I’d been dreading running into her.

  Considering all the women that were trying to get close to me, the first woman that I’d run into, besides Justia, upon arriving at the Cathedral wasn’t one of the women that I’d looked forward to meeting again.

  It wasn’t that she wasn’t gorgeous. Her seductive smile, full lips, and bright blue eyes captivated the attention of our peers, male and female alike. And considering that her attention was aimed at only me, and she had been quite vocal about that, I’d earned the ire of most of the guys at the Cathedral.

  Which I didn’t feel like was very fair, since we were almost done with our third month and I’d barely been at the Cathedral for over a week of that.

  I hadn’t noticed the thick accent for the brief moment that we’d met, which made me think that either she was playing it up now or had been hiding it back then. I knew she was from Tres, but I wasn’t sure if she was an unclaimed illegitimate child or just one that was Mundane-born and the Nobles didn’t want her to be in the line of succession for her family.

  “What…” Bridget picked an apple slice off my plate and lazily bounced it with her fingers. She winked, then took a nibble out of it. “Cat got your tongue?”

  Ether’s chair scraped the tile as my wife shot to her feet.

  I leaned to my left so that I could touch her arm with the back of my left hand.

  “Heard you got married.” Bridget took another nibble out of the slice of apple. Her gaze moved to Ether. “You know I had him first.”

  Ether’s tone went straight to combative. “You—”

  “Bridget.” I sighed. “What do you want?”

  “Just your love.” The blonde woman grinned.

  “And why do you think I’m interested?” I ran the back of my hand across Ether’s arm. “I’ve got a wife, a fiancé, and three other women who love me.” I put my right hand on Vena’s shoulder. “Why do I need more than that?”

  “Because I was there first.” Bridget pouted her lip. “And I wouldn’t get defensive like ghosty when you’re talking to other women.”

  “I’ll show you ghosts…” Ether growled.

  “Ether.” I stood up so I could ensure that I was between the two of them. “I’ve got this.”

  “But she—”

  “Insulted someone I care about, I know.” I gave Ether a quick hug, then turned to the woman who was still half lounging on the table. “If you’re trying to flirt with me, insulting my wife isn’t a smart way to do it.”

  “So you went with the Tank?” Bridget purred as she backed off the table. Her eyes twinkled with the promise of mischief. “You know, in another world, I would have been the Tank on your team.” She sized up Ether before turning her attention back to me. “Then I’d be the one you’d be standing beside right now.”

  I felt Ether tense, but I simply shook my head. “What do you want, Bridget?”

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  “Just your—”

  “I’m not some sex-starved poor boy who is going to get gooey-eyed just because you’re giving me attention.” I folded my arms. “What do you want?”

  “Fine.” Bridget put her hands on Jovena’s right shoulder. “I want in. I’ve known you were a catch since the first day we were here, but you’re never around for me to catch your eye. But now you’re here and that speech you gave about Jovena being one of yours…” A grin crossed her face. “I want you to think about me like that.”

  “I’ve already got a Tank—”

  “You’ve also got two teams.” She let out a little laugh. “And we both know that the guy isn’t going to graduate with you.” Bridget’s grin turned into a smile. “And, I’ve got a way to solve your little predicament.” She kneaded Vena’s shoulders. “Promise you’ll let me join once the guy leaves and we can switch Jovena for Teph.”

  Aelin squealed and clapped her hands.

  I glared at the dark woman.

  “What?” Aelin didn’t even try to hide the smile on her face. “She’s literally begging to join your harem. AND SHE’S GORGEOUS!”

  “Aelin…” I shook my head and turned back to Bridget. “Trades between teams can only happen—”

  “New teams, new rules.” The silver woman wagged her finger. “Before the Prelims, you can swap people around between the two teams as if they were a single team.” She nodded over at the golden-toned blond sitting by Andes. “Celia swapped out the Mundane for Wulfher Malas, so I know you can do it.”

  I took a deep breath and looked at Ether. “What do you think?”

  Aelin squealed again.

  “I don’t like it.” Ether’s red eyes narrowed. “If we come back and find out you’ve not been taking care of her…”

  “A sailor’s honor.” Bridget saluted, then slipped away from Vena and put a single finger on my chest. “I think in this situation, you owe me a kiss.”

  “What?” I reached for her hand and she stepped in even closer.

  “Everyone here already knows I’m with you.” She batted her blue eyes. “So kiss me.”

  I slid my hand up her back and dipped her to the side. Most Tanks that I’d known had been very thick, especially the women, but both Bridget and Ether were very lithe women. With my Power of 10 and the physical training that I’d done as a Porter, moving her was as easy as if she were a doll.

  The moment our lips touched, I felt electricity run down my spine. My ears burned as the cheers were drowned by the boos from most of the guys. They might not have been able to hear what we were talking about, but they could all see what I was doing.

  The moment we parted, I tipped her back up. Her blue eyes never left me as she touched a finger to her lips.

  “Wow.” A smile spread across her face. “I knew you were special, but WOW.”

  “Just make sure you hold up your end of the deal.” I wasn’t sure if sending Vena from one Dispatcher teacher to another would do any good, but I had a feeling that at least Bridget would look out for her.

  “Don’t worry about your little Shooter.” The smile still hadn’t faded from Bridget’s face. “She’ll be in one piece when you get back.”

  “Good.” I looked down at my tray, but I didn’t feel very hungry. I grabbed the corner of the tray and tipped the food into my CB. Once it was empty, I set the tray back down on the table and looked at Miel. “You ready to go?”

  “Are you ready to go?” My protector gestured at the green woman, whose name I couldn’t remember. “Or are you going to swallow her tongue too?”

  “Jane’s not here to audition.” Bridget hurried over to the other woman and grabbed her arm. “She’s our team leader, so she came over to back me up.” She gathered up her blonde hair into a ponytail, then pulled her friend away. “Come on, we’ve got to talk to Mister Artis now!”

  I watched Bridget hurry out of the cafeteria while almost dragging her friend along. I turned to Vena. “You should be okay now.”

  Vena bolted out of her chair and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. I could feel warm tears melting into my denim jacket, so I wrapped my arms around her so no one else could see.

  “Let me know if she doesn’t follow through.” I stroked the silver woman’s white hair. “But I’m pretty sure you’re going to be fine.”

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