Page 23 of The Princess's Chosen

"The Hunger is not what you think it is," Aric said as I stepped closer, smashing the fantasy I'd been building that he was about to apologize.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I… Do youknowwhat it's capable of? Really?" Aric asked, the edges of expression turning almost frightening as he loomed.

"Not yet," I admitted. "But some of it."

"Can you control it?"

"Aric! It hasn't been that long that I knew I had it at all—"

"I am not—" He cleared his throat and shook his head, standing up from his chair at last. "You should—Youcouldhave told me. I am not—ugh!" He covered his face with his hands, interrupting the connection between us before continuing. "Iamchastising you, yes. Iamangry. We'll discuss it more later. I need to get back to the city now and see if there's any information that can be found so I—we know—"

"You're being vague where it concerns me, Aric, and I don't like it," I said.

His hands slipped down, jaw hardened and eyes narrowed, and then just as quickly, he sighed and some of the bite was gone from his expression. "Will you forgive me for it, if I don't make you wait as long as you made me?"

He might've meant it as a jest, but it only left me more frustrated.

"Will you forgive me for that, or will you just continue to thrust it in my face at every opportunity?" I snapped.

"Were youplanningon telling me?" he growled back.

"Yes! I was! But not likethat."

A flush rose up from his neck and Aric stomped closer, standing so that we were shoulder to shoulder but not facing one another.

"Just try and keep your magic bound up until I get back, before yourenthusiasmsets Kimmery on fire."

My hands clenched to fists at my side. "Get out, Aric."

But he didn't even give me the satisfaction of waiting for me to finish before he was rushing out of the room.

8

Cosmo

“But what did he mean by it?" Thao asked, watching Bryony trying to climb the bookshelf in front of her.

Owen's arm twined around her waist, drawing her back. "Point to it, I'll get it down," he said, his thumb digging into her shoulder.

"We don't know," I said to Thao.

"I think he's just jealous because he would've liked to be the one—"

Wendell cleared his throat, head jerking up from the book his nose was buried in to glare at Thao.

"I'm…not inclined to call Aric a liar, but I do think there might be an element of exaggeration to his warnings," I said, watching Bryony.

She had an arm wrapped around her waist and a permanent frown on her face as she pointed to a series of books that Owen stacked in his arms for her.

"And if there isn't, and I really have been upsetting some kind of natural balance?" Bryony asked, glancing at me. "All this time, I've been thinking that the queen's line perverted the power of the Hunger by putting it back into the Chosen, but what if…what if that's what I wasmeantto be doing so that I didn't…"

Didn't set Kimmery on fire.

I'd heard the words Aric had thrown at her before he went running out of the palace likehewas the one inflamed. In fact, I suspected he probably was, and not just with anger.

"Come here," I called gently to Bryony. I had my own book in front of me, but I was more concerned with my princess. I should've grabbed Aric by the collar and dragged him off to talk some sense into his ear until he was calmed down enough to do Bryony the favor of not leaving her terrified of herself.

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