Chapter 221: Healthy Dose Of Drama

Caelis unsettled Aria. Truly. He reminded her of those movies where stunningly beautiful vampire males lured innocent and naive human females off their feet, only to turn them into dinner once night fell.

The serpent knew exactly what he was doing, and that made him dangerous. He was using her own independence against Maverick. If Maverick answered for her, Caelis would get to imply that he was controlling her. If she, on the other hand, refused, the good-looking giant earthworm would get the satisfaction of making it seem as though she was afraid of whatever harmless game he was proposing.

However, it was better to be safe than sorry. Hence, Aria’s answer should have been no, but what came out of her mouth was, "What type of game are we talking about here?"

As soon as she said that, a satisfied glint entered Caelis’s eyes, as if the prey had willingly stepped into his trap. But Aria was no prey, and she was determined to prove him wrong.

Her answer also had Maverick’s head turning sharply toward her.

"He’s manipulating you, Aria." He glared at Caelis.

"I know that," Aria answered, much to his surprise.

"And you’re still going to do it?" It made absolutely no sense to Maverick. His job was to keep his mate safe and away from trouble, yet here she was willingly walking into whatever game the sly basilisk was playing.

"Yes," Aria said. "When dealing with a bully, you don’t show them even the slightest sign of weakness."

Caelis’s brows drew together slightly at the comment. She called him a bully? Just how many nicknames and insults had she given him already?

Nonetheless, he clasped his hands behind his back. "Excellent. Although I think Professor Maverick misunderstood my suggestion. I wasn’t proposing a game between the handful of us."

Aria’s suspicion returned immediately.

"Then what are you proposing?"

Caelis turned his attention toward the party around them. "A competition."

That single word certainly didn’t make him sound any less dangerous. Still, Aria wasn’t the only one who perked up at the mention of a competition. Everyone else did too.

Brittney folded her arms. "What kind of competition are we talking about here, mister?"

Caelis regarded Brittney, studying her with newfound curiosity. So this was the human who had seduced his First Fang? Interesting. He couldn’t decide whether to be curious or impressed. It took considerable nerve for a human to willingly climb into bed with a serpent, and this one appeared to have confidence in abundance.

So he answered her. "Nothing that should frighten you."

"Who said I was frightened?"

"Then we’re making progress already, human."

Brittney’s mouth fell open before her eyes narrowed. She decided immediately that she didn’t like Venus’s boss. He was far too mouthy, and Brittney preferred being the one who got the last word.

Caelis continued like none of them had spoken. "It would be a competition between the three Houses. Three human representatives from each, participating in three rounds."

The Basilisk Prince had spoken loudly enough to catch the attention of several people standing nearby. Conversations began dying as word travelled through the surrounding crowd.

Caelis continued, his voice carrying effortlessly as he announced, "Aetheris against Ophidian against Therion."

That did it.

A cheer rose somewhere among the Ophidian students. Within seconds, students who hadn’t known what Caelis was talking about were pushing closer to find out.

Aria stared at him, speechless. He’d known exactly what would happen.

Beasts were territorial enough without attaching their House names to anything. The moment Caelis turned his little game into a House competition, refusing stopped being quite so simple.

"What are they competing in?" Maverick asked, shifting slightly in front of Aria in case Caelis suddenly suggested something dangerous.

"Chibun Dash."

As soon as those words left Caelis’s mouth, a burst of celebration erupted from the students. The main highlight of the night—the fight between Maverick and Rhydian—hadn’t even started yet, and the party was already becoming far more interesting than anyone had expected.

"I don’t understand. What’s all the excitement about?" Aria asked no one in particular, but Valerie and Variant were quick to answer.

"It’s Chibun racing!"

"You’ve never seen a Chibun?"

"Should I have?"

"Oh, you’re going to love them," Valerie said. "Chibuns are these adorable little creatures used for racing competitions."

"And it’s one of the most popular sports for gambling," Maverick added. "The races themselves are harmless, but I still don’t trust Caelis." He made no effort to lower his voice despite the serpent standing only a few feet away.

"Professor," Caelis said, "you should work on those trust issues now that you have a girlfriend. I hear lack of trust is responsible for the demise of many relationships. You wouldn’t want your newly formed one to end so soon, would you?"

"Why don’t you say that again?" Maverick growled, immediately provoked. How dare the bastard suggest that he and Aria would break up?

"Maverick." Aria placed a hand against his stomach, stopping him before he could move.

"He’s provoking you on purpose. Don’t let him win." She began rubbing slow circles through his clothes, and gradually, the tension beneath her palm eased.

Maverick was annoyed with himself. He wasn’t usually this easy to rile, but ever since the mate bond had kicked in, anything involving Aria seemed capable of stripping away years of practiced control.

As expected, Caelis observed the interaction closely, giving nothing away about whatever was going through his mind.

Instead, he turned to Venus, who had remained quiet throughout the exchange. "Go bring the Chibuns."

Venus bowed his head and left, but not without stealing a subtle glance at Brittney.

Caelis began explaining while they waited.

"Chibun racing is simple. Each House selects three humans. Every competitor is assigned a Chibun at random. Once the race begins, you may call to your animal, gesture, whistle, bargain with it if you’re particularly desperate, or stand there and pray to whichever deity you believe might take pity on you."

A few students close by laughed.

"You may not touch the Chibun after the race begins. You may not cross the boundary, interfere with another competitor’s animal, or touch the bait at the finish line. Doing any of those things results in immediate disqualification."

Aria frowned. "That’s it?"

"That’s it," Caelis confirmed.

"That sounds suspiciously harmless, Mr. Caelis."

"And I’m wounded by your distrust, Miss Aria." He arched a brow, returning her attitude without missing a beat.

Aria shook her head. "No, you’re not."

"No," Caelis agreed. "I’m really not."

Aria stared at him, dumbfounded by the blatant admission. Did anything actually bother this beast, or had he been born without the part responsible for normal emotions?

At the same time, Maverick watched their exchange with growing unease. Caelis wasn’t the type to banter with anyone, especially not a female. His reputation was morbid enough that most females avoided him altogether, and only the daring ones ever willingly visited his bed.

Maverick loved Aria’s fearless nature, but he didn’t like seeing that fearlessness directed at Caelis. The serpent was already far too interested in her for Maverick’s liking, and the last thing he needed was Caelis developing any more ideas about his mate.

"Come here." He pulled Aria to his side.

Caelis saw it and said nothing. Maverick should have been smarter than this, but this was what happened when you let emotions take over. He had no idea what Caelis was really after when it came to his beloved "girlfriend."

At that moment, there was movement nearby, and they turned to see Dimitri and Alek finally returning. However, something was wrong, and even a blind person could sense the tension wafting off Alek.

"Alek—"

"What’s she doing here?" Although Alek didn’t call anyone by name, the way her gaze was pinned on Brittney made it obvious who she was talking about.

Brittney chuckled in confusion. "I think I’m a bit lost here."

"Alek..." Dimitri tried to reach for her, but one fierce look from Alek was enough to silence him. Everyone, including Brittney, was stunned. They had never seen Alek this angry.

Alek faced Brittney. "They said you were missing and we needed to find you."

For once, Brittney couldn’t say a word.

"Well, tell me then, were you missing?" she asked.

"Not really..." Brittney answered nervously for the first time. "I was just strolling in the woods. Although I did tell Trisha I needed to get some air." She felt guilty for reasons she couldn’t even understand.

"Unbelievable." Alek shook her head in disappointment.

Then she stormed away.

"Alek—!" Dimitri went after her.

Brittney wanted to follow them, intending to find out where the anger was coming from, but Maverick stopped her.

"Don’t. Let them be."

Brittney stayed where she was, watching them leave with a confused expression. What had she done wrong?

"Such a healthy dose of drama," Caelis remarked, having stood there and watched the entire exchange play out.

Aria would have given him a piece of her mind, except another kind of drama erupted right at that moment.

It was Charlotte.

Except that wasn’t what had everyone gasping in shock.

Charlotte wasn’t alone. The dragon named Thamas was with her, and worse, he held the end of a chain wrapped around Charlotte’s neck as they made their entrance together.

What the fuck...?