And Then There Were Four (Lilith Carrie)

Chapter 155: Challenging Zia

Handing over my plate of food and drink to Sansa, I slowly turned to face Zia. Her long hair flowed in

waves over her shoulders. Her piercing eyes stared back at me with a smug expression on her face,

the only thing I could think about was what it would look like beaten in.

Perhaps that was a slightly aggressive thought for me to have, but she had pushed my last fucking

button like no one would believe.

“What is your problem?” I asked her, trying to remain calm as everyone waited for her explanation. A

scoff left her lips as she sat there, rolling her eyes with her arms across her chest. She had to always

be high and mighty when she was around her peers, something girls like her would never get tired of

doing.

“I don’t have a problem. It’s you who’s jealous Lucas and I are, well, eventually going to be together,”

she replied mock- ingly.

The last thing I had was time to spend on a woman like this, but I was sick and tired of her pushing my

buttons. I was sick and tired of her spreading false rumors and more sick and tired of just dealing with

her shit in general.

I hadn’t even been in this place that long, and it was like she was completely threatened by my

presence here and sought to try and make my life a living hell.

“You have high hopes for someone who’s second best. I that what you do with your day, Zia? Do you

dream of taking the men of other women just to make yourself feel bette when they don’t give you the

attention you want?”

Shocked by what I had said, her mouth dropped oper wide as her eyes narrowed and an angry glare

crossed her face. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

Snorting with laughter, I glanced over at Trixie, who was just as shocked as Zia. It didn’t come as a

surprise to me nc one had ever stood up to this girl. She was pathetic, honestly and I didn’t understand

how she could be the way she was when, in today’s age, we should be working with each other not

against.

Regardless of how she should be, I couldn’t help but stand there staring at her in annoyance. “I’m

pretty sure I did- n’t stutter, and I said it loud enough for everybody in here to hear. So I don’t

understand where the confusion is coming from.”

Stomping her foot, she screamed in irritation as she stormed past people toward me. I knew that look in

her eye. It was one of a woman on a warpath, and if she wanted a part of me, then she could have one.

“Enough!” Lucas‘ roar was enough to make me shudder. With our bond still technically in place, for the

most part, I let the shiver of his tone run down my spine before he stepped in between Zia and me with

his glare pointed at me. “Give me what I want.”

“No,” I snapped with more determination in me than I ever felt. “You’re not you right now, and I won’t let

you make a choice when you’re not thinking clearly.”

Majcher

Laughter escaped him as he looked at Zia and a few oth ers before turning his gaze to me again. “You

never ever wanted this, Cassie. Why hold on now?”

“Because I won’t let you do something you might regret.”

My reply made him flinch as his angry scowl dropped for a moment before reappearing again. No

matter what I said, he refused to see what I was saying for truth. The more I thought about it, the more I

couldn’t help but wonder what had happened for him to act the way he was.

The night we spent together flashed through my mind, and though he tried to break our bond, I refused

to accept him. Which meant neither of us was going to move on.

Zia’s slimy fingers wrapped around Lucas‘ arm as she leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips. As

much as I want- ed to remain calm and not let her see how much it was affect- ing me, I couldn’t. A low

growl emitted from my throat entic- ing the beast within Lucas because behind his gaze–a flash of

gold–let me know his beast wasn’t pleased with the choices. he was making.

“Oh, is someone jealous?” Zia hissed, causing me to roll my eyes and laugh.

“Jealous?” I smirked. “That would call for me to have someone worth being jealous over. I wouldn’t

really call you competition, Zia. You’re more like… a gnat that doesn’t leave when you swat it.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched her eyes nar- row at me as a look of shock and disgust

crossed her face.

She couldn’t believe what I had said to her, but honestly, she had no one to blame but herself. In a

moment of amusement, I thought the argument was over, but as I looked at Trixie, whose expression

matched so many others, I misjudged the situation.

The punch Zia threw caught me off guard, and as her fist connected with the side of my face, I

stumbled. A wave of anger rushed through me. My eyes connect with her’s, caus- ing an ‘oh shit‘

expression to come forth in her eyes.

“A sucker punch… really, Zia?” I snarled at her with fists clenched at my sides, my nails extending,

cutting into my palms as I thought of the many ways I was going to demolish her.

“Cassie, calm down right now,” Lucas said warningly as he pushed Zia behind him.

“You would protect her after what she just did, Lucas?”

Opening his mouth, he was silent as if contemplating what he was going to say next, and even though

he hesitated, he quickly sneered once more, gritting his teeth as the eyes of everyone in the cafeteria

watched on.

“You’re not my mate, Cassie. So why would I care what happens to you?” he replied, causing my heart

to clench in agony. Yet, no matter how hurt his comment made me, I did- n’t allow others to see its

effects.

Zia began to laugh at Lucas‘ comment, and any idea I had to walk away from being the bigger man

escaped my thoughts. With a fit of anger rolling through me like a ty- phoon, I reached out past Lucas

and snatched Zia by her throat.

My claws dug into her skin, causing droplets of blood to drip down her flawless skin. “Find something

funny, Zia.”

She gripped my hand, trying to break it free as she gasped for air. Lucas was too stunned initially to do

anything, at first. Yet, he did come to terms with the fact that if un- stopped, I’d probably kill Zia. My

brother already had his arms wrapped around my waist, trying to break me free of the hold I had on the

girl.

I was a hunter, and she was my prey. My instincts to kill on an all time high as I dug my nails deeper

into her skin. “Let me go!” she gasped, “someone help!”

“Cassie, let her go now!” Pollux screamed at me, trying to get me to focus and loosen my hold. My will

and drive to high to acknowledge him.

“She has crossed a line that’s unforgivable. I will not toler- ate disrespect.”

The sound of my own voice sounded foreign in the mo- ment, and as I realized what I was doing, I

quickly let go of Zia and was pulled back. Her friends ran to her rescue as she pre- tended to be dying

from what she had gone through.

“That bitch tried to kill me!” She whined as fake tears quickly started to fall down her cheeks. “Someone

better do something! I want her gone!”

“Too bad that will never happen!” I yelled back, thrashing in Pollux’s arms as Trixie and Sansa tried to

help him calm me. My eyes still locked onto her wanting to rip her apart. No mat- ter what the

consequences would be, Zia was going to pay for what she was doing. “Enough!”

A voice yelled, catching the entire cafeteria’s attention. “What in the hell is going on?”

The voice came from the main door to the cafeteria, and as I looked toward it, I spotted an older face I

hadn’t ever seen before- a man who looked to be in his late forties, accompa- nied by Inanna at his

side.

He was a graying man with dark stubble and blue eyes. His whole characteristic screamed shifter, and I

had no doubt he had to have been some type of cat shifter by the way he was dressed and carried

himself. It was as if he was the king dick on campus, and everyone needed to bend to his will.

“Well?” he said again, glancing around with his hands on his hips. “Who the fuck is going to start

explaining?”

As I opened my mouth to speak, Lucas stepped forward, and addressed the man. “Nothing, the girls

were just showing each other new moves.”

“Lucas-” Zia called out before he snapped his angry gaze toward her shutting her up.

The older man hesitated as his eyes shifted from Lucas to Zia and then to me. “What do you have to

say for yourself?” he asked me.

As much as I wanted to rat everyone out, that wasn’t who I was, and honestly, the last thing I wanted to

do was get my- self in trouble. I may not have cared for this place, but it didn’t mean I wanted to have

any other kind of issues before I was able to go back home.

“We were just practicing… nothing happened.”

“Are you sure you want to go with that answer?” the man asked with a raised brow as if he knew I was

lying but wanted to see if I’d admit to something.

“That’s enough, Lyonal. She said it was nothing, and that’s where it will be left.”

I didn’t expect Inanna to speak up. The nasty look she gave me as she brushed past me and placed

her arm on the upper left shoulder of Lucas‘ chest made me furrow my brow. It was an intimate

gesture, and whatever she whispered to Lu- cas made him narrow his gaze at me.

Turning without another word, she exited the hall, and Lu- cas quickly tended to Zia before the both of

them followed behind Inanna.

I had no clue what the hell was going on, but the gesture between Inanna and Lucas was something I

hadn’t expected. There was something going on, and I couldn’t help but won- der if the way Lucas had

been acting was because of Inanna.

The chatter of the cafeteria quickly returned back to nor- mal as I stood in my place with Pollux, Trixie,

and Sansa at my side. The three of them talked about what happened as I con- tinue staring at the

closed door, trying to figure out what it was I was missing.

“Cassie.” The sound of Silas‘ voice was welcoming, and glancing over my shoulder, I watched him

stride towards me with a concerned expression in his eyes. “What happened?”

“It was nothing,” I replied, shaking my head. “Just a misun- derstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?” he said in an unbelieving tone.

A heavy sigh escaped me as I forced a smile on my face, and nodded my head. I tried to figure out how

I could explain to him what I had noticed. It wasn’t like it was an easy thing to tell anyone. “I think

Inanna has something to do with Lucas.”

My response caught not only the attention of Silas but Pollux, Trixie, and Sansa as well. “What are you

talking about?” Sansa asked with curiosity.

“I don’t know,” I muttered again, “but I’m sure as hell going to figure it out.”

Pollux.