Page 53 of The Reign of Blood

Intrigued, I tilt my head to the side as I assess him. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Uncomfortable as fuck,” he grumbles, glancing off into the distance for a second.

“Stepping out of your comfort zone will do that to you,” I admit with a snicker of my own, and he rolls his eyes before settling his gaze on me.

“It’s not so bad when it’s you and not some whiny brat,” he explains, nodding to where Delia is still complaining to the professor.

“You’re welcome.”

“I wasn’t thanking you,” he quickly retorts, and I smile up at him sweetly.

“That’s not what I heard.”

“Of course it isn’t.” This time, we complete seven steps before we restart. This is going to take me forever to get the hang of. “Did you attend any of the fancy balls when you were the princess?” he asks, startling me.

Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “No. I was too young for any of this.”

“But not too young to feel the wrath of the wolves when the downfall came,” he states, making my heart race as his gaze shifts to my clipped ears for a split second.

“Funny how that works, isn’t it?” I breathe, my heart racing.

“Is there anything you can do about the amethyst? Brody mentioned that it wasn’t likely.” I blink at him, close to whiplash from the different conversations as we attempt to move.

“I have no idea,” I admit, hating the fear that creeps over me at the thought of it being there permanently.

“Does it hurt?” I can’t decide if that’s concern in his gaze or not.

“Yesterday, like a bitch. Today, I know it’s there, but the bite of the pain doesn’t linger the same.” It’s the truth. It’s weird how I keep doing that, offering people information they don’t necessarily need. I guess it doesn’t hurt to share some things with people. It alleviates the pain in my chest for sure.

“It’s crazy how strong you are.”

His words make me freeze, halting the dance again before I clear my throat and try again.

“You don’t know me enough to make that assessment.”

He shrugs. “I know enough.”

“You do?”

“I’m a shifter, remember? We don’t get close to people. Which means we can make judgments and assessments early on.” He states it so matter of factly, there’s no room for me to argue.

“Noted.” Eager to move the conversation away from me, I consider him for a moment, and a question comes to mind. “Are you here to be the heir or a support system?”

His eyebrows raise. “That’s a change of subject.”

It’s my turn to shrug. “I mean, you asked me about glamorous balls when I was a princess. I feel like it’s fair game,” I reply, and he smirks, glancing away again before looking down at our feet.

“Maybe.” A few minutes pass as we focus on the steps, making it to fifteen before I stumble, and I’m certain he’s not going to give me an answer until his eyes suddenly latch on to mine. “Right now, I’m just here. I haven’t decided in what capacity yet.”

“You’re telling me the four of you haven’t had discussions about this?” I retort, caught by surprise.

“No, we’ve had a lot of discussions, but adding pressure to a situation and forcing an outcome isn’t really my style.”

“Your style is elusive as fuck,” I blurt, and he chuckles.

“Thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

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