He shifts in his seat. “I know Marshal, he’s distracted and that’s dangerous for all of us. Add in Armin and Agis and we’re screwed.”
“There’s no adding anyone,” I lie, knowing full well Armin and I have already crossed a line. One I hope to cross again. He rolls his eyes like he knows I’m full of shit. I stare at him. “So what? You think I’ve seduced half the Immortals? What about you? Are you going to fall into the trap of my irresistible pussy? Am I going to break Miya’s vow of celibacy?”
I shift enough that my shirt gapes at the front, revealing cleavage. For some reason, I want to rattle Rupert while also letting him know my sexuality isn’t something to fear.
His eyes flick down and he swallows as his ears turn red. In a flustered voice he says,
“I think all of you need to focus on the Crusade and finding the stone. This is exactly what Roland was afraid of. The guys losing focus because—”
“Because they want me?”
“Because you’re a very appealing woman, Hildi. And stronger men have broken for less.”
I blink, shocked that those words came from Rupert. He slams the book shut and gathers his papers. “Thank you for bringing this. I’ll return it when I’m done.”
I watch as he walks off, exiting the library, leaving me in stunned silence. Am I really that much of a distraction to the guys? Is that why we haven’t made much progress? I think of the party with Marshal, the fight with Agis, and the, well, sleeping, along with other activities, with Armin.
Maybe he’s right. Maybe that’s the consequence Christensen alluded to when we came here instead of the Guardians.
Maybe I’ll be the reason we don’t stop the apocalypse.
29
Rupert
“Tonight we split up,” Armin says after dinner. “Agis and Miya can patrol the outside grounds. Rupert, you and Marshal can keep an eye on the dormitory. And I’ll go with Hildi—”
“No,” I say. “Hildi needs a night off. You go on patrol. Marshal and I will stick around here.” Armin gives me a suspicious look. One I return. “You all need some space from her.”
Agis doesn’t disagree; he’s still fuming about the fight with Luke the night before. Once Miya was filled in, he agreed to stick close to the warrior to keep his temper in check. Marshal watches my exchange with Armin closely, probably wondering how much I know.
Everything, I want to tell them. Too much.
Stupid premonitions.
Ever since we arrived at the Academy they’ve had one central theme.
They’re all about Hildi.
Each one begins with the same, uneasy tug behind my navel, then the vision expands, more vividly than ever before. I don’t know if it’s because we’re near one another, or if the gods are trying to tell me something. There’s a halo of light. Pale, smooth skin. Two hands and orbs in each one. One a pale amber—the other ice blue. Despite Hildi’s athleticism and control, each time, the orbs drop, slipping through her fingers and crashing to the floor.
The vision turns black and fades.
There’s more, of course. Something that occurs when she is intimate with one of my brothers. It’s a psychic link I don’t want. Torture, actually. Marshal would probably love it—a private stash of mental pornography. But for someone like me, someone with my history, it’s nothing more than the curse of these abilities magnified.
“I’ll take the male dorm,” Marshal says, oddly agreeable. He probably doesn’t want me to reveal what I know about his secret trysts with Hildi, even if they are over—sort of.
“Fine,” Armin agrees. ?
?I’ll go with the others. You keep an eye on Hildi.”
There’s a threat in the command. I’m to actually keep her safe. No getting distracted and pulling out my books. No vanishing to the library.
“I will.”
That’s how, two hours later, I’m tucked in a shadowy corner of the girls' dormitory hallway, where I can keep an eye on Hildi’s room, where she’s spent the evening. It’s been a quiet watch, the only movement was when her roommate returned about an hour before. When she opened the door I got a glimpse of Hildi on the bed, books open in front of her. I know she’s angry about my comment from earlier today, but she doesn’t fully understand my brothers. We’re here for a mission, not creating a harem like Morgan and her Guardians.
People walking down the hall gain my attention. I look up from my journal. It’s Luke, walking down the passage with a twin on each arm.