Page 91 of The Kingdom of Ruin

“Good for him.”

“He wants me to be there.”

“Good for you.”

“With you.”

“Hell no,” I blurt, my head rearing back as I frown at him, failing to tug my hand free of him, despite my best efforts.

He sighs, eyes dropping to the ground for a split second before he finds my gaze again.

“I know what you’re saying, but?—”

“There are no buts,” I interject, trying to tug my hand away again, but his knuckles turn white as he clings to me.

“There are,” he retorts, his voice edging toward a growl.

“Cassian,” I start, taking a deep breath, but he’s not hearing me.

“Addi,” he replies, his eyes widening with a plea I don’t truly understand.

There’s more going on here that I obviously don’t know. What am I missing? “Why?”

“Because he’s an asshole, remember?”

I shake my head. He might be an asshole, but that’s not enough of an explanation for me. “No, but for real, Cassian. I have no desire to meet your father. Why would that not work both ways? Maybe tell his ass I’m a fae. That will scare him away.”

“I think it’s because you are fae that he wants to meet you,” he admits, his voice barely more than a whisper, and my chest clenches. “I told him no myself and challenged him repeatedly until the conversation became…less than friendly. And honestly, I don’t want to find out whether he was bluffing or not because I’ve never known him to do so before, so I can’t imagine him starting now. It may have been veiled, Addi, but even veiled his threats aren’t something to be taken lightly.”

My pulse quickens with every word he says. He’s taking this seriously. I can feel it in my bones.

“Is the threat for you or for me?” I breathe, my subconscious already knowing the answer, but I want to hear it for myself.

“Both,” he admits, his thumb stroking across the back of my hand like he isn’t holding it in a deathly grip.

“What would he possibly want with me?” I ask with a frown. I can’t wrap my head around it.

“I don’t know,” he replies, but I can tell he’s been thinking it over on repeat since they parted ways. “But I would rather find out in a more controlled environment than see him act erratically because he didn’t get his own way to begin with.” His eyes darken as if recalling a memory where something similar happened, and it sends a shiver of uncertainty down my spine.

“He would hurt me.” The words fall from my mouth before I can stop them, my mind needing clarification of another danger I’m suddenly facing.

“Definitely.” He doesn’t miss a beat or sugarcoat it. I have to be thankful for that, I guess.

Wetting my parched lips, I take a deep breath and repeat everything he said so far. One fact weighs heavy in my stomach as I lift my gaze to his again: “A moon party; does that mean…”

“A new moon, yes.”

Fuck.

Is this the opportunity I want or the challenge I’m suddenly fearing the most?

Fuck.

I can’t even think about that. Emotions and feelings are only going to cause me more harm. I know that.

“He’s setting me up to face another duel,” I murmur, and the corner of his mouth flicks up.

“You’re smarter than you look.”

---