What’s In A Name?
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
SYDNEY
The rest of Flair went as slowly as I feared, but lunch was mildly useful. Rory declared the table we’ve been using as our ‘permanent’ location for the mess. Staking a claim on it will reinforce our strength, he explained, and since I’m not used to having to use this type of behavior to intimidate, I let it ride. Dante looked pleased when I didn’t complain, and I don’t know why that made my stomach flutter, but I enjoyed it. The vampire took it in stride with my best friends, though I think he wanted to question my complacency.
I’m not sure how to read his quiet watchfulness, but I know he’s up to something.
If I tell Huck and Thad, they’ll chide me because we need to extend trust to all the group, not just everyone but the bloodsucker. And I am trying, but it’s hard to erase the indoctrination from my teen years and then the start of the Sweeps. Until the day he was killed, my dad swore the vamps were all evil and had sold us out to the humans for special treatment. Sebastian says that’s only partly true and he might not be lying—but I have to work at believing him just the same.
I guess that’s the same sort of ingrained fear and hatred Taterman used to get the humans to turn on us. Realizing that makes me very unhappy with my brain and I’m fighting against it with every fiber of my being. That doesn’t make it any less work, nor does it make it painless. True growth is not as simple as a plant striving for the sun unencumbered—no, it’s finding a path to the light through all the obstacles in your way, like weeds in cement.
“Jeez, Syd, what is with the poetry today?” I mutter to myself as we leave the elevator and head for the locker room. My gut tightens and I grit my jaw as it nears, remembering the embarrassing event from the other day. I can’t have a hang-up about this facility, so I take a deep breath and stride in with fake confidence. I’ll be damned if I’m going to be frightened of a fucking room ; there are bigger things to worry about.
Thad stops at my locker, looking at me with his soft, soulful eyes. “Are you cool, Syd?”
I give him a bright smile, batting my lashes playfully. “Just peachy, Thaddy. I can’t wait to beat the shit out of the mosquito for a couple of hours.”
He gives me a dubious expression, but nods and heads for his locker. When he’s not looking at me anymore, I sigh silently and open my storage to place my bag there and grab my uniform. Shutting it with a click, I walk over to the shuttered changing area and peel off my clothes. Everything they did to me in Beauty is healing well, and the mark from the new ‘supernatural’ birth control is also looking good. Rolling my eyes at the irritation I feel about them, I tug on my physical activity uniform and shoes.
This is the only class where I feel like I’m useful, even with the vampire besting me because of his speed; I don’t want to ruin it with melancholy.
Once I stow my other clothes, I turn to look at the guys, blinking when I realize they’re in various states of undress. While I used one of the closed off units, they’re all whipping shit off in the middle of the aisle as if it’s perfectly normal to be naked together. The view is breathtaking, though I’m sure as fuck not going to admit that to them. Instead, I frown as I slam the door shut. It makes Huck jump, and he flushes beet red under his hat as he recovers.
“What was that for, Vicious?” Rory looks like he could play a fucking Greek hero half-clothed in his sweats and bare feet. I swallow hard as I take in the small additions they made to him, and his perfectly cut chest and abs, then up to his classically handsome face and blond hair. “Hello?”
“Uh,” is all I manage before I shake my head. “You’re all?—”
“Naked? Or sort of?” Sebastian muses from where he’s standing clad only in skin tight boxer briefs that I’m glad I can only see the back of. That view is definitely enough and if he turns around, I might actually keel over dead.
I nod, clearing my throat as I retort, “Yes. You’re stripping in the middle of the room like it’s your job!”
Thad tilts his head, drawing my attention to the large, broad-shouldered bear with his hulking build. “No one’s fully bare assed, Syd. Don’t get twisted.”
I’m not sure how that’s supposed to comfort me while I’m having what feels like a heart attack.
“But… but…”
Huck chuckles as he pulls up his sweatpants and moseys over to me. He’s only wearing that damn sexy hat and those indecent pants as he looks at me with a beatific smile. “Sweet pea, we’re trying to get you used to all this so we can believably flirt and shit. You know that.”
I do, but I didn’t realize I’d be seeing every single perfect line, curve, and dip of them this soon—especially not all together. Licking my lips nervously, I fight the urge to press my hands to my face to feel the heat rising there. “Yes, but this is… a lot at once.”
“We don’t know when things will begin.”
My eyes flick to the biggest guy, almost popping out cartoonishly as I note his huge thighs and enormous build. I shouldn’t be surprised that a dragon—a royal one, at that—is built like a brick shithouse. Every time I look at Elias, I’m struck again by his sheer size and solidness. It’s otherworldly and strangely makes me want to see how dwarfed I’d be if he hugged me.
Sweet baby Hercules, Sydney, you’ve jumped the track completely.
“Well, that’s true. So, um, I’m glad you guys started getting me ready. See you out there!”
They don’t answer before I beat a fast retreat from the locker room, beelining for a treadmill to do cardio.
Cowardly? Maybe. Necessary? Without a doubt.
“Come on, get your hands up,” the vampire growls, and I huff as I dance around with him in the corner.
Brick and Lancaster allowed us to work with cardio, weapons, and endurance today, so I’m not dodging anything I can’t counter, but I’m still exhausted. Sebastian, like all his kin, never seems to lose energy and moves so fast that even though I know he’s slowing it down, it’s insane. I’m occasionally able to get him with good feints or clever tricks, but head-to-head? I’m fucking toast. To add to the humiliation, he’s not putting his full strength behind his jabs, nor using any really special talents.
A vampire is definitely going to be my end in these games; I can feel it in my aching bones.
“I’ve had enough,” I groan as I shake out my noodley arms and try to stand without swaying. “You’ve been using me for a light workout for hours now. If you were trying to make a point, it’s taken, Bas.”
He pauses, dropping his fists to study me. “What did you call me?”
“Bas?” I say in confusion. It’s not the first time, I don’t think, and it’s definitely easier when I’m so out of breath. “Why?”
“No one calls me that. They only use my full name or title.” His lips purse as he thinks, then he nods. “I like it. You may commence with your nickname.”
Squinting at the weird ass supe, I ask, “You think you get to approve people’s nicknames of you? That’s not how it works, buddy. People just… give them to you. Like… Thaddy. I gave that to him and that’s just how it is.”
“I call you Vicious,” Rory shouts from his sparring match with Elias. The dragon gets a good one in and the mage grunts in pain. “When I can breathe, that is.”
Nodding at him, I turn back to the vampire and shrug. “The big guy uses ‘little rebel’, which if he’d drop the ‘little’ portion, I’d dig. But I don’t get to decide, you see. It’s not my nickname for me.” No one else corrects me and I give Sebastian a smug grin. “See? I’m right.”
His expression slowly morphs into one of supreme satisfaction as he looks at me and my skin gets hot. “I understand your ritual now. I’ll consider what I am going to select for you very carefully. And you will accept it, as everyone has agreed upon the rules of this custom. That makes it a bargain, right, demon?”
Huck’s eyes widen as he’s tugged into the fray, but I can’t help him. If he says ‘no’, then my statement isn’t right. However, he looks very concerned about agreeing with the bloodsucker. “Uh, well, technically…”
I fear I’ve made an error now, but as usual, I’ve discovered it far too late.
“Be careful, Huckleberry. You know we are telling the truth to one another,” Sebastian warns with an evil grin. “You wouldn’t want to set a bad example for our girl, hmm?”
The demon takes his hat off, running his hand over his dark hair before he puts it back on. It’s a tell for him—a physical sign that he’s getting ready to give into something he wishes he didn’t have to. “Shit fire and save the matches, Syd. I can’t say he’s mistaken. You really stepped in it this time.”
My face drains of color; I can feel it. We’re all being a lot nicer to one another as we learn to get along, but I just handed the fangy fuck a free pass to make me look stupid. I’ll have to accept whatever he chooses as long as it’s not objectionable enough to tweak the other guys because I ran my mouth. I really need to stop trash talking to people when I’m tired; it just never ends well for me.
“Fine. You win, Bas .” I grit my teeth as I glare at him, and when he grins even wider, I want to punch his ridiculously perfect face. Fucking gorgeous half-dressed idiot has been distracting me or kicking my ass all session and now I handed him yet another victory. It’s enough to put me in a foul ass mood for the next lecture.
And it’s the Intrigue & Socialization bullshit, and I’m already not looking forward to that.
“If you’re all done bickering…” Brick says as he arches a brow. We just stare back at him and he shakes his head. “Whatever. Hit the showers so you aren’t late to the all teams’ lecture. Those coaches bitched to high hell on Tuesday because some of us who have subjects where we have to work hard made people late.”
I give him a sympathetic look—this is the one training I truly enjoy—and turn on my heel to do as asked. The guys follow, their heavy footsteps and dude sweat smell filling the air as we go into the room where I almost had an episode two days ago. When I open my locker with a bang, they all look at me with varying expressions of concern.
“This is fine. All taken care of,” I say as I wave my hand. Grabbing my shower stuff and my clothes, I beat a fast exit into my stall, yanking the curtain closed. As the water warms up, I feel the sensation of someone trying to test my aura, and I blink in surprise. I’m normally not sensitive to others’ magic until I have an issue—this is like a small tickle at the base of my spine telling me I’m being clocked.
I don’t say anything out loud, but my lips curve up as I toss my gym clothes on the bench and get the water running three times as hot as I could get it in my old apartment.
It might not be quick, but my magic is coming and when it does, everyone needs to get the hell out of my way.