I swiveled my head to peer at him. "You could ask me for help with assignments."
He smiled. "I could. But I wouldn't actually be learning anything."
For a moment, I turned the idea over in my brain, then looked over at Cass to see what his thoughts were. He just gave me a miniscule shrug as he tossed his steak into a frying pan. Not amazingly useful, but also he was clearly not opposed to the idea.
"Fine," I acquiesced. "I'll set up a meeting with the school today and sort out their security. I'll have to move your schedules around to get you both in the same classes too."
Lucas smiled, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "Thanks, babe. You're the best."
Seph was just scowling even harder, though. "Oh, I see. So when I ask it's all I'll think about it, which we both know means flat-out no. Then Lucas asks and you're okay with it? You're such a selfish bitch, Dare." She stormed out of the kitchen in her bratty rage, and I rubbed at my temples in my endless search for sanity.
"Is it just me," Cass rumbled from where he prodded at his cooking steak, "or would Seph really benefit from Phillip D'Ath's camp?"
I choked on my coffee as a laugh took me by surprise. Cass peered over at me, all fucking innocent, and I swiped a hand over my mouth.
"If only it was still running," I chuckled, shaking my head. But I wasn't serious. Even if that camp had still been active, I wouldn't send Seph there. She was annoying as hell, but I wouldn't kill her spirit like that.
Zed entered the kitchen with a confused look on his face, glancing back the way he came. "Uh, anyone know why Seph just told me we were all ruining her life before bursting out crying and slamming her door?"
I couldn't help myself, I started laughing. It was that or cry when it came to my little sister.
36
Seph gave me the cold shoulder all weekend, even slamming her door in my face when I delivered her new Shadow Prep uniform on Sunday evening. But by the time she and Lucas got home on Monday after their first day back, all seemed forgiven.
She hugged me tight on getting back to the house, then sweetly asked if I wanted to have a Netflix date with her that night, just like we used to.
I missed my sister enough that I agreed and didn't call her on all the shitty attitude over the last few days. It earned me a few dark glares from Zed, but I just flipped him off behind her back. Then made it up to him later. Repeatedly.
So all things considered, I was in a good mood by the time Zed and I headed to Club 22 on Tuesday afternoon for my rehearsal with Maxine. I'd postponed my actual performance so many times it was starting to feel like I was just attending a class rather than preparing for a show.
Still, I wasn't prepared to give Zed even a hint of a preview, so I made him drop me off and come back when I was finished in a couple of hours.
Training with Maxine was refreshingly enjoyable. She'd long since stopped treating me with the careful, fearful respect that my Hades face demanded and had started treating me like a real person. Like a friend. I liked it way more than I could ever admit, but it was part of the reason I kept stalling on following through with the bet. After I did the show, I had no reason to hang out with Maxine. She'd go back to being an employee.
Obviously, I knew that wasn't how things worked in the real world. But that wasn't the world I lived in. I couldn't afford to have friends. Hell, just having lovers was dangerous enough. Anyone I cared about was a liability, and I definitely didn't need to add to that list.
Zed arrived back right on time, to the minute, and it made me suspicious that he'd just lurked in the parking lot for the entire time, which was ridiculous because he had a shit ton of work to do. But the thought crossed my mind.
"Hey, I meant to say earlier," Maxine said to me as we both sat on the stage floor to take our shoes off, "I should have mentioned about me and Zed. I realized last session that you didn't know, and then I got all freaked out that you were going to... I dunno..." She trailed off as Zed sauntered his sexy ass closer, clearly listening in. Prick.
I gave her a soft smile, letting her off the hook. "You thought I would flip my killer switch and come at you in a jealous rage? Maybe break into your house and bludgeon you with a stripper shoe?" Her eyes widened and smile slipped, and I cringed. "Sorry, my people skills need work," I muttered. "No, we're cool. If I was going to kill every girl Zed had ever slept with, there would be a hell of a lot of blood on my hands." More than there already was, anyway.
Maxine's breath rushed out in relief. "Okay. Cool. ’Cause this"—she indicated between her and Zed—"totally ancient history. Way, way in the past."
Zed gave her a tight smile back but added nothing more.
Not that I needed to know, but color me curious. "Why did you guys break up, anyway?" I asked, stretching out my leg and reaching for my toes. My hamstrings were screaming at me after today's session.
Zed's eyes widened, and Maxine made a small noise of surprise. "Oh, um, I figured you knew. We broke up because..." She trailed off, looking at Zed in panic.
He gave her a reassuring smile, then answered me directly. "We broke up because Max accused me of being in love with you, and I couldn't deny it. Because it's true."
Oh.
"You know what? I'm gonna... go shower," Maxine mumbled, scrambling to her feet and grabbing her bag. "I'll see you later, H." She hurried toward the backstage area where our staff had a full locker room complete with showers, and Zed arched a brow at me.
"H?" he repeated.
I shrugged. "I like her."
His smile was smug and knowing. "I can tell. I don't think I've ever seen you with a friend before. It's cute as hell."
"Shut up; it is not," I muttered, pushing off the stage and heading over to the bar to fill up my water bottle. Because I was a lazy asshole, I boosted my butt up onto the bar top to reach over and grab the soda gun, and Zed leaned his elbow on the bar beside me. "Besides, you're my friend."
"I meant a girl friend. And before you say it, Hannah doesn't count. You like her, but as an employee not a friend. And you just barely tolerate Gen because she's good at her job." He watched me with an amused smile as I gulped my water.
Putting my bottle back down, I flipped the conversation on him. "Okay, well how long ago did you guys date? It must have been recent if you broke up because of me."
Zed huffed a short laugh. "It was three years ago, Dare. She was my last real relationship, and when she called me on loving you, I gave up trying. The rest were just... fun ways to pass time. Something to temporarily fill the empty void in my life that you belonged in."
My lips parted as I held his gaze. "That... is surprisingly romantic, Zed. In a really slutty man-whore kind of way." Then an unpleasant thought slammed into my mind, killing the fizzy affection that had been building. "Uh, speaking of your long, long list of previous conquests, have you—"
"I got tested before we slept together the first time," he cut me off, already knowing exactly what I was asking. "Like... weeks before that time. Just in case. I didn't want to risk anything on the chance things with us did work out."