XIII
Tori
B y the time I sit down in my computer science class, I’ve already received a notification to let me know my new “work” timetable has been updated in the JKUFacultyApp.
He’s also emailed me a copy of Syn, Royal, and Gemini’s timetables. The three of them share a very similar schedule, even though they have different focuses. And the very small shining light is that all of their last classes are after mine.
Which means I can leave my last class, run across campus to change, and then make it to the dining hall before they do.
But on the flip side, the one and only class the three of them share is the same one that Dr. Wright teaches. And not only do I have the utter joy of looking forward to being trapped in a room with all four of them at the same time, twice a week, it’s their first class of the day.
And if Syn decides he’s having his breakfast at the last minute—which feels like something he’ll decide to do the moment he hears about this job—I have no chance of making it across the campus and turning up to the class on time.
This time, at dinner, Syn is joined by Gemini. Syn is wearing his uniform like a model, and Gemini has a hoodie on under his blazer. Despite being inside, his hood is up, and his attention is on his phone.
I pour them some water but linger at the side until Syn lets out a dramatic sigh and turns to look at me.
“What?”
“Will Royal be coming, sir?”
“One look at you in that outfit, and probably,” Gemini says without looking up from his phone.
I choose not to respond and wait for Syn to answer.
“Basketball training.”
Before I can ask whether that means yes, no, or later, and if I need to wait for him, Gemini raises his head. “A cheerleading outfit. Think about it, this college doesn’t have a cheerleading squad, and Royal should have a cheerleader. Tori would look great shaking those pom poms.”
“Oh, fuck no,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.
Like a lot of little girls, I did dance when I was a kid. But it was only ever one of those activities where my mom insisted that I go because all the other moms were sending their daughters. The novelty of me in cute dresses and pigtails wore off after a year, and although I didn’t hate it, it wasn’t anything I had any interest in continuing.
I wasn’t sure what Gemini had in mind when he was thinking of a cheerleader, but this wasn’t something you could just sign up to. The cheerleaders in my school all, at a minimum, had to be able to dance, and even then, they were after gymnasts. I hadn’t done a cartwheel since I was in middle school.
Putting aside the fact that this college apparently didn’t have a cheer team already and I’d have to do it solo, when the hell was I going to find time to learn a routine?
Thankfully, the look Syn is giving Gemini tells me he thinks it’s the most utterly ridiculous idea too.
“If you want her shaking her pom poms at you in your bedroom, do so. Buy some fucking tassels for all I care. But in public, we will not have anyone with the grace of a newborn deer with three left feet representing the Elite, never mind the fucking college.”
Gemini lets out a noise somewhere between a moan and a whine, before he pulls his hood down. As his long, dark hair spills forward into his face, he turns and looks at me, his attention on my chest. “Tassels?”
The conversation was loud enough for me to hear, but thankfully, not quite loud enough for the nearby tables to catch what was said. Regardless, there are a lot of eyes on me, and also, on Gemini and what he’s staring at.
“Spinach and ricotta cannelloni, fillet mignon, or seabass chraime,” I say, quickly.
My efforts distract Gemini, and I’m able to get through the rest of their meal without any further incident. As Syn stands to leave, I gently clear my throat.
He stops but doesn’t look at me. “What?”
“What about Royal?”
Instead of answering, he walks away.
Asshole .
I end up waiting until ten minutes before the end of service before I decide he’s not coming and go to grab a portion of the cannelloni. A whole evening wasted.
When I get ready to leave, not only is it now dark, but it’s also raining. The paths in the center of campus, especially around the quad and the administration buildings, also have covered walkways, but after that, the only shelter comes from the trees.
I’m wet and shivering by the time I make it to Denali House, and stepping inside through the back door into the warmth makes my skin feel like it’s on fire. For a few moments, I stand near a heating vent. I’m not in the mood to have a shower with Syn watching me, but I feel like I’m not going to get warm without one.
Still wet, I walk through the house, looking for Syn. He’s not on the ground floor, and after quickly checking the basement in case he’s using the gym, I head back up to the foot of the main staircase.
The initial warmth I felt when I walked in has worn off, and while I’m not completely drenched, my wet clothes icy and keep clinging to my skin. At this point, if Syn wants to call all the other members of the Elite here to watch me shower, he can.
I head up the stairs, but the closer to the top I get, the more my curiosity seems to make me forget about how cold I am.
The muted gray walls of the entrance and stairs carry on through the long landing. Up here, there are seven doors. All exactly the same, all closed, and not one of them has any kind of clue as to what’s behind them.
I turn to the first one and knock. When I get no response, I push the door open. The first thing I notice is the mess before I see Gemini at his computer on the far side of the room. He’s got his back to me and a headset on, completely engrossed in a game.
The room is big enough for a giant four-poster bed, his desk, which has three large monitors on the top, and a sofa. But everything is buried under clothes, stacks of books and papers, and spreading out from the overflowing trashcan is a circle of mainly crushed energy drink cans.
Backing out of the room, I softly close the door before I let out a long sigh. Cleaning the house—that was also my responsibility…
It would take me a day just to get Gemini’s room clean. But this house was huge, and there was just one of me. With all the time I had to spend in the dining hall, as well as classes, assignments, and now being Dr. Wright’s stupid T.A., how the hell am I going to find time to do anything else?
I’ll have to focus on searching rooms as I clean them, which will at least give me a good excuse to be in any room in the house…
But I’m not the one wrongfully imprisoned.
“At least you can leave,” I mutter to myself as I push the rising feelings of hopelessness back.
Sucking in a breath, I straighten my back. I’ve got six more doors, and a rare opportunity to explore. But as I turn, a door further down the hallway opens, and Syn steps out.
“What are you scheming?”
So much for that…
“I was looking for you,” I say as I walk over. I stop in front of him and raise my chin. “May I have the collar removed so I can have a shower, sir?”
He says nothing but walks back into his room, leaving his door open. As he’s not told me to wait outside, I follow him in, quickly trying to look around his room.
Syn’s room is bigger than Gemini’s, and not just because I can actually see the wooden floors. Like Gemini, he has an enormous four-poster bed with rich green bedding. His walls are almost as bare as mine in the basement, but these are painted a pale green. Opposite the bed is a small area with a comfortable looking couch, a coffee table, and a television taking up a good chunk of wall space.
I’m trying to work out what the glass enclosure is when Syn steps in front of me and blocks my view. “You look like you’ve already had a shower. Are you desperate to get naked in front of me again?”
“It’s raining,” I say, my tone dry.
He arches an eyebrow.
“ Sir .”
“I find it amusing that you say that like I’m the idiot, when I’m not the one who chose to walk in the rain without a coat on.” His lips twist into a smirk.
“My coat, like all my belongings, disappeared the moment I walked in here,” I say. “Sir.”
“I do not like it when I have to keep repeating myself, so as I have already said, you are representing the Elite. Your presence here is already an insult, and you think I’m going to allow you to walk around in those rags you own?” His voice is low and level. “While you are living in this house, your clothes have been replaced. Including your coat. It’s not my fault you’re too stupid to ask.”
“Then where is my coat, sir ?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“In the cloakroom.” A strange smile is on his face, and I can tell he’s seeing this as a win of some kind.
He was probably waiting to see how long it took before I came begging.
Syn’s gaze moves to my hair, and then drops to my shoulders. “If your stupidity causes your clown hair to ruin any of the clothes I’ve gifted you, not only will they not be replaced, you will have to wear them with the damaged parts removed.”
The maid outfit is a dress that has been made to look like it’s several items. The blue dye hasn’t run from my hair after a shower, so I doubt it has stained the white parts of the dress. But if I have to remove any of the white, I’m left with a short black skirt and a faux apron that barely covers my breasts.
If he’s after a reaction, it’s not the one I give him. With a sweet smile, I tilt my head. “Considering you’re so eager to get me out of these clothes, would you mind removing the collar so that I can shower?” I flutter my eyelashes. “Sir?”
But his reaction is not what I am expecting.
Syn’s twisted grin grows. Before I can turn around or lift my hair, he reaches for my collar, tugging me towards him. Then he’s turning the leather around my neck to bring the padlock to the front. Once unlocked, he unfastens the collar and tosses it to the side. It lands with a soft thud on the wooden floor.
Giving him the biggest smile I can, I turn on my heel.
And then before I can take a step, something goes over my head, flashing in front of my eyes.
Whatever it is presses against my throat as Syn pulls it tight. I stumble backward, my hands grabbing at the cold metal around my neck as I fall back against his chest.
“What are you doing?” I yelp, clawing at what feels like a chain.
“I didn’t say you were dismissed,” Syn hisses in my ear. “Stop moving or you’ll just make it tighter.”
Against every instinct I have, I freeze.
“Good. Now keep those hands where they are.”
My hands are wrapped around the chain, so his words don’t make sense to me. Shouldn’t he be telling me to let go?
But it’s Syn that let’s go, taking a step back.
Somehow, I keep my hands where they are, and I feel the pressure as the ends fall against my hair, but nothing more.
Closing my eyes, I fight to bring my panic under control. I’m not sure what’s happening, and there are tears trying to escape from the corner of my eyes. I want to run, but I don’t dare.
Syn is doing something behind me, and then as I hear metal on metal, the chain in my hand grows heavier. The chain grows tighter, but it’s not enough to stop me breathing.
“Let go,” Syn says.
I’ve been holding the chain so tightly that it seems to stick to my hands, but I slowly let go. The chain doesn’t fall, and it feels like Syn is still holding onto it behind me.
“Turn around.”
My heart is racing. I turn on the spot, but Syn doesn’t move. When I’m facing him again, I realize he is still holding onto the chain, his fist, just below my chin.
Slowly, he releases his grip and the tension eases, but as he lowers his hand, more chain feeds through it. When I look down, I see a few inches of metal, like a leash.
“What is this?” I ask.
Syn raises his eyes from his hand to meet mine. He rotates his wrist, wrapping the chain around his fist. And as he does so, the chain around my neck gets tighter. “Dogs that cannot behave get special collars. And this one doesn’t come off.”
He lets go, the end falling against my chest.
The urge to run is so great that I almost fall to the floor as I fight to stay where I am.
“You’re dismissed.” As though I’ve suddenly become invisible, he walks past me.