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Flowers burst out of him like a fire hose, flying in every direction. Sirena and her handmaidens lapped them up—clapping and jumping up and down to celebrate thejoyousoccasion. Whoever else wasn’t doing the same, quickly changed their minds with one touch of the flowers.
Hondros’s shouting and bellowing cut out with a snap of his jaw, and the beam of his smile.
My friends got me out fast, narrowly escaping the onslaught.
“You knew,” I croaked, wiping my face on my sleeves. “You heard them getting ready for the party from the other side of the door.”
Daciana looked away. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Theron asked. “Besides the obvious catastrophe that is Sirena claiming the full power of the Hera seat, what’s it matter if Alex and Sirena get... married...?” Theron trailed off, taking in my expression. “Oh.”
“Oh?” Nitsa, Ionna, and Tycho flicked between the three of us. “What oh? What did I miss?” Tycho asked.
“You’re the one Sirena was talking about, aren’t you?” Theron said. “Alex fell in love with you.”
Dropping my gaze, I nodded. The gasps only made me feel worse.
“And it’s over now? That’s why you both look like a gorgon carcass left out in the sun?”
“I... yes.”
“Is it over because Alex’s father won and forced him into this bullshit marriage?”
“Yes.” My voice was getting smaller and smaller.
Theron nodded slowly. “And did he do it by threatening you?”
My head snapped up. I gaped at him, eyes wide. “How did you know?”
“I didn’t know,” he admitted. “I just know Maximos Damien. My mother may be a councilwoman, but the council doesn’t share equal power. Maximos would prefer not to share power at all.
“He’s always going up against her for daring not to support everything he wants and does. When diplomacy doesn’t work, he resorts to threats.”
“He’s awful,” I rasped. “I never thought I could despise someone I haven’t met this much.”
“I’m really sorry, Aella.” Nitsa hugged me. “Being separated from the one you love for reasons neither of you can control.” She shook her head. “There’s nothing worse.”
Separated from Mom and now forced to break up with Alex. Nitsa’s right. There’s nothing worse.
“Let’s go to the infirmary.” Ionna led me away, arm tight and warm around my shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to be around Sirena’s insufferable smugness today, or be punished for it. Healer Helena will understand, and she’ll give you something, so you can get some sleep.”
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Tycho said.
“We’re here for you.”
“I’ll lock Sirena in a dungeon if you need me to,” Nitsa chimed in. “She’ll break out in a second and hunt me down, but we’ll enjoy her squawking outrage before we die.”
I cracked a smile. It was immediately washed away by tears.
They were all being so kind and supportive after I’d been nothing but a jerk to them for days. I didn’t deserve friends like them, but they deserved a better friend than a no-nothing, worthless loser like me who couldn’t save her mom, or hold on to her boyfriend.
The guys helped me to the infirmary, told Healer Helena what happened, and then left for class, promising they’d comeback and spend the night with me, so I wouldn’t spend it thinking about what was going on in the mess hall.
“Here you are, dear.” Helena handed me a vial of bright green liquid. “Drink this. Won’t taste the best, but it’ll help you sleep.”
“Thank you,” I replied, bringing it to my lips.
“What are you doing?”
