Evermore Academy (Evermore Academy #3) - Audrey Grey Page 0,110
and cunning Evermore in the Everwilde. Deep down, I know there’s not a chance in the Seven Fae Hells that I’ll beat him.
Outside the gym walls, more and more students gather with every passing second. A group of drunken elk shifters peer into the windows. They’re shirtless, their huge rack of horns painted gold and their ripped torsos each marked with a green letter in my name.
Eclipsa glares at the spectacle. “I’ll never unsee that.”
“Hey, jerkwads,” Mack yells, pressing against the window as she flips them off. “She doesn’t need a fan club.”
They ignore Mack, pounding obnoxiously on the glass until Asher roars. The bone-rattling sound scatters them into the crowd.
A ring of torches flicker in the distance, half green and half pink to represent both our courts. Someone thought it was a good idea to have a mini-stadium built just for the occasion, which still boggles my mind.
Fabulous. Freaking fabulous. Maybe it will be televised. Is it televised?
Asher slides his unreadable smoky green eyes to me. “Ten more minutes.”
After the last axe piece was stolen, the importance of this contest became painfully clear. No one said as much, but training efforts ramped up tenfold. Even Valerian put off important intercourt meetings to help prepare me.
In the last two weeks I’ve seen him more than I have the last nine months, but that somehow makes all of this worse.
Suddenly frantic, I grab my phone from the side of the mat. “I changed my mind. I want to see him.”
Before I can so much as unlock my screen to dial Valerian’s number, that exquisite tug deep inside my core appears. My phone thuds to the mat as I whip around to face him.
His eyes mirror mine—tormented, churning with emotion and what-ifs. I don’t see him move but then he’s inches away and I’m tugging him close, wrapping my arms around his neck.
His cool forehead presses against mine. “You can do this, Summer.”
“I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.”
“Then don’t.” He pulls back, his expression fierce, and places his hands on either side of my face. “You can do this. You’re strong, stronger than that bastard realizes, brave, and smart. Use his magic against him. Don’t back down. Don’t let him intimidate you. Remember who you are.”
I nod, soaking in his confidence. “I’m your mate—”
“No. This has nothing to do with me. You are the girl who survived against unimaginable horrors. Who managed to hide from my grandfather, to thrive in a world that treated you with unimaginable cruelty, and you did it all without compromising who you are, a kind, brave, funny, eternal light.”
I clench my jaw as unexpected tears wet the corners of my eyes. This is what I’m fighting for. What I’m prepared to die for. To give up every last shred of happiness and freedom for.
His hands are still caressing my cheeks, and he flicks up a thumb, gathering the one stubborn tear that makes it past all my defenses.
“Enough,” Eclipsa orders, breaking us apart. “She needs to focus.”
“Actually,” Asher murmurs in a low voice I’ve never heard him use before, “she needs to go. It’s time.”
My pulse quickens, and I take a deep breath. Valerian holds my stare, his hands sliding to take my own. For a moment, his magic surges into me, the same calming energy he used last year on the rooftop of his penthouse.
Then he kisses me. A brief kiss that somehow encompasses all the affection, loyalty, and love between us. “I’ll see you later.”
With that, I watch the love of my life turn before I can see the agony in his face. Then I lift my shoulders back, tilt up my chin, and march toward my fate.
I knew the crowd would be excited, but I wasn’t expecting the madness I encounter outside the gym doors. Cheers rise from the wall of students, half of whom I suspect are drunk. I freeze, not sure how we’re going to make it to the stadium, when Asher begins carving out a path through the bodies.
Evermore and shadows go flying as he blasts forward. Eclipsa grabs my elbow and sprints right behind him, using her magic to form a shield. Mack sticks close to me, fighting elbows and hands like a badass.
All too soon, the chaos of the mob falls away as the stadium comes into view. I realize a shield has been erected to keep the crowd from overrunning the area. Mack only passes through the shield after Eclipsa does something to it.