As my fingers curled around the brass key, Darius used his hold on it to tug me a step closer.
“Of course, if you’d rather just come on up to my room, I can give you a real welcome to the House of Fire,” he suggested as his gaze slid over every exposed inch of my flesh and embarrassment prickled up my spine.
A flutter grew in my stomach as I noted the heat in his gaze and I mentally cursed myself for giving even a moment’s consideration to his offer.
I squared my shoulders, looking him over just as he had me. I took in everything from the way his jeans hung low on his hips to the swell of his muscles beneath his tightly fitting shirt. I eyed the tattoos which curved out of sight beneath his short sleeves and the biceps which cried out to be touched. His broad shoulders and towering height built a type of carnal need in me as I tilted my head back to look up at him.
A cocky smile pulled at the kind of lips that I could definitely make use of given half a chance and his dark hair fell forward just enough to make me think about fisting my hands in it.
Why did I always have to want the bad guys?
I shifted an inch closer as if I was going to share a secret with him but kept my voice loud enough to carry.
“I wouldn’t come near you even if someone held a knife to my heart and told me that the world would end if I didn’t,” I snarled, snatching the key out of his hand. “So why don’t you take a long, hard look while you can. Because I can promise you, you won’t be seeing this again.”
Darius’s face dropped a fraction as the rest of the students in the room started laughing at him instead of me and I slammed my shoulder against his as I moved past him. It was kinda like walking into a brick wall but I managed to force him to move a little, mostly because I took him by surprise.
I stalked across the room to the stairs which led to the promised dorm, forcing myself to maintain a steady pace instead of sprinting.
Eyes followed my progress and whispers broke out around me but I kept my gaze fixed on my destination, refusing to look anywhere else. The tears were coming and I knew I was fighting a losing battle against time as I fought to hold them off.
Just a few seconds longer…
“You should be more careful about the kinds of enemies you make around here, Roxy,” Darius called after me, a beat too late for him to pull it off as smoothly as he must have wanted. A sense of satisfaction filled me with the knowledge that I’d rattled him for a moment too.
I didn’t bother to respond. Getting into a pissing contest with an asshole really wasn’t my style and if I didn’t get behind a closed door soon then I was pretty sure I was going to start bawling in front of everyone. If I could keep my chin high and my face blank then maybe I’d be able to leave this room with my dignity intact even if I had had to scrape it up off of the floor.
I made it up three flights of stairs and to the end of the corridor where my key thankfully opened the door.
I spilled inside and pushed it closed behind me a second before the floodgates burst and the tears fell.
I sank to the floor and buried my head in my arms as I drew my knees to my chest. Anger and humiliation washed through me and I gave them five minutes to have their way before I was going to lock them down again.
Tears never did anyone any favours, but sometimes they just needed to fall.
THE ADRENALINE WAS still thick in my blood as I used the power of air to get back inside, lighting up the symbol above the doorway and stepping into a circular chamber at the base of the tower. My fingers buzzed with the tingle of magic and I couldn't fight the giddy smile that pulled at my mouth.
I just jumped from the top of a tower and survived. Hair well and truly intact.
I gathered my wavy locks into my hands, having an intense emotional reaction to them. I’d started dying the ends blue a year ago. It wasn’t some indie statement or a cry for help. It was, in my own twisted kind of way, a reminder of one of the darkest and most pivotal moments in my life which I was determined never to forget.
On one side of the atrium, the grey stone floor met with a white marble staircase. I moved to the centre of the space, gazing up at the incredible stairway circling high above me.
I took a slow breath, fear and anticipation washing together in my belly as I made my way up the stairs. My Converses hitting the steps was the only noise around me, but as I made it up several more levels, I found my way barred.
Seth stood alone, his arms folded, his eyes narrowed. The air between us was filled with static and I expected a thunderstorm to erupt from him at any moment. Instead, he thrust a hand out and in it was a silver triangle with a long key dangling from it. “Eleventh floor, room three.”
My lips parted, but no words came out as I closed the distance between us and reached for the key. Victory sailed through me on a summer breeze.
I beat him at his own game.
“Congratulations,” he purred, but there was no kindness to his tone. “You've survived day one in hell. Each day after this will be worse. Are you sure you don't wanna drop out of Zodiac yet?”
I took the key from him, my hand closing into a fist so the sharp metal dug into my palm. “Why do you care if I'm here or not? We're clearly not going to get along. So let's just stay out of each other's way.” I tried to move around him but he side-stepped, planting his shoulder against the wall to block my path.
Irritation rattled through me.
He reached out, brushing his fingers through my hair, coiling a handful around his fingers.
“Why do you keep touching me like that?” I jerked aside, my upper lip peeling back.
He released a gruff noise in his throat. “Because I'm an Alpha, babe. And this is how I show you who's in charge. You need to forget about rising against me, because you won't win.” He tightened his grip on my hair and I ground my teeth, refusing to let out a yelp of pain.
“I don't have plans to rise against you, Seth,” I said as calmly as I could. “I just want to go to bed.”
He grinned, tugging my hair extra hard then stepping back entirely, gesturing for me to go past. I pressed my shoulders back, marching past him, feeling his eyes on me all the way as I fought the urge to rub my sore scalp.
“You owe me your hair,” he called.
Anger flashed through my body hot and fast. I quickened my pace to a jog, wanting to put as much distance between Seth and I as possible.
When I found my floor, I was thankful that there were no students around. I could hear panicked cries from somewhere high above though and wondered if the other freshmen had gotten off so easy after all.
I headed down the stone corridor which held ten doors, five on either side. I pushed the key into the door of room three and headed inside with a sigh of relief.
At my movement, a light came on above me and a smile captured my lips.
The room had a dark wooden floor with a single bed to one side of it made up with white sheets and fluffy pillows. The walls were the same grey stone as the rest of the tower and they swept toward the vertical window at the end of the room. It was taller than me and had two heavy shutters bolted across it. To my left was a long desk and above it were shelves of books and notepads. A line of white pencils lay on the desk and my fingers itched. It had been ages since I'd had the inspiration to sketch anything. But it had always made me feel better, forget the world. If I hadn't been so exhausted, I probably would have jumped on the opportunity after the night I'd had.