Page 58 of Stray
She was starting to understand why the sexes had once been educated separately. She’d assumed it was because toms were unruly, but now she wondered how any of the other queens maintained their focus.
“Thanks,” she whispered back, realizing she must look as lost as she was. Maybe Bishop would even be willing to study with her. That would provide the opportunity to get to know her better, but she felt like asking any favors on top of him already saving her life was too presumptuous.
She could feel Axel’s seething glare even with her back turned, but to her relief, the bell rang before anything could come of it. She had barely stood and slipped her textbook back into her bag before Axel grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her toward the door.
“Hey!” she cried in protest, having no real choice but to follow along if she wanted to keep her arm.
She put the brakes on in the hall and he finally stopped, turning around with irritation still blazing in his eyes. “What the hell was that?”
“What was what?” she asked in dismay.
“You and Bishop,” he answered, as if it should be obvious. “You act like you’re going into heat the second he talks to you.”
Her cheeks inflamed with embarrassment and indignation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Please,” he snorted. Before he could follow up on that with the remarks he so clearly wanted to share, someone calledhisname in the same indignant tone he’d used with Ella moments earlier.
Axel turned around, seeming as confused by Marissa’s presence as Ella was. She slipped behind him, while trying to maintain as much distance between them as possible. She knew if she ran, he’d just grab her again and make the whole thing look like something it wasn’t.
Then again, she wasn’t really sure what it was, either. He’d never acted like this, and it seemed to go beyond his basic territorial temper tantrums.
Marissa’s eyes narrowed and fixed on Ella, despite her best attempts to blend into the wall. “What are you doing withher?”
Axel sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Can we do this somewhere else?”
Ella marveled at the shift in his demeanor. He wasalmostcivil with her. Her fatherdidstill own half the pride, so it shouldn’t have come as any real shock.
“Do what?” Marissa demanded, planting herself in front of him with her arms folded in challenge. Her posse caught up with her, flanking her on either side while keeping a slight distance.
“You’re making a scene,” Axel muttered. Ella could feel his energy growing more unpredictable by the second. He had a short fuse, and once it was lit, that was it.
“A scene?” Marissa echoed, her voice spiking an octave. “What is this, are you trying to break up with me or something?”
It was clear she meant the question as an absurd deflection, but every moment of his silence intensified the growing doubt on her face.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Calm down,” the tom growled, glancing around the hallway that had become the stage for the melodrama playing out before the entire school. Ella wanted nothing more than to shrink away and disappear, but as she was contemplating doing just that, Marissa’s gaze landed on her once more.
“Oh, you’vegotto be kidding me.”
“Don’t do this,” Axel pleaded. “Not here.”
It was the first time he’d ever given any indication that he cared what anyone else thought, but Ella knew his uncharacteristic attempt at peacemaking was more political than personal.
She still couldn’t make sense of what was happening. Sure, she’d wondered if Axel would wash his hands of Marissa now that she wasn’t going to be the new Empress, but she’d never actually imagined he would go through with it.
Neither had Marissa, it seemed.
“Why, so you can tell me you’re breaking up with me to fuck that fleabitten whore your mother found on the side of the road?” Marissa cried, no longer bothering to modulate her tone at all.
Ella flinched. She’d heard worse versions of her origin story, but this one was being broadcast in front of the entire Academy, as if to cement her status as a social outcast for good.
“This has nothing to do with Ella.”
He was lying. Ella had heard him do it enough times to know. What he was lying about was what took her by shock.
That meant itwasbecause of her.
