Page 5 of The Revenge
Although Syn is in the lead, he’s the first to turn. His gaze drops from my face to my feet. With a clenched jaw, he marches back to me, pausing only long enough to scoop me up in his arms and carry me back to the porch.
Too stunned to speak, I stare at him with my mouth hanging open, even as he sets me back down on the ground.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I told you…” I wince at the pain in my throat then give up trying to speak normally and drop my volume to a whisper. “I’m coming with you.”
“You plan on walking all the way to the dorms in bare feet?” Syn purposely drops his gaze to my feet once more.
“It’s not like you were going to wait for me to go and put some shoes on.”
Syn’s gaze travels back to my face where he stares directly into my eyes. “Why would I wait? I told you to stay put. There’s no need for you to come.”
“So you can cover this up? Not this time, Synclair.”
Stepping closer, the gap between us almost disappears. “Nothing is going to get covered up. Now, do as you’re told, and get back inside.”
In my current state, I’m not sure how threatening I look, but I fold my arms as I glower at him. “Not a chance. I don’t trust you.”
“This isn’t a game.”
“Which is exactly why I’m coming with you.”
Syn glares back at me, and I’m almost certain he’s grinding his teeth. Then, he steps around me, types in the code to the door, and pushes it open. “Inside, Victoria.”
I shake my head, refusing to budge.
“Get inside and get some shoes on your damn feet,” he tells me through gritted teeth.
This feels like a trap, so I don’t move.
With an exasperated sigh, Syn rakes a hand through his hair. “For the love of God... Get inside, get some shoes and a damn coat. We will wait.”
I can’t help but look over my shoulder every other step as I walk into the house, but as I go to the closet in the hallway and pull out a pair of boots that don’t belong to me—I’m certain that they’re Gemini’s—and slip them on, the only movement that Syn makes is to shift his weight from one foot to the other.
When I return to him moments later, he arches an eyebrow. “You seem surprised.”
All I can do is shrug. “If roles were reversed, at what point would you trust me?” I don’t wait for an answer, instead walkingtowards Gemini and Royal, who are still standing at the end of the short path.
Rainier House is one of the Elite’s exclusive male dorms, not too far from Denali House. Whoever cleared the snow clearly did so with Synclair Keyingham in mind. The paths towards the dining hall, and even the parking lot have been cleared, but the path between Denali House and the dorms have not. Thankfully, most of the route leads us between buildings, so the snow isn’t too deep.
The dorms that the Elite live in are on the opposite side of campus than the main dorms, which I initially moved into. I’ve never been in the Elite dorms and have only seen them from the outside as I’d explored the campus, but I’ve heard that the four-story buildings are more like apartments than dorms.
“What day is it?” I ask as Gemini types in the door code to the dorm.
“Sunday,” Royal tells me. “Why?”
As we get closer, there are more footprints in the snow. Although it is a weekend, and usually, most students either go home or to New York City, it was Syn’s birthday, so instead, people stayed for the party. That was Friday night. Which means my initiation video was released on Saturday, and I was attacked the same day.
I don’t answer. Instead, I follow Syn and Gemini inside Rainier dorm. I’m not sure what I was expecting for a dorm, but it wasn’t this. The main entrance area is like a hotel lobby, complete with high ceilings, marble floors, and a lot of plants and seats. At the far end is an elevator, with an open staircase beside it curving up and around the elevator.
The high ceiling stretches to the top of the building, revealing each floor above. Even from here, I can see that each floor only has one door. Whoever designed the interior choseto completely ignore the traditional red brick exterior of the building.
Gemini takes the lead, going straight for the elevator. The four of us fit in, though I somehow end up in the back corner with the three guys in front of me, like I’m a celebrity, and they’re my security detail.
Although the doors are glass, the walls are polished metal, and once more, I’m confronted with my reflection. The bruise under my eye is starting to swell a little.
We only go up one floor. While I doubt that was for my benefit, I’m still grateful I didn’t have to take the stairs. Every step I’ve taken since leaving Royal’s bed has only highlighted how sore I feel.
