Page 14

“I really don’t get why you joined the Warriors; even my mum was shocked when I told her,” Marnie said, popping a chip into her mouth as I groaned, rubbing my temples.

The dull ache from the hit I took earlier in Azrael’s class still lingered.

No thanks to everyone finally insisting that, human or not, I should be trained the same as the Ascendants.

Azrael ended up listening to them, and ever since, I’d been tossed around like a ragdoll by a girl named Norah.

“At least I’ll get to visit you often in the Healers Sector,” I said, injecting a little optimism.

Marnie shot me an unimpressed look. Well, it was worth a try.

“How’s Joe taking it?” Lucas asked as he sat down beside me in the canteen. He’d become my closest friend within the Warriors Sector and the only one who didn’t treat me like some fragile outsider.

I made a face, my appetite fading as I pushed away the plate of shared chips. “He’s not yelling anymore, if that’s what you mean.”

When Joe found out I’d joined the Warriors, he had marched into the middle of a training session and humiliated me in front of everyone, making it painfully clear that the Warriors Sector wasn’t for me.

Marnie chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, Grace, you’ve really got a rebellious streak under that cute, innocent exterior, don’t you?

First, you room with three guys—including Brandon, of all people—and then you decide you want to join the Warriors.

What’s next? You’re hoping to get picked for the competition? ”

I let out a dry laugh. “Pretty sure Joe would have a heart attack if I did that.”

Marnie grinned, waving a ketchup-stained finger at me. “Celestials can’t have heart attacks, Grace, so you’re in the clear.”

I smiled, and for a brief moment, my appetite started to return. That was until Hunter walked through the double doors of the canteen with Silas trailing behind him. My body tensed instinctively, and my muscles—what little I had—tightened as I shrank back into the bench, trying to disappear.

Living with them hadn’t been the nightmare I initially imagined, but it hadn’t exactly been great either.

Hunter ignored me entirely after I bumped into him that evening in the hallways, and Silas only occasionally threw me a glance.

Brandon, at least, seemed to feel bad for me, though it didn’t make things any less awkward.

Lucas nudged my shoulder. “You’re staring.”

“Hard not to,” Marnie chimed in, running her chip over her ketchup fingers. “But hey, look on the bright side—they haven’t kicked you out yet. Or done anything to mess with you.”

Somehow, the fact that Hunter hadn’t followed through on his threats didn’t make me feel much better. His silence was more unnerving than anything.

“Please don’t jinx it,” I muttered, watching Hunter and Silas grab drinks from the display fridges.

Lucas chuckled, standing up and brushing off his hands. “There’s Ver,” he said, nodding toward the doors. “She needs my help with something in her dorm. Probably scaring off another roommate—it’s like the hundredth one she’s done that to.”

I believed him.

Veronica, standing near the entrance, was sucking on a lollipop, her mullet pulled into two low pigtails. The contrast between how innocent that looked and the sharp glare she shot in my direction was almost laughable.

Yeah, she definitely still didn’t like me.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Lucas added, giving us a quick wave before heading over to join Veronica. Marnie and I muttered our goodbyes, watching as they left the canteen together.

I let out a sigh, my attention drifting back to Hunter and Silas. They seemed engrossed in a conversation, Silas more than Hunter.

Marnie looked over her shoulder and gave me a comforting smile. “You know you’re always welcome to stay in my dorm. We even have a spare bed if you want it.”

“It’s fine. I’ve made too much of a fuss about it already. Hunter just has to learn how to deal with it.”

Marnie raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. The look on her face told me she thought I was way in over my head, and perhaps, deep down, I was.

Living with the boys was like walking on the edge of a cliff—you never knew when you’d slip into the abyss.

Just then, Hunter turned his head, scanning the room. Like a magnet, his eyes found mine. I froze, yet his expression didn’t change.

I quickly tried to look away, focusing on the half-eaten plate of chips in front of me. But the weight of his stare lingered, and I knew then that I was screwed.

Marnie had jinxed it.

Hunter Cain was finally out to get me.

No—scratch that. Hunter Cain was on a mission to make my life a living hell. Every day that passed, I regretted every single second of my decision to bite my tongue and stay in his dorm. And he knew it. He thrived on it.

For example, the other morning, I was half-asleep when I walked into the bathroom, grabbed my toothbrush, and started brushing my teeth.

Then I froze.

The bristles tasted... off.

Slowly. Very slowly, I turned my head, and there he was. Hunter leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, smirk locked and loaded.

“How’s the taste, Bambi?”

No. No .

I spat into the sink, gagging before pointing an accusing finger at him. “What did you do?”

He shrugged, all innocent-like. The audacity. “Nothing. Just figured you should know Silas used that last night... to clean his shoes.”

My mouth dropped wide open, and his reaction was to simply walk away laughing.

I had never felt more homicidal in my entire life.

Then there was yesterday morning.

At 5:00 AM sharp, my world exploded with the shrillest ungodly alarm known to mankind.

I shot straight up, blinking blearily before groaning and slamming a pillow over my face.

“Someone turn it off!”

No one did.

Because Hunter’s alarm went off three more times.

And this morning? Oh, Hunter had upped his game. He brought reinforcements. Enter Silas, another menace of my existence.

I woke up to chaos. All my clothes were strewn across the floor, and my curling products were scattered like crime scene debris all over my bed covers.

All of that had led to now, where my patience had finally hit an all-time low as soon as I got into my room, wanting to collapse on my recently cleaned bed only to pull back the blanket and witness, sitting right there in the middle of my bed, like it had full ownership, the biggest spider I’d ever seen.

Not just any spider but one easily the size of my hand, with long hair and legs, twitching as it slowly crawled across the bed.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “Nope. Nope.” I wasn’t dealing with this, nope.

I spun on my heel and marched down the hall, heading straight to the usually shut and locked room. Only one person would pull something like this, and I knew exactly who. I should have known that these past few weeks of silence were leading up to something.

“Hey!” I yelled, banging on Hunter’s door like a mad woman. It took approximately ten more seconds for me to keep knocking before he opened the door, wearing a plain grey t-shirt and sweats. He leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Get your damn tarantula out of my room!”

Hunter stared at me, blinking slowly as if he would rather not deal with my outburst right now. “That’s not mine.”

I scoffed. “Please, a spider on my bed has you written all over it. Do you really think that’s going to make me quit? I happen to like spiders!” A lie clearly not masked well enough.

He tilted his head slightly, giving me that infuriating blank look. “Like I said, Grace. It’s not mine.”

I folded my arms, glowering up at him, but my eyes snagged on something.

A flicker of gold right there on his pinky finger.

My gold band ring.

I blinked. What the hell? When did he get that?

“Wait—” My accusation about the spider invasion died on my tongue as I grabbed his wrist, dragging his hand up. “Is that my ring?”

Hunter, completely unfazed, barely spared it a glance. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?” I was dumbfounded. “Since when did you start stealing my jewellery?”

He sighed like I was the exhausting one here. “Since you left it on the windowsill last week and never picked it up. Finders keepers.”

My lips parted. “Give it back!”

He smirked but said nothing.

I tried snatching it back, but his reflexes were too quick for me, and something sharpened in his smirk—like he was enjoying watching me spiral.

Grabbing the front of his shirt instead, I leaned up against him and gritted my teeth. “Get that tarantula out of my room and give me my ring back or—”

“Did you say spider?”

I turned to see Silas strolling toward us with a wide grin on his face. Oh no.

“Grace found your spider,” Hunter added nonchalantly, and I just stood there gaping at him.

“Jerry?” Silas asked as if I would even know.

“Jerry?” I practically shrieked. “Since when do you own a tarantula?”

“Since always.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry, she’s completely harmless. She actually has a thing for the ladies, so I’m not surprised she decided to go into your room.”

I blinked at him.

God, I really hated the male species.

Hunter was still standing there, his lips twitching with the necessity to laugh at me. When I whipped my head back to face Silas, I could see the grin growing wider as he and Hunter shared a look that told me they had done it all on purpose.

“I’ll go grab her,” Silas said. “She’s probably already missing me. Tarantulas are sensitive creatures, you know.” He sauntered off to get his precious pet while I shot one final glare at Hunter. He was smirking at me, and I could practically feel the amusement radiating off him.

“You should learn not to accuse people so easily of something they didn’t do.” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “Not very virtuous of you.”

I scowled at him, pivoted on my heel, and raised my middle finger in the air for him to see.

As I stormed toward the living room, I made a mental note to check every corner of my room from now on.

“Who calls a tarantula Jerry?” I muttered to myself, still in disbelief.

“Silas calls all his pet animals Jerry,” Brandon’s voice floated over from behind me.

I spun around to where he was leaning against the kitchen counter and narrowed my eyes. “Really?”

“Yeah, I think it’s because he’s too lazy to come up with anything else.”

I crossed my arms, still annoyed, but couldn’t help the slight grin peeling at my lips over the ridiculousness of it all.

“If it helps.” Brandon nibbled on his lip piercing, his tone softening. “I don’t think it’s so bad that you’re here.”

I let out a short laugh, but there was no humor behind it. “Yeah, well, according to your friend, I’m going to regret it.”

Brandon’s expression tightened slightly. “Cain’s just... complicated.”

I snorted. “That’s what everyone says when they’re trying to defend their friends’ actions.”

“I wish that was the case,” he muttered, leaving us in a void of silence.

I cleared my throat and started making my way toward my room, thinking there was nothing left to say.

“Word of advice?” he said, and I looked back at him. His eyes flickered toward the hallway where all the boys’ rooms were. “Play his game. He’s always one for a challenge.”

I stood there, taken aback by his words. Unsure of how to respond, I gave him a slow nod. “I’ll keep that in mind... thanks.”

He offered me a small, genuine smile, then casually grabbed his mug from the counter before heading down the hallway and leaving me there to brainstorm ideas.