Page 14 of The Reign of Blood

Peering at him from the corner of my eye, I consider his threat levels and come up blank. As we round the fountain focal point and head off toward the outer perimeter, I can’t help but break the silence.

“I don’t need company, Brody.” He doesn’t respond, which makes me frown, forcing me to turn and look at him. He offers me a full-blown smile and a wink, getting under my skin in a way only he seems to be able to. “What?” He presses his fingerto his lips, making my eyes narrow further. “You’re giving me a headache.”

“I haven’t said a word,” he blurts, gaping at me.

“Exactly,” I grumble, shaking my head to try and rid the growing tension.

He’s persistent and slightly annoying, but if I pretend he’s not there, it will all be fine. With my mind made up, I take a deep breath and focus on my rhythm. He remains silently at my side as we cover the grounds of the academy, and I manage to run without him being a distraction.

As we round the bend and the forest comes into view, I feel somewhat lighter and a little less stressed as the world brightens up around me. Out here, with nature, I can sometimes find more perspective, and now that my mind is clearing, I can focus on everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours. My only issue is figuring out where to even begin with it all.

Our pace naturally slows as we move between the trees, the familiar fallen log reminding me of the memories I already have out here, even though we haven’t been on campus very long. As we near the spot where my jogging companion fucked me, he comes to a stop altogether. Much to my irritation, I slow beside him.

I’m a sucker.

A true fucking sucker.

He turns to me, his hands firmly on his hips, as his head tilts ever so slightly to the side. “Last night was a lot, even for me as a spectator. I can’t imagine how it was for you in comparison, and I guess I just don’t like the idea of you being alone right now.”

I frown at him as he waves a hand between us, attempting to explain why he’s running with me. “I can handle myself just fine.” It’s all I can muster. I’m the one who takes care of others, not the other way around, and I can’t say I feel comfortable with it.

“I’m not doubting it.”

Now that we’ve come to a complete stop, the familiar ache runs over my limbs, so I stretch my arms and legs as I work on my breathing, hoping we can fall back into comfortable silence since he’s made it clear he’s not leaving.

Any hopes I had are shattered as he takes a step toward me. “What was the hardest part?”

My heart flutters, just once, as my chest clenches. That’s some deep shit right there. I don’t know if I want to even venture into that territory by myself, let alone in a conversation with someone else.

“Of what?”

My attempt at playing dumb falls flat when he cocks a brow at me. “Of last night.”

I shake my head despite two initial thoughts coming to mind. One thing I know for certain is Cassian had no idea.

Not. A. Single. One.

The hold he had on my waist was laced with panic, uncertainty, and distress. He was as much in the dark as I was.

Learning who I am is no surprise to me, and I knew it would happen one day, so as much as my secret is out there in some capacity, it doesn’t scare me as much as other things do.

The two things it comes down to are threaded with so much horror and uncertainty, I don’t know where to begin.

My mother and Kenner.

Simple words, yet they carry so much weight. My nightmare is just the tip of the iceberg.

“I can sense your mind going a mile a minute, but you’re not sharing,” Brody murmurs, breaking my train of thought.

I clear my throat, looking off into the distance for a second before turning back to him. “Just because you’re asking questions doesn’t mean I have to answer them.”

Disappointment flickers in his blue eyes with a hint of sadness. My mind comes alive, my magic fluttering between us despite my better judgment, revealing the genuine feelings behind his questions and actions.

Fuck.

Quickly pulling my magic in, I sigh. “I think you learned some things about me last night that should explain why I’m not into this whole talking shit,” I state, and he offers me a weak smile.

Without a word, he saunters over to the fallen tree, getting comfortable in the center of it with his elbows braced on his thighs. “For sure. I mean, you’re… you.” He waves a hand at me, and I know without a shadow of a doubt he was about to say something with the wordprincessin it. Yet he didn’t. “I can’t imagine what it’s like having to hold everything so close to your chest.” He shakes his head, his eyes drifting off as if he’s truly contemplating it.

---