Chapter 7

Chapter

Seven

H ollis is brutal, and he doesn't give a shit about anyone.

My ears are still ringing as I follow the crowds with Annie, who is noticeably pale now. Hollis leads us outside the castle, straight into the cold, brisk air near the cliffs at the back. There's a grass track marked with white lines right on the edge, and Hollis barks at everyone to start running on it before he makes us. I know he literally could make me run it with his powers, so I make sure to stay near the front. He stays at the end of the group, but I feel his eyes burning daggers into my back now and then.

Eventually he stops, completely unfazed even though the rest of us are breathless and sweaty at this point, and he watches us finish the last part. We stay on the track, and my legs are burning from keeping near the front, but Annie keeps up with me. We run the entire track, which loops all the way around the castle until we are back where we began. I am panting deeply from the exhaustion, and none of us dare stop until Hollis lets off that blaring alarm again. It rings right through my ears, and I wince. I've heard it before, so it doesn't make me throw up like quite a lot of the people here do, including Annie. I hold her hair back for her and rub her back. Hollis thankfully turns it off after a few minutes, and I breathe in the cold air to cool myself down.

He stands on raised steps leading up to the side entrance of the castle towering over us. His clothes are similar to ours but more padded and thicker, and really suit him. He is pretty for a nightmare. It's a shame I have to pretend to hate him, and he hates me back, but his is real. He doesn't look at me once though, pretending like I don't exist. Two can play that game. He is my tutor, nothing more…at least for today. I hold my head up high.

"We're going to start with the very basics, because seeing how unfit all of you are, we cannot begin anywhere else. You took seventeen minutes to run the circuit around the castle, and by the end of this year, I will have you running it in ten. Nine, if you're good like me." Nine minutes? How the fuck does anyone do that? "This class isn't easy, and I expect you not to be throwing up at the back within a few days. If you are, I'm kicking you out."

What a surprise, Hollis doesn't show any of them any mercy. "Today we'll take it in turns to combat against me. I want to see exactly how strong you are, and don't worry, I am your tutor, and I will take it easy on some of you." He chooses that moment to look at me, his forest green eyes taunting my soul. Oh fuck. "Everyone over here."

He leads us over to a training square, into the grass right next to the cliff edge. He's definitely going to throw me off that cliff. If he does, jokes on him, I can't die that easily.

Annie looks paler than I've ever seen her. "Do you think running away is still an option?"

I know she is joking, but damn, it sounds like a good idea. "Gwenieve, up here." I freeze at Hollis's shout. Why me? Whispers break out round the crowd as I leave Annie and walk through them. I steel my shoulders and close the gap between us. The wind is blowing around him, harsh and as unforgiving as he is, and I know this is all a fun game to him. I can tell by the cruel smirk of his lips as I move into position on the other side of the square. He curls his fingers. "Go on then, show us what you've been doing in Spain." He cocks his head. "Other than getting a nice tan."

"You seem obsessed with my tan. Do you want to see where I have tan lines? What I covered up and what I didn't?" I tease, touching the edge of my top, lifting it a little before letting go. I know it's a low blow to tease him with the fact I ran away, but I don't care at this point.

His eyes turn fiery before morphing into disgust. "Shut up with that smart mouth and train. I have other students more deserving than you."

My Nexus claws in my chest, almost rising out of me like a tornado, but I push it down. Calm, my monster. I can't let it be riled and come out to protect me. Nor can I show him how good I am at defending myself, because he will ask questions that I cannot give him answers to. But I can hold my own at least. Hollis is like a wall when I go for him first, and he dodges me almost effortlessly. I have no chance of dodging him back as he slams right into me, and I fall to the ground with a thud. Air is knocked out of my lungs as he picks me up, pulling me up by my hair to arch my neck, and I wince as he glares at me.

"You can't even defend yourself? Pathetic." He throws me down. I feel tears stinging in the back of my eyes, but I don't allow them to fall. Angry, I swing my leg out to knock him on his ass, but he stops me with his powers. My leg hovers in the air for a second before he throws me backwards in the air. I roll, smacking my chin on the ground, and I taste blood in my mouth. He must cushion my fall, because I don't slam too hard onto the ground with the rest of my body. I spit out blood between us, and his eyes flare as he looks at my blood on his boots. "I'm done with you. You're useless."

He raises his voice. "This is an example of what a ranger should not be. She won't last a week. She is weak, untrained, surprised by Nexus powers even though she knew what my powers are. The Vian have powers. The most trained of them, the ones who will come after you at some point, will have countless powers to use against you in a battle. You should expect anything and never once let yourself be surprised and on the ground like a victim. Rangers are not victims." I climb to my feet, my cheeks burning red. "Next. Anyone can do better than her, so don't worry about following her shitty example." Everyone laughs at me, and I have to push down the tears that threaten to fall. I will not cry in front of him.

I walk away to Annie, who just holds my hand and squeezes it once. She didn't laugh. For the rest of the lesson, Hollis is nicer to everybody else that he trains with. He doesn't use his powers once. Even going as far as smiling at the girls and teasing them with flirty jokes and running his fingers down their arms as they all but faint from his charm. He does all of it in front of me, and I know it's a punishment.

After about two hours of standing in the cold, he walks away. "You're dismissed. Head to your next lesson with Tutor Jettie on the second floor. Room two." I look up to see Rhodes standing on the steps, watching Hollis come towards him, a frown on his pretty face. Hollis tries to go past him, but Rhodes grabs his shirt and stops him. They clearly argue for a second before Hollis storms off inside. Rhodes searches the crowd until he spots me and waves me over.

"I'll wait here," Annie tells me, and I nod at her before heading to Rhodes. He comes down the steps, standing way too close to me. "Hollis is a dick, and you didn't deserve that. I know you likely hate us all now more than ever, but he took it too far. He always takes it too far."

"I deserved it." I shrug my shoulder. "You should hate me, too. Why are you being nice?" I question.

He doesn't answer me, only changing the subject instead. "Do you want to go shopping after class today? You don't have any clothes or things. You didn't bring anything with you except for that bag, and we found your Nex dagger. Who gave you it? It's blessed, so it means you had?—"

"I'm not answering any questions today." Or ever. I don't add that, though. "Can I have them back?"

He frowns, rubbing the back of his neck. "I left the bag in your room this morning. It's been checked through by Finn, and there's nothing much in there, but it's yours. Your Nex weapon is with Alek…and he will give it back to you in his lesson. I will take you shopping in the meantime."

"I don't have any money on me," I counter, relieved I have the bag back. It's something at least.

He shrugs. "I'd happily buy you anything you need without so much as blinking. Fuck, you can just have my card, and I'll be your bag-carrying shadow. But I'm getting to know you now, and I had the feeling you wouldn't accept that from me. You'll be working with me on Tuesday and Thursday this week in the animal shelter after class. You earn money there, and I sweet-talked the owner into giving you a month in advance. It's your money that way."

I don't know what to say. He really has thought of everything, so I can't disagree. It would be nice to have my own things. "I will get you a phone though with my money though, and that's not something I'm willing to budge on. I want to be able to communicate with you if you need anything. The others…well, I don't care what they do or don't. I'm going to be your friend. I'll be your anything, Gwen."

I have to ask it again, even when my mouth is dry and my heart is racing like a drum. "Why are you being nice to me? I rejected you, our bond, and ran away. I'm not a good person, Rhodes. I don't know what you're seeing in me, but I'm not worth it."

He touches my cheek with his fingertips, just for a second, but it feels like forever. Frighteningly, I realise I don't want him to lower his hand. "I know you're lying, Gwen. I know you're hiding something big and that you are worth waiting for. I knew from the second I saw you again, you are worth everything. Push me away all you like. I'm going to be waiting until the day you trust me and tell me all the terrible things you think make you not worth it and I tell you I still want you, regardless."

My heart races as he walks away. Gods, he's dangerous for me. What's more dangerous is my monster watching out of my one eye, and I can tell she really likes him too.