Grey

Chapter 19

After class that morning, I'd rode home with Grey in silence. I was ridiculously embarrassed at my behavior this morning and I was pissed off that he had basically tried to kill me. I guess I'd sort of seen it coming, however, given how late I was.

My biology professor had informed us in class about an academic gala being held in a few weeks that the honors students were all supposed to attend. When someone had asked if we could skip it, he'd gasped as if the prospect of missing it was unheard of. According to him, we were required to go. Something about showcasing our intelligence to university donors, I think. Grey had scoffed at that. I'm sure he would come up with some excuse as to why we didn't have to attend.

I wouldn't complain about that. I didn't like getting all dressed up anyway, and the idea of being paraded around by the university like some circus animal- no thank you.

I stretched out across my bed, my hair damp from the shower I'd just taken. Since I'd been late to training this morning, I hadn't gotten to shower before class. I'm sure I had smelled horrid. I felt like I needed to apologize to everyone in the room. Grey had been uncompromising though and had insisted I deal with the consequences of my lateness. After that, I'd set three alarms for the following morning.

I was suddenly brought back to reality when a knock resounded on my door.

"Come in," I breathed, dreading whoever stood on the other side of that door.

"Jordan- you look like you've seen a ghost," Riel chuckled lightly, letting out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Riel- I didn't know you'd be back so early," I smiled in relief and Riel flashed me a dazzling grin, making his way over to the bed to sit next to me. His platinum hair was swept over to the side like a wave on a beach, a few strands falling across his tanned forehead. How. How did people wake up looking this good?

"Neither did I. Grey said you had some... difficulty this morning, training with him," Riel explained, his eyes twinkling as if he knew something I didn't. Oh God- what if Grey had told him what I'd said? What I'd done? I'd full-on checked him out. Why- why did this sort of awkward situation always happen to me?

"Yeah, he uh- he runs fast," I coughed awkwardly, hoping that was all Riel had meant. Riel chuckled and nodded, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine. Good. That meant it had been what he was referring to.

"You weren't supposed to be able to keep up, and Grey wasn't supposed to do that to you. Humans can't do that. He was using his power to try to make you pass out because you shouldn't have been able to keep up with him, not even as an Awakened. I guess he underestimated the power of your soul- and how stubborn you are," the corners of Riel's lips turned upwards in a grin and he nudged my shoulder playfully. My muscles screamed on contact, aching from this morning's workout, and I winced. Riel smiled sympathetically and whispered an apology.

"What does that mean?" I asked, slightly furrowing my brows in confusion. I knew an Awakened was stronger than a human, but if even an Awakened wasn't supposed to be able to do what I did this morning, what does that mean for me? What does that mean about the things that want to hurt me?

"It means your soul is more powerful than we thought. An Awakened might've been able to keep up for a mile or two on their human body alone, and after that maybe a mile on the power of their soul. You weren't supposed to be able to go the whole way. Your human body should've given out in the first few miles, and you shouldn't have been able to use the power of your soul to keep going, not without training and being a mature Awakened. In his own twisted way, I think Grey was trying to teach you the power of Angelic beings versus your own, but it didn't work out that way. You're still nowhere close to being as strong as an angel, or as fast, seeing as Grey at least tried to slow down to an almost human pace- but you're stronger than any Awakened I've ever seen," Riel explained. Something in his voice seemed- I don't know- excited?

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" I frowned. Riel scowled in thought, his bright eyes dimming for a split second.

"Most likely- it's both," he confirmed. I pressed my lips together in thought, wondering what on Earth this could mean for me, for my life that now seemed to threaten to drift whichever way the wind decided to blow. Riel cleared his throat and stood up. "Grey is waiting for you downstairs. And I'll make sure he apologizes for his behavior this morning. The Archangels aren't happy with him threatening your health," Riel smiled sympathetically, giving me a once-over before walking out the door and shutting it quietly behind him.

I sucked in a deep breath, my mind whirring with a billion thoughts that I didn't know how to begin to process. It seemed like all at once, my life had become this gigantic mess, and I never knew what was going to happen next. For someone who loves to plan everything that could ever possibly happen, it was easy to feel overwhelmed.

I pulled myself off of my bed, though my muscles ached and screamed at every move I made. I shouldn't have tried to keep up with Grey. I knew there was no way any human could keep up with him, but I just had to prove myself to him. All I did was end up on the ground, embarrassing myself, and now in pain.

I hurried downstairs. I had chemistry in half an hour and Grey was supposed to take me. He leaned against the kitchen wall, looking up at me beneath his under-arched brows in what appeared to be a mix between a glare and a smirk. Only he could manage such a confusing expression.

"Riel told me I'm supposed to apologize for almost killing you this morning," Grey pulled himself off of the wall, his arms folded across his chest sternly. His silvery blue eyes twinkled slightly, as if he were amused. Wasn't he supposed to feel bad? After all, if I was only human he could've actually killed me. But somehow, I knew that remorse was something that Grey was unfamiliar with.

"It's fine. You were trying to teach me that I was weak compared to you guys. Guess I'm not as weak as you thought. It's not a big deal," I replied, mirroring him by folding my arms across my chest. Grey eyed me for a second, as if he hadn't expected that reaction from me. Maybe he'd expected me to demand an apology, to be furious for not getting one- but I didn't really care. There were only two things about this morning that bugged me. The first was that I wasn't as weak as I should be- and I didn't know what that meant for my future, or the kind of danger I was now in. The second was that I still couldn't get over how I'd reacted to a shirtless Grey- or the fact that shirtless Grey is still on my mind.

"Why aren't you mad at me?" Grey raised an eyebrow, his voice lowering slightly as if he were genuinely confused.

"Because I understand what you were trying to do. And it should've worked. If anything, I'm mad at myself for now putting myself in danger for the sake of my pride. My soul is stronger than it's supposed to be, and that makes me a bigger target. I wouldn't have known had I not been so stubborn," I explained coolly. Grey narrowed his eyes slightly as if he thought I was trying to trick him.

"You're right. But I shouldn't-" he stopped himself and let out a deep sigh, "-I shouldn't have put you in danger. Your life was in danger because I pushed you so hard, so your soul took over. I knew it would do that. I shouldn't have done that."

Did I just get an apology from Grey?

I mean, he didn't exactly say he was sorry, but it was more than I thought I would get. From what I understood about Grey and his gigantic ego- he didn't apologize. To anyone. Ever.

I frowned slightly, but I guess I didn't realize I was doing it because Grey smirked slightly at my reaction and rolled his eyes. "You'll never get that from me again, so cherish it, Greene. Let's go, we're going to be late for your class," he winked, grabbing his leather jacket from the back of the stool at the breakfast bar and swinging it nonchalantly over his shoulder. He sauntered through the living room towards the door, glancing briefly back over his shoulder.

"You coming, Greene?" He smirked over his shoulder at me. I sucked in a deep breath and followed, fully aware of my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.