Page 45 of Tear of Destiny

“It’s always hard at the start, I know that. But you can’t overdo it, or you’ll wreck yourself. You need to go easy on yourself.”

I nod. I know he’s right, and yet it’s so frustrating to think that all I have to do is pull that door toward me in order to move on to the next phase.

“You’ll get there,” he promises.

“Oh yeah?” I groan. “What makes you so sure?”

The anger in my voice is plain to hear. I want to try again immediately, but I know that I’d have even less success in my current state.

Noah holds my chin with his thumb and index finger and tilts my face up so that I’m forced to look into his eyes. They’re smoldering hot and at the same time tender and affectionate. For a moment, I can’t tear myself away from this view, and then he’s saying, “You’re strong. Much stronger than you think. If youset your mind to something, you’ll achieve it. But you need to take good care of yourself. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

I gulp. “I wish I could take care of you too, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. But you keep winding up in dangerous situations because of me.” Like right now – because we’re in the Odyss and could be discovered by one of the fallen at any moment.

“Tess, you’re not putting me in danger. Believe me, I’m perfectly capable of attracting trouble on my own. I don’t need you for that.”

There it is again – that mischievous grin that I haven’t seen in such a long time.

“Thanks,” I mutter, leaning against him for a moment. “Thanks for everything.”

Chapter 19

That was smart thinking. The beginning of a song,” says Kate, toying with her salad. “Kind of obvious when you think about it, but I doubt it would have occurred to me.”

I sip my cola. “If it weren’t for Alex and her song, I wouldn’t have figured it out either.”

Kate and I are sitting in the cafeteria, fortifying ourselves before training. I told her about what happened in the Odyss, and now we’re deliberating over how I can master the door-summoning thing faster.

“I agree with Noah,” Kate continues. “You need to give yourself time. You can’t force it, no matter how hard you try.”

“But I’m tired of groping around in the dark,” I reply, stabbing my tortellini with my fork. “I’m always chasing answers. They’re almost within reach, but I keep getting stymied when I’m so close.”

Kate reaches out and squeezes my hand. “You’ve already achieved so much. And now you’ve discovered another goddess,” she says quietly. “The hunters spend their whole lives trying to do that. Sooner or later you’ll find out why Patricia told you about the library. But putting pressure on yourself won’t make ithappen any faster.”

I know Kate’s right, but I want to go back to the Odyss with Noah as soon as possible and keep trying to summon the door.

“Have you arranged to meet up with him again?” asks Kate.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a group of girls moving toward us and sitting at the table next to ours.

I mentally roll my eyes when I see that it’s Max and Lucia and some of their friends. They’re deep in conversation, laughing loudly as they seat themselves around the table.

I’m pretty sure that Max has seen us, and it’s no coincidence that she chose that table. I’m not about to run away in a panic when I see her or go out of my way to avoid her in the corridors. But I prefer to be around her as little as possible.

Kate glances surreptitiously at the other girls, who are eating their salads and continuing their loud conversation.

“You want to sit somewhere else?” she asks quietly.

“It’s okay,” I reply. “I’ll just ignore her. Let’s just keep talking and not pay her any attention.”

But that’s easier said than done because one of the girls pipes up, saying, “I saw Ayden in the mall yesterday. He was with a girl. She was really pretty. She had light blonde hair and a figure to die for. They looked pretty intimate and seemed to be really enjoying each other’s company.”

This description conjures a clear picture in my mind: Claire, Mr. Cunningham’s granddaughter.

Max listens attentively to her friend and then waves her hand in the air. “Oh yeah, he always knew how to have a good time, and I guess he needs a distraction after the breakup.”

The other girl nods. “They were totally flirting with each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if they get together – or maybe they already are.”

I feel my whole body tense up, and I’m tempted to jump up and leave the room. Is it pathetic of me to not want to hear this? Tostill be pining for Ayden when I know it’s well and truly over? I hope I’ll get over him someday, but I’m obviously not there yet.

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