Chapter 20
Twenty
Zellie
“Wishing upon a star?” My body jerks clumsily in the water, causing my head to briefly dip below the surface as I turn to face the intrusion.
Sputtering, I wipe the water from my eyes.
Fucking Leo. I’m utterly at his mercy here, fully disarmed with my dagger hidden in the pile of clothing next to his feet.
“What are you doing here?”
“Spotted you from the pathway. I haven’t forgotten your favorite spots.”
“Yes, well, you seem to have forgotten that I come here for peace and quiet. Not unwanted intrusions.”
He smirks, crossing his arms as his eyes consume me like a man starved. “Must have slipped my mind.”
“What do you want, Leo? I’ve told you nothing has changed between us.” I focus on the gentle gliding of my hands through the water instead of my thunderous heartbeat.
“You need to be careful.” I roll my eyes, the warning old news by now. He raises an eyebrow at my nonchalance. “I mean it, Zellie.”
“Care to share anything more beyond veiled threats, or am I supposed to fill in the blanks myself?”
“Just—” Leo looks like he’s fighting with himself, his eyebrows furrowed in pain as he grits out the words, “leave it be.”
“‘Leave it be’?” I repeat dryly. Leo gives me a single grunt accompanied by a nod in return. “So enlightening for that. Now, if you don’t mind, I was trying to enjoy my time before you came and ruined it.”
Leo flinches; my words successfully wound him. “Do you hate me that much?”
“That’s a rhetorical question, correct?”
I lay on my back, allowing myself to float, and let my eyes drift shut. He won’t hurt me—he would’ve by now if he was going to. Besides, he came with a warning. A vague one, but still a warning nonetheless.
“I’d rather have the hatred in your heart than no feelings toward me at all.” I dig my nails into my palm under the water, pretending his words don’t affect me. When he senses that I won’t be granting him a reply, he slips away, boots crunching in the grass one step at a time.
I slip from the comfort of the water minutes later, no longer feeling as relaxed.
“You’re not focusing hard enough.” Orion’s voice cuts through my concentration, irritation sparking across my skin.
“I am focusing!”
“You need to summon a star with your whole being. Feel it in your chest. The magic in you comes from the stars; it will recognize that and come for you.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing?”
“Could be napping standing up, for all I know.”
“You’re absurd.”
“Is that why I catch you drooling over me?” A perfectly arched eyebrow raises. I scowl in response, closing my eyes once again and shutting him out. “There are countless stars out there, willing and waiting to be summoned. Call to the star and ask it to take you to your apartment.”
I’m quickly regretting my choice in asking Orion to teach me how to star-shoot.
The scene feels all too familiar: the two of us going tit-for-tat, the training fields surrounding our posturing.
The stakes aren’t nearly as high as they were when we built our friendship, day after day, working as a team to win the Games.
As much as he irritates me with his bossing around, I live for these moments.
Is this how we flirt? It’s working for me.
“Focus,” he hisses.
Can one fucking star please take pity on me? Orion acts like this magic is child’s play, yet here I am, begging the space above me to notice and help.
A familiar warm tingle radiates deep within me, blooming from my chest. Without time to blink, I’m surrounded by blinding light, the world an instantaneous blur whirling by.
My apartment—I quickly think. I stumble as the star drops me, landing on my feet but bumping my back against a wall.
Well, I’ve managed to land in the apartment building, at least. Right outside my door.
The door opens, and Orion leans his muscular arm across the frame. “Next time, be more specific with your requests.”
“How about, ‘Good job, Zi.’ Or, ‘Not bad for your first time, princess’?”
“How about again? Get yourself to the training grounds; specifically, where we were.”
“How about you go fuck your—” I stop mid-sentence as Orion vanishes on the spot.
The star comes faster this time, and when I land beside Orion, he wraps his arm around me, pulling me against his chest with a proud smile lighting up his face. Stars, he’s breathtaking.
Flirting, indeed.