Page 97 of Fallen Gods
He leans back, studying me as if weighing a choice.
“Hope you know what you’re doing with Rey.” His voice dips, serious now. “She may seem nice, but the Stjernes killed ourparents without hesitation. Have you ever asked yourself why? What they knew that got them slaughtered? We all know it wasn’t an accident.”
The words land heavy, sharper than I would have expected.
“This isn’t child’s play, Aric. Odin Stjerne is powerful. Never forget what he controls in this…” He hesitates, just for a second. “City.”
I frown. City? Reeve covers it with a smile, but the slip prickles down my spine, his hesitation and sudden amusement making me pause.
“We’re safe here,” Reeve continues. “Endir’s gates protect us. Sigurd sees to that. But be careful with Pandora’s box, brother.” His eyes focus on my back again. “You can’t shut it once you open it. And when you do…” His grin twists, almost eager. “How else do worlds end? Chaos.”
The word lingers between us, bitter like he released a curse into the air.
I turn away, tugging my shirt back over my head. I need the second of reprieve so I don’t need to look him in the eye. That word reverberates around in my skull.Chaos…chaos…chaos…
And I realize that I’m not sure if Reeve is really protecting me—or just waiting to see me burn.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Rey
The humidity from the storm last night is lingering, just like the scent of Aric on my skin despite the very cold shower I took the minute I bolted out of his room. Ziva’s holding her fan attached to her phone in front of her face and waiting for me in the hall outside my dorm.
“I thought Reeve said maintenance was going to fix the flickering lights. It’s like we’re on a haunted floor.”
I can only focus on one thing at a time, and haunted floors are nothing compared to the utter embarrassment of sleepwalking into enemy territory. What the hell? And why did I have the best night’s sleep of my life in a Giant’s arms?
It’s not like I can share with the class all the reasons why waking up in Aric’s arms was the jump scare of my life without sounding like I need to be locked up in a padded room.
“Actually,” I finally answer Ziva, “the lights are kind of growing on me. Besides, my money’s on Reeve forgetting to tell maintenance whatever they tried didn’t work.”
“Your faith in me is disappointing,” a joking voice suddenly says.
I glare at Ziva. “Could have told me he was in the hall.”
“I thought everyone could sense his brand of evil—my bad.” She winks.
Reeve ignores both of us as Aric exits his room as well. He’s wearing a loose gray T-shirt and even looser jeans that somehow still make him look good enough to eat. He snaps a ball cap over his head and follows Reeve down the hall without as much as glancing in our direction.
“And to think we just slept together,” I mutter before thinking.
Ziva slams her hand on the doorframe like I just announced I was betrothed. “I’m sorry, what?”
“No!” I wave at her and grab my key card and phone. “Not like that. I mean, we slept in the same bed, but only because I sleepwalked to his room, invited myself in, and crashed.”
The look on Ziva’s face doesn’t just sayI don’t buy it, it saysI wouldn’t buy it even if youpaidme.“In his bed,” she clarifies as we walk down the hall.
I rub my lips together, then bite down on the bottom one to keep my scream inside my head. “Yeah, in his bed.”
“You. And Aric.” Does she have to keep processing all the information out loud like I didn’t already live through it?
“It would appear so.” I hit the down button and get on the elevator.
The doors close, then open again without moving floors. Rowen and Eira walk in. I’m not sure what it is about this girl that bothers me so much, but my hackles rise just seeing her. She’s wearing a baggy shirt that covers her ass, dark sunglasses, and she’s staring into her coffee cup. Maybe it bothers me that she’s taking all of Rowen’s time when he could—and should—be helping me? Or at the very least, offering?
“Rough night?” Ziva asks, taking in the scene. “Or rough morning?”
Eira shrugs and elbows Rowen. “This one kept moaning in his sleep.”
