Page 51 of Wicked Waters

“Don’t worry, sir. One of these is for Quinn. I’ll be back for my other glass later.” She blew him a kiss and then tugged me away, leaving me stifling a laugh.

“Only you can get away with acting like that towards the teachers. Actually, no. Only you and Tristan can.”

“Don’t mention the T-word to me,” she hissed before taking a large gulp of her champagne. “Ugh. Why do people drink this stuff?”

I laughed again. “It helps if you sip it rather than swig it like a pint.” Taking a sip of my own drink, I demonstrated, and she rolled her eyes at me.

“No, thanks.” Her gaze flicked down my body. “Change of subject. Did I mention how hot you look tonight? If I were into girls, I totally would.”

“Same.” I eyed my friend appreciatively. She’d decided to wear black, clad in a short, slinky dress that dipped dangerously low in both the front and the back. Her dress was paired with the highest, spikiest heels I’d ever seen, adding about six inches to her height. I had no idea how she was managing to walk so easily on the uneven flagstones, but she made it look effortless. Her hair was pulled back into a gleaming, poker-straight high ponytail, wrapped in a gold metal band—her only concession to colour, other than the golden snake cuff wrapped around her upper arm. With all of that, topped off with black eyeliner and dark lipstick, her nails pointed and painted in the same inky colour as her dress, she looked fucking hot and fucking dangerous.

As for me… My mum had taken me dress shopping the previous weekend…

“Remember how important this is. I was one of the goddesses, and I’d love for my only daughter to follow in my footsteps,” my mum said as we entered the small, high-end boutique in the local town of Nottswood.

“I know.” There was no point in my reiterating that I’d already been a goddess, nor the fact that she’d told me a million times that she’d been one of the goddesses. I’d only be wasting my breath. And I did understand where she was coming from. The ball and everything it stood for might not have been high on my list of priorities anymore, but it was important to her, and I did want her to be happy. We had our differences, and although her rules were stopping me from being with the person I wanted to be with, her heart was in the right place. Even if she was going about it the wrong way.

Not only that, but she’d be hearing from my history professor after the ball, and if I could keep her happy in the meantime, maybe the consequences wouldn’t be so bad…

Who was I kidding? I had no defence. None that she’d believe, at least. How could I defend myself without any evidence?

“Good girl.” She gave me a small smile. “Right. Let’s find the dress that’ll ensure you stand out. How about…”

I tuned her out as she drifted off to one of the racks, smoothing her hand over chiffon and satin and silk, every now and then pulling a hanger aside to inspect a dress more closely. My attention was drawn to the back of the boutique, to shimmery material that went from a light sky-blue to a blue so deep it was almost black.

“Ah. I was hoping that might catch your eye.”

I jumped at the voice close to my ear, spinning to see a woman eyeing me with amusement. She had a discreet silver badge with the boutique logo and the name Julia engraved below it.

“I…yes. I’d like to look at it more closely.” I moved towards the dress, the saleswoman coming with me.

“It’s new in today. As soon as you entered the shop, I could see you wearing it.” Pulling it from the rack, she draped it over her arm and then directed me towards a pedestal, swiping a small box from a table on the way.

“My mum. I’m not sure…” I trailed off, glancing over to where my mum had an armful of dresses, mostly in pastel colours.

“Leave her to me.” Julia lowered her voice, giving me a conspiratorial grin. “Did you notice the shop next door? That’s our bridal boutique. I’m used to persuading mothers of the bride to love the dress the bride really wants. Yours will be a piece of cake in comparison.”

As promised, she had persuaded my mother…despite the dress being everything she wouldn’t have wanted for me. The flowing, shimmering material in shades of blue dipped between my breasts, held in place by strategically placed tape. The back reached the floor, kissing my heels, but the front…the front was a minidress, exposing my lower legs as well as most of my thighs. It was daring, and it was beautiful, and it was mine. All thanks to Julia, who had turned out to be a master in persuasion, throwing out phrases like “most sought-after British designer” and “couture” and “Paris runways.” Of course, most of the phrases were meaningless, spoken only to persuade, but her words had worked their magic, and now, here I was.

My hair was curled in loose waves that tumbled down my back, and Aria had done my make-up to match, with subtle sweeps of gold across my lids and cheekbones. I’d completed the look with dangling gold earrings.

Aria touched my arm, breaking me out of my thoughts. “Grace and Mira are on the dance floor. Let’s go.”

We began making our way towards the area designated as a dance floor, but we’d only taken a few steps when a hush fell over the crowd. Aria and I exchanged glances and then turned as one towards the entrance, where everyone’s attention was directed.

I forgot how to breathe.

Standing in the entryway, or more accurately, lounging in the entryway, framed by the huge wooden doors that had been left open for the event, were the three gods. Knox was the first to step into the room, Elena on his arm clad in a gorgeous red dress, both of them looking fucking incredible. Knox smirked at the attention they were getting, but then his head dipped to Elena’s ear, and I caught the flash of concern in his dark gaze. I still found it difficult to reconcile the arrogant boy I’d once known with this man who very clearly cared deeply for his girlfriend, no matter how much he tried to hide it from everyone else.

Elena nodded and said something back to him, and a small smile flickered over his lips before it disappeared. Slowly and deliberately, he lowered his head again, his hand coming up to cradle Elena’s chin, tilting her head to meet his. It was a public claiming, an acknowledgement that they were together and, more importantly, that she had the protection of the elite. I hadn’t been at Hatherley Hall when she’d first arrived, but from what Elena and Aria had told me, it sounded like she’d had a rocky start. But here they were, together and unshakeable, and something inside me ached at their display of unity. I wanted that. And I wanted that with one man and one man only. A man I hadn’t even dared to take more than a fleeting look at because there was no way on earth that I’d be able to hide the way I felt about him. We were too exposed here. Too many eyes were on the gods. And maybe someone out there in the crowd was watching me, too.

An icy shiver snaked down my spine.

“How dare he,” Aria hissed under her breath, and my gaze flew to her, seeing her glaring across the room at…Tristan? Of course it was Tristan. My eyes widened, though, when I saw the way he was staring at her. It was— I didn’t even know how to describe it.

“Aria?” I whispered.

“No.” Holding up her hand, she spun on her heel, her ponytail whipping out behind her as she stalked away.

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