SERAPHINA'S POV:
At the end of my final class, I walk out the door just after the final bell and find Artemis standing there, waiting for me.
The usual grin on his face is absent, replaced by a depressing straight-look, like something is wrong...but I'm uninterested by it
I'm still mad at him for being an asshole earlier.
"Hey." He says, and I only respond with a nod. I would ignore him, but I'm not in a position to.
This time around, humpty and dumpty aren't tagging along with him, and it seems to just be him and I.
"We had an agreement. You don't leave my side unless it's important." He points out.
The truth is that I did try to avoid him when there was no class to hold me back in, dodged him the rest of the day because I couldn't stand it for a second longer. Plus, the insane amount of attention he draws just by being around me is insane.
I say nothing after his accusation, not even meeting his eyes.
He sighs, finally running his fingers though his hair.
"I'll let it slide for today, only because it's the first day. But if it happens again, I won't hesitate to punish you, Sera." He says sternly, yet his tone sounds as though he's begging me not to leave his side.
"Where are we going now?" I ask, ignoring everything else he has to say.
"Follow me."
We finally leave school, and I follow him back to his dorm room, climbing up the stairs to his floor and walking in while he opens the door for me.
"What do you want me to do for you?" I ask.
"You haven't met my eyes since the incident with Lucian. Are you that mad at me?" His voice sounds tensed and strained.
"Are we here to talk about personal matters, or am I here to serve you?"
"That's not what this is about." He argues, drawing closer with a look that seems almost offended. "Look, I'm just trying to make up for earlier."
"Well, you're doing a shitty job at it. You don't care about my feelings, Artemis. You're a selfish pretty boy using whatever leverage you have to get what you want. Don't act like this is anything but that." I snap at him, glaring at him right in the eye.
My breath is rushed and my heart pulsing faster, even with the lack of space between our faces.
I've only realized how close we have gotten in the heat of the moment, feeling the heat radiating off his body only inches away from mine. His breath just lightly brushes my face and his scent hits me like a brick wall made off the most tempting masculine scent, as tempting as ambrosia.
There's more heat from the tension rimming between us than from my own anger, and for a second, I let it distract me, letting myself fall deeper into those yearning blue eyes - until the door suddenly opens wide and Jasper waltz into the room unannounced.
I take a quick step away, clearing my throat and turning to other things besides Artemis while Jasper rummages through a drawer for something.
He remains silent for a few seconds, staring at my back before he finally looks away.
"Fine. Clean the room, I don't want a single speck of dust anywhere." He says more coldly than before.
That's right. If we have to relate as often as we are now, it should be strictly formal.
I scan the area, noticing it's not overly messy, only needing a light dusting and some tidying up. Without hesitation, I dive right into the task.
While he lays there on his bed, watching my every mood like a hawk, clearly wanting to say or do something more, but I ignore him. I dust every surface I can find, losing myself into the work that isn't so bad.
I come across his shelf with a lot of books I doubt he reads and wipe at it, cleaning every crevice that could possibly hold a speck of dust.
As soon as I'm done and try to move to the next one, a book falls out from its position, catching my attention before I can move on.
It's a red leather skinned book, looking too ancient compared to the other books hanging in the shelf, almost seeming out of place.
I pick it up, sliding it into the empty space it came from and turning away again.
Not a second after, it drops off so easily from the same position it had been - this time, falling open. I move to pick it up again, but the image on the page it had suddenly opened to catches my eyes way quickly.
A small human-looking woman standing over a very large wolf - I assume it to be a werewolf.
There's just something about how she's drawn that lets me know she's different from anything I've seen, pure power emanating from the pose she strikes.
There's a long staff in her hand, piercing right through the beast like a kebab, and a fire in her eyes that seems almost hypnotic.
There's a strange force suddenly pulling me towards it, lulling me forward and drawing my interest, wanting to know what it's about.
I pick it up immediately, flipping through the browned pages, only to realize it's written in some kind of ancient language that I haven't seen before in my life.
The lines almost look like they're blurred out, so I squint my eyes to look into it, and like magic, the words of the heading rearranges itself into spell-able words.
ASTRIA TRIBE.
Something about it resonates within me, like I've heard it someplace else, but I'm more drawn to the fact that, somehow, I can read this.
"Sera?"
I swerve around quickly, unconsciously hiding the old book behind me to meet Artemis' eyes.
He regards me with an arched brow, his gaze clearly questioning my actions. As I connect the dots, I realize he's been speaking, and I likely haven't provided a response, leaving him unsure if I'm even paying attention.
"Did you hear what I said?" He asks with annoyance.
I remain silent. Unconsciously, I'm wonder why the hell I am hiding it in the first place. It fell off, there's nothing wrong if I'm picking it up, right?
Still, the book's peculiar ability to rearrange itself within seconds and the unsettling, faint attraction it exudes make me think twice. A gut feeling warns me not to reveal my curiosity about it.
"Uh... was just deep in thought. What was it?"
He doesn't seem to buy it, probably thinking I'm lying
"I said that I heard something today that was almost unbelievable."
"What?"
"Something about you being nominated to represent the Omegas in school.
"That's not a lie though. I was nominated."
He pauses to look at me strangely.
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"I don't recall your opinions mattering to me."
He chuckles painfully, suddenly turning away from me.
"Fine, suit yourself. I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own, seeing as it's not my business. Just be careful, remember you're not allowed to get hurt."
I'm confused by what his statement means. He seems to know something but doesn't want to say. Why is everyone acting this way?
"Whatever." I respond, turning back to work.
I end up cleaning everything else while he watches for the remainder of his time, saying nothing to me at all, and I go on, ignoring him until the sun seems to be setting just outside and by my time, it's already 7pm.
3 hours of being his own personal stand-in maid.
"I'm done." I announce, wiping beads of sweat off my forehead.
He looks away from the magazine in his hands and up at me silently, looking over my work and back at me.
"Nice." His lips move to say something else but remains silent, and I gather my shit up, getting ready to leave.
"You don't have to wait outside the door tomorrow. I don't have class in the first period." He explains, not meeting my eyes and rubbing the back of his neck.
I bet he thinks he's doing me some kind of good from his reaction. Giving me sometime to myself could possibly write off the shit he's done at this point.
"Thank you." I offer just because, grabbing my bag and walking out the room, and shutting the door behind me.
I don't think he noticed.
I slowly pull the red book from my bag, looking over it briefly, before stuffing it back into my bag while my chest pulses wildly.
I waste not a second more, dashing through the hall way and down the stairs as if standing there a moment more, he'd smell out my stealing-ass quickly.
It's not like I'm stealing it though, more of borrowing without permission.
I'm almost certain he'd find some lame reason to hold that favor over me for the rest of my life.
I run until I know I'm at a safe distance away, making it back to the female dorm. All the while, my thoughts scan the possible reason behind the mysterious book in my bag.
Maybe it's magic, even though I doubt its existence, or maybe I'm partially dyslexic and only just figuring that out right now.
Who knows?
I'm engulfed in my own thoughts, not noticing the movement from the bushes around until a dark figure suddenly pops up from nowhere, knocking me to my feet with a blow that strikes me directly at the back of my head.
I fall down fast, just barely stopping my fall with my palms and scratching them in the process.
Whoever the bastard is pins down my hands with one hand, ripping the front half of my chest roughly, and I feel an immediate gush off wind over my front.
I scream, trying to conceal myself from my assaulter, but whoever it is, is stronger, and I find myself still disorientated.
He tackles me to the ground amidst my struggles, rubbing my face into it and pulling out a document.
"Sign it." He harshly whispers with a deep voice that grumbles from his gut, pushing the document into my face.
It takes a moment for my eyes to focus and I recognize the words written on it.
It's an official statement stating that I am willingly stepping down from the election race to become the next omega representative.
"Sign it, bitch." He commands, pushing my face deeper into the dirty.
"Sorry, I don't give out my signature that easily." I say with a strained voice, fighting back with all my might.
I struggle again, trying to break free from his hold, slamming my head into his chin and trying to run in the mini second where he's in some pain, but I don't make it far.
He grabs me again, tossing me back down and strangling me with both his hands.
The pressure on my wind pipe constricts my airflow and weakens my muscles in the process.
I feel the earth around me spin and the only strength in my hands dim, along with the light, while I stare at my assaulter with half his face hidden in a dark hood.
I almost pass out while being choked, until there's a loud bang and the force around my neck seizes.
The guy over me suddenly collapses on the on top of me and standing over the both of us is Olivia, holding a bloodied lamp in her trembling hands.