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He cracked up. “That’s funny. It doesn’t make any sense, but it’s funny.”
“Is this what you think running the school is? Mouthing off to teachers, pushing people around, selling your powers, and sleazing all over every girl with a pulse?”
“I’m a bit more choosy than that.” He winked. “I like you for way more than your pulse.”
I sputtered. “You’re focusing on the wrong part of that question!”
“Because it’s the only part I understand,” Sebastian said, cocking his head. “What do you care who I mouth off to? I only push people who are in my way, and they’re my powers,” he whispered exaggeratedly, “I can sell them if I want to. Do you yell at painters for selling their talents?”
“I— That’s not— Don’t twist my words.”
“Don’t hold back what you really want to say. Out with it, Vanda.” His grin was doing funny things to my aforementioned pulse. It reminded me of Justin’s as he draped all over Kylie, feasting on my pain. “Tell me what I’ve done so wrong in the zero minutes you’ve known me.”
Leaning in, I matched his smile. “Zero minutes was all I needed to figure you out. You guys are all the same.”
“You guys?” he asked, pushing his lips out and his brows up almost adorably.
“Yes. You hot, popular, athletic, powerful guys who’ve grown up hearing your whole lives how hot, powerful, and athletic you are. You only see people as a means to feed your ego, or your wallet, or your condom.”
“Hmm. What’s a condom—? Oh, wait,” he said, holding up a finger. Sebastian fixed over my shoulder like he was looking at someone. “Really? And that works?” He nodded, returning to me. “Do go on, Vanda. You were saying something about me being hot and us filling a condom?”
“Ugh!” I cried, inciting a “silence!” from Captain Hondros. “You’re not getting this, so let me spell it out for you,” I hissed under my breath. “Your white-knight routine doesn’t work on me. Neither does that smirky grin, your cheesy come-ons, or your band of Hell Boys. You want to impress me? Then being an asshole isn’t the way to go. All I know are assholes. But an actual decent person who doesn’t lie or betray me?” A vision of Alex floated in my mind and caught fire—crumbling to ash. “The shock of that might kill me.”
“Wow, then no deal.” He flopped back in his seat. “Wouldn’t want to kill you, so I’ll stick to being an asshole.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slow. The strangle-grip on my quill kept me from putting my hand around his neck. “I don’t like you.”
“Aww. Really?” He pouted. “Now I’m going to spend all night crying into my pillow.”
“You’ll spend all night humping your pillow, you pathetic, bitter virgin!”
It was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Normally, I’d never go around using someone’s sex life, or lack thereof, as an insult. I left that to my former, violently explosive roommate, Trixie, who yelled the same thing at me when I wouldn’t let her borrow my toothbrush. Although it was the toothbrush she’d said I spent all night humping, and that’s why I wouldn’t give it to her. False and false.
Not that Sebastian cared about what I said or why. The man laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his seat.
“That’s it,” Hondros roared. “Out. I want you out!”
Wheezing, Barba picked himself up. “Damn, Vanda, you’re hilarious. Even though you stole that from your old roommate, you still had the petras to say it.”
I stilled. I might’ve asked what petras were if I could speak. How did he know? Was his real hidden power that he could read minds?
“Oops. Didn’t I mention that she’s here?” Sebastian stood up, shoving his things in his pack. “Trixie pulled a knife on the wrong guy, and he threw her down a flight of stairs. Tragic, sure, but at least she’s willing to tell me everything she knows about you, that medieval torture chamber they locked you both in and that you don’t know basic monster knowledge—”
“Wait,” I rasped. “Please.”
“—because you’re from the mundane world,” he finished. “She’s also got a funny story about you ending up in that hellhole because you told the people in her world that monsters kidnapped your mom?”
My breaths came too fast. I went from protecting Sebastian from a charging Hondros to wishing he’d storm over and finish what he started. Anything to stop the words coming from his mouth.
“Gonna want to know a lot more about that,” Sebastian breezed. “Probably talk it out later with your dad, Crisanto Vanda, right? Cool guy. Every time since the first I laid eyes on you, he’s been right by your side.”
I whipped around like I’d seen him. My dad? Daddy? He was with me?
“You intrigue me, half-mundie. Something made you cross from your safe, monster-free world into this nightmare, and I’m going to find out what it is.” He bent, brushing his lips against my ear. “No one’s ever talked to me the way you do. They hear son of Hades and take off running, not willing to chance what I’ll do to them if I ever...” His fingers skimmed the back of my neck, popping goose bumps on my body. “Get serious.
“But not you. You don’t know enough to recognize what you should fear and when you should run, and even so”—he met my narrowed eyes—“you look ready for the fight.”
Sebastian snapped up, making me jump. “Congratulations. Whatever plans I did have for Deucalion will have to wait. You’ve my full attention now, Aella of New York City. Don’t disappoint.
