Page 47 of Dance of the Phoenix
If she was bothered about it, she could’ve easily said something before. So that left only one option.
Margarita led me to a small storeroom not far from the cafeteria. Once I was inside, she closed the door and locked it behind us.
Tense, I leaned against the wall and folded my arms, my eyes glued to her as she leaned against the wall facing me. She also mimicked my stance, folding her own arms and giving me a bitter look. “Logan told me the gist of it, you know.”
I braced myself for what was soon to come.
“He hates you,” she told me almost conversationally. “So much, in fact, that last night, he came begging to our Lord to pair him up with someone else.”
Narrowing my eyes, I tried to pretend I wasn’t panicking inside. Not because Logan wanted another partner—that much I knew, for obvious reasons. Rather, it was becauseRagnornow had absolute confirmation that something bad had gone down between Logan and me in the past.
The one part of my past I really,reallydidn’t want Ragnor to know about. Which had led to our current stalemate, which had also led to our recent arguments and fights.
“Our Lord and Magnus were adamant, however, that this is the right decision,” Margarita said, not hiding her disgust. “So you and Logan are going to remain partners after all.”
She glared at me as if this decision was my fault and said, “I’m warning you, Henderson. Do not interact with Logan more than need be for the training sessions and the Hecatomb. If you do ...” She gave me an ugly smile. “You’ll find out exactly what I’m capable of when you hurt what’s mine.”
Her words made my already-shit mood sour. “Despite what you and Logan think,” I said through clenched teeth, “I have no intention of hurting him in any way. In fact, this whole Hecatomb is about ensuringwe all come back in one piece—both mentally and physically. So this threat is quite redundant.”
Margarita sneered. “Let’s hope you’re right,” she spit. Moving to the door, she turned the key sharply and pulled it open violently before storming off.
I leaned my head back and took a deep breath. I knewIwas going to be on my best behavior, but I couldn’t say the same about Logan.
Our last fight from many moons ago still rang in my head. “After all this time, I expected some sort of decency from you,” he’d growled. “Shame on me for believing that you had changed. That you might be different. But I was stupid, and that’s on me. You are afuckingmonster. You are exactly what your father made you. And youcan’tchange because it’s who you are.”
Facing that kind of attitude, I had a feeling I was in far more danger than he was.
When I entered the allocated training room for me and my Hecatomb partner, Logan was already there, doing push-ups. He didn’t look up when I closed the door behind me, nor did he say anything as I took off my shoes and began doing some stretching myself.
A loaded silence spread through the room as we warmed up for far longer than was normally needed. I was reluctant to be the first to make a move. The tension in the room was already severe as it was. I could feel myself freezing up, too, as not-so-irrational fear spread through me. Not just because of the Hecatomb and what our relationship meant when it came to a life-or-death situation but rather because of what our relationship entailed.
Watching him moving up to jumping squats while continuing to ignore me, I felt an old pain flare in my chest. A memory hit me of a time when we were human and we were training together, joking and laughing about, shooting the breeze without a care in the world.
I’d felt so much love for him then. Love I now knew was not really romantic love but love from one human being to another. I’d cared for him. I’d needed him.
Just like I needed him now if I was to survive the Hecatomb.
Each pair had its own trainer. I knew from Zoey that Magnus was her and Cassidy’s trainer. It made me wonder if Margarita and Ragnor were also going to be trainers and if one of them was going to be assigned to us.
I was not happy about either of these options.
When the door finally opened, my worries were proved to be justified.
Ragnor strode inside, kicking the door shut behind him, and shrugged off his trench coat as he headed to the front of the room. He threw the coat aside, kicked off his shoes, and focused his midnight blue gaze on Logan.
Logan straightened and gazed back, his face set in a bitter yet resolute expression.
“Let’s make sure all three of us are on the same page,” Ragnor said without preamble, still not looking at me as he leaned against the wall. “Logan, you’re aware of Aileen’s expertise with Iovan’s Imperium.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement that I felt was directed as a dig at me. I inwardly flinched while Logan bobbed his head once sharply.
Ragnor’s eyes flashed neon so suddenly, I couldn’t help but outwardly wince. “Then this will make it easier,” he said almost sarcastically. “Logan, since you’re Aileen’s partner, then you must know the following detail.” He barely glanced at me before fixing his gaze on Logan again. “Aileen is Sacred.”
Logan stared at Ragnor with an impassive look for a few long moments before it seemed Ragnor’s words finally computed. His lips curled downward, and he reluctantly turned to glower at me, as if it weremyfault. “Is she now?” he snarled.
I looked away, shaking with anger. Ragnor actively ignoring me did not bode well. Neither did Logan’s reaction to the news Ragnorsharedwithoutconsulting me. Then there was the tension thick in the air, suffocating me.
“She can stop time,” Ragnor now said offhandedly. “I don’t recommend she use it during your round, but it will be good if she has it ready just in case. Now that you know, her time stopping won’t work on you.”
