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Her face fell. I didn’t know what a drachma was, but from the look on her face, it was a lot.
“But...” Jason pushed through the crowd, eyes only for her. “Since it’s you, it’s free.”
He waved his hand and a delicate, beautiful flower appeared on his palm. Petals like angel wings, it drew me in with a sweet, intoxicating aroma that scrambled my head. Flowers were my life, and I’d never seen one so beautiful, so perfect, somine.I needed it. I needed—
I ripped away, tossing my head. “What the hell was that?”
Neither one of them seemed to hear me. Jason placed the flower on her shaking palm. “For you, gorgeous. Think of me while you use it.”
“I w-will.”
“Nitsa,” I hissed.
She reddened. “Wait, no. Not like that. I didn’t mean I’d think of you while I was doing that—or anything! I—”
“I know exactly what you mean, Nitsy baby.” Tipping her chin, he placed a featherlight kiss on her lips. His eyes burned with such intensity gazing at her, my knees felt weak. “Anytime, anywhere. Just say the word.”
I gaped at him as the female mob finally got hold and dragged him away, all clamoring for free flowers and kisses.
Nitsa’s throat bobbed hard. “I think I’m in love.”
“That’s not love, Nitsa.” I looked around as the line around the guys got longer, and money started changing hands. “That’s the upsell.”
A door slammed. People pocketed their goods and made for their seats so fast it blew my hair back.
I made for the seats our friends saved for us. Nitsa didn’t.
“Let’s sit next to Jason.”
“Again, why did I have to come too,” I cried.
Nitsa practically crawled over laps and desks to get to Jason. Her flying elbow caught a nose.
“Hey!”
“There’s my Nitsy girl,” Jason said. “Make some room.”
Nitsa wedged between Jason and a Titan girl who did not look pleased at being pushed aside. She snuggled under his arm, making me sigh.
Nitsa was free to sleep with whoever she wanted because this was definitely where that was headed, but it was hard to watch since I smelled eau de sweet-talking-phony all over the guy. I knew a little something about people who made you feel special until they got what they wanted from you.
After private things I’d told a girl I thought was my friend in the psych ward ended up in a trendingTwitTalkarticle, I learned every compliment and smile comes with a price.
I had zero interest in joining his fawning crowd and turned away. My seat next to Daciana. Gone.
I scanned the rows, finding that every seat was gone except for two—one next to Sebastian Barba and the other right next to Alex. I took a seat next to Sebastian, ignoring the look Alex threw me when I crossed in front of him.
A tapestry rustled and a man stepped out from behind it.
“Quiet. We have much to review this morning.” Captain Hondros moved out and took his place at the podium—giving me a proper look at him and his missing forearm.
He stood high, but not as high as Commander Vasili. A head shorter than him and stockier too. Muscles piled on top of his shoulders, arms, and stretched the calves of his pants. Hondros opted for the long ponytail like Sebastian, though his was a wave of curls like the ones hidden around Alexander’s pointed ears.
Thinking of Alexander made me look at him. Looking at him pissed me off, so I flicked back to Hondros. There wasn’t a scar or sign of violence on the parts of him not concealed by clothes. The sign that he may have seen hard times in battle was the limb cut off below the elbow. But I couldn’t say for certain. He could’ve also been born without it.
Loam-brown eyes swept us as I did him. “Welcome, novices, to Deucalion Academy. I am your battle strategy instructor, Captain Hondros. To begin, I will ask you basic questions to test your knowledge. I expect a correct answer to every single one of these questions. Wrong answers indicate that not only did you piss away your time in school, but you also didn’t crack open your academy-issued textbook before you walked into my class.
“Both are unacceptable. I have no tolerance for laziness. I do not abide slacking. Anyone who saw fit to walk into this room unprepared will be given the gift of not doing it a second time.”
