My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

Win The Crown (Part 2)

"They're leaving the wards?" I asked, incredulous, as the assault on the school continued.

Kai glanced up at the minions and then down to the two of them. "They'll be fine." He didn't sound convinced. "Stay close!" he yelled after them.

A wave from Theo was the sole indication they'd heard us. I had to trust that they could handle themselves because time was running out for me to win that crown.

Before I could put any kind of idea into play, Anil tackled me to the ground in a bear hug. I landed hard on my right shoulder, all his weight on me. But not for long.

Kai lifted the poor dude up and flung him across the field. He crumpled like a rag doll fifty feet away.

I ran toward him, but only got about three steps before Kai pulled on the back of my dress.

"I wouldn't advise it," he warned.

"It's Bethany, you dolt," I said, twisting around in his grasp. "She did this."

His grip tightened. "She only amped up what was already there."

"So he has a crush on me? So what?"

Kai let go of me and spun me to face him. "You were going after him. I've told you before, Sophie, don't play jealousy games with me."

I put my hands on my hips. "Don't you dare pull that caveman act on me. I'm not going to be ordered around or dictated who my friends are. And Anil is my friend."

Which oddly enough, had become true.

Light started to spark from Kai's fingers. His eyes went totally black.

This was way over the top on the overreacting scale. Had Bethany done something to him, too?

No. Aphrodite's arrow. He looked as crazed as I had felt when I wanted to kill Artemis.

Talking wouldn't help. I rose up on my tiptoes and kissed him. Hard.

I didn't know if it would actually work, but what a great test.

"Better?" I asked. Kai's eyes had returned to their regular brown, which was good.

He stared at me, clearly unimpressed. "I'm rethinking the 'no deicide' rule. Aphrodite and Jack are really pissing me the hell off."

"Good. I'll help. Meantime, I have to check on Anil. Can I do that without you killing him?" I brushed the dirt off my dress.

His jaw clenched but he nodded.

I patted his cheek. "Back in a sec, my Prince of Darkness. Better still, go scout. Find Bethany and/or the crown." I headed across the grass to Anil.

"Are you all right?" I asked him as he got to his feet.

He laughed. "Nothing a little duct tape won't cure. I'm a wrestler. This ain't no thang. Like one time—"

I held up a hand. "Don't share."

Before I could come up with some lame explanation for Kai's actions, Anil took a step toward me, hands outstretched. "You look amazing."

I took a step back. "Are you going to grab me again? Because I'll fling you off myself."

He laughed.

O-kay. If he wasn't even curious about how Kai had managed to fire him across a lawn, it was probably safe to assume he wasn't thinking clearly. "Do you want to go find Bethany?"

Anil frowned. "Why would I want to do that?"

Was I wrong? "Why indeed? Can you do me a favor?"

He looked a bit too eager. I felt bad.

"Go hang out somewhere quiet for the next hour? Please. And don't ask me why."

I wanted him safely out of range of whatever might go down. Hope Park was supposed to be a safe haven. I had a terrible feeling that Kai throwing Anil might be the least of the harm my classmates would experience if I didn't successfully complete this challenge and stop Bethany and Jack. Neither of them cared who they hurt in their quest to get what they wanted.

Anil took my hand. "What do I get in return, Bloom?"

I glanced over my shoulder nervously to make sure Kai wasn't there, but he'd left. "My undying gratitude?"

"Not enough."

A sudden noise made me pivot. More classmates. They swarmed us, picked me up, and began to carry me away, Anil still holding my hand and keeping pace. "Hey!"

Anil single-mindedly ignored my protests. "A date. With me."

"You do see I'm being carted away, yes?" I slapped away the hands that were pawing at my dress.

"Yeah. To our date."

Was this a spell? Or was Anil finally snapping into stalker mode?

The mob entered the school on the dorm side and jogged up the stairs. My head bobbed furiously, since these kids didn't have a smooth system for toting hostages.

"Anil, listen to me. Forget anything Bethany has told you. Remember? 'Doggy Style' ain't your thing?"

"B ain't so bad. She set me straight on how you feel. I feel the same way. Tonight is about you and me, babe."

And twenty-five onlookers. Bethany was such a bitch. She'd been able to manipulate Anil because he wanted it to be true. And while he maybe shouldn't have believed her, it wasn't his fault for wishing otherwise.

I felt terrible that my desire for friendly flirting had also played a part in this. I vowed to get out of it with the least possible damage to Anil. Physical and emotional.

I tried to raise my head and see where we were going since all the ceiling tiles looked alike, but one of the minions yanked my hair down, restricting my view. "How about a raincheck?"

"Nope," he said cheerfully. "It's now or never."

Given the circumstances, I was willing to bet that "never" meant "do it or you die."