Page 66 of The Reign of Blood

“Where?”

“Bozzelli’s office.”

“Of course.” Cassian takes two steps before turning back to glance at me. His jaw tightens as his fingers flex at his sides. “Can I trust him with you?”

I frown. What kind of question even is that? “I’ll be fine.”

I can sense that he doesn’t like that answer, his right eye twitching ever so slightly, but after a few beats, he takes me at my word and saunters off.

Silence descends over Fairbourne and me. I let it hang there, waiting for him to explain.

“I apologize for my lack of presence this week. Truthfully, I was being questioned.”

My head rears back. “For what?”

“For any involvement in you being here,” he admits, making my pulse quicken and confusion deepen.

“You didn’t know I was here until I was here. I don’t even recall you from my childhood,” I state, noting the slight flicker of disappointment, but it’s the truth. All I remember is the pain that came with leaving everything behind. Anything else is hidden away.

I always thought that was the wrong way around. How the pain should be hidden and the joy should be at the forefront of my mind. Until one day, I realized it is the pain that fuels me, the pain that gives me purpose, and the pain that gives me the drive to succeed.

“I know that, but everyone knows I was at your father’s side all those years ago, so they had to be sure.”

I run my eyes over him, looking for any obvious signs of discomfort or pain. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he murmurs, wincing through the fake smile on his lips. His hand lifts but quickly falls, as if he was going to reach for something but stopped himself.

“Why are you wincing?”

“No reason.” The cords in his neck are pulled tight, and a sickly feeling settles in my stomach.

“Turn around.”

He shakes his head. “No.”

“Professor, turn around,” I repeat, his sheepishness only confirming where my thoughts are leading.

He sighs, defeated, as he slowly turns. There’s a raise to his t-shirt at the top of his spine and a few droplets of blood stain the fabric, concealing what lies beneath.

“You got a kiss of amethyst, too?” I breathe, and he whips around to face me with horror dancing in his eyes.

“They did this to you?”

“They did,” I admit, watching the horror deepen to terror as he takes a step toward me, but I instinctively take one back.

“Sorry, it’s not personal, I just…”

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, tucking his hands into his pockets. “I can help you,” he offers, and I give him a tight smile.

“My father already has, but thank you.”

Next time I speak to my father, I’m going to mention this guy just to be sure what he says adds up.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed me, Adrianna. I won’t let it happen again,” he promises, and I nod, not planning on counting on him for anything.

“It’s out of our control. Don’t worry about it. What we should be considering is the fact that Kenner is back on campus again. How does he keep getting away with that?” I ask, hoping to shift the conversation away from me to a topic I would still like details on.

Fairbourne scoffs. “Because this place is just as fucked as the rest of the kingdom.”

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