Reckless Souls (Saints Academy, #1)(104)

states, his voice husky as he offers me a lifeline, and I sag in relief. I’ll fucking take what I can get at

this point.

I don’t bother to correct his sentence to say forever instead of just for now, instead I take the

opportunity to shove more food in my mouth as I wait for someone to actually answer my question

about the ball.

“The ball is like a supernatural tradition, that is usually fun. Food, drinks, pretty dresses, and hot

guys in suits, but I have a feeling it might look a little different for you this year,” Harmonia says with

a tight smile, her gaze flicking between me and the Elites. “You can’t back out on me though, Rhea.

We need to go dress shopping, shoe shopping, accessory shopping…”

I wave my hand, her words trailing off as I shake my head. “That’s far too much shopping for me.

Besides, I don’t want to go. It’s as simple as that,” I state, and she cringes immediately, looking to one

of the guys who explains for her.

“You don’t get a choice. Everyone at Saints Academy has to attend. Even if you get sick, they

have a healer on hand to take it all away,” Xander explains, eyes boring into the side of my head as I

keep my gaze fixed on Harmonia for a moment.

Shit. I was really hoping I would be able to get out of this and the guys would help me figure out a

way to do so, but clearly it's not possible.

Swiping a hand down my face, Zen places his palm on my thigh, my back immediately missing the

gentle swirls, but the second he continues the same pattern on my leg, I relax again.

“What do you mean, it’s going to be different for me?” I ask, recalling her words, but she shakes

her head this time, nodding to the guys again, and I reluctantly turn my head to cast my gaze over each

of theirs. There’s clearly something I’m missing, not privy to, and it instantly has me defensive.

“Someone just spit it out. You made me talk, now it’s your turn,” I mumble, not wanting to waste

unnecessary time over someone not knowing what words to use.

“They brought the day forward the same day we confirmed our unit to you,” Xander says slowly, a

twitch in his eyes as they beg to flash amber instead of the deep chocolate looking back at me.

My brows raise as I try to piece the invisible jigsaw together, but it still means nothing to me.

“I’m a newbie here, remember? You have to spell things out for me because I can’t read between your

cryptic lines,” I deadpan.

“It means they don’t like our decision,” Adonis says, just as pizza and a soda appears in front of

him, and he takes a huge bite out of the gooey pepperoni goodness as I crinkle my eyes in confusion,

the immediate reminder that I’m not good enough swarming in my head.

“Why does it matter?” I ask, my voice losing some of its confidence as I brace myself for the

reality check he’s about to hand deliver on a silver platter.

“Everything around here matters, Rhea, you know that,” Adonis replies between bites. “Everyone

wants to align their families, and in your case… Well, you don’t have one.”

That makes sense, but…

“Shut your fucking mouth, asshole. Don’t say shit like that to her,” Xander growls, hands clenched

and shoulders bunched together as he glares at his friend. Before I even realize what I’m doing, I

reach my arm across the table, squeezing his hand with my own as I interrupt.

“It’s okay, he’s not wrong,” I mutter, and he turns to look at me like I’ve got five heads.

“He doesn’t get to say shitty things about your life, Rhea, true or not. None of that matters now

anyway,” he says with a shake of his head, his gaze turning heated as he stares me straight in the eye.

“We’re your family now.”

My mouth dries as I gape at him in surprise, too shocked for words as I simply blink at him.

Family?

It takes me a moment to regain myself, letting go of his hand as I sit back in my seat, Zen’s hand

now gripping my thigh in a silent show of support.

“But your families are going to think their line is wasted on me, aren’t they?” I state, not replying

to his words of family as I look at everyone, including Harmonia, who is the only one to actually nod

in agreement with me. Her eyes shine with empathy because the situation isn’t as simple as it sounds.

“Don’t put it like that,” Zen mumbles, a pained look in his eyes as I turn to him.

“It’s the truth. If we’re going to figure this out, then that’s what we’re going to need to deal with;

truth, facts, and whatever other bullshit people may throw at us,” I reply, my voice even as the worry

of being enough thrums through my veins once more. But I’m right, this is the way it has to be.

I close my eyes, only for a second, and my defensive armor is back in place. To anyone else it

would look like a long blink, an exaggerated effort with the topics flying around, but really it’s my

way of tucking my insecurities firmly away again.

“Why the fuck am I stressed out about everything but the damn magic itself?” I grumble under my