Page 46 of Hidden Empire

“It’s nice of you to offer,” Ana cuts in, trying to smooth over such an abrupt rejection. “But Cole will lose his shit if I speak to Matteo, much less feed him.”

My eyebrows dip down. “I thought my brothers were okay with the Knight Family. I mean, we don’t have ties, but…”

“Cole doesn’t want me speaking to any men,” she explains with a shrug. “If he had it his way, they’d all spontaneously combust for merely looking in my direction.”

“Intense,” I comment, blinking.

“It is what it is.”

I suppose she’s right. No use dwelling on the things we can’t control.

“Do you… do you maybe want to hang out sometime?” God, it sounds like I’m asking her on a date!

“No,” Ana answers, not even pausing to consider it.

Knife meet heart. Making friends sucks.

“Oh, okay,” I blurt, taking a step back. Thanks for letting me down easy, Ana, damn.

She stops me before I can flee. “Can I give you a piece of advice?”

Please make it a nice one.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t try to make friends here.”

“I—”

Ana doesn’t give me the opportunity to question her. “Your brothers, they’ve made plenty of acquaintances here, yes? Probably told you who it’s okay for you to approach and who you should avoid? They’ve labeled me as a safe bet for you, right?”

Mutely, I nod.

“They aren’t wrong, I have no desire to bring you harm in any way. That doesn’t mean you should want to be my friend. Not here.”

Relieving to hear, but still confusing.

“You’ll notice very quickly that girls aren’t as friendly here, why do you think that is?” Ana asks, tilting her head at me.

“Um, to keep people away?” I guess.

Her intense brown eyes scan our surroundings before she takes a step closer to me and lowers her voice. “Women should always be on guard in this world, especially here. Just because we can’t kill each other doesn’t mean we can’t be stabbed in the back. Men fight with their fists, and women fight with their brains.

“You don’t know me, or any other girl here. You don’t know what they would do to win the favor of their family. What lies they’d tell or who they’d befriend under false pretenses. Empire is an illusion of safety. You may not be hit in the face outside of fight training, but your head isn’t automatically safe from other kinds of blows.”

“Oh?”

“Guard your secrets,” she says lowly. “Use this time to get closer with your brothers. Build friendships with them. Avoid anyone who seems too eager to get in your good graces. Even the nicest girls would trade your torment for their benefit. You don’t know what they go through at home or the things they would do to improve their circumstances, understand?”

Loud and clear. Unfortunately, this lovely bit of advice only makes me wish we were friends more.

“Yes, that’s really helpful, thank you.” I look down at my feet, unsure what else to say or when to make myself scarce.

“And,” she says, letting out a breath. “If you still want to hang out after this semester is over, I’d be happy to have it organized. Making friends should be done in an environment where actions have consequences. You can’t build something worth keeping when it’s crafted with unstable materials.”

Oh wow.

My whole mood lightens up, and my face flushes.

---