28. Quinn

28

QUINN

T he hall had been transformed, with sheer, billowing white fabric draped everywhere. Strings of white and gold lights wrapped around the columns, and yet more white lights swept across the room, briefly illuminating the shadows before sweeping away again. Waitstaff clad in togas and golden sandals circulated with trays of canapés and alcohol-free champagne, and there was actual champagne at the bar at the side of the room, presided over by Professor Donnelly, head of Epicurus house. He was there to ensure only those of us who were over eighteen could drink and to regulate our drinks, at that. Little did he know—or he turned a blind eye—that there'd be a lot more drinking going on after the ball at the after-party in the crypts.

At the front of the hall, the lectern had been cleared away from the stage, and in front of the stage, a DJ booth was set up, music echoing from the speakers, bouncing off the heavy stone walls and vaulted ceiling. Everywhere I looked, students were talking, dancing, milling around the huge space, clad in outfits that probably cost more than the average person made in a month. At least.

Aria leaned into me. "Remind me why I agreed to do this again?"

"It was your idea, if I remember correctly."

"It was a moment of temporary insanity. Come on. I need some of that champagne if I'm going to make it through the evening." She slipped her hand into mine and began weaving through the crowd towards the bar. When we reached it, she dropped my hand and greeted our head of house, swiping two glasses of champagne as she did so.

"There's a maximum of two glasses of champagne per person tonight, Miss Harper. Make them last," he told her.

"Don't worry, sir. One of these is for Quinn. I'll be back for my other glass later." She blew him a kiss and then tugged me away, leaving me stifling a laugh.

"Only you can get away with acting like that towards the teachers. Actually, no. Only you and Tristan can."

"Don't mention the T-word to me," she hissed before taking a large gulp of her champagne. "Ugh. Why do people drink this stuff?"

I laughed again. "It helps if you sip it rather than swig it like a pint." Taking a sip of my own drink, I demonstrated, and she rolled her eyes at me.

"No, thanks." Her gaze flicked down my body. "Change of subject. Did I mention how hot you look tonight? If I were into girls, I totally would."

"Same." I eyed my friend appreciatively. She'd decided to wear black, clad in a short, slinky dress that dipped dangerously low in both the front and the back. Her dress was paired with the highest, spikiest heels I'd ever seen, adding about six inches to her height. I had no idea how she was managing to walk so easily on the uneven flagstones, but she made it look effortless. Her hair was pulled back into a gleaming, poker-straight high ponytail, wrapped in a gold metal band—her only concession to colour, other than the golden snake cuff wrapped around her upper arm. With all of that, topped off with black eyeliner and dark lipstick, her nails pointed and painted in the same inky colour as her dress, she looked fucking hot and fucking dangerous.

As for me… My mum had taken me dress shopping the previous weekend…

"Remember how important this is. I was one of the goddesses, and I'd love for my only daughter to follow in my footsteps," my mum said as we entered the small, high-end boutique in the local town of Nottswood.

"I know." There was no point in my reiterating that I'd already been a goddess, nor the fact that she'd told me a million times that she'd been one of the goddesses. I'd only be wasting my breath. And I did understand where she was coming from. The ball and everything it stood for might not have been high on my list of priorities anymore, but it was important to her, and I did want her to be happy. We had our differences, and although her rules were stopping me from being with the person I wanted to be with, her heart was in the right place. Even if she was going about it the wrong way.

Not only that, but she'd be hearing from my history professor after the ball, and if I could keep her happy in the meantime, maybe the consequences wouldn't be so bad…

Who was I kidding? I had no defence. None that she'd believe, at least. How could I defend myself without any evidence?

"Good girl." She gave me a small smile. "Right. Let's find the dress that'll ensure you stand out. How about…"

I tuned her out as she drifted off to one of the racks, smoothing her hand over chiffon and satin and silk, every now and then pulling a hanger aside to inspect a dress more closely. My attention was drawn to the back of the boutique, to shimmery material that went from a light sky-blue to a blue so deep it was almost black.

"Ah. I was hoping that might catch your eye."

I jumped at the voice close to my ear, spinning to see a woman eyeing me with amusement. She had a discreet silver badge with the boutique logo and the name Julia engraved below it.

"I…yes. I'd like to look at it more closely." I moved towards the dress, the saleswoman coming with me.

"It's new in today. As soon as you entered the shop, I could see you wearing it." Pulling it from the rack, she draped it over her arm and then directed me towards a pedestal, swiping a small box from a table on the way.

"My mum. I'm not sure…" I trailed off, glancing over to where my mum had an armful of dresses, mostly in pastel colours.

"Leave her to me." Julia lowered her voice, giving me a conspiratorial grin. "Did you notice the shop next door? That's our bridal boutique. I'm used to persuading mothers of the bride to love the dress the bride really wants. Yours will be a piece of cake in comparison."

As promised, she had persuaded my mother…despite the dress being everything she wouldn't have wanted for me. The flowing, shimmering material in shades of blue dipped between my breasts, held in place by strategically placed tape. The back reached the floor, kissing my heels, but the front…the front was a minidress, exposing my lower legs as well as most of my thighs. It was daring, and it was beautiful, and it was mine. All thanks to Julia, who had turned out to be a master in persuasion, throwing out phrases like "most sought-after British designer" and "couture" and "Paris runways." Of course, most of the phrases were meaningless, spoken only to persuade, but her words had worked their magic, and now, here I was.

My hair was curled in loose waves that tumbled down my back, and Aria had done my make-up to match, with subtle sweeps of gold across my lids and cheekbones. I'd completed the look with dangling gold earrings.

Aria touched my arm, breaking me out of my thoughts. "Grace and Mira are on the dance floor. Let's go."

We began making our way towards the area designated as a dance floor, but we'd only taken a few steps when a hush fell over the crowd. Aria and I exchanged glances and then turned as one towards the entrance, where everyone's attention was directed.

I forgot how to breathe.

Standing in the entryway, or more accurately, lounging in the entryway, framed by the huge wooden doors that had been left open for the event, were the three gods. Knox was the first to step into the room, Elena on his arm clad in a gorgeous red dress, both of them looking fucking incredible . Knox smirked at the attention they were getting, but then his head dipped to Elena's ear, and I caught the flash of concern in his dark gaze. I still found it difficult to reconcile the arrogant boy I'd once known with this man who very clearly cared deeply for his girlfriend, no matter how much he tried to hide it from everyone else.

Elena nodded and said something back to him, and a small smile flickered over his lips before it disappeared. Slowly and deliberately, he lowered his head again, his hand coming up to cradle Elena's chin, tilting her head to meet his. It was a public claiming, an acknowledgement that they were together and, more importantly, that she had the protection of the elite. I hadn't been at Hatherley Hall when she'd first arrived, but from what Elena and Aria had told me, it sounded like she'd had a rocky start. But here they were, together and unshakeable, and something inside me ached at their display of unity. I wanted that. And I wanted that with one man and one man only. A man I hadn't even dared to take more than a fleeting look at because there was no way on earth that I'd be able to hide the way I felt about him. We were too exposed here. Too many eyes were on the gods. And maybe someone out there in the crowd was watching me, too.

An icy shiver snaked down my spine.

"How dare he," Aria hissed under her breath, and my gaze flew to her, seeing her glaring across the room at…Tristan? Of course it was Tristan. My eyes widened, though, when I saw the way he was staring at her. It was— I didn't even know how to describe it.

"Aria?" I whispered.

"No." Holding up her hand, she spun on her heel, her ponytail whipping out behind her as she stalked away.

I debated going after her, but I had the feeling she wanted to be alone, and I wasn't about to overstep any boundaries. So, instead, I forced myself to step forwards and greet Knox and Elena.

"You look beautiful," I told Elena, hugging her carefully so I didn't mess up her hair or make-up.

"So do you." Her mouth moved to my ear. "Roman hasn't taken his eyes off you since we came in."

A smile curved over my lips, even as my heart raced at the thought that someone might notice him looking at me.

"You match."

I glanced up at Knox, my brows pulling together. "Match?"

"You and him. I suggest you go and find a dark corner and make the most of it." Smirking, Knox angled his head towards where I knew Roman was still standing in the entryway.

"Match?" I repeated. Almost unwillingly, my gaze was drawn towards Roman.

I took my first proper look at him, and I lost my breath all over again.

Roman Cavendish in a suit should be illegal.

Fuck. The way his broad shoulders filled it out, that divine body all wrapped up in perfectly tailored material, clinging in just the right places to highlight his powerful muscles. The suit was paired with a tie in the deepest blue that matched the darker hues of my dress, and I instantly understood what Knox had been referring to. His hair was a tousled mess of inky black that shouldn't have worked with the suit, but oh, it did. It really, really did. There was a light dusting of stubble on his jaw, and his lips were shining like he'd just run his tongue across them. So. Gorgeous.

But his eyes. His eyes. Deep blue, fringed with those black lashes, and laser-focused on me. The force of his gaze was like a bolt of lightning, shocking and powerful, and I gasped, my heart stuttering in my chest.

"Elena." I sucked in a shuddering breath. "People are going to see. "

Knox swore under his breath, and he and Elena both moved at the same time, almost as if they'd rehearsed it, stepping between me and Roman and instantly cutting off my view of him. My whole body was shaky, whether from the intensity of Roman's focus or from the sight of him, or even the adrenaline that had burned through me with the knowledge that people could see him looking at me; me looking at him.

Elena instantly placed a hand to my back, steering me to Knox's side."Knox."

He glanced down at her and nodded once and then held out his arm. "Allow me to escort you, my lady."

"Oh, you do have manners," Elena commented. "I thought that was a myth."

We each took his arm as he muttered something about punishing Elena later, something I tuned out because I was happy to remain ignorant about their sex life. We headed towards the bar, where I finished up my drink, attempting to forget about the fact that Roman was the hottest man in the entire universe, while they helped themselves to brimming flutes of champagne.

Glancing around me for a distraction, I spotted Penelope in the crowd, dressed in a stunning flowing gold dress, and waved her over.

"You already look like a goddess," I told her when she reached me. "Beautiful."

"Thank you." She gave me an approximation of a hug, as careful as I was not to mess up my hair or make-up. "I love your dress. Yours, too, Elena."

Elena smiled at her. "Thanks. You guys did a great job organising all this. I still can't believe it's our school. It feels like…not like a school."

"Penelope." Knox didn't even bother to attempt a smile. I'd come to learn that he didn't really have time for many women these days other than Elena, and I guess me, purely for the fact I was Roman's…whatever I was.

She nodded to acknowledge him and then turned back to me. "I'll catch up with you later. I need to check that we have everything in place for the crowning ceremony."

"Do you need any help? I don't mind."

"No. Relax and enjoy yourself. I'll see you later on." With a wave, she melted into the crowd.

"Alright, mate?" Warmth radiated from a presence directly behind me, and my heart stuttered all over again.

"Roman." Knox directed a smirk over my shoulder. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"What can I say? I missed you," Roman drawled. I felt the brush of one of his fingers across my lower back, sparking goosebumps all over my skin.

"How sweet."

"I can be sweet when I want to be." The finger trailed lower. I shivered.

Glancing up at Knox, I noticed that he seemed to be having a silent conversation over my head. Holding my breath, I waited, and then?—

"It seems to me like you're struggling to keep your hands off her." Roman's voice lowered to a soft rasp. "Like she looks so fucking good that you want to worship her, to fucking claim her in front of everyone, so there's no doubt that she's mi—yours."

"Fucking hell," Knox muttered. He downed the rest of his champagne in one go. "Yeah. Don't worry. I'll be doing some worshipping later. But we'll be somewhere far less public."

Elena was staring between them both and biting down on her lip, clearly trying to hold back laughter. Me? I was melting into a puddle of want and need because there was no doubt that Roman was talking to me…through Knox. Which was bizarre but wonderful. Maybe I should return the favour.

"Um." I licked my lips. "Elena. Do you feel like the luckiest person here tonight? To know that this gorgeous, hot, amazing man wants you and you want him back? That you can't believe how he looks tonight because?—"

"Tone it down," she warned. There was a low chuckle in my ear, and the finger returned, circling over the small of my back.

"You're a fucking goddess," Roman murmured, too low for anyone else to hear, and then he was gone.

"I'm never doing that again. I don't give a fuck that he's one of my best mates. Give me that champagne." Knox grabbed another flute from the bar, downing the contents in one swift movement, and then slammed the glass back down with a grimace. He picked up another, bringing it to his lips, but he was interrupted by a loud, pointed clearing of someone's throat.

"Mr. Ashcroft. The limit is two glasses per student," Professor Donnelly informed him.

"Is that so?" Knox eyed him over the top of his glass and then deliberately tipped it to his lips.

Professor Donnelly shook his head. "Ashcroft. Don't push me."

Elena nudged her boyfriend, and he sighed. "Fine."

"You may as well take that one. It has your germs all over it."

"Cheers, sir." Knox lifted the glass, and our head of house rolled his eyes.

"Get out of my sight. And that's your last one, so don't even think about another."

Elena dragged him away before he could reply, and I decided to go and find Aria or my roommates. From memory, the crowning ceremony happened around ninety minutes or so after the ball's start time, and although I didn't have my phone with me, I guesstimated it had been going for around forty-five minutes, maybe longer, so there should be plenty of time to dance before the ceremony. I'd said that I didn't want to be one of the goddesses, but right now, after seeing Roman, I really, really did. It would be my only chance to dance with him, and it could all be explained away if my parents ever found out. Tristan and Penelope would dance together as head boy and girl—and they even matched with Penelope's dress and Tristan's gold accents. Knox would be with Elena, and I'd have no choice but to dance with Roman.

But there was no guarantee I'd win. In fact, it was most likely that Freya or Aria would win. The thought of Freya dancing with Roman sent hot prickles of jealousy through me. She'd have her hands all over my man, and I'd have to stand there and do fucking nothing.

"You look like you're contemplating murder. Who are we unaliving?"

I blinked, Mira's face coming into focus. Forcing out a laugh, I shook my head. "It's nothing. Hey, have you seen Aria?"

"She's with us. Come on." Samira led me to the centre of the dance floor, where Aria, Gracelyn, and several of our other classmates were dancing in a big group. I spotted Katy and Will in the crowd of bodies, wrapped up in each other, and beyond them, several of the lacrosse team appeared to be trying to impress their dates with loosely synchronised dance moves.

A smile spread across my face. No matter what was to come, both later tonight and beyond—when my parents found out about my paper—I had this. Time with my friends, just having fun. And that was something I'd really, really missed when I'd been away.

I spent a while dancing with everyone, losing myself in the music. Aria appeared a little while later, giving me a nod when I mouthed, Are you okay ? to her, and then gave me a bright, genuine smile.

"Let's party!" she shouted, and as if she was in sync with the DJ, the music changed to a faster, headier beat, and loud cheers and shouts sounded through the hall. We grinned at each other and began to move, lost to the music once again.

Until it suddenly came to a screeching halt.

"Students of Hatherley Hall," a loud voice boomed, and our headmaster, Professor Lexington, strode onto the stage, a spotlight illuminating him as he walked. "It's the moment you've all been waiting for. Time to crown your gods and goddesses!"