Page 21 of The Kingdom of Ruin

Murmured chants echo in my ears as the screaming from the injured girl quiets. Slowly, slipping my hands from between the hand and her throat, I tilt my head to see which mage actually stepped up. I’m floored when I find it’s Brody.

I gape at him, my pulse ringing in my ears as I watch him heal the poor girl beside me. He’s not checking the wound, though, his eyes are locked on mine, holding me in place as my heart rate finally slows from the thunderous pace it was at.

It takes me a few seconds to realize his lips are no longer moving, and a second later, the girl slowly rises to sit up. I tear my gaze from his, blinking rapidly to shake myself into the present, and find the girl staring up at me in surprise.

“Thank you,” she rasps, her hand wrapping around her throat as she gulps a few times. “Thank you. Both of you,” she repeats, and I scramble to figure out what to say in response but come up blank as I turn to gape at Brody again. My throat thickens with emotions I don’t want to address when a voice bellows around us.

“Miss Reed. Office. Now. And release Vallie from your magic immediately.”

ELEVEN

ADDI

Ithought Professor Fairbourne was here to guide and aid the fae. Yet I’ve been summoned by this man twice in the same day. Why isn’t Vallie being called out for her actions? I came to that poor girl’s defense.

Anger vibrates through my body as I step into his office, and it only continues to build when the door closes behind me. I pay no attention to the room as I stare at the man in his high-backed chair, his elbows braced on the desk between us as he cocks a brow at me.

That look alone makes me want to rush back outside and unleash my magic on Vallie again. I think that’s what has me more pissed; releasing her from the vines. She deserved to stew in helplessness for a little while longer.

A part of me wishes, deep down, that I could do more damage, but that would only serve to make me a hypocrite. As much as I may dislike someone, I can’t allow the first course of action to be death. That’s what my father told me, at least, but with her, she’s cutting it real fine.

Brody, on the other hand, he…helped. But that’s definitely not something I can dig deeper into just yet. For some reason, that feels raw and I’m not touching it.

“Take a seat,” Fairbourne finally says, pointing to the chair in front of me. I eye it, considering whether to let my defiance seep through me in this moment like I want to or get it over with as quickly as possible.

I opt for the latter, dropping into the seat with a sigh.

Sometimes, my father’s lessons irritated me. Training to be a leader, an heir, isn’t all about showing power and strength like my instincts tell me to. Sometimes, you have to seem pliant, open to negotiation, and agreeable. I hate it.

The distaste for the feelings that coil inside me when I offer any kind of pliancy is strong, but the panic that those feelings stem from my mother instead of my father forces me to swallow it down and accept it.

“I’ve received some complaints about you,” he states once I meet his eyes.

“In less than twenty-four hours?” I question, wondering when anyone would have time to do anything other than focus on adjusting to their new environment.

“That’s exactly my concern,” he retorts, and my eyes narrow.

“What issues do I seem to be causing?” I bite out, still trying to rack my brain to figure out how I’m the problem here.

“You’re a fae.”

His words make me pause, waiting for whatever else is to come, but he remains silent as he leans back in his chair, eyes assessing me.

“And?”

“Just a fae,” he confirms with a shrug.

I nod, turning away from him for a moment as I try to wrap my mind around the idiocy of this situation. Clearing my throat, I turn back to him. “Well, that’s not something I can change.”

“As a fae myself, I’m aware.” A soft smile touches the corner of his mouth, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.

“So why am I here?” He knows there’s nothing I can do about being a fae. This conversation is utterly pointless.

Leaning forward again, he gives me a pointed look. “Because it’s been less than twenty-four hours and this is the second time I’ve had to pull you away from drama.”

“Drama I didn’t start, I might add.” I match his stare with one of my own.

“I’m aware.” Silence descends around us, but this time, I’m at too much of a loss to be the one to control the energy it creates. It’s not awkward, though, just…stilted. “I heard what you said,” he finally states when I brace my hands on the arms of the chair, ready to leave. I frown at him, and he takes that as a hint to continue. “About the kingdom needing change.”

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