Page 52 of The Kingdom of Ruin

Taking the last few steps, I slow when I hear Flora yelling.

What the fuck?

My pace quickens with panic as I rush to the top step to find her standing toe to toe with Brody, and no Arlo in sight.

Her finger wags in his face as she glares at him. “Don’t give me any of that crap. The sheepish look on your face screams you’re guilty of something, and I won’t have you waiting here for my friend. She definitely doesn’t need your drama.”

I’m slightly impressed. That’s a lie. I’m mega impressed as I edge toward them. “What’s going on?” I ask before Brody can reply, and both of their heads spin in my direction.

Flora’s right. There’s guilt in his eyes, and now it tinges hers. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry, Addi. He showed up here looking all…” She waves her hand at him in explanation, unable to find the words. “And I just knew I needed to get him out, but he’s refusing to leave.”

I smile—a raw, real smile that I haven’t felt on my lips since I last saw Nora, which isn’t all that long but feels like forever. I definitely need her as a friend, for Nora’s sake, if anything. She would love her.

“It’s okay, Flora. Thank you, but I’ve got this.”

Her eyebrows furrow slightly as she assesses me before turning back to Brody. She snarls at him through bared teeth then waltzes into her room with a flourish only she could pull off. I stare at her closed bedroom door for a moment, garnering the strength to face this asshole.

I don’t think I’m ever going to be ready to deal with his shit, so I suck it up and turn to him with a glare of my own. “What are you doing here?” I move toward my door, my arms folding over my chest as I get closer to him.

He rubs his lips together as he winces. “I owe you a stronger ward.”

“Bullshit,” I rasp with a snicker.

“What?” His body stiffens as he leans against the wall opposite my room, his defenses rising into place.

“That’s not why you’re here.”

He rubs at the back of his neck with a sigh, his gaze dropping from mine for a moment before he finds it again. “No, probably not. I wanted a chance to explain to you, and I thought the ward was the least I could do.”

I purse my lips, taking him in. I hate how vulnerable he looks, like he was the one wronged here, but more than that, I hate how much I want the stronger ward.

“You can ward away, but we’re not talking,” I snap, making a decision I’m not entirely certain of as I open my bedroom door and step into my space.

His gaze shifts around the bare room as he clears his throat. “I have to come in for that.”

That little fact makes me pause, and my teeth sink into my bottom lip as I consider whether it’s worth it or not. The main factor that has me relenting is that he hasn’t stepped in automatically.

“Are you asking for permission?”

He shrugs like it’s not a big deal, but a few days ago, he slapped his hand on my door without care. That guy wouldn’t be teetering on the edge of my room like this. Something changed, and I don’t know what.

“Fine,” I grumble, hands clenching at my sides as he steps into my room. My senses are heightened as I watch his every move, alert as hell, while he starts chanting immediately.

It’s too late to back out now, and I’m putting far more trust in him than I should, but I’m holding on to the fact that he got straight to it and didn’t try to push his way around my room instead.

A few minutes of tense silence drift between us before a bubble forms in the middle of the room and pops, clinging to the window, door, and walls. The second it does, Brody is thrown from the room with a tiny gasp, and I watch in shock as his back slams into the wall outside of my room that he had been leaning against a few minutes ago.

I rush to the open door, cringing as he rises to his feet and dusts off his clothes with a few strong curse words under his breath. Once he’s gathered himself, he turns to me with a heavy smile.

“I’m sorry for Friday.”

“Which part?” I retort before I can think better of it. He looks at me with wide eyes, fumbling over what to say, and I shake my head. “The fact is, you fucked up on so many levels that you can’t even pinpoint which one might have been the worst of them, but an overall apology doesn’t erase the shit you caused.”

He nods, eyes darting away for a beat before finding me again. “I didn’t think it would be, but I had to try.” He stuffs his hands into his pants, and the way he seems to brush over it so effortlessly pisses me off even more.

“Do you realize the gravity of what you did?” I snap, my nostrils flaring with anger before I swiftly shake my head. “Don’t answer that. I already know the bullshit that will fall from your lips,” I grind out, earning me a nervous smile.

“Maybe we could try again?”

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