Page 10 of Brutal Birthright

Oh.

OH.

Fuck him.

Fuck him.

Ri’s fists curled into balls at her sides. He had no idea what had transpired that day during the coronation, and here he was, still intent on belittling her in as public a manner as possible. Screw that. She wasn’t going to take any shit from this witch.

“There are many, actually.” Ticking off her fingers as she spoke, Ri plastered on a serene smile. While on the inside, she delighted in the thought of flinging her blades at his chest. “Greed is obvious. Money and power will always be easy leverage to use. Followed by exploiting younglings or family. You’d be surprised how many selfish beings place a higher value on material possessions and would gladly sacrifice those closest to them, so one can never assume what they will value more. Secrets are always a sure way to expose an opponent. And lastly, a mate bond or fated soul connection is the perfect weak point, no matter how tough an adversary may seem.”

Her cheeks burned, and silence echoed through the arena.

Defiance slipped through her bloodstream as Ri gathered her long hair over one shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Rowan. “Would you like me to continue, or should I allow someone else in the class an opportunity to demonstrate their willingness to obey commands?”

Nothing fucking ruffled the composure of this man. He simply turned to a rugged-looking vampire and pointed at his chest with one of his short swords. “And how does a mate bond get confirmed across species? The kind that can be used to determine a weakness?”

The dark-headed vampire with roguish hair sweeping across his eyes—Ri vaguely remembered him mentioning his name as Etienne, or E as some called him—dutifully answered.

“Through blood bonds. Biting and tasting of blood for vampires and demonic beings, or sensing for shifters.”

Rowan swung around, the point of his blade now fixed on Vanya.

A flare of something hot surged in Ri’s stomach.

“You. What about witches and fae?”

She was certain Vanya squeezed her tits together as she answered in a saccharine voice. “Fae and sprites recognise their fated mate through a kiss. While witches have the power of choice, they aren’t bound by a fated connection if they choose not to be.”

“How do we avoid those things being used against us then?” Brynne stuck her hand up.

Rowan arched a dark eyebrow. Letting her words hang in the air for a long moment before he responded.

“You want to survive?” He growled, “Never let someone taste your blood, watch yourself around wolves, and don’t go kissing fae or sprites.”

That primal sound and the words kissing fae sent a coil winding low in Ri’s core. Goddess-fucking-damnit, she shouldn’t be fixating on those words and how everything sounded so deliciously rough coming from his mouth.

But before Rowan could continue with his next line of questioning of another student, Vanya interrupted. This bitch was getting on her last nerve. “Excuse me, sir… but you’ve learned all our names, and yet haven’t told us how you’d like us to address you.” She stood twirling a golden lock of hair around her forefinger. Innuendo slithering all over the place as she batted her eyelashes. Cunt face.

Ri’s fingernails dug deep into her palm.

Brynne made a gagging noise beside her.

“The queen has made it clear all academic staff are to be addressed formally...” Rowan appeared to chew over something for a moment. “But I don’t give a shit about that. In the heat of battle, there are rarely times for formalities, only showing loyalty and respect.”

And with that cryptic statement, he spun on his heel. Disappearing and leaving a rather bemused-looking Finn to lead them in training drills for the rest of the class.

Not before levelling Ri with a long look that spoke volumes.

Loyalty and respect.

Oh, yes. He’d know all about that, wouldn’t he? Yet he clearly held it against her for a truth he’d never know. She would rather chew her own arm off than give him the satisfaction of thinking that he’d gotten under her skin.

Fucking prick.

Chapter 4

Fuck.

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