Chapter 9
Reverie
Ispent the rest of the day dozing on and off, then half the night trying to understand what I’d seen, staying awake to avoid the nightmare of reliving Selene taking my mark and the real possibility she had sent it to my Faction.
That last part was too horrific to dwell on.
Although I believe the glimpse I had of each of them feeling my pain was real.
As horrible as that possibility was, did that mean our ability to communicate was returning?
So many questions that needed answers…Was I truly Queen Lilibet, reincarnated?
Could that really be possible? Her name kept surfacing in connection with the rare abilities I had acquired.
And the dream that didn’t feel like a dream was beyond strange.
These questions had made for a fitful sleep, and now I was rushing to the dining hall to grab breakfast before heading out to train.
I wanted to dwell more on the dream and what it could mean, but I had a battle at the coliseum this weekend.
If I knew anything about Selene, it was that my next fight would be the most difficult yet.
I’d defeated everyone they’d thrown at me so far, and I knew it pissed her off as much as it had pleased her.
She was a person full of contradictions, and none of them were pleasant.
Honestly, I could use the distraction of pushing my body to the point of exhaustion. Maybe if I were tired enough, I could return to the place I visited last night in my dreams and find more answers. It may be the key to getting out of this place.
My gut warned me that my time was running out; I had to hope that either my abilities grew stronger at a faster pace or that I would find a way to leave as soon as possible.
“Hey, fancy meeting you here again.” Torren was smiling as we both entered the hall, coming from opposite directions.
“Fancy that.” His presence rattled me, but I returned his smile, trying to shake off my thoughts enough to engage in everyday conversation.
“You look better today.” I saw an emotion in his eyes that I wasn’t able to identify before he looked away. “Do you want to train together?” He grabbed a plate and handed it to me as we approached the buffet.
“Sure, if you have time.” Neither of us mentioned how he’d booked it out of here the other day. I grabbed several pieces of bacon and a large spoonful of potatoes and eggs. I was starving after spending the whole day in my room yesterday.
“Absolutely, I’ve been thinking of some moves that would really help you with those short swords you favor.” He filled his plate, and we sat down.
We both reached for the salt, and he jerked his hand back before our fingers touched. That was a little insulting; I guess I was right, and he was looking for bigger fish than me to bond with. Which was totally fine…I had more than enough on my plate to deal with at the moment.
I knew I was only lying to myself.
“Do you have any abilities you use when fighting?” He paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth, waiting for my answer.
I took a moment to think about how to reply. Since I didn’t know much about Torren, I couldn’t trust him. I only used the simplest abilities, because using my stronger ones would draw attention—especially from Selene and Ubel, since they knew I hadn’t taken any serum, and my Faction was far away.
A whole world, in fact.
The only thing that would force me to reveal my hand would be a life-or-death situation, and only as a last resort. I had to depend on my physical abilities and skills to keep me alive, and so far, that had been enough.
“Only the most common, levitating, strength, and teleporting for small distances.” None of the things I’d named would lead to the scrutiny I was hoping to avoid.
Torren looked at me with narrowed eyes, seeming slightly irritated with my answer, then his expression cleared as he nodded. “I can work with that. Maybe when you’ve taken a few more doses of the serum, you’ll develop some major abilities.”
I shoved a whole piece of bacon in my mouth, then mumbled, “I can only hope.”
Over my dead body would I ever take the serum.
“Are you hoping to find a Faction?” he tilted his head in inquiry. I guess I understood his curiosity after we touched yesterday.
I just shrugged my shoulders and took a large bite of eggs. Hopefully, he’d get the hint and stop asking questions.
“She fucking wishes.” Kristine’s whiny voice came from over my shoulder. “Reverie already has a Faction.” She sneered, “She’d have a better chance of finding a new one than getting back to them.” Kristine laughed, and Evan, Thomas, and Hugo joined in.
When I first arrived and found out Kristine had a Faction, I couldn’t imagine anyone tying themselves to her for life. When I met her three men, everything became clear. They were as messed up as she was. And Evan’s resemblance to Jet was beyond freaky.
Torren frowned in confusion, “What do you mean she has a Faction?”
“Just what I said, handsome, she has a Faction back on Earth… a big one.” Kristine sidled a little closer to him. “They’re all traitors to our cause, including Reverie herself.” She smiled in satisfaction, proud of herself, assuming she’d ruined another friendship.
Torren appeared to ponder the information for a few moments, then said, “Well, she’s here now, fighting in the coliseum like the rest of us. That has to mean something.”
“All it means is that she’s accepting her punishment like a good girl. It doesn’t change her traitor status." Kristine smirked at me.
“Why, of all the traitors on earth, was she brought here?” He turned to me. “Were you Nexus to your Faction on earth?”
I understood why he wanted to know. “I was Nex—”
Kristine interrupted, “She was Nexus, but it’s a mystery to me how the Ancestors could have chosen her for that role.”
“It’s not a mystery to me.” Torren smoldered my way. “You’re a strong, beautiful woman with amazing fighting skills. There is no doubt you could handle more than a few men.”
I hated that my body responded to that look. I missed my men to the depths of my soul, and somehow it felt like a betrayal to have feelings for anyone else, even if he was a Potential.
Kristine glowered at him. “Haven’t you been listening? She’s a traitor to her people; her looks are inconsequential. You wouldn’t even have abilities now if it were up to her.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” He smiled slightly at me. “I guess we’ll never know.” For some reason, that last statement seemed to sadden him.
“I don’t understand why Ubel and Selene are even keeping her alive.” Thomas glowered in my direction, needing to put his two cents in.
I was surprised he’d stayed quiet this long. He had an opinion on everything and, unfortunately, rarely kept it to himself.
“Probably because Ubel and Selene don’t have the final say, unless something has changed, and I’m not aware of it?” Torren tilted his head in question.
“Are you talking about Trent Storm?” Kristine asked, frowning slightly. “Everyone knows that he’s Ubel’s puppet.”
Torren threw back his head and laughed, “Is that so? I hadn’t heard that rumor.” His laughter faded, and an expression crossed his face that made Kristine put some distance between herself and him. “I wonder if anyone has informed Trent Storm of this.”
“I very much doubt that.” I smirked, “If he’s anything like his nephew, the thought of being considered anyone’s puppet would enrage him.”
“And what do you know of his nephew?” Torren frowned in question.
“I can answer that,” Kristine smirked. “He’s a part of her Faction. I guess that makes her my sister.” She tilted her head, and a lecherous gleam entered her eyes. "Although, if I were completely truthful, Oren has never felt like my brother.”
The look on her face made me sick to my stomach. I’d thought there were a few times when the way she looked at him was less than sisterly.
“I’m sorry, but we’ll have to postpone our plans again. I’ve got to retrieve something from my room." Torren stood up but paused before he left and glowered at Kristine and her men. “You four need to mind your own business and allow Reverie to finish her breakfast in peace.”
“Who the fuck are you to give us orders?” Evan scowled at Torren and took a step in his direction.
Torren smiled sweetly… then his hand made a slashing motion so fast that I almost missed it, and a cut appeared on Evans' cheek. Blood welled instantly, streaming down his face as the gash split wide, nearly to the bone, and he dropped to his knees.
“What the fuck?!!!” Evan screamed as he held his hand to the bleeding flesh, trying to keep the hunk of his torn cheek from flopping down.
“Now you know just a touch of what will happen to you if you disobey me.” Torren watched the blood flow down Evans' arm in fascination and with a kind of hunger that I didn’t understand.
Kristine motioned to Thomas and Hugo to help Evan to his feet, “That was uncalled for! We were trying to warn you away from her. Ubel and Selene won’t take kindly to what just happened here.” They left, headed to the infirmary, I was sure.
“I truly appreciate you defending me, but you’ve put a target on your back now. Believe me when I say that you don’t want Selene or Ubel’s attention.” I stood and picked up my plate.
He stared at me for a few minutes. “That was more about asserting my dominance over them than anything else. Don’t take it to mean more than that.” He turned and walked away.
Well, fuck you very much. I frowned at his back as he walked away. Now I was glad he avoided my touch because we were definitely on the same page. I didn’t need any more obstinate bastards to deal with. My Faction was bursting at the seams with men that filled that position.
Razor met me as I approached the armory to get my short swords. “I’m glad to see you here. You have a battle tomorrow, and so far I haven’t been able to find out who or what you’ll be fighting.”