Chapter 1 #4
I took a deep breath. “I’d rather drive a hot poker through my eyeball, but sure, why not.”
He huffed a laugh, then offered his arm in an unexpectedly gallant gesture. After a moment’s hesitation, I placed my hand on his arm. “Just so you know, they’re all going to stare.”
I grumbled something incoherent even to myself as Jamie pushed open the massive oak doors.
The Great Hall stretched before us, five long tables filled with students, all illuminated by floating orbs of light that hovered near the vaulted ceiling.
The moment we stepped inside, a hush fell over the room as hundreds of eyes swiveled in our direction.
For a terrible moment, I felt like I was back at Dominion, about to face another round of whispers and cold shoulders.
A young woman at the nearest table broke into a wide smile and waved enthusiastically.
“It’s her!” she whisper-shouted to her friends.
Several students from different tables rose slightly from their seats to get a better look.
It was fucking mortifying. Like being trapped in a bad dream standing in your underwear on stage.
As we moved further into the hall, a random guy stepped into my path. “Liam Davies, Aquarius. Welcome to Imperium!” His eyes were bright with genuine excitement.
Before I could even respond properly, a girl with copper hair joined him. “I’m Pia Samuels. Is it true you can create portals? That’s absolutely brilliant!”
“I—yes, sometimes,” I stammered. How the actual hell did they know any of this? Was I really such a hot topic of gossip that it reached overseas?
More strangers approached, introducing themselves even though I wouldn’t be able to tell you any of their names five seconds later.
They kept rapid-firing questions about my designation, my familiar, my combat experience, and of course, more portal questions.
After Dominion’s less than warm welcome, it felt like stepping into the Twilight Zone.
“Back off,” Jamie snapped after the fifth person asked to see my tattoos, as if I was about to lift my shirt right here for them. Several people backed away, obeying him without question.
I was about to thank Jamie for the rescue when I noticed some mean-mugging coming from the far corner of the hall. Unlike the enthusiastic welcome from pretty much everyone else here, this group—about a dozen of them—watched me with unmistakable wariness and outright hostility from a few.
At the center of the group sat a blonde girl, and when her eyes found mine, something lurched in my chest. Gold irises, elven features, unmistakable beauty. I knew those eyes.
The woman who could have been Aiden’s twin stared back at me with none of the curiosity or excitement of the others. Instead, her perfect lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile but wasn’t quite a sneer either. Something cold and calculating in her expression made my skin prickle.
I forced myself to look away as a large shadow fell over me, and a warm, heavy arm settled across my shoulders.
I tensed instinctively before recognizing Phoenix, another member of the Stardust Shield.
Up close, he was even more colossal than I remembered from the gala, towering over me at around six and a half feet at the least. He was even more handsome than I remembered, with bronze skin, amber brown eyes and dreadlocks that were long enough to be pulled back into a messy bun. The man was built like a fucking tree.
“There you are. We’ve been waiting.”
With surprising gentleness for someone his size, Phoenix guided me away from the curious crowd. Jamie followed, keeping pace on my other side.
“Sorry about the welcome committee,” Phoenix said as we moved through the hall. “Word travels fast here.”
No shit. This place was less than a third of the size of Dominion. So small that I’d probably know everyone’s middle name by the end of the semester.
“It’s fine. Just, uh, caught me off guard. It’s been a long day.”
He led me to a table where the rest of the Stardust Shield waited.
Lucas rose as we approached, his icy blue eyes warming slightly.
He was even more handsome out of his tux too, with long, thick hair that curled, and thick, but well-groomed facial hair that made him look incredibly dashing and slightly pirate-like.
Theo, who could have passed for a freaking model with his bright bronze eyes and long dark hair and olive skin, smiled warmly at me, making my belly go all stupidly fluttery. “You made it.”
“Barely,” I drawled, fighting a yawn and losing. “Nice to see you again, Theo.”
His eyes brightened, as if he hadn’t expected me to remember his name. But forgetting any of these guys would have taken real effort. They’d been the only thing standing between me and a full emotional collapse the night of the gala.
“Jupiter,” Lucas, the leader of the Stardust Shield, said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him and pulling out the chair. “It’s good to see you made it okay.”
I hesitated only briefly before sliding into the offered chair, Phoenix taking the seat on my other side. “Thanks, Lucas.” I gave them each an appreciative smile, though I knew it wasn’t quite reaching my eyes, but they were too gentlemanly to call me out.
“How was the meeting with Winters?” Theo asked, passing me a basket of warm bread.
“Informative, I guess. There’s still a lot I need to figure out. This place is so different from Dominion. Kind of a culture shock. She mentioned you’d be showing me around tomorrow.”
Rowan nodded, pouring some water into my glass from a pewter pitcher. “Hope that’s alright. We figured you might appreciate guides who know where all the good hiding spots are.”
“When you need to escape the admirers,” Phoenix added, his shoulder brushing mine as he reached for his drink.
I managed a weak smile at Phoenix’s comment, but my gaze drifted across the Great Hall, pulled by an invisible, malicious magnet right back to that corner table. I couldn’t help but look over at the blonde girl again. She was openly glaring at me now, all pretenses of polite disinterest abandoned.
She sat wedged between two very large men—obviously Shield warriors. One of them, a guy with a shaved head and a cruel slant to his mouth, leaned in close, whispering something in her ear. Her lips curved into a bitter, humorless smirk, her eyes never leaving my face.
Beside me, Theo followed my gaze. I felt the sudden shift in his posture, the way his relaxed demeanor instantly vanished. His eyes narrowed, turning molten as he stared across the room.
“Ignore Eliza. She’s not worth the energy.”
Eliza.
I recognized the name immediately. Aiden rarely ever spoke about his family, but I recognized the name from his official file.
Eliza Reece, his sister. That was why they looked so much alike.
Under the floating orbs, her eyes had caught the light to look golden like his, but as she tilted her head, I saw they were actually a calculating, piercing hazel.
Other than that, the resemblance was uncanny.
The same immaculate bone structure, the same sandy blonde hair—hers styled into a flawless, razor-sharp bob.
A heavy, suffocating dread settled in my stomach, making the delicious smells of the Great Hall suddenly nauseating.
It felt as if the universe was actively toying with me, writing a sick cosmic joke just for its own amusement.
I’d flown across a fucking ocean. I’d ripped my own heart out, stretched a soul-bond until it bled, and abandoned everything I knew just to get away from him.
Only to come face to face with the female version of his face—a face I was going to have to see every single day.
“You okay, Jupiter?” Rowan asked softly, leaning forward to catch my eye. His dark curls fell slightly over his shoulder.
“Yeah,” I lied, tearing my eyes away from Eliza and focusing on my water glass. “Just... realized who she is. Aiden’s sister.”
A heavy silence fell over our section of the table.
James paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, his scarred face tightening.
Lucas’s jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle jumping beneath his beard.
Even Phoenix seemed to swell in size, shifting his massive frame so that he effectively blocked my line of sight to the other table.
“She is,” Lucas confirmed through gritted teeth. “She’s the axis for the Riftward Shield. The two meatheads bracketing her are part of her unit.”
“And she’s a piece of work,” James added.
“Aiden mentioned they didn’t get along. He said she was obsessed with status. He has other sisters too, and from what I gathered, they’re not close.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Theo muttered. “She sees relationships as transactional. She spent years maneuvering her way to the top of the social hierarchy at Imperium. And now, the famous thirteenth zodiac drops right into her lap, stealing the spotlight without even trying.”
“She hates you already,” Rowan said with a rueful, apologetic smile. “Not because of who you are, remember that.”
I groaned, rubbing my aching temples. “Perfect. Just what I needed. More drama.”
‘I can bite,’ Noodle suggested helpfully, his head poking out from the collar of my long coat. ‘Just a taste.’
“No biting, Noodle,” I murmured under my breath, though the image of Eliza Reece swelling up like a balloon brought a brief, vindictive spark of joy to my soul.
“Familiar?” Lucas asked, his gaze softening as he looked at the black mamba.
“Yeah. This is Noodle.”
“How old is he?” Theo asked, trying to get a better view of Noodle’s body.
“He’s only three, so he’s not very big yet. But he’s damn fast and sneaky, so watch your backs.” I patted Nood on the head.
“He’s a pretty snake,” Phoenix said, offering a small piece of roasted chicken from his plate. Noodle eyed it, then darted forward to snatch it from the giant man’s fingers with lightning speed. Phoenix chuckled. “We’re going to get along just fine.”
Dinner went on, and the Stardust Shield did an admirable job of distracting me. They filled my plate with foods I wasn’t used to eating at regular dinners—shepherd’s pie, roasted root vegetables, and thick cuts of meat that actually tasted incredible, despite my waning appetite.
They explained the labyrinthine politics of Imperium, detailing which professors to avoid, which pathways to take, and so on. Whenever my gaze started to drift toward Eliza’s corner of the room, one of them would effortlessly draw my attention back. But she lingered in the back of my mind.
They operated like a well-oiled machine, completely in sync with each other, and surprisingly attuned to me for some weird reason.
It was admittedly intoxicating, and also freaking terrifying.
I recognized the dynamic all too well. It was the same seamless coordination the Nightfall Shield had.
It was as if they were five parts of one whole person.
Stop it! They aren’t Nightfall. And you aren’t looking for a damn replacement.
As the meal wound down and students began filing out of the Great Hall, Lucas stood. “We should get you back to your room. You look like you’re about to fall asleep sitting up.”
“I am pretty exhausted,” I admitted, pushing my chair back.
Lucas stood first, the others following his lead. “Training at six tomorrow. We usually have the combat hall to ourselves that early. You’re welcome to join us.”
“I might take you up on that.”
The prospect of training with people who didn’t look at me like I was contaminated was appealing.
“I’ll walk you back to your tower,” Phoenix offered as we left the table. “The grounds can be confusing at night.”
People kept saying that, as if I’d never walked a dark campus before.
Was this place really so old and untamed that the very grounds were out to get me?
I almost declined. I’d never been one to need an escort, but something in his expression stopped me.
It was… genuine kindness, and I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at it.
“Thanks,” I said, falling into step beside him.
I felt Eliza’s eyes boring into my back. The sensation lingered long after we’d left the Great Hall, following me into the misty darkness of Imperium’s grounds.
Phoenix walked beside me in comfortable silence as the others went off in other directions, waving us off through the dark.
“So,” I said as we crossed a moonlit courtyard, “is everyone at Imperium always this interested in new transfers, or am I a special case?”
Phoenix chuckled. “A bit of both. We don’t get many transfers, especially not mid-year. And you’re...” He paused, searching for the right word.
“The freaky new anomaly?” I supplied dryly.
“I was going to say ‘legendary,’ but I like yours better.” He shot me a wink. “The Ophis designation isn’t just rare. It’s incredibly sacred to many of the old families.”
I frowned. “That’s the second time today someone’s implied my designation means more than I’ve been told.”
“Imperium preserves the old knowledge.”
“Which is?”
He smiled down at me. “I’m afraid I’m going to need more than a walk to your tower’s worth of time to explain that. But you’ll learn, if you’re willing.”
We reached the base of Ophiuchus Tower, its dark stone gleaming with a light misting of raindrops in the moonlight. Phoenix stopped, looking up at the structure with something like reverence.
“This tower has stood empty for centuries. Waiting for you. Nothing about you is coincidence, Jupiter Black. Remember that.”
Before I could demand he explain that cryptic statement, he stepped back with a small bow. “Six a.m. Combat hall. Don’t be late.”
I watched him walk away, soon swallowed by the mist. Only when he was completely out of sight did I turn to enter the tower, Noodle stirring against my wrist.
As I entered my quarters, the fire still burning low in the hearth, I moved to the window, looking out at the misty grounds of Imperium. In the distance, lights glowed from other towers, each housing students of different zodiac designations.
To the right of the school was a vast sea of gnarled oaken trees. It really was a gorgeous school, and I told myself that tomorrow, when I could find the time, I was going to explore every inch of it.