Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
JUPITER
Maybe it should have felt more glamorous, but getting ready for a high society gala with Lydia, Kassie, and Valeria was exhausting.
Lydia was sprawled on my bed, legs dangling off the edge, a glass of whatever-the-hell she’d smuggled in from the kitchen in one hand.
Her baby blue dress shimmered, tiny crystals beading the bodice, and her hair was up in this messy, fairytale bun.
She’d already let Valeria tackle her makeup, so now her eyes looked bigger, and her mouth was painted the softest pink.
Valeria, for her part, was pure ice queen tonight in a cream-colored gown, fitted at the waist, the skirt flaring out princess style.
Kassie sat at my desk chair, her golden silk dress clinging in all the right places, streaks of blue in her hair and this open, genuine grin that made me want to hug her and maybe apologize for dragging her into this insane world.
I wondered if she genuinely had no idea what she was in for.
Had Tye warned her about Assembly politics?
I was still in my robe, pacing like an idiot, and trying to convince myself I wouldn’t throw up as soon as I put the damn dress on. Noodle watched the proceedings from his perch on my dresser, head up, tongue flicking, eyes judging every single one of us.
“You haven’t even put it on, Jupe,” Lydia said, unimpressed with my pacing. “We’re going to be late and you’re the guest of honor.”
Kassie peered at me over a tube of mascara. “I’d be nervous too. But you’re one of the coolest chicks I’ve ever met, and I only met you a week ago. And you look like an actual goddess, which should help with the whole confidence thing.”
I tried to laugh and failed. “I’m going to barf on the stage,” I said. “Just watch. It’ll be a viral headline in the morning. ‘Ophis Loses It, Takes Down Entire Assembly With Her Vomit.’”
Lydia cackled. “Ten bucks says you could weaponize that if you wanted to.”
I grinned, finally, and gave in. “Alright. Let’s do this.”
The dress was gorgeous. Midnight black silk down to the floor. The back was totally open, exposing miles of my skin, especially since my hair was up in a super high, super sleek ponytail, not a single strand out of place.
Valeria approached with the eyeliner and I let her do it without complaint, mostly because my hands were shaking too bad and also because she was way more skilled than I’d give her credit for. Three minutes later, I had black wings that could kill a man.
“Lipstick,” Lydia demanded, and I grabbed the wine red tube on my nightstand and swiped a bit of color on my bloodless lips, completing the look.
Noodle slithered down from his perch and wrapped around my neck, draping himself perfectly so his glossy grayish black scales contrasted with my skin and the dress. He looked like living jewelry.
‘You pretty,’ he said, flicking his tongue lazily. ‘No panic…’
“I’m not panicking.”
‘A throne of lies for the queen of liars…’
I stuck my tongue out at him, but he just yawned.
There was a knock at the door. Lydia answered it while I put in some earrings. It was my own mom, stepping in with her phone already in hand for pictures, eyes shining.
“Holy crap,” she said. “You look incredible, baby.”
I rolled my eyes, but she waved her phone and started snapping photos anyway. “Your father’s with the guys downstairs, having a drink before the shitshow. His words, not mine.”
I relaxed just a little. “Is he nervous too?”
Mom snorted. “He’s fine. He’s more worried about you. He said to tell you he loves you, and if anyone gives you a hard time tonight, he’s going to start a brawl so we can smuggle you out.”
Lydia giggled. “He and my dad were already plotting earlier. Tye’s trying to convince them to spike the punch.”
I snorted. “Classic.”
Mom surveyed the room, taking everything in. “You ladies look amazing. I’ve never been in a room with so many beautiful women at once.”
Valeria inclined her head like a queen. “Thank you, Mrs. Black.”
Mom came in close, looking at my face. “Are you okay, Jupe?”
I shook my head. “I’m freakin’ terrified. If I lose control during the demo, I could hurt someone. I know the magic is the same, but this isn’t the Nexus chamber. If something goes wrong, it’s not just me and the guys. It’s a few hundred innocent bystanders.”
Her hand was warm on my arm. “You’ve trained for this. You have nine of the best guardians in the galaxy watching your back. And you have Noodle. If I trust anyone not to drop-kick a bunch of bureaucrats into deep space, it’s you.”
‘Drop-kick,’ Noodle repeated with relish.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said. “But for the love of all that is holy, never let the guys hear you call them guardians of the galaxy, because I’ll be forced to hear it for the next hundred years.”
She laughed and hugged me carefully, making sure not to mess up my hair, and then headed back out, promising to see me downstairs before the doors opened.
As soon as she left, Lydia exhaled, all the bravado draining out for a second. “Okay but, like, are you actually ready for this?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t have a choice. It’s showtime.”
Out the window, I could hear the noise rising.
Cars pulling up outside. The soft thud of distant music.
Voices on the wind. Aelari reporters congregated at the entrance of the main building, and every few minutes there was a flash of light as someone’s camera went off.
I watched as an entire shield team disembarked from a glossy black car, all of them in matching tailored suits, moving in perfect formation.
The Assembly really knew how to put on a show.
It would probably be even more extravagant than the one in New York.
Eventually, a knock sounded at the door. This time, it was my father, flanked by Percy and Rowan. Dad looked good in a suit. He’d shaved, and his hair was slicked back.
“You look like your mother,” he said finally, voice thick. “Except, you know, taller, meaner—” Rowan elbowed him, and my father cleared his throat with a laugh. “Go get ‘em, sweetheart.”
I took a breath, let my father’s words settle in my chest like armor, and tried to ignore the fact that my hands were shaking.
It was fine. I’d been through worse than this.
I’d literally fought monsters that wanted to eat my face.
A few hundred bored rich assholes and power-hungry politicians were nothing.
Except my stomach was tight with nerves and my heels felt like they were made of iron spikes. I adjusted the ponytail, making sure it was still high and sleek. I was ready. Or as ready as I was going to be.
Rowan offered me his arm first, the picture of a gentleman in a perfectly fitted suit, but the little glint in his turquoise eyes told me he was up to no good as usual, and the tone of his inner thoughts was distinctly inappropriate. My father flanked my other side as I was led out the door.
We descended the staircase, and I tried not to trip or sweat through the silk. This was just another battle. Just another mission. I could do this.
At the bottom of the stairs, my entire shield was already there. For a second, nobody noticed us. Then Percy looked up from where he was half-leaning against a side table, tie already loosened at his throat, and his eyes snapped to mine.
The bond lit up like a live wire. I felt it pour through me. There was the heat, the hunger, the admiration, the restraint. It was so thick I almost staggered. He went still. Everyone did, actually.
Aiden was perched on the edge of one of the armchairs.
He watched me cross the room, eyes smoldering, jaw clenching with the effort not to react.
Jamie actually blinked, then grinned with a rare, real warmth, his usually sad eyes drinking me in.
Lucas’s hand flexed on his glass. I could feel the force of his attention even though he barely moved.
Eris looked like he’d swallowed his tongue.
For a second, he just stared, then a slow, wicked smile crept over his face.
Draco just stared, his face blank but his mind screaming through the bond. Phoenix grinned a bit too feral for the company we had. Theo, who was passing a tray of shots, nearly dropped the fucking thing.
My dad raised an eyebrow at the assembled men. “Are you all planning to keep my daughter safe tonight?”
Eris grinned, baring teeth. “Yes sir.”
“You better,” Dad said, but his eyes were laughing.
Draco and Theo passed around shot glasses, and I took mine greedily. Then, Draco lifted a glass. “May tonight go smoothly, and may the Assembly live to regret inviting us.”
I snorted. “Hear, hear.”
We all raised our glasses. The bond vibrated with the collective rush of anticipation, nerves, and something darker and sweeter that had nothing to do with toasts or galas. The shot burned like hell going down, but the aftertaste was rich and honeyed.
Theo grabbed another round, passing them with a flourish. “For luck,” he said. “And because that last one barely counted.”
We did the second shot. This one hit harder. I could feel the warmth flush my skin, steadying my nerves. The guys closed in around me, not touching, but close enough that I could feel the heat of their bodies. No one said it, but everyone was braced for battle.
The walk to the ballroom was short. Out the doors, across the courtyard. The night air was cold and filled with fog, scattering the noise of the crowd that had already begun to gather at the entrance of the oldest wing of the academy.
Everywhere, people were posing for photos and mingling, the smell of expensive perfume mixing with the scent of old stone and moss. The flash of camera lights was nearly constant. Lydia and the others caught up with us, blue dress shimmering as she linked arms with Valeria and Kassie.
But the guys never left my side. We moved as a unit, eyes tracking every threat. It should have felt ridiculous, but it didn’t. With them at my back, I could have walked into hell happily.