Page 70 of The Reign of Blood

“The queen, of course.”

27

ADRIANNA

Isense the concern coming from Flora as she sits across from me in her usual spot, but I opt to focus on my breakfast instead of trying to explain the cluster fuck that has been this morning. I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but I’d rather get our classes started for the day. There’s no combat on the schedule, which is a bummer, but I’ll take whatever distraction I can get.

Speaking of distractions, three out of the four men hell-bent on causing destruction in my life take their seats at the table. Brody is across from me. Raiden and Kryll get comfortable on either side of me. Arlo and Flora smirk like all of this is amusing. If they only knew the stress these fuckers really put me through.

“Where’s Cassian? I was expecting him to be here already,” Brody asks, looking at Raiden and Kryll. Like clockwork, a member of staff brings their food over not even ten seconds later.

Raiden rolls his eyes at Brody. “Probably moping.”

I frown. They actually don’t know where he is. Which means I have the pleasure of delivering the news. Fun.

Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I clear my throat. “Uh, his father summoned him.”

All eyes whip to me. Flora and Arlo included.

“How would you know that?” Raiden asks, his eyebrows gathering with doubt.

“Because I was there when Professor Fairbourne told him.” I take a fork full of food as he purses his lips at me, while Brody grins from ear to ear, wagging his eyebrows.

“Why would you be there? Was it because?—”

“Ew, please, don’t say anymore,” I grumble, making everyone chuckle. “And I was there because he was giving me a hard time about the fact that I went for a run,” I admit, and Flora gasps.

“You went for a run?” I can sense the same shock I got from Cassian oozing from her. “You said you were going to shower.”

“And I did. It just wasn’t enough, so I decided to go for a run as well.”

Flora’s eyes widen further. “What the hell kind of nightmare?—”

“Flora. Stop,” I interject, my heart racing at the mention of it in front of everyone.

“Nightmare?” Kryll murmurs, but I shake my head, focusing on my plate.

“Nope. We’re not talking about this. We’re talking about Cassian,” I grumble, trying to refocus the conversation on something that doesn’t leave me quite so vulnerable.

“Why are you talking about me?” His gravelly voice makes me shiver as he catches me by surprise.

“Because you’re an asshole,” I retort, refusing to lift my head.

Silence stretches out around us when he doesn’t deny it, and I use the moment to eat as much food as possible because I get the feeling today is only going to continue to go downhill.

“We need to talk,” he states, as if sensing my thoughts, and I force myself to look up at him. Much to my dismay, it’s me he’s looking at.

His jaw is tight, lips set in a thin line, and eyes swirling with a storm of emotions that I can’t decipher. It looks like someonehad a fun visit with their father. I shouldn’t care, yet my stomach clenches with concern for him.

“We did enough of that this morning,” I retort instead, shaking my head at him as I catch amusement dancing in Flora’s eyes. I need to put distance between us, not encourage him to be in my proximity more, and that’s exactly what the look in her eyes is suggesting.

“I barely said two words,” he barks back, and I shrug.

“And it was two too many.”

I yelp in surprise when my chair drags across the floor at the hands of the asshole wolf. He turns me to face him as he braces his hands on his knees, getting down to my level and right in my face.

“Are you walking, or am I carrying you?”

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