Equinox Academy: Dark Prophecy

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Kassandra POV

Holy melted panties…

As I watched Jericho's back, I decided I needed to head to the bar and grab a new drink. I wave to Sophie and Kylar as a way to see if they need a refill, but it seems they both have a new drink. Kylar’s worried gaze gives me a slight pause but Sophie seems to draw him back into their conversation, so I brush it off. However, I allow my magic to spread just to be safe. There is no denying Kylar is on edge for a reason and, though I barely know him, I trust his instincts. I feel the flutters in my chest still present despite the absence of Jericho’s touch. My dance with him has me all out of sorts. I can still feel the way he caressed my body and ignited my skin in a way that I’ve only felt a handful of times. All of which seemed to have been over the course of the day. I reached the bar and turned and waited. The bartender is busy with another group of students. I couldn’t help but let my gaze wander over to where Jericho retreated, and I saw all three princes staring in my direction. Calix is staring unashamedly into my eyes, and I can’t really tell from this distance, but I think I see them flash that silver from before. Quickly, he blinks and throws back another shot. I can feel Spiro’s eyes on me as well, but his attention shifts to something else after a moment, and his brows furrow in confusion. Jericho is scanning my body when I catch his eyes and I can see him lick the corner of his lips where my lips rested on his face when he asked me to kiss him.

Jesus... these princes...

I know it’s a bad idea to get involved with these men, especially because of their royal background, but I can’t help the shiver of excitement that courses through me at the attention they seem to be paying me. I know their interest is only temporary though. I’m the new shiny toy that has weird powers and, as some of the most powerful beings at this school, they are likely interested in figuring out why I was gifted the powers I have. If the gossip that Sophie and Kylar heard from school is anything to go from, the princes were rarely interested in the student population. They typically hung together and only allowed a select few people in their group. Mainly what Kylar had stressed was that I needed to be careful in showing interest in them because of the Khrusos. I damn near rolled my eyes out my head at the cliché. The golden children I mean really who came up with a lame-ass name like that. But I was quickly given the run down that they are not to be f****d with. Apparently, even though they aren’t princes, these people involved in this group have a very strong pull across the world. If you crossed them, you were basically writing a death sentence to any potential jobs in the future. The only problem I have is I’ve never been one to follow orders or a status quo. I spent years in hell. Most of these rich preppy kids would never understand and I have no interest in falling in line with individuals that use their power and influence to control other people.

“What can I get you, beautiful?” I turned to see a good-looking Lamia standing behind the bar. He’s tall and aristocratic-looking and he immediately reminds me of Lee with his light blonde hair and sharp cheekbones. His jade eyes dropped quickly to my chest for a moment then flicked back to my eyes. He tries to hide it, but I see the quick flinch and I am slightly disappointed to see the flirty smile slip slightly as per usual when people finally notice the oddity of my eyes. I wonder if Calix and Than get the same looks I do. I’d be antisocial too if I wasn’t so used to the negative reaction. I sigh and ask for my whiskey and, despite his reaction, I slip a ten from my wallet and drop it into the tip jar. I’ve grown used to people being weirded out by my eyes and I know he doesn’t mean anything by it, plus I know how hard bartending can be and I would hate not making at least a little bit of extra cash while working at an event. As he fills a shot glass, I toss it back quickly and hold up two fingers to ask for another and this seems to relax him a bit in my presence. Instead of pouring a shot, he grabs a glass and pours three fingers of Jameson for me, and places the glass on the counter. He gives me a wink and turns to help other students with their drinks. I decide to head back to Soph and Ky, knowing they are dying to hear how my dance with Jericho went.

As I move a couple of steps in their direction, my primal senses go haywire. Danger. My magic pulses around me in defense and although I never slow my stride forward, I can sense three presences behind me. The individuals branched out and I looked up toward the princes and noticed that all three had stood and looked to be slightly alarmed. Just as I’m about to turn, I feel the presence to my right pick up their pace in what I assume is a way to intercept me. However, at the speed this person is traveling, it seems more likely she’s trying to tackle me. I feel their magic pulse before I can see her in my periphery. Just as she’s about to collide with me, I pause my steps and twist slightly to evade her. The girl loses her balance, having launched herself forward in what must have been an attempt to attack me. The next couple of seconds happened rather slowly. The person who tried to ram me went flying past barely missing the drink in my hand. I sense the second presence close in from behind me and just before she clips my back I sidestep, and she crashes into the girl who came from the right. All three girls end up in a pile on the floor in front of me. I stood there in a bit of shock and a lot of amusement. These girls underestimated my reaction time. My eyes snap up to the princes. Jericho is full-blown laughing; Spiro is gaping in shock and Calix has his same stony expression, but I can see his eyes twinkling in amusement. A shrill scream draws my attention back to the pile of limbs in front of me and I school back my amusement and place a stoic face on as each girl rights themselves and glares daggers at me. I lifted my glass to my lips and sipped a tiny gulp of whiskey and raised an eyebrow at the girl I recognized in the middle. I can’t remember what her name was but she was the girl who tried to size me up in the pit of death.

She is quite beautiful. She has classic Asian features that make me believe that she is a nymph. She has beautiful tan skin that compliments the long flowing black hair that cascades down her shoulders. Although it is slightly disheveled from her fall. Her cat-like eyes shine a bright teal color that hints at her heritage. Her cute nose and rosy blushed lips make her look like a sexy Lolita doll. She looks like every guy's anime fantasy because she has a nice rack, thin waist, and ample hips. Truly, the girl would be gorgeous if it wasn’t for the snarl on her lips and the dark menacing aura that radiates off her. I'd clearly made her angry and if the silence in the room was any indication, this was not the right move on my part. I see movement over her shoulder and notice Kylar and Sophie trying to move toward me, but I give them a subtle shake of my head. No need to involve them in this fiasco. I knew I would be targeted after what transpired this afternoon, but I don’t want to drag them in, especially because they just got here. Being associated with me is already going to kill them socially. There is no need to paint targets on their backs from jump street. I scan the other two girls and notice the girl that was hanging on Jericho earlier and smirk at her. I hear a low growl emitted from her throat that she clearly meant to be a threat, but it has me full-blown smiling. I don’t know the other girl, so I simply ignore her. From what Kylar said, she is a strong air user, but she’s not very bright and, despite my urge to take these girls down a peg, I’ve never been one to pick on someone who can’t hold their own in a fight, be it physical or mental.

So, from the looks of it, the one in the middle is the ringleader. Apparently, she’s been saying something, but I haven’t been paying attention. “Are you stupid or just mute?” the cat's eye chick says to me. I focused my attention back on her and tried to focus on her smirking face. I masked my irritation at her remark and simply said “Oh I’m sorry, I just don’t care to speak to those who aren’t worthy of my time. Especially to individuals who deem it necessary to attack a single person using a cowardly tactic like a bumrush from three sides. By the way, for future reference, never underestimate your opponent and make sure your center of gravity is established before you launch your full body weight in someone’s direction. You have more chance to land on your feet rather than in an unflattering heap on the floor.” I punctuated my thought by pointing at the floor where they had just recovered from the blunder. The Cat-eye girl's eyes flash with malice and she goes to take a step forward, probably to take another shot at me and I shift my stance to fight. However, midstride she stops, and her eyes widen in fright. I looked down, convinced my powers began to leak out unbeknownst to me when I felt an icy brush of power against my back. I relax my stance and shoot the rest of my glass as a cool hand strokes from the center of my back down to the base of my spine. My smirk softens as I hear a familiar deep voice say, “Kassandra, is there a problem here?” I turn slightly to see his eyes focus on the girls in front of me who are staring with their mouths open at the familiarity between me and Than. “No, not at all.” I gently whisper to him with a slight fondness in my voice that has the group gasping. He focuses his glare on the girl in the middle and she bows her head in respect, but I notice her eyes flashing to where Than’s hand is settled on the small of my back. She huffs in annoyance, still avoiding eye contact with Than, and sends one more scathing glare before turning and stomping away. I hear Than chuckle under his breath as he tilts his head in my direction and says “Already making friends I see.” I suppress the shiver his words produce. I have enough trouble no need to add a God to the mix although I can’t help the snort of laughter that escapes me at his comment.

His fingers tighten slightly as I settle down and he whispers really low, for only my ears, “Remember little bird, you can’t afford any trouble right now.” Shit... With everything that’s happened today, I almost forgot the stipulations for my enrollment here at the academy. I look in the direction of the girls and groan inwardly and the clear conflict that I am sure isn’t over. As if sensing the dread forming in my head, Than turns fully towards me and offers his hand. “Shall we dance?” I couldn’t even hide my blush when I nodded and took his hand in mine. People audibly gasp and I’m confused, but realize I’m touching Than’s bare hand, which is clearly a feat that is causing a lot of people shock. On instinct, I look at the princes and my two friends and they are even showing various forms of shock. I look up into Than’s eyes and they sparkle in mischief and I can’t help the eye roll. This is a clear power move on is part and I’m not sure if I’m happy or worried that he did it in full display of the student body. As if taking the lead, he pulls me forward and tucks my hand into the crook of his elbow while swiftly gliding us back towards the dance floor. He spins me the moment we reach the center of the floor, and everyone seems to give us a wide birth, even though I feel Than pull his power close to his body. He softly tugs me back to his body so that my front is flush with his, his arms wrapped around me and I slide my fingers up his shoulders around his neck. We sway slowly as Speechless by Dan and Shay croons in the background. The hold is intimate for a teacher and students, but at this point, I don’t really care. Then he chuckled in my ears and I forgot that the bastard can read minds. “This should help the enemies you’ve made tonight, but I doubt this will help for long.” I gave him a puzzled look but noticed his eyes flashed towards the three princes behind me. I see the mischief flash in his eyes, and I feel his hand slip lower, teasing the spot underneath the dimples on my back, and I gasp as pleasure courses up my spine. His eyes flashed at mine and mine locked with his extremely pale white and midnight blue ones. Although there is a hint of mischief, there is an unexplainable heat resting behind his eyes. He strokes my spine again and I feel the shiver rush down it in response. Jesus this God is going to kill me…

I realized I had closed my eyes at his touch, and I snapped them open at his chuckle. But he’s looking over my shoulder. So, he is Thanatos. I stared up at him in wonder and he gave me a soft smile. “So, you found out my secret?” I snorted at his attempt to joke. “I didn’t know exactly what you were Than, but I knew you weren’t a regular supernatural. Your magic feels ancient and you may look young, but your eyes gave away the fact that you are definitely older than you appear.” He nods his head, and a worried look crosses his face. “That doesn’t scare you, little bird?” Before he can finish speaking, I’m shaking my head at him. “Than you may scare everyone around you but I see a lot of myself in you. You are a god amongst humans and the supernatural. No matter how much you want to be like everyone else and be accepted for who you are, you will always be feared by some and loved by others because you are different. I live with those same problems. I spent my life, although much shorter than yours, never being accepted for my appearance and my power. I find you fascinating because, despite everything, you still maintain a sense of common decency that I definitely didn’t expect from a God. So no, I am not afraid of you Than if anything, I admire you and look forward to getting to know you not as the God of Death but as my advisor and friend.” I released his neck and stroked his face as I finished my statement and chuckled at the look of bewilderment that passed through his eyes. I can feel him seeking the truth in my mind and relaxing into his probing to assure him. His eyes soften at my sincerity as I replace my hand behind his back, and he shudders as I accidentally skim something on his shoulder. The heat returns to his eyes for a moment before the trademark smirk reappears on his lips and his eyes flash behind me. He leans forward like he’s going to kiss me, and I can’t help that my eyes flutter close when his cheek brushes mine and his lips skim a path to my ear. “I must leave you now, it seems you have another suitor little bird, but I couldn’t depart without telling you that you look just as exquisite as I thought you would. Enjoy the rest of your evening and try to stay out of trouble.” He leans back slowly, allowing his lips to slowly drag along my cheekbone. It feels like he wanted to keep going, but he sighs softly and slowly steps away and bows, brushing his soft lips on my knuckles.

When he peers up at me, I see a smile full of affection and softness before he turns and looks at Spiro who is standing a couple of feet away. “She’s all yours.” He smirks lightly in his direction and Spiro simply nods at him before striding forward and coming right up to me in the middle of the dance floor. “Hey, Kass.” He smiles softly at me and my heart flutters at his boy next door good looks. I smile back at him brightly and say, “Hey Spiro, I was wondering if you were going to come to say hi to me before I left.” He slightly frowns. “Are you leaving soon?” I shake my head, “Not yet I’ve got a couple more dances left in me.” His smile returns along with a grin when Arianne Grande’s Stuck with You comes on. Spiro pulls me close and I wrap my arms around his shoulders and rock to slow pop music. Spiro grows bolder in his moves and spins me, so my back is to his front, and we slowly grind together. He is really impressing me with his pace. He and Jericho have some moves. He leans his head down and whispers in my ear “Having fun tonight?” I throw my head back against his shoulder and laugh at his cheekiness and say, “As much as I can. You?” He smirks at me with that pretty boy smile and runs his nose from where my shoulder meets my neck up to behind my ear and huskily whispers “I am now.” His arm wraps securely around me as we dance through that song and then, before I knew it, another hour passes, and aside from a handful of other students it's just me and Spiro. We had been stuck in our own world just enjoying the touch and feel of each other. We didn’t talk much but a gentle companionship was formed, and I, knowing I should be wary, couldn’t help but enjoy being wrapped in his arms.

Reluctantly, I gently pulled away and turned to him. “I think it's time for me to go. I noticed my friends have already left and I need to prepare for the next couple of days.” He nods his head and smiles softly. “Okay, it was a pleasure, beautiful. Do you need an escort back to your room?” I expected a suggestive look after those words but all I saw was the concern and worry behind those sky-blue eyes. “No, I was actually going to speak to Calix but thank you for offering.” Spiro offered his arm and he escorted me over to where Calix was still settled on the bar stool nursing a drink. Spiro softly kissed my hand and retreated towards the exit. I turn back to Calix and his glacial eyes are trained on mine. My thoughts flashback to our moment in the hallway and my hand finds its way to my cheek as a blush creeps over my cheeks. I see his lips twitch and he turns to the bartender and signals for another two glasses. He turns back and hands me a glass and I’m pleasantly surprised to find it's Jameson. I sat down next to him for a minute and slowly sip my drink. We sat in companionable silence for so long that I almost lost the courage to ask him to walk me back. I was startled out of my contemplation when I heard his deep voice say “Is there something you wanted, Hotaru?” I was confused by the last word but decided to let it go. “Um... yeah, I was wondering if you could escort me back to my room. I’m still not familiar with this place and after earlier, I’d rather not get lost if you catch my drift.” He met my eyes for a moment before nodding and downing his drink. I did the same and set the glass on the counter while turning to face the bartender. “Thank you for the drink, have a great rest of your evening,” and I reached into my clutch and pulled a ten, and put it into the tip jar. When I turn back to Calix, he’s looking between me and the tip jar before reaching in his pocket and doing the same thing, he pulls a hundred and drops it on top of my ten. The bartender thanks us profusely but Calix doesn’t say anything, just offers me his hand. I slide my fingers into his palm and those same electric currents zap me as we come in contact. If Calix feels them, he doesn’t acknowledge them. He places my hand in the crook of his elbow and we walk slowly towards the exit. Calix seems to be walking slower this time around and I wonder if he’s doing it for my sake or his. My feet are killing me. I love these heels but they are starting to create sores that I will definitely feel tomorrow.

We walk in silence for a while and once we reach the door, Calix leans into it without breaking contact and ushers me outside. Just as I thought we were going to continue our journey, he pauses and asks, “So how did you like your first mixer?” I blush lightly that he remembers my non-confession from earlier but decided to answer him truthfully. “I had fun despite the drama, but I know I missed out on dancing with everyone I wanted to dance with.” I peek up at him to see his reaction and just as I suspected his eyes are slightly widened in surprise. Slowly a smile forms on his lips and I’m struck dumb. It’s soft and striking at the same time. His hard face transforms from something beautiful to something truly exquisite. He bowed his head, and I could swear I saw his shoulder slightly shake for a second. Me, well I’m just stuck standing there stunned. After a minute, he lifts his head, and a smirk has replaced his smile and he turns to continue down the path that leads to the dorms. “To be fair, you didn’t miss out on much, Hotaru. If you are speaking about me, you will be happy to know you dodged a bullet. I’m not a very good dancer.” I let out a very unladylike snort at his comment, which I tried to cover with my free hand. Although I did want to dance with him, thinking logically, Calix doesn’t look like the type that dances for fun but more out of obligation. We fall into another comfortable silence as we move between the dorms toward the spirit building and Calix surprises me by pulling out a card that looks similar to mine. “You live here too?” I don’t even try to hide the shock in my voice. We reach the panel, and he swipes the card, answering my question for him. As we enter the building, I ask one of the dumbest questions before my filter can stop me. “So, we’re neighbors?” I see him fight another smirk and he simply nods his head. “As we pass the front desk, I skim it in search of Deven hoping to wish him goodnight but he’s not there. “He goes home to his family at night.” My eyes flash to him first in worry that he’s a mind reader like Than but I must have been obvious in my search for Deven so he simply pieced together why I had slowed our pace even further.

He presses the up button on the panel and we wait for the elevator to arrive. When it arrives, he places a hand on the small of my back and guides me through the doors. When we enter, I expect him to let his drop from my lower back and take a step away like earlier. What I didn’t expect was for him to pull me in close using his hand at the small of my back, which caused me to stumble. My hands land on his shoulders and he engulfs me in an embrace. I stare up at him as he stares back down at me, and I feel his hips slowly rock from side to side, swaying us to the elevator music. At first, I was stiff from shock but slowly I breathed his scent, which reminded me of when Lee and Nick took me to the beach, and we had a bonfire. The mix of driftwood and ocean breeze allows me to relax in his hold and sway with him. I’m not sure how long we stayed there and stared into each other’s eyes, but I could honestly care less. My heart is fluttering in my chest, and I know I’m blushing at the gesture. After another song ends, he reaches up and brushes my cheek with the back of his hand and I damn near collapse at the touch. His eyes are sparkling when his hand ghosts down to cup the base of my neck and his lips lightly brush my cheek. He leans close to my ear and whispers softly, “Thank you for the dance, Hotaru.” Fire creeps up my neck and I fight the urge to turn away. This man is going to make me spontaneously combust with a kiss on the cheek.

He grabs my hand, and we exit the elevator and walk down the hallway in silence once more. Calix with a smug grin on his face and me trying to calm my heart and hormones. When I get to the door, I hesitate for a moment but realize I need to call it a night before I dig these feelings any deeper. I swipe my card on the door and push it open just before pausing and mentally saying “f**k it.” And turn around, stand on my tiptoes and softly brush my lips against his cheek, which has his breath catching slightly. I turn my head and we are nose to nose and those silver eyes are out to play again. I stared mesmerized for a moment before relaxing on my heels and removing my hands from his chest. Before I can pull away completely, he grabs the tips of my fingers and pulls them back towards him. He bows low and brushes his soft lips across my knuckles and peers up at me through his lashes. “Good night, Hotaru.” I blush softly at him and whisper softly “Goodnight Calix.” We both turn at the same time, and I enter my new room for the next four years. I rest my back against the door as the gravity of my situation hits me square in the chest.

Whelp… I’m in serious trouble…