God of Pain (Legacy of Gods #2) by Rina Kent

Ava does a whole tour around me, and it looks kind of funny, considering the huge cello strapped to her back.

She inspects every inch of my body, even patting my face to make sure it’s the same.

Today, she’s dressed in a pink skirt and a white top with a fashionable cut. She’s the most elegant person I know, after my mom, and she resembles me in personality, too.

We clicked the moment we first met about two months ago when I first enrolled in REU. As a result, I became close with all her friends, too. She and the girls even allowed me to move into their private apartment in the dorm, despite the fact that I’m the ‘American’ who simply doesn’t understand their obsession with fish and chips.

I grin. “Hi, missed you.”

She hugs me and kisses my cheek. “Missed the shit out of you, bitch. What are the chances of your brother dropping the lame patriarchy and letting you come back to the dorm?”

“At the moment? Zero.”

She groans and hooks her arm with mine. “You really okay? Everyone keeps talking about the fire in the Heathens’ mansion.”

“I was dead asleep.” I lie through my teeth. “Until they woke me up with all the noise.”

“That must’ve been so scary. I can’t imagine waking up in the middle of the night at the news of an attack.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call it an attack.”

“Totally was. They were probably after your brother or his heathen friends. Like, seriously, how does he think that place is safer for you than our little dorm?”

“No clue.” Due to the fact that he has all the guards there, probably.

“Let’s have Ces talk to him. She obviously isn’t scared of the whole dark lord aura mojo he has going on… Speak of the devil!”

We arrive at the cafeteria we often eat lunch in. We, as in, Ava, Cecily, Glyndon—the girls I stay with—and Remington, Brandon, and…him.

The boy with ocean eyes and an intimidating presence.

Though when we get to the table, Cecily and Remi are bickering over some fries and Bran is trying to mediate. I don’t see Glyndon and him anywhere.

I try to ignore the knot in my chest but fail.

Ava and I take the vacant seats and I smile at Bran when his eyes meet mine. “Where’s Glyn?”

“I’m surprised you still ask about that traitor, honestly.” Ava huffs. “She’s probably out there getting the D.”

Bran pushes his plate away, his nose scrunched. “Not the image I needed of my little sister.”

Ava throws a French fry in her mouth. “That’s why I said the D and not the dick.”

Remi slides over super smoothly and grins. “Did someone mention a dick?”

“Oh, look at this. Someone recognizes they are one.” Cecily crosses her arms over her shirt, on which there’s a cute cat with a gun shooting the words Pew, pew, mudafaka.

“One?” Remi’s lips pull up in a Cheshire cat grin, and it still doesn’t take away from his symmetrically handsome face. “Say the word, Ces. D-I-C-K. Don’t be a prude.”

She flips her silver hair back. “Prude? I prefer boundaries.”

“Yawn.” Remi pretends to have fallen asleep. “Wake my lordship up when this nerd starts having a life.”

That’s what Remi calls himself, ‘my lordship,’ because of his noble blood. While everyone else sees it as arrogance, I find it super endearing.

He has the personality of a carefree angel—though Ava and Cecily would argue that he’s a hedonist devil. Remi was one of the first people who warmed up to me instantly and I will never forget that.

“Stop it.” Bran nudges him.

Cecily is ready for round one thousand of bickering but then sees me and backtracks. “Oh, Anni. Are you okay?”

“Totally cool. Physically examined by Ava herself.”

“That’s right.” My friend strokes her cello. “She’s okay from the outside.”

“Do they know who did it?” Cecily asks.

“No idea. You know I don’t get involved in that.” I smile, pulling out my food container.

My OCD can be triggered by tiny, stupid details like how one of my salad containers isn’t at the same level as the others.

My blood pushes against my rib cage and the sounds of the cafeteria start to get drowned out.

I quickly unclasp the containers full of healthy food, organize them in front of me, and only breathe when they’re perfect.

The noise from the outside world slithers back in slowly but surely.

“Who else could it be?” Remi leans back in his chair, sipping from his iced coffee. “Probably the Serpents.”

“Aren’t they from the same uni?” Ava asks. “Our club is more likely to have a beef with them.”

Bran shakes his head. “The Elites aren’t really on bad terms with the Heathens currently. The Serpents, however, were humiliated by them, especially after the last raid on their mansion, and are more prone to take action.”

“This whole thing is too messed up,” Cecily says. “Someone could’ve been hurt in that fire.”

“No one was,” I relay Jeremy’s words. “Don’t worry.”

“Still. I don’t like this.” She chews on her bottom lip, then reaches into her backpack and fishes out a purple pen with fluffy feathers. “I found this in my drawer, and I don’t use it anymore, so I thought of you, Anni.”