Chapter 1
Adelaide
EMBERHOLD ACADEMY
“Could this day possibly get any worse?’ I muttered to myself as I rushed into the main hall of Emberhold Academy. I knew that saying that out loud was tempting fate to prove that it, in fact, could get worse.
My day started perfectly, but it quickly went downhill. I’d slept well and got dressed with plenty of time to spare. (That’s highly unusual for me.) Then someone delivered breakfast from Java and Jam to my dorm, my favorite place to eat on campus.
Unfortunately, that’s where everything took a turn for the worse.
My roommate Selene was a bitch. There was no other way to put it. From the first day we met, she’d been a real piece of work, criticizing everything about me. I was too short, my hair was too pale, my eyes were too close together-blah, blah, blah. You name it, she had something shitty to say.
Lucky for me, I was a reasonably confident girl. Everything she said went in one ear and out the other. I knew the drill. Everyone here was super competitive and wanted to form the most powerful Faction.
Why some Aurathions thought you had to tear each other down to do it was beyond me.
If you followed the ways of our ancestors, you knew there were certain people out there just for you—no need to step on each other to find them.
We should be straightening each other’s crowns, not trying to rip them off.
The less I responded to her, the worse she got. I’m sure other girls crumbled in the face of her bullshit, and when I didn’t, her shitty behavior escalated.
This morning, she truly outdid herself.
“Those donuts are for me.” Selene scowled as I walked back into the dorm.
“That’s odd because the card on the box clearly has my name on it.” I tried to hide the smugness I felt, but her expression revealed that I had failed.
“Let me see!” Selene attempted to grab the box out of my hands.
I dodged her grabby hands and walked into the tiny kitchen, setting the container on the counter. I pulled the little card off the front and offered it to her. Adelaide was written clearly across the front of it.
I arched a brow, “I told you.” The need to punch her in the face was becoming nearly impossible to resist.
“I can’t imagine who would send you breakfast. Especially with me as your dorm mate. No matter.” She rolled her eyes, “It’s obviously out of pity, knowing you're bound to stay a Passive.” A wicked grin spread across her face.
I’d become familiar with the look and tried to step out of the way but didn’t do it quickly enough. Selene pretended to stumble and poured her coffee all over me.
“What the hell?” I screeched as the hot liquid soaked through my shirt and burned my chest.
“Enjoy your breakfast. You'd better get changed before you’re late for class.” The bitch sashayed out the door with a massive smile on her face.
Now, I was in a rush, trying to make it to my biology class. I finally turned down what I believed was the correct hallway.
Despite being here for a few weeks, I still felt lost. The place was enormous. I’d taken a tour when I first got to Emberhold, but I was notoriously bad with directions.
I glanced at my schedule that I held clutched in my hand to confirm I was on the right track. I hadn’t been paying as much attention to my surroundings as I should have because I was planning my revenge on Selene… then I ran into a wall.
“Shit!” I cried as my ass hit the floor and my bag flew out of my hand.
A deep voice growled, “You really shouldn’t use that kind of language.”
I looked up, preparing to give this guy a piece of my mind; then I froze. My first thought was that I must have a concussion from the fall because I was seeing double.
“I don’t know brother, there’s something about such an innocent-looking girl speaking like a seasoned sailor that does it for me.” A guy who was identical to the first grinned.
The twin who was the first to speak offered me his hand to help me up. When we touched, I felt a tingling run from my hand up my arm. I let go so quickly that I fell again, but before I hit the floor, the second guy grabbed my arm and kept me standing.
The tingling started again, but this time instead of resisting, I leaned into it. Was it possible that I’d just met two potentials? Was I Nexus?
“My name is Jesse. What’s yours?” The grin had fallen from his face, replaced by a look of awe.
I blushed, “Adelaide Hawthorne.”
He kissed the back of my hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Adelaide Hawthorne. Can we walk you to class?”
“Yes, please," I squeaked, my mama didn’t raise no fool. These two men were stunning, and having their full attention on me was both nerve-wracking and addictive. They had black hair, long enough to grip, striking blue eyes, and muscles that I’m sure were the envy of many.
I wiped the corner of my mouth to make sure I didn’t have any drool running down my chin.
The twin I ran into first smirked, “I’m John, and if you’re done admiring us, I couldn’t think of anything that would make me happier than escorting you to class.”
He grabbed my hand in his, and Jesse took the other. We began ambling down the hall, taking our time, none of us in a hurry. It felt like an electric current was running through all three of us, and the sensation was incredible. I had to be one of the luckiest women on earth at this moment.
Jesse stopped abruptly. “What class are you headed to?”
“Biology.” I grinned, then started laughing. We were all so engrossed in how wonderful it felt being together, we’d forgotten that critical little detail of where we were going.
John looked sheepish, “We should’ve asked before we walked a hundred yards in the wrong direction.”
“I probably should’ve told you, but I was a wee bit distracted by your muscles.” I winked at John.
He looked stunned for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe I’d admitted that, before throwing his head back and roaring with laughter.
Jesse’s grin was so wide it took up his entire face. “If you can make a grump like him laugh like that, there’s no doubt you’re ours.”
Now I was the one stunned. I knew it was true, but usually it was frowned upon to mention it before initiation.
“Come on woman, let’s get that fine ass to class before we get ourselves into trouble.” Jesse waggled his brows.
This man was going to be trouble, of that there was no doubt.
“You know biology is on the other side of the academy, right?” John asked, still smiling.
“Of course I knew that.” I stuck my tongue out at him… I absolutely didn’t know that.
“Sure you did,” Jesse laughed and winked at me.
As we walked, they started sharing a little about themselves, and I did the same. Our conversation evolved into a question-and-answer session, and the two men revealed their distinct personalities through the questions they asked.
“Were you expecting to be Nexus?” John stared at me intently, daring me to deny what I was to them.
“Damn brother, you should start out asking something like: What’s your favorite color?” Jesse smirked. “Ease into it. Have a little finesse.”
“You mean like you did earlier?” John scowled in annoyance.
Jesse sniffed, “I was just stating a fact. You asked a question to which we both already have an answer.”
John rolled his eyes. “Okay, Adelaide, what’s your favorite color?”
“You stole my question! I demand you retract it immediately!” Jesse dropped my hand and squared up with his brother.
“You literally just told me to ask that!” John said, irritation lacing through his words.
“I said for you to ask something like it. Not that same exact question.” Jesse scowled.
Was he truly pissed off? I was trying really hard to keep the grin off my face. These two were going to keep me on my toes.
“Little brothers are a pain in the ass.” John let out a breath in exasperation and shook his head in disgust.
“Just by a few minutes, asshole.” Jesse poked John in the chest.
Shit, maybe he was serious. If these two decided to go at it for real, I hope shirts get ripped off in the process.
The brothers stared at each other for several very uncomfortable minutes. At least for me… they didn’t seem to be bothered by it.
John rolled his eyes. “I retract my question.”
Jesse smiled and extended his hand. John grabbed it, and they shared a classic bro hug.
These two were just too cute for words.
I was startled when Jesse turned to me abruptly, “What’s your favorite color?”
“Umm pink?” Was he serious? I grinned.
“Are you asking me or telling me?” The smartass smirked.
“Telling you.” I poked him in the chest. The arrogance in these two was strong.
“So did you expect to be Nexus?” Jesse asked, with a twinkle in his eye.
I held both hands over my mouth to keep from laughing.
“Are you serious right now?” John scowled, not amused in the least.
“I said we needed to ease into the question, and that’s what I did.” The goofball smirked.
I couldn’t contain my laughter any longer. These two were going to be trouble… double trouble.