Page 136 of Glutton for Punishment

“Careful,” Pox calls after me. “The academy prefers its doors attached to the hinges.”

I don’t bother responding.

My hands won’t stop shaking as I stalk down the hallway. I press them flat against my thighs and keep walking. I’ll go to the combat gym to burn off some steam.

Broken.

The word loops through my skull. Universe, I hate this. I hate feeling weak. But most of all, I hate not understanding what’s wrong with me.

“You’re glaring at the grass hard enough to light it on fire. Where will you go if you burn this place down?”

I stop dead at the sound of his voice.

Alexi Zevalli lounges across one of the outdoor benches lining the Lust bathhouse wing without a care in the world.

The sun shines off his golden curls, while he relaxes in his sunglasses, sans shirt, which reveals the sexiest V right above his sweatpants and…. Am I drooling?

Bad Arwen.

He runs with Ryker. We don’t like anyone who associates with Ryker, bond or not. Not that he’d ever care about a bond being from Lust and all.

A few students surround him, laughing too hard at something one of them says. A beautiful brunette practically hangs over the back of his chair. She might as well be in his lap.

But Alexi’s attention is entirely on me. I should check in with him since it’s been months since two of my other bonds were revealed, but…

“I’m not in the mood, Alexi,” I mutter, walking again.

He gets up, knocking the brunette over in the process, and falls into step beside me. She rightly curses him out for being a jerk.

“You’re in a mood,” he says smoothly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

I look his way, coming to a stop. He wanted nothing to do with me last year, aside from trying to scare me away from Ryker in his own twisted way. I’ve heard nothing from him since being back at the academy. He was the least of my bond worries, being Lust and all, and I trust him only a smidge more than Ryker.

So what is he playing at?

He smiles and tucks his hands into his baggy sweatpants.

I scowl at him.

“How’s the dramatic return to academy life going?” he asks. “I hear you’re terrifying students and disappointing professors all across campus.”

“I’m aware the academy gossip mill is alive and well.”

He studies me for a moment, gaze flicking over my face. “You coming from sin power training?”

I exhale. “What did Ryker give you a copy of my class schedule so you two could torment me together again this year?”

“If I remember correctly, I tried to warn you away from said torture.”

“Yes, in the most cryptic and creepy way possible.”

He huffs a laugh and takes off his sunglasses. The bright green of his eyes always takes my breath away.

Excuse me, universe… we need to have a talk about these attributes you freely throw out to asshole men.

“So what’s got you in such a bad mood after power training? Don’t you enjoy practicing now that you have everything you ever wanted? Brand new ability. A whole new band of merry men to worship you and fill your every desire?”

I wince feeling guilty. I probably should have made more of an effort to talk to Alexi when I got here about my bonds.