Hades Legacy (Hades Series #3)

Chapter Three

"I'll be fine, Dorian. I can take care of myself." I reassure. "I have my powers, and worst comes to worst, I'll just turn invisible and high-tail it out of there."

He eyes me. "No you won't. You're like your mother; you have a ridiculously insatiable curiosity."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Yes."

I punch his shoulder. "Dorian!"

"You also punch like a baby bird." He informs me, cracking a grin when I punch him again. "Seriously, can you not punch any harder? You're never going to be able to defend yourself if you don't know how to punch properly; you might as well get used to running away invisible."

"Good thing I won't need to defend myself then, right?" My lips quirk up into a smile, and he huffs, looking unconvinced. "Geez, you make it sound like I'm going up there to pick fights, Dorian."

"I know you won't." He grunts. "I just don't trust the rest of the world."

"Stop it!" I punch him again. "Stop worrying about me! It looks weird on you; leave the worrying up to my parents."

"Okay, okay!" He jumps back out of my reach, rubbing the shoulder I punched. "Damn girl, you really are just like your mother. You're both violent. I take it back; maybe you will be able to defend yourself if you just incessantly punch people like that."

I give him a look, folding my arms back over my chest again. "How many times do I have to say I won't need to defend myself Dorian? I will be fine. I can't believe I have to keep assuring you of this; you're the one who's constantly been trying to convince me I'm secretly badass."

He sighs, and plasters a rakish grin on his face that isn't reflected in his eyes. "Yeah, you're right. You'll be fine."

I scrutinize him, carefully dissecting every inch of his expression in an attempt to figure out what's going on in his mind. "Is that sarcasm?"

"No." He says, and I raise my eyebrows challengingly. "It's not! I'm just worrying. There are certain people up on the surface I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw them. And by certain people, I mean ninety percent of the super population."

"You keep saying that. Stop." I reiterate, turning on my heel and heading back to pack my bag. "It's weirding me out, and it's curtailing my excitement."

"Curtailing?" He guffaws, sounding a little more like the impish Dorian I know. "What are you, a walking dictionary?"

"No. I'm just educated." I reply, in the most melodramatically haughty voice I can.

"Oh yes princess, so very educated. I feel like a conversational peasant in your overwhelming educated presence." He snickers. "That was sarcasm, in case you didn't pick it up."

I whirl around, narrowing my eyes at him. "I know what sarcasm is, Dorian. My mother speaks it fluently."

He pouts at me, widening his blue eyes contritely. "Uh, so do I! How dare you forget about me and my sarcastic ways."

"I don't think I ever could, Dorian. I don't think your ego would let me." I shake my head in exasperation and point to the chair next to him. "Can you pass me my jersey?"

He chucks it at me, and I shove it in my bag. He watches silently as I double check I have everything I need and zip the bag up, and when I turn to question him on his unnatural silence, I'm surprised to catch the concern fleeting through his gaze. "You'll be careful, right El?"

"No Dorian, I'm just barreling up there with no thought for my safety." I retort sarcastically, slinging the bag over my shoulder. "Of course I'll be careful! My parents didn't raise an idiot."