Chapter 20 #3
“Oh, is that so? Just showing off then, are we?” I was panting in fear and at the same time enjoying the adrenaline rush.
“Maybe. Though it is my first time doing this with a screeching Armenian clinging to me. You know, Rox, you can loosen the grip a little.”
“Sorry,” I replied. I hadn’t realized how hard I was clutching him. Looking down, I noticed my nails had left deep indents on his shoulders.
He made light work of the descent, and as soon as we were on flat terrain, I jumped off, out of breath. I bent over, putting my head in between my knees, and waited for the rush to dissipate so I could think again.
“Rox, are you okay?” Drake asked, kneeling.
I looked at him, then at the mountainside, still not able to comprehend how anyone could accomplish what he’d just done.
I wheezed. “That… shouldn’t be possible.”
“But you enjoyed it,” he stated.
“Well, we made it down, and I’m conscious and in one piece, so yes,” I replied, managing to laugh a little.
He grinned as I let myself fall back. I needed to sit for a bit. I took off my jacket and shook it out. My hair and clothes were sticking to me, still damp from the rain.
“How have you been?” Drake asked.
“Not bad,” I answered casually, keeping my response simple. “I spent the year recovering, took some martial arts classes. My school is continuing to grow. Not much else to report.”
“Yeah, I saw the article,” he muttered.
I stopped short. “Y-You saw it?” I stuttered. If so, then that also meant… dammit.
Drake came to sit in front of me. “Spencer won’t have a problem with you being here, will he?”
I glared at him, annoyed by the question, demanding and incriminatory in its delivery. “Spencer and I were over before my mother passed,” I said through pursed lips, “last year. I didn’t lie to you, if that’s what you’re implying. He went and put that shit in the article behind my back.”
“I see.” He smiled. “Seems like someone isn’t over his ex.”
“He was over me many times while we were still together,” I replied, giving Drake a cursory glimpse into my defunct relationship.
“What a prince,” he replied.
“Why did you invite me if you thought I lied to you?” I asked. And why would you try to kiss me?
Drake ran his hand through his hair and took a breath. “I told you, Rox. I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Drake, and I had no reason to be dishonest. Anyway…” I sighed. “Are we done with the interrogation?”
Drake nodded silently and helped me up, and we fell into step with each other again.
“How about you guys?” I asked. “Busy staying off the grid?”
“You know it.” He grinned, knowing full well his cryptic reply would leave me frustrated.
“I still don’t get how this all works,” I said out loud yet more to myself, referring to their way of living.
“And you probably never will,” he replied, making fun of me while I stuck my tongue out at him.
We walked for quite some time, mostly in silence.
The forest was endless, sunlight dappled the ground in gold and green, and I inhaled deeply, the air here cleaner than anything I’d ever breathed.
How was this place real? After a while, we turned a corner, and I recognized the castle grounds immediately, manicured and precise.
Beyond them, the castle loomed, just as I remembered it, beautiful and majestic…
the crown jewel of the territory—or so I presumed.
If there was anything more imperial in the unexplored vastness of these lands, then Olympus itself would have to shutter its doors.
It had the call of home, but undeservedly so. A weeks’ worth of memories did not make the castle a home.
Or did they? The stone threw the question at me, arguing. Its walls knew my secrets. I’d felt more alive in the few rooms I’d passed through than I had in years.
My stomach suddenly lurched.
“Drake, are you sure about this?” I asked, unable to downplay my worry at seeing Konstantine again.
I had a horrible feeling his reaction was not going to be favorable.
A bit of me, however, was excited at the notion that I could be wrong.
I didn’t understand nor could I explain what was going on in my own head.
It was so odd and confusing, feeling this way.
I was anticipating seeing a guy I barely knew, a guy who’d seemed to hate the mere sight of me yet in his own way had shown me so much consideration when I’d needed it the most. It was like blindly playing with fire, hoping I didn’t get burned.
“Yes, Rox. Besides, it’s just one night, right?” Drake replied. However, the smile on his face indicated how he looked forward to the possibility of this plan changing at some point.
We approached the heavy wood-and-etched-glass doors, and my stomach dropped even further.
It was too late to run away now. Drake held them open for me, and I stepped inside.
Standing in the foyer was Konstantine with his back turned toward us, talking with a woman with white hair who was holding Eleni.
I saw Konstantine’s shoulders tense as Drake hollered loudly from behind me, “Hey, Stan, look who’s back! ”