Page 37 of Cursed Heirs

Cornwell walkedthrough the Academy-erected ward barring my way out of my chambers.

Well, I had the means to break through it at any time, unbeknownst to them.

Cornwell shot a look down the hallway, ensuring no one had seen him walking in, then he shut the door behind him and sauntered in like he owned the place.

Like he owned me.

Fool.

He believed what I’d allowed him to believe.

Let people enjoy their perceptions.

Until it was time to tear them to pieces.

Just like this fucker had come to deserve through pushing it far too much with me.

He took in my map that I’d left up as I stood in front of my balcony doors that led out to my garden, my arms folded across my chest.

“Very impressive,” he said, studying it. “So detailed.”

“Do you have it?” I demanded tersely.

He frowned at me. “I see being caged has put you in a foul mood. Or having to pretend to be caged.”

“Best not to push it then.”

“Push it? I should be pushing it a great deal further. You really set things back by losing your temper like thatandgetting caught. NowObsidianis delayed and basically put on ice until the faculty stops watching you like a hawk and believes you’re fine again.”

Yes, strange, wasn’t it?

And not like me at all either.

Perception.

“Evidently, I didn’t react well to Constantine’s attack.”

“No, you don’t react well to failure at all, do you?” he said, softening a little as he closed the distance between us, making me tense. “It’s served us well thus far, until this little hiccup.”

He reached out to touch me, but I snatched his wrist. “The intel, Callum.”

He grunted and eased himself free, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his gray dress pants, pushing his matching suit jacket back in the process and putting his white shirt straining across all that muscle on display all the more so. He wasn’t wearing a tie for once, his shirt open at the collar and indicating a more relaxed state. Or, more likely, coming prepared to toy with me.

“My assets have obtained confirmation that one of the contacts that your father reached out to while here in the human realm was Clive Worcestershire. He’s a university—”

“Researcher. I’m well aware. I already have that information.”

“Then it appears you just owe meonenow then.”

I glared out at him. “You knew it was useless intel.”

“I may have known that Clive was an infamous contact of your father’s, yes.”

“So you just used it as an excuse to come to me while I’m relegated to my chambers?”

“Can you blame me? We were interrupted last time, much to my utter dissatisfaction.”

I snagged his arm, spun him around, and shoved him up against the wall, my arm to his throat. “This isn’t a game! This is my father’slife!”

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