Page 43 of The Reign of Blood

“Everything was okay until last Friday,” I admit, and it feels like the truth. “Yeah, I was dealing with shit from other students on campus, but Friday was when everything escalated to another level.”

“What happened last Friday?” he questions, remaining calm with me.

Taking a deep breath, I tap back on their image so they fill the screen again. “I went to the Kenner compound.”

The despair on my father’s face confirms everything. The vein at his temple throbs, just like the one at mine does. That’s exactly where I get it from.

“Why the… why would you go there?”

“Because I have a… friend that’s a wolf, and they invited me to a moon party. I wasn’t aware I would be walking the territory of the men who attacked us,” I add, lips pursed as Nora gasps.Her hand lifts to cover her mouth and I instantly wish I was there to hug her, but instead, I focus on the conversation to keep my mind occupied. “You should have told me who it was, Dad.”

Silence drapes over us as he wraps an arm around Nora to soothe her. A defeated sigh falls from his lips as he adjusts his glasses and offers me a thin smile. “It seems I should have. I’m sorry for that, it was a failed attempt at protecting you.”

Why does this man always accept his faults and apologize for them without any kind of defensiveness? I wouldn’t. Hands down, I would explain my reasoning until he heard sense, but not him.

“What happened at the compound?” he asks, keeping the conversation on track.

“Kenner realized who I was because of my ears,” I murmur, the scars burning at the memory of it happening and the reminder that Kenner declared it his handiwork.

“Asshole,” Nora snarls, lips pinched, and I snicker despite the circumstances.

“Nora,” my father scolds, and she gives him her innocent look that gets her out of trouble ninety-nine percent of the time.

“What? He is,” she insists, and I can’t help but nod in agreement.

“He is. He boasted about it before he brought out a special guest.” My chest tightens at the reminder, worsening with the knowledge that I have to say it out loud and confirm the existence of the person mentioned in the news.

My father must sense the discomfort rising in me. “It’s okay, Addi. Just say it. They’re only words.”

It eases my concern a little, but doubles my irritation as her name falls to my tongue. “Queen Reagan confirmed who I was in front of the Kenner pack.”

“Mom.” Nora’s eyes instantly fill with unshed tears as her fingers tremble.

This, I can’t console her for, not even if I was there. “No, Queen Reagan,” I reiterate, making her glare at me.

“Same thing.”

“Not in my eyes.”

My father’s gaze drops to the floor. Our thoughts on his wife have always been different. I think it’s because I was older, more aware, not completely in the know, but Nora doesn’t remember her at all. She just has a whimsical idea of what living as a princess would have been like.

“What happened next?” he finally asks, breaking the stare off between Nora and me.

“Another friend of mine got me out of there. The weekend was fine, and yesterday started off well too, until Bozzelli made an announcement to the academy.”

Fury immediately burns in my father’s eyes as he tries to scan me for any harm. “If anyone?—”

I wave him off. “I can handle all of that. We knew people would come for me, that’s what we’ve trained for. I just don’t think we anticipated the likes of special gem devices being used to alter my strength.”

“Special gem devices?” Nora repeats, concern dancing in her eyes, despite our frustration with one another mere moments ago.

“Not a kiss of amethyst,” my father murmurs, shaking his head in disbelief.

“That’s probably another thing you should have taught me about, Dad,” I state, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible as I confirm that the wicked kiss of amethyst is, indeed, buried into my flesh.

“Another mishap on my part, but in my defense, I had banished them. I didn’t think there was anything to discuss about them, but I can help you, Addi.”

“How?”

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