"Oh, is that so? Is that why he asked you to dance instead of his used to be girlfriend? Is that why he stood up for you? Is that why he's walking you to your room while she walked alone?"
"I-I told you, he's my friend. There isn't anything going on between us."
"I really hope you're not lying to me."
Now she was even more pissed. "Screw you, Lex. I told you I'm not with him. If you don't believe me, that's your own damn fault."
He looked a little shocked, probably because he wasn’t used to people talking to him like that. After a few seconds, though, he smirked at her like he knew it made her want to slap him into the next century.
"Does he know that?"
"Well, he should. I've made it pretty clear," Aria said, calming down a little. "Why? Are you jealous?" For a second, she was mortified. She knew she'd never say anything like that if she wasn't drunk.
"Maybe a little." And to her shock, he winked at her before saying goodnight and walking to his quarters.
She stayed outside of her door for a few more minutes, processing what had just happened. Did...did he seriously wink at her? Was he really just flirting with her? Oh my god....was her future husband flirting with her? Her future husband...the king...was jealous? Holy shit.
Chapter 8
The next morning when Aria woke up, Mara was already gone.
Aria goes to the throne room, hoping to catch Mara during breakfast and check that everything was okay. She felt guilty about the night before, even though nothing had actually happened between her and Ben. But Mara isn't there, either.
Peter tells Aria that she had just left.
"Do you know where she went?"
"Uh, probably the training area," Peter said, "to work off some of that steam."
So she is angry. "Okay, thanks, Peter."
"Watch out, though. She's in a terrible mood."
"Do you know why?"
"Not really. But she snapped at a few of us this morning...and last night, she came into our room and asked for Ben. I'm pretty sure they had a fight. I think Ben basically told her it would never happen between them again because he loves you," Peter said.
Aria just nodded. It had been a long time coming. Honestly, Aria was surprised when Mara decided to keep fighting for Ben after she found out about his feelings.
She walked to the training area after breakfast and found Mara. There were a few other people there, practicing. Mara was alone, doing push-ups in the corner.
"Hey," Aria said.
Mara didn't look up.
Aria felt awkward. She wasn't sure what she should say since Mara was pretty much ignoring her.
"Are you mad at me or something," she finally asked.
"No," Mara spits out. "Why would I be mad at you?"
"Well, you are kind of ignoring me, so..."
Mara got up. "I'm not mad at you, Aria. It isn't your fault that people can't stop falling in love with you."
"Mara...Nothing-nothing happened between Ben and me."
Mara turned away and walked to the center of the space. "So, who wants to fight," she asked, looking around at everyone.
Aria finally noticed Lex off to the side, talking to Grace and Martinez. A few people looked up. Some of Lex's guards actually laughed.
Aria noticed Grace exchange a look with Lex. He nodded.
"I'll fight you," Grace said, walking towards Mara. "No weapons. When you're ready to quit, just say so," she said, smirking.
Mara only glared at her. They circled around one another, sizing each other up.
The others in the space gathered in a circle around the two girls, watching. Lex stayed in his spot, crossing his arms.
Mara lashed out, going for the first hit.
Grace moved to the right, anticipating the move. But she didn’t try to hit Mara back.
Aria grew nervous. She didn't think this was a good idea.
Mara tried again, closing in on Grace and swinging.
This time, Grace dodged the punch and grabbed Mara’s hand mid-swing. She shoved, and Mara fell, landing on the floor with a thud.
"Weak," Grace sneered.
Mara grit her teeth and got back up.
Aria made her way to stand beside Lex. "I don't think this is a good idea," she whispered.
"Why? Just because you don't want to train doesn't mean the others feel the same way."
"She-she's angry. She might hurt herself; she might hurt Grace," Aria said.
Lex laughed. "Grace is the second-best fighter we have here. So if anyone's going to get hurt today...it won't be her."
That didn't make Aria feel any less uneasy. Just then, Mara let out a scream. She was on the floor, with Grace on top of her. She held Mara's arm behind her back, at a very painful-looking angle.
"That's enough," Aria yelled, walking towards the two girls.
Grace lets Mara go and rose to her feet, glaring at Aria the entire time. "We’re done when I say we’re done," she said coldly. "Or until this pathetic girl tells me she's ready to give up," she said, looking at Mara.
Mara got to her feet and looked past Grace to Aria. "Butt out. This doesn’t concern you," she said, in the angriest voice Aria had ever heard her use.
Aria backed away. She had only been trying to help. But Mara obviously didn't want it.
The girls circled one another again, but this time Grace didn't even wait for Mara to make the first move. Her hand shot out faster than Aria thought possible, and the sound of her fist connecting to Mara's jaw echoed around the room. Mara's head snapped back at the impact. And a second later, Grace kicked at her, knocking her legs out from under her. Mara landed on the floor with a groan.
"Weak," Grace said again, looking down at Mara. "Have you had enough?"
Mara got up off the floor, weakly. She put her fists in front of her face, ready to fight again. This time she tried to kick Grace’s legs.
Grace dodged, and this time, she brought her leg up and slammed it into Mara's side. Mara let out a scream at the impact and
