of a curtsy?” Why am I even bothering with him? He’s like a kid in a candy store, there’s no telling him to act right.

Finally, he focuses on something I want to hear about as he explains the different hallways and points in so many directions, I’m getting dizzy. The map will probably be more beneficial because my navigator has once again lost his train of thought as we step onto a stone patio lined with fancier tables and chairs than we have in my house. Beyond the courtyard is a lake bigger than most schools I’ve seen.

Elliot points to a group of students sitting along on the edge of the patio, nearest the water where the best view of the lake is. “There are your fellow titans.”

Tilting my head, I scowl at him. Is he ever going to move on from the “royal” BS?

“Sorry, sorry,” he says, holding his hands to me as a smirk covers his face, “forgive me peasant.”

A loud whistle pulls us out of our absurd battle.

“Hey, Bass!” one of the guys calls. Elliot nods their way before extending his arm in their direction, holding it out as he says we’ve been summoned.

“Bass?”

“Last name and much better than Elliot.”

“I’m pretty sure I saw a Bass on that shrine back in the hallway.”

His grin answers my question before his words do. “No return curtsy?”

It’s interesting that he made no mention of his royal status.

“No.” Avoiding his extended arm, I move to walk away, insisting on getting to class, but Elliot snakes his arm around my waist, leading us to a situation that I somehow know isn’t going to end well.

Approaching the group, Elliot removes his hand long enough to greet a few of the guys sitting on the stone wall with a hand-slap-knuckle-bump thing that all the dudes did at Edgewood. Some things are truly universal in the guy world.

The fool who’d summoned us runs his fingers through his blond hair as his eyes lazily travel from my shoes back up my body, lingering way too long before meeting my eyes. “Who’s your new friend, Bass?”

“Wade, meet Quinn. Quinn, stay away from Wade. He hides nothing but despair behind those baby blues.”

“Damn. That hurts, Bass. Give a guy a chance,” Wade says as he continues bickering with Elliot—aka the shittiest tour guide in the world—when I notice a set of emerald-green eyes fixated on me. I guess I should feel happy there’s one person in the group who didn’t feel the need to do a full-body assessment as Wade had. With the way he glowers at me, I’m more than certain he doesn’t want anything to do with me. Fine by me because the feeling is mutual—in fact, it’s a blanket statement that goes for the entirety of the royal court.

Breaking his gaze, my eyes are drawn to the muscle tightening in his chiseled jaw as he leans back, tilting his head up as a smug smile spreads across his beautiful face. Ugh, I’ll admit it. He’s not bad to look at—really nice to look at, actually, if it weren’t for the arrogance oozing off his confident stature. Shit. It dawns on me that he’s noticed me checking him out. I feel the heat in my cheeks flare up as his grin grows bigger, and I want to yank out every strand of his perfectly placed dark-brown hair.

“Ugh, move out of the way.”

I’m suddenly jolted to the side as platinum-blonde hair flings into my face, attached to a girl stomping past, halting as she suddenly rotates to stand in front of me. Her eyes travel down me as her nose scrunches in disapproval, so I wait until her eyes meet mine again before I say, “Same, bitch.”

Her eyes widen in a look of astonishment when Elliot laughs, draping his arm over my shoulder as he says, “I knew you’d liven up the scene. This my pal, Quinn. Quinn, bitch’s name is Allison. You really should watch where you’re going, Allison, and be nice to our new guest.”

My blood boils as I just want to get to my damn class. I don’t want to make friends. I don’t want to be a part of a group—especially this one. Egotistical guys and bitchy girls. Yeah, don’t sign me up.

“I’m going to class.” I attempt to snatch my bag off Elliot’s shoulder when Wade clasps my hand, pulling me towards him.

“What’s the rush?”

The creepy look on his face tells me I really don’t want to be alone with him or even in a group of people with him. Ever.

Attempting to pull away from his harsh grasp, I tell him to let me go, but his hand tightens, igniting my anger. Shoving him away, he doesn’t budge until a deep voice speaks up from behind me. “Let her go.”