Page 13 of A Reign of Storm and Madness

Shit fuck.

Kalix makes a sound in the back of his throat that is half amused and half rage. Considering his obvious interest in our Terra—and the fact that she’s held out this long despite our long-forgotten bet—he’s been none too happy with our eldest brother since her imprisonment.

Ruen looks at her, eyes spanning from her face to her throat and then her chest and hips and back again. A growl threatens to rip free from me and I step in front of her. “Well, now that we know you’re alright,” I say, turning back to face her. “We should inform you of a few new changes the Academy has requested.” Demanded is more like it.

Kiera’s attention shifts back to me. “As you say, Master Theos.” She inclines her head again, the embodiment of a chastised servant. The dinner I ate last night curdles in my gut. I loathe this space between us—fucking abhor the fact that I cannot simply tell her to stop calling me ‘Master.’ Not now. This isn’t my bedroom and we are not tangled in sheets and limbs, sweaty and soaked in pleasure.

I take a step back from her and another and another until I reach the lounge once more. I reach down and pick up the package that had been delivered to our chambers late last night by an elder Terra. Wrapped in parchment, I already know what lies within and it feels like something disgusting in my palm as I hand it to her.

She takes it and I note how careful she is to not touch her fingers to mine as the package passes between us. I swallow reflexively as she undoes the rough tie holding the paper closed, and when it opens, it reveals a new uniform. She stiffens at the sight of it. Bile dances in my stomach as the paper falls away, drifting to the floor.

A snort leaves Kalix, breaking the tension unveiled by the uniform. I glare at him as Kiera slowly turns and faces him. I can see it on her face—the desire to say something, to demand an answer from him, but she’s careful. She keeps it locked inside.

That, more than anything else, eases the pain in my chest. She’s not beaten down. She’s angry. Fucking pissed. And she should be. Thankfully, though, she’s careful too. She knows just how precarious her position is now.

Her punishment had been a warning to all other Terra, just as this new uniform is too. It’s a way to mark her, to brand her for her insolence. Instead of the casual dark gray of the regular Terra’s attire, this new uniform is darker. The fabric has no lightness to it. It’s entirely made of black fabric, dipped and dyed by the elder Terra themselves, no doubt, to show her just how she’s to be marked from here on.

In a place where uniformity is safer, she has been set apart for the disrespect of having broken a rule—one of the great rules of the Academy. I damn Dolos for it. Would damn him physically if I didn’t think he’d kill me without a second thought. If I didn’t think my death would set off a chain reaction in Kalix and Ruen—as enraged by my eldest brother as I am right now.

“You are to wear this new uniform while you remain on Academy grounds,” I say, biting out the words that had been relayed to us the previous night. “Should you require a new uniform, you will not be permitted to wear a regular one henceforth. Your disrespect will be known to all and you will continue to provide services as a Terra along with”—I breathe through my nose—“extra tasks to repay the Divine Ones for their mercy.”

She continues to stare at the fabric in her hands. Knuckles white as she grips it so tight, I worry she might end up stomping past me and throwing it into the raging fire within the fireplace.

Instead, Kiera nods. “I understand.” The words are a mere whisper, but even the quietness of her tone cannot hide the sheer fury in her voice.

I suck in a breath, but before I can speak, Kalix beats me to it. “If you’re to survive here, little mortal,” he says, swinging an arm over her shoulders, causing her to stiffen. I flinch, wondering if it brings any pain to her back, but she merely tips her head back to look at him, showcasing no evidence of the agony I remember on her features. “I suggest hiding your rage—if we can sense it, then there’s no doubt that others will as well.”

Gray eyes narrow on his face, but she doesn’t deny her own emotions. Instead, she nods once. “I will take that into consideration, Master Kalix.” Her attention returns to me, deftly avoiding Ruen’s presence at my back. “May I return to my room to redress?” she asks.

“Yes, of course.”

With that, she bows her head and twists herself out from under Kalix’s grip. Behind her back, Kalix flicks his fingers and the door unlocks and swings open before she reaches it. She doesn’t look back or even jump at the Divine ability. She simply steps through the doorway and disappears down the stairwell.

I scrub a hand down my face. “Fuck.” The curse slips free.

Kalix chuckles and walks past me, clapping me on the shoulder as he goes. “And so dawns the age of our little mortal’s vicious hatred,” he murmurs, sounding more amused and excited than upset.

I close my eyes. There is nothing crueler than the hatred of a person you want to care for you.

Chapter 9

Kiera

Iam marked and everyone knows it. If I thought the other Terra avoided me before, when all they knew of me was that I serve the Darkhaven brothers, now, days after I’ve been re-introduced to the routine of the Mortal Gods Academy, they outright ignore me.

No, that’s not entirely correct. Some of the other Terra recognize and acknowledge me in the unique way of turning and sprinting, often stumbling or slamming themselves into walls, in an effort to get away the second they spot me. As if merely being in my presence would be enough to sentence them to the same punishment they all witnessed.

The only Terra not to run screaming in the opposite direction when faced with me is Niall. Though, he too, seems rather strained by my new status within the Academy. Whenever he lingers close to me, the other Terra either avoid looking at him as well or glare at him.

How I wish I could tear the Gods down from those pedestals they put themselves on. I bet if they were down in the muck and filth like the rest of us, they’d get just as bloody, just as dirty.

My hands clench into fists as Niall and I walk down the back hallway corridors of the Terra residence building. It’s become all too clear that Niall and I have some sort of relationship to the Terra elders. Dauphine and Hael know that he’s my friend and for that, I am increasingly regretful.

Had I known that befriending the slender boy who looks more innocent than worldly would put him in this precarious position, I would have turned away from him that first day at orientation. It’s too late now.

As if reminding me of that fact, I peer at the small black spider that slides over the back of his dark gray uniform tunic and disappears into the back of his collar. Even if he doesn’t know it, that spider is there for his protection. It, among many others, is keeping a careful lookout on Niall and his own Master as well as the rest of the Academy and keeping me informed should anything happen. There’s a low level of buzzing heat that races along my flesh that warns me something very well might.

“Here.” Niall swallows as he stops before a familiar door. It’s the twin to Hael’s office, made of dark scarred wood with a plaque that hosts Dauphine’s name. I peer at him, waiting for him to reach for the door handle, but he surprises me.

---