XI
Tori
M y heart feels like it’s stopped dead in my chest.
Penny is as aware of Syn’s presence as I was when he walked into the room, and she glares at him as he walks towards her.
But then Syn passes her, like she doesn’t even exist, and my heart feels like it’s been let out of a clamp and can start beating again.
As per the detailed process Doris told me, I wait until Syn is seated before walking over to the table and pouring him a glass of room temperature mineral water. Only after I’ve moved the day’s newspapers from within his arms’ reach to in front of him, do I turn to him and start to give him the breakfast special.
“You do not speak until you’re spoken to,” Syn snaps at me.
That’s when I notice the overall volume of the dining hall has dropped, and his words seem to carry, drawing people’s attention. Or maybe, they were already watching.
Pressing my lips together, I take half a step back.
Syn reaches for the newspaper and takes his time opening it. “Coffee, black. No sugar. Orange juice, no pulp. Eggs and spinach.”
I nod and then leave the table. Gazes all around follow me as I walk through the aisles to the service area and give Syn’s food order to the woman on the other side. Then I get both of his drinks and return to the table.
As I set them down beside his untouched glass of water, Syn doesn’t take his attention away from the newspaper. I step back, waiting for him to test one of the drinks. His breakfast is going to take a few minutes to put together, so I’m not about to rush back to the kitchen to wait when he’s likely to yell at me.
After a few minutes, he reaches for the coffee and takes a sip. Without a word, he sets it down and continues reading.
I’m itching to ask if it’s satisfactory, but seeing as though he’s told me not to speak unless I’m spoken to, I keep my lips clamped shut. After a while, I leave him and head back to the kitchen to collect his specially prepared breakfast. His food looks delicious, and the smell has my stomach rumbling as I take it back to his table.
Syn takes his time folding the paper back up but sets it to the side and waits for me to put the plate in front of him.
Stepping back, I hold my breath, waiting for something . In fact, the whole room is still quiet, watching and waiting too.
And once again, nothing.
Syn proceeds to eat his meal as though he’s completely oblivious to his audience, and then he washes everything down with his orange juice. After dabbing the side of his mouth with the napkin and then discarding it on top of the plate, he simply stands and walks out of the room.
Almost at once, Penny is in front of me. “Are you okay? Did he do anything?”
Frowning, I shake my head. Aside from taking his time moving his paper so I could set the warm plate down in front of him, there was nothing…
Had I done something wrong? Was he going to punish me back at the house?
Making sure I was embarrassed in front of everyone here seemed more of his scene…
“Do you need to do anything else?” Penny asks when I don’t move.
I look at her, processing her question, and then point at the table. “Clear this.”
“I’ll help.”
“It’s better if you don’t,” I tell her. “It won’t take but a minute.”
“Then I’ll get breakfast before they stop serving.”
There’s still ten minutes of service left, and even though there’s an uneasy feeling settling into me, especially in my stomach, which is churning, I want to eat while I can. On Wednesdays and Fridays, my first classes start at nine, so I’m going to end up being late to them if Syn decides to eat at this time every day. Even if I run to Denali House and then straight to class, I won’t make it in ten minutes. Syn refused to give me my uniform to change into at the same time as this outfit, so I won’t be able to bring the uniform with me.
Which was certainly his intent.
I race to put things away so I can join Penny. We both eat scrambled eggs on toast quickly, then leave the cafeteria.
“How did it go?” she asks when we’re finally out of earshot. “And I can’t believe you’re wearing that.”
“It’s no different than what any of the other girls wore,” I point out.
Penny nods. “Exactly. I was expecting rags.” She frowns. “No, I was expecting less. Less fabric… Actually, I was expecting Syn to throw the food on the floor.”
“You’re not the only one,” I mutter.
“Then again.” Still frowning, Penny looks me up and down. “Do you not get a coat? Aren’t you cold?”
There is a distinct chill to the autumn air, but it’s warmer than it had been earlier when I’d been to the dining hall. Before I can tell Penny no, I stop myself. Instead, as I look at her, I realize that she’s still walking with me—in the opposite direction of her dorm. “Where are you going?”
“Walking with my bestie. You’re being your usual evasive self, so I’m sticking with you until I’m sure you’re okay.”
I come to a stop.
She does the same, half a step in front of me, as she turns to look at me, and I meet her gaze.
“Don’t you have any faith in me?” I ask.
“When it comes to your utter determination to do whatever you think you need to, absolutely,” she says. Then she tilts her head. “But at whether you’re going to tell me if something is wrong? There’s a much greater chance that Bubbe will convert to Catholicism, become a priest, and preside over my wedding to Jake and Nicole.”
She’s not wrong.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” I tell her.
“Syn, Elite, NDA, blah, blah, blah.” Penny waves her hand like there’s a mosquito buzzing around. “Hence me sticking by your side.”
I look up. Just past her shoulder, just a little further along the path, is Denali House. “You know I can’t let you in, right?”
Penny turns to see what I’m looking at. She shrugs as she turns back. “Tori, I’ve got your back, and I’m willing to fight, but I don’t camp. I don’t even glamp. The last thing I’m going to do is set up a tent in front of that house when I have a perfectly good dorm room. But that doesn’t mean I’m not capable of waiting five minutes on the porch while you get changed.” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and then turns it to face me. “Which is literally all you’re going to have if you want to make it to Dr. Wright’s class on time.”
“Fuck,” I mutter.
Penny sticks by my side as I pick up my pace. She stops only as the main path turns into the private one up to the front door.
And it’s only when I’m on the porch and in front of the door that I realize I still don’t have a key. Biting my lip, I push the doorbell.
Almost at once, it’s opened by Synclair. He’s already frowning, but as he sees Penny behind me, his expression darkens further.
“I’ve already told her she’s not allowed inside,” I quickly tell him, hoping he will move back into the house without saying anything to her.
His hazel eyes flick back to stare at me before he finally steps back to let me in. He closes the door and then turns to face me. “If you wish to be late to your classes, that’s on you, but don’t you ever prioritize Penny Bergmann over anything we have assigned you.”
“Yes, sir,” I say, as though our hurried walk across campus is the reason that I’m going to be late and not his decision to have breakfast at the last minute.
Sniffing, he wrinkles his nose. “Eau de Dining Hall is not an acceptable fragrance, either.”
Maybe I’m immune to the smell after working in the kitchens, and if I had come from that job, I’d agree. But I’m almost certain I don’t smell any different than normal.
Instead, I clasp my hands together in front of me and stare at him with the best wide and innocent eyes I can. “Would you like me to have another shower, sir?”
Syn smirks. Walking towards me, he quickly closes the distance between us until he’s towering over me. “Whores are always so willing to rip their clothes off again once you’ve paid them the first time.”
Without flinching, I stare back at him. “You’re the one who put leather around my neck, and you’re the one who decided I needed to be watched at all times when it comes off.”
Syn’s nostrils flare.
“ Sir .”
He continues to glare at me, then he takes a step back. “Your uniform is in your room. I will expect to be served for lunch at 12:30. The only way this uniform…” he points to my current outfit. “Leaves this house, is if it’s being worn by you. If I find out that you change anywhere other than this house, the only place you’ll get changed is in front of a webcam with a live broadcast.” He folds his arms. “Do you understand?”
For a few seconds, the idea did cross my mind of packing this maid costume into my bag to make my life easier, but I quickly decide running back and forth is the better choice. “Yes, sir.”
I should have told Penny to go straight to class, because she’s going to be late now too. But if I tell her to go now, she’s going to ignore me anyway. I start to hurry to my room, but Syn’s voice rings out around the entrance.
“Have I dismissed you?”
Wincing before I can stop myself, I turn back to face him.
“What am I?” he asks.
The only thing stopping me from answering with the truth is that I have too many options and can’t settle on one.
Compared to only a moment ago, he looks… pleasant. His shoulders are relaxed, the tension seems to have gone, and there’s almost a smile on his face.
There might as well be a giant neon sign hovering above him saying TRAP.
My hand seems to move by its own accord and my fingers brush the metal disk hanging from the collar. “One of my masters?”
“Which makes you…?” his voice is almost charming.
If we were anywhere but here—if we were in a bar—it might even sound flirty.
But he’s the reason Angel Shots exist, and I’d be asking the bartender for one.
“Your pet?”
Syn purses his lips as he drags his gaze up and down my body. “The decision is currently out as to whether you’re a pet, but the one thing you are not is our equal. This was the one and only time that I’ll answer the door for you. Going forward, you will use the back door. The code is 876463. You may leave the house whenever you wish, but the system will not accept entry past 11 p.m.”
876463, 876463, 876463 .
I quickly recite the number in my head, barely paying attention to anything else. I doubt Syn will repeat the code, and I’m not willing to find out.
“Unless you are expressly told by either myself, Royal, or Gemini, you will not use that front door under any circumstance. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, get out of my sight. You’d better hope I’m not late to my class because of you.”
I focus on reciting the six-digit number until I’m walking down the stairs to the basement. Only then do I pull out my phone and type the number in, just in case.
Then, I pull off my shoes, pick them up, and run barefoot to my room.
There’s no uniform in there.
Praying that he meant the bathroom and that I don’t need to head up to beg him for clothes—assuming he hasn’t already left for class—I run into the bathroom.