CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #3
Cadi raised an eyebrow. It was no secret that she had requested the transfer, and even Zoe couldn’t pretend not to know why. But given the option of navigating a conversation about why she was in that part of town or reopening old wounds … well it was hardly even a choice.
“I don’t, I was just staying with a friend because of the storm.”
Disappointment flashed in Zoe’s eyes at the obvious deflection, but she quickly fixed a smile back onto her face.
“Oh, yeah, me too. That was nasty last night. They even canceled Somnium, which is just wild. I hate storms so I came up here to stay with Collin and pretty much just hunkered down and prayed for it to stop.”
Cadi smirked as the memory of her own night played through her mind, all of it burned into her soul. It was fair to say that she and Zoe had lived through very different storms.
“Is Collin the—”
“The satyr, yeah,” Zoe said with a wide grin. “He’s sweet.”
Cadi nodded, pushing past the pang of longing that started to tug at her with the memory of the way Zoe had gushed about her first date with the other mythic that day in the park, back when Cadi still had hope for a friendship with the nymph standing in front of her.
As if reliving the same memory, a look of pained regret flashed across Zoe’s delicate features, and she opened her mouth but quickly closed it again, then lowered her gaze to resume her fidgeting.
An old reflex needled at the back of Cadi’s mind, the urge to find a solution that would avoid conflict and make Zoe more comfortable, but she brushed it off.
She’d given Zoe the chance to show up for her, and she hadn’t.
Instead, she’d left her feeling alone when Cadi needed her the most. Why should Cadi sacrifice her peace?
After a moment, Zoe spoke, the strained silence apparently too much for her to deal with as she turned to leave. “Well I’d better go, I’m doing the prep classes for the Rite of Dedication coming up in a few weeks and I still need to study for tonight.”
Cadi gave a noncommittal nod, fully prepared to let the conversation end when a flicker of movement drew her eyes to the end of the aisle, where Elias was walking toward them, two cups of coffee clutched in his grip.
He stopped when he spotted the two of them, and the muscles of his jaw tensed, his eyes drawing tight as he took a protective step forward.
Panic gripped her at the look on his face, and she darted forward to stop Zoe before she could come face-to-face with him. Cadi knew he could handle himself; she was more worried about Zoe. Judging by the way Elias was already seething, that exchange would not end well.
Elias knew Zoe was friends with Damon and how things had ended between her and Cadi, so there was no telling what he might say.
“How are the classes going?” she asked, trying her best to sound genuinely interested while discreetly signaling for Elias to back off.
She let out a quiet breath when he stopped again, and gave him a small nod when he raised his eyebrows, silently checking that she was sure before he turned around and moved back toward the front.
Zoe turned back, her face lighting up at Cadi’s apparent interest. “Really great! I’m learning so much and it’s kind of a lot, but Celine and Da—” She cleared her throat and stopped herself before his name finished forming, making the wise decision to pivot.
“There are lots of other people in the class, so it’s not so bad.
Although, apparently the binding hurts at first, which I’m sort of nervous about, but it will all be worth it. ”
“That’s great to hear,” Cadi said, forcing a smile to her face. “I’m really happy for you.”
She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Zoe managed to smile wider. “Thanks! I’m really glad you’re doing well. Maybe I’ll see you at work sometime.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Cadi replied, though she knew the chances were almost zero because she had specifically requested a team that almost never overlapped with Zoe’s.
The nymph waved, her enthusiastic grin still stuck in place as she disappeared behind the shelves of the next aisle.
Cadi let out a long breath as soon as she was out of sight, then moved to swap out the sandwiches in her hands for two fresh ones that didn’t bear the finger marks left behind from where she had been squeezing them.
She made her way to the front of the store, paid for their breakfast, and stepped back out into the humid air.
It didn’t take her long to find Elias around the side of the building with his head tipped back against the concrete wall.
He looked over as she approached, his eyes quickly scanning her for any sign of distress.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he handed her a cup. “I saw Zoe and thought Damon might be—”
“He wasn’t,” Cadi assured him, squeezing his hand. “She just wanted to say hi. Asked how I’m doing.”
His posture relaxed, and a crooked smile lit his face. “And? How are you doing?”
Breathing a laugh, she leaned into him as he draped an arm across her shoulder, refusing to let the stress of the encounter take any more from her than it already had.
“You know, I’m actually doing pretty damn good.”