He picked me up and put me on the floor a few feet off the mats. Crouching down, he started to rol up the mats.
There went my fantasies. “You’l look like what?” he asked.
I ran my hands over my arms. “What am I supposed to wear? I’m going to stick out and everyone wil be looking at me.”
He glanced up at me through heavy lashes. “Since when are you bothered by everyone staring at you?”
“Good point.” I grinned at him, and then bounced away.
“See you later.”
By the time I made it to the common lounge, everyone was buzzing about tonight.
It wasn’t Lucian that had Caleb pacing the length of the room. Even Lea seemed wound up as she twisted a strand of hair around her fingers. None of us halfs cared much about Lucian personal y, but as the Minister of Court he exerted a high level of control over the pures and the halfs.
No one could figure out why a Minister would come to the Covenant during the summer, when the vast majority of students were absent.
I was stil busy picturing Aiden as a pirate, sweeping me off my feet.
“Do you know anything?” asked Luke.
Before I could answer, Lea chimed in. “How would she know? Lucian barely claims her.”
I looked at her blandly. “Was that supposed to hurt my feelings or something?”
She shrugged. “My stepmother visits me every Sunday.
Why hasn’t Lucian visited you?”
“How would you know?”
Her look was sly. “I know.”
“You are so screwing one of the Guards, aren’t you?” I frowned at her. “That explains how you always know so much.”
Lea’s eyes narrowed, much like a cat did when it spotted a mouse.
Snickering, I placed my bet on Clive, a younger Guard who’d been present the first day I’d arrived at the Covenant.
He was good-looking, liked to check out the younger girls, and I’d seen him around the dorms a few times.
“Perhaps Lucian is coming to remove you from the Covenant.” Lea studied her nails. “I always thought you’d fit in better with the slaves.”
Casual y, I leaned forward and grabbed one of the thick magazines. I chucked it at Lea’s bent head. With half-blood reflexes, she snatched it before it made contact. “Thanks. I needed something to read.” She thumbed through it.
As it neared seven, I headed back to my room to get ready. Folded on the coffee table was an olive green, Covenant-issued uniform. My eyes widened as I picked up the uniform and a smal note fel out. I opened it with trembling fingers:
Had to guess your size.
See you tonight.
Smiling, I looked inside the pants and discovered they were my size. There was no stopping the wealth of heat spreading over me. What Aiden had done meant the world to me. Tonight I’d look like I actual y belonged at the Covenant.
Instead of the black uniforms the trained Sentinels wore, the students donned green outfits of the same cut—
reminiscent of army uniforms. And they had al the nifty pockets and hooks meant to carry weapons, which I real y liked.
liked.
I took a quick shower, and after I put on the uniform I felt a rush. Years had passed since I’d worn this, and there were times when I didn’t think I’d ever get to wear it again.
Turning in front of the mirror, I had to say I looked good in dress greens.
Excited, I pul ed my hair up in a ponytail and left to meet up with Caleb. Together, we headed over to the main campus and a funny surge of nostalgia coursed through me as we entered the largest academy building.
I’d avoided the academy section of the campus since I’d returned, mainly because that was where Marcus had his office. It also seemed unfair to subject myself to al the memories if he decided in a month or two to not let me stay.
Of course, Caleb thought things were going great and Marcus would al ow me to stay, but I wasn’t so sure. I hadn’t even seen him since the day he’d stopped by the gym and I’d made an idiot out of myself. I felt confident that had made a lasting impression. Come to think of it, no wonder Aiden was so worried about what I would say to Lucian.
Shaking my head, I glanced around the crowd of people that fil ed the grandiose lobby of the school. It seemed like every Guard and Sentinel was in attendance, standing under the statues of the nine muses. The Olympian nine, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, or whoever it was that he hooked up with. Who real y knew? The god got around.
The Guards lined every corner and blocked every exit, looking stony and fierce. The Sentinels stood in the middle, appearing vicious and battle ready.
Not surprising, my eyes found Aiden at once. He stood between Kain and Leon. In my opinion, those three were the most dangerous-looking out of al of them.
Aiden looked up then, his eyes meeting mine. He gave me a little nod, and even though he didn’t say anything, his eyes spoke for him. That one glance held a measure of pride and fondness. Maybe he even thought I made the cadet uniform look good. I started to smile, but Caleb led me past them, to the left of the Sentinels where the students belonged. We managed to squeeze in next to Caleb’s secret obsession—Olivia. How convenient.
She smiled. “I was wondering if you guys were going to make it.”
Caleb said something incoherent, cheeks flushing a ruddy color. I turned away from secondhand embarrassment and I couldn’t even look to see Olivia’s response. Poor Caleb.
“Looking good, Alex,” Jackson whispered.
It never failed. The one guy I didn’t want to notice me always did. Glancing up at him, I forced a smile. “Thanks.”
He looked as if he thought I truly did appreciate his compliment, but then Lea sauntered in, and I swear, she managed to get the uniform as tight as humanly possible. I looked down at my own and noted that my legs looked nowhere near as good as hers did. Bitch.
I watched as she prowled past the Guards and curved her lips at one of them before squeezing between Luke and Jackson. She murmured something, but my attention had already been caught by something more startling than how good her legs looked.
Half-blood servants stood behind the staff, stil and quiet.
Row after row of drab gray tunics and washed out white pants made them nearly indistinguishable from each other.
Since I’d returned to the Covenant, I’d only caught a glimpse of a servant here and there. It was their job to be invisible, easily overlooked. Or maybe it was ingrained in us—the free halfs—to ignore their presence. Gods, there were so many of them and they al looked the same: eyes glazed over, expressions vacant, and a crudely tattooed circle with a line through it scarred each of their foreheads.
Marking them so visibly ensured that everyone knew their station in the caste system. It hit me al of a sudden.
I could really become one of them.
Swal owing down the sharp spike of panic, I faced the front just in time to see my uncle stalk down the center of the room and stand with his hands folded behind his back.
There wasn’t a strand of brown hair out of place on Marcus’
head, and the dark suit he wore looked so out of place.
Even the Instructors who were present were dressed down in comparison to him, wearing Covenant-issued uniforms.
The thick glass and marble front doors swung open as the Council Guards entered. I couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped my lips. They were an impressive sight to behold, wearing white uniforms and brutal expressions.
Then the members of the Council entered. Actual y, only two of them floated in behind the Guards. I had no idea who the woman was, but I recognized the man immediately.