Page 19

Chapter

Fourteen

Bloom

Blood Sport

S he was striking, with copper skin and silver eyes with unnerving vertical pupils, a ruby like a drop of blood at her throat. Dark red curls framed a face marked by a faint five-pointed scar on her temple.

Her high-necked Victorian gown, the deep blue of Kingsley House, hugged her athletic frame, its fitted bodice and layered skirts swaying as she moved. The metallic gold embroidery along the cuffs and collar marked her elite status.

Dresses only.Another unspoken rule of Forsaken Academy’s opulent formality. No casual wear, no exceptions.

“Angelina.”Sebastian’s voice carried a warning, his amber eyes flashing with irritation.“Don’t be dramatic.”

She gave him a wounded look. “How charitable of you, Sebastian.” She purred and rested a hand on his shoulder, staking a claim. Fine, I got it. They’d slept together. “Collecting strays now?”

Three identical girls flanked her, moving in perfect synchronization. Their glossy ash-blonde hair was pulled into high ponytails that swung in unison. Their winged eyeliner emphasized their calculating, cold eyes. Their matching burgundy dresses screamed allegiance.

I set my fork down with deliberate calm.“You’re interrupting my meal.”My gaze didn’t waver from Angelina’s.“This isn’t your table, and I’m not interested in whatever drama you’ve dragged here.”A dismissive gesture between her and Sebastian.“Take it elsewhere.”

A collective gasp rippled through the minions as the dining hall fell silent. Every ear strained to catch our exchange, the air thick with the anticipation of violence.

Angelina’s perfect lips twisted. “Sebastian, you’re letting this white trash speak to me this way?”

“Do you even know what white trash means?” I snorted, meeting her glare. “You’re mean-spirited and ignorant. I’ve done nothing to you, yet you come here making threats. Shoo, you’re not welcome here.”

Sebastian’s sudden laughter cut through the tension.

“Shit, Bloom. Didn’t expect that fire.” His amusement vanished as he turned to Angelina, an arctic wave of power radiating from him.

The entire hall shivered; her minions stumbled back as if struck.

Only Angelina held her ground, though her knuckles whitened where she gripped Sebastian’s shoulder.

“There is no us ,” Sebastian said, each word glacial. “One fuck doesn’t make a claim. If it did, I’d have a harem trailing me everywhere.”

“You don’t mean that,” Angelina whispered, silver eyes glistening—before her expression turned vicious. “It’s her, isn’t it? What’s so special about this nobody?”

“Remove your hand, Angelina,” Sebastian warned. “I won’t ask again.” He glanced at me, suddenly earnest. “For the record, that casual lifestyle is behind me.”

I arched a brow. “Whom you sleep with doesn’t concern me.”

Angelina’s gaze raked over me like I was dirt stuck to her shoe.“You think sitting at this table with Sebastian makes you special? He’ll tire of you by tomorrow. And you—”Her lip twisted.“That academy dress is just charity covering trash. You’ll always be gutter-born.”

“Finished?”I laughed while shaking my head, picking up my fork.“Good. Now leave so I can eat.”

Her pupils narrowed to slits. “You find this funny?”

“I find it pathetic.”I raised my voice, ensuring the entire hall heard to discourage more challenges.“I didn’t come here to fight over men like a dog after scraps. I’m here to learn magic. And poverty isn’t a crime—it’s just a starting point.”

“Pretty speech for aBloom,”she sneered, leaning in until her ruby pendant swung between us.“Such a fragile flower name.”

“Oh for—must we dissect each other’s names now?” I asked.

Sebastian’s chuckle added fuel to the fire. Angelina’s anger burned hotter, but it was all directed at me.

“Careful, Bloom,”she whispered, cold as grave soil.“Flowers that bloom too fast wither faster. The challenge stands.”

Her minions snickered. The contrast between us couldn’t be more glaring, her warrior’s physique against my slender frame. She towered over me, primed for combat.

Sebastian sighed. “Angelina, enough. If you’re angry with me, take it up with me. Bloom just arrived yesterday.”

Angelina’s hand moved toward the scabbard strapped at her waist. My face paled.

I’d noticed that everyone carried some form of weapon, and mine was an inhaler tucked into my pocket.

My fingers worked quickly under the table, gathering fistfuls of my skirt and knotting the fabric at my thighs.

At least my movements wouldn’t be restricted if or when this turned violent.

“I’m not doing this,” I said, my voice tight.

The challenge rule was barbaric. Not that it mattered. This academy drew students from every corner of the globe, united only by their divine bloodlines and the magic coursing through their veins. I guessed that some long-dead god’s legacy pulsed in me too, though which one was a mystery.

But I refused to be a spectacle. Let the others clamor for victory; I wouldn’t perform for the crowd’s bloodlust.

The hall erupted in murmurs and sneers. Sebastian’s eyes gleamed with amusement, no doubt anticipating the spectacle of women brawling over him.

Not today.

I planted my feet, letting my stillness shout loud and clear: I don’t play these games.

“You can’t refuse!” a voice jeered from the crowd.

“Of course I can,” I shot back. “This entire ritual is ridiculous.”

“Coward!”

The sea of disgusted faces didn’t faze me. Better to endure their scorn than lose a limb.

Sindy’s whisper cut through my resolve: “Declining just means she can attack you anywhere, anytime. The rules allow it.” Her eyebrow ring trembled as she spoke. “Her blade might end up sticking in your back when you least expect it.”

Sindy and I were clearly the weakest here—every sneer in the hall confirmed it.

I remembered yesterday’s violence—the bloodied student, the indifferent crowd. My instincts screamed to refuse, consequences be damned. I could run. I’d spent years running miles to town and back, trading herbs just for library time, always racing Mother’s timer.

“Challenges require justification,”I said, clinging to Sindy’s hasty rules explanation from last night.

Angelina’s derisive laugh grated on my nerves.“I have a legitimate reason. You tried to steal my man by throwing yourself at Sebastian shamelessly like a whore.”

“When?”The word burst out of my shivering lips.

Pure jealousy had twisted her into some feral thing. There would be no talking my way out of this shit.

“Enough,” Sebastian ordered.

Angelina only grinned at me.“Won’t fight for a man, but you’ll hide behind one? Pathetic.”

Before Angelina could draw her blade, I launched myself upward, chair screeching against stone as it toppled.

In one fluid motion, I snatched up Sindy’s untouched dessert and my half-eaten coq au vin, flinging both at Angelina’s face.

The porcelain shattered against her brow, custard and wine sauce dripping into her widened eyes.

I didn’t question the unnatural force behind my next move; the table upended with a gust-aided kick, sending silverware clattering across her torso. Surprise was my only advantage, and I wielded it ruthlessly.

As she staggered, I swung the overturned chair like a battering ram. Wood splintered against her skull with a sickening crack. She collapsed, and I followed her down, knees driving into her ribs, a jagged chair leg now trembling in my grip.

“I kicked a demon in the teeth yesterday,”I hissed, pressing the splintered wood to her temple.“You’re nothing compared to that.”

The fight left her before she could unsheathe her blade.

My breaths came sharp and clean—no inhaler needed, though my hands shook. This violence felt disturbingly natural, as if my muscles remembered battles my mind had never fought.

I checked her pulse. Steady.

The hall stood frozen. Even Sebastian had lost his smirk.

I rose, wiping my hands on my skirt as if I could scrub away the adrenaline, the terrifying ease with which I’d wielded that chair. This place was changing me, unearthing something feral I hadn’t known lived inside me.

“Pity Angelina never yielded,”I mused, tapping the splintered chair leg against my palm.“Now I’m left wondering—should I stake her heart? Nah. Let her live with the humiliation.”

My gaze swept the silent hall. Part of me wanted to raise the makeshift weapon and roar,“Who’s next?” But I wasn’t reckless enough to invite another fight. Some idiots might actually take me up on it.

I turned to Sindy.“Sorry about your dessert. Let’s find a quieter table. I just want to eat in peace.”

I gave a casual wave to Sebastian. His answering smile was pure hunger, dark and promising. My skin prickled, the fine hairs on my neck rising.

Then I felt it.

A presence like a midnight storm rolling in.

Every head turned toward the entrance. Nero Ravencrux stood framed in the doorway, a shadow given the form of a dark god.

His eyes, icy green and burning, locked onto mine. Fury. Approval. Desire and pride.

He’d seen everything.