SERPENT HEART° TOM RIDDLE

037. DUX FEMINA FACTI

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN
— a woman leads the events

         RHEA MANAGED TO KEEP THE EXPRESSION ON HER FACE CALM DESPITE THE FACT THAT HER MIND WAS REELING. She had kissed Tom. She could hardly wrap her mind around the fact that it had happened and she was shocked she managed to stand beside Atlas as dozens of people congratulated them on their engagement without giving away the fact that she was world's away.

She wasn't exactly sure how she should feel after the kiss. A part of her was cursing herself for doing it — She wasn't one to go around kissing people on a whim. Everything she did, every move she made, was always carefully calculated and thought through. She hadn't gone into that room planning to kiss Tom at all and she certainly hadn't thought about the consequences of doing so.

Another part of her, the part that she hated to acknowledge, had enjoyed the kiss far more than she would care to admit. Far too often she found her mind wandering back to the way she had felt as he kissed her. No one had ever made her feel like that before.

But, then, her mind would wander back to the boy she believed would always have her heart: Eddie.

The more she thought about the kiss, the guiltier she felt for enjoying it at all. She didn't feel like she deserved to enjoy it, not after everything that had happened to him.

Rhea's eyes wandered to the smiling faces of her family members. She could only imagine how they would react if they found out she had been busy locking lips with a half-blood while she was supposed to be attending to their guests. Rhea had to bite back her wince at the thought.

"Something troubling you?" Atlas's voice startled Rhea from her thoughts. She turned to find him staring down at her, his dark brows slightly raised. It was one of the rare moments where the two of them found themselves alone as everyone else was too preoccupied with discussing the shock of it all. Rhea looked at Atlas and wondered how he would react if he knew what she had been up to. She doubted he'd care that much since it wasn't as though they were in an actual relationship. They were two complete strangers, but, from what Rhea had heard her whole life, people didn't need to know each other in order to get married. Her parents hardly knew one another when they said their vows.

"All of this can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. I'm sure you understand." Rhea said, waving her hand dismissively. For a moment, Atlas looked amused, like he could tell she was lying, but the look disappeared in an instant.

"Better than most, I'm afraid." Atlas said. He glanced around the hall, his eyes landing where his friends were. Rhea recognized Damocles Rowle standing amongst Alina and Andrei Dragavei. Damocles and Andrei had smiles playing on their faces as they snuck glances at Atlas and Rhea. Atlas turned to Rhea. "Will you excuse me?"

He went to his friends, joining in on their conversation and leaving Rhea to stand in the middle of the room. Her eyes darted around, looking for the one person she thought she should talk to before the party ended. But, Tom was nowhere to be found as Rhea searched the crowd. She let out a slightly irritated sigh, wondering where he could have gone off to now, when Davina stepped in front of Rhea's path with Persephone, Walburga, and Seraphina standing behind her.

Neither Seraphina or Rhea hadn't said much  to each other since she caught Rhea and Tom in the room together. Rhea reminded Seraphina not to say anything before they re-entered the room. Rhea was confident that the girl would keep her mouth shut and it seemed the kiss was the last thing on her mind since the four girls were already peppering Rhea with questions about Atlas.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!"

"You and Atlas? Really?"

"This is so exciting! I'm sure Atlas will be wonderful to you."