Page 69 of Rebirth Of Order
“You said she’s captivating, which means charming. I prefer not to be charmed into doing things.” He folds his arms as if that makes any sense.
“Uh-huh.” I fight the urge not to smile.
He extends a hand. “Horus, but my friends call me Russ, and you’ve asked your first question. Shall we proceed?” Noticing I haven’t taken his hand, he continues smirking, then points towards the correct direction.
“I’m aware it starts at one, Horus.”
“Again, my friend’s call me Russ. You don’t have to be so formal.”
“So, you’ve mentioned.” I peer at him with an unserious expression.
“We can work on that,” he murmurs loud enough for me to hear. My eyes roll at his sureness, and we backtrack towards the White Wing.
It goes without saying that I’m clit blocking other females. Though it’s not my fault. They attempt to approach until their spiteful gaze lands on me. To my surprise, he offers them no attention, which is the only reason he is still escorting me.
Breaking our silence, I ask, “Can you elaborate on how you’veheard of me?” I can’t afford to get lost every day using this mid-accurate map, so I take mental notes of the directions as we walk.
His throat clears as he gestures right with a nod, taking us down a pristine white marbled hall, leading to a massive door at the end.
“I’m sure you’re aware others have discussed you in private.” Easing closer, he nearly touches his shoulder with mine. I receive a full whiff of his scent, and my stomach hums. Never have I visited the rainforest, but from descriptions, if it smells anything like this, ship me there now. “Based on their input, my interest was piqued. More or less,” he finishes, and we draw near the hallway’s end.
“What kind of input?”
“You, being a human, failing the Awakening, lying about having magic, sleeping with a few students, killing a gloom–”cough“being amazingly–”cough“beautiful–”cough.As if I didn’t catch that. “Getting eaten by a dragon. You know, the list goes on.” He turns away from me, wearing a high smile.
It’s like he stated; I’m not surprised others have conjured bullshit about me. What is surprising is the amount of lies and how fast that fire has spread. It’s insane.
We push through the massive doors, and a blinding light greets us. The sun sits high without a single cloud in attendance. I think back to Marcel’s class when there were too many to count. Once I adjust from being in artificial lighting, I pause, taking in the scenery.
Open fields with freshly cut grass and timbers spread everywhere. House Earth fays cast magic, growing more trees and taking the liberty to spell words, using newly blossomed branches. Others create sculptures, using rocks as their medium, reminding me of art class.
“Beautiful?” Horus nudges me, and I can’t make out if he is referring to our scenery or me. Sly bastard.
“It is,” I say, earning him another side eye.
He points to the right, and I gasp. “If you look there, you’ll see where House Fire hangs in between lectures.” Students try to burn clumps of sand into crystals. Just beyond them is a whole ass beach.Water wielding fays ride waves on jet skis created from the liquid element.
I’m left speechless with my mouth parted. He points upwards, further adding to my astonishment. Sure as shit, air wielding fays sit upon small tornados, watching those below, acting like royalty. If I’m honest, I can’t be mad.
“Before you ask, those in House Life and Death are normally sparring one another around this time. So, they’re not out here. This is a hangout spot between classes in case you’re interested,” he explains, regarding me with that damn smirk. Why the hell is he so chipper?
“Hold on, that’s not on my schedule.” I retrieve my phone just to make sure.
“No, it is not. Consider this our recreational time.” He shrugs.
“I’m sure it’ll be the complete opposite, but sure. Wait, you’re part of House Life, why aren’t you sparring?” Pocketing my phone, I fold my arms and lean back against the door.
“I recently returned from a mission. I’m taking the day off, hence killing time.”
“Interesting. Another question, what’s your ranking?” If he wants to be friends, I need to know–for research purposes of course.
“Getting personal, are we?” Horus leans in, engulfing me with his intoxicating fragrance. My lungs fill with the blend of exotic fruit and freshly dewed rainforest, earthier now that he is this close. Delicious in every aspect and equally dangerous.
I reach a hand for his chest, wanting to nudge him back a few inches, keeping my movements slow and giving him time to object. But he only watches my hand, lifting one side of his lips into a damning smirk, like he welcomes my touch.
My palm lands just over his heart, above the emblem, and my thighs clench. The firmness of his muscles push back, and ever so slightly, my nails dig a little deeper. He does this mix between a hum and deep moan, sending thrills over my fingers, and I retract, biting my lip and averting my eyes with blushed cheeks.Asshole.
“You said I can ask any question and you’ll answer truthfully. If you can’t hold to your own rules, there’s nothing else for us to talk about…Horus.”
