Page 45 of The Princess's Pet

“Today the servants will prepare the school buildings and campus for the Spring Festival. Unfortunately, I still have class,” she told me. “I’ll find you around lunch and we will eat together,” she added before pulling me close by my blazer her head dipping, and more than simply scenting me she nipped at her bite mark. It was a domineering, possessive, and very public display among many other servants. The way I breathed in, releasing the smallest of surprised moans I was sure was not unnoticed. “Be good,” shecommanded as she grinned down at me before she released my blazer and left me standing there, red-faced and trying not to make direct eye contact with any of the faces turned my way.

“Percy!” I turned to see Dylan making his way past other servants. Ana was closely behind, apologising as Dylan moved and bumped into and knocked others around him. He was like an overly excited puppy making his way toward me.

He swung his arm carelessly around my shoulder in greeting and I winced in pain as his arm landed heavily against a bite. He pulled away from me.

“Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry Percy I didn’t mean,” he paused his eyes zeroing in on my neck. “What the fuck Percy!” he exclaimed angrily his hand reaching out towards me, to push my hair away. I ducked away from his hand. “What has that bitch done to you?” he practically yelled, gathering more attention than he already had. And I felt flustered and angered by how he had charged in throwing himself around and now was loudly making a scene.

“Dylan, calm down!” Ana demanded as she reached us.

“Don’t speak about her that way!” I said angrily. “She hasn’t done anything,” I defended the Princess.

“Like fuck she hasn’t done anything Percy! Your neck looks like she mauled you!” he shouted angrily back.

“That’s enough Dylan,” Ana said more calmly grabbing hold of Dylan’s arm and pulling him back as he tried to step forward and look at my neck again.

“Ana, this isn’t okay, that bitch can’t attack Percy and leave her neck like a pincushion. Personal servant or not. It’s not okay!”

“She didn’t attack me!” I answered back feeling a protectiveness for the Princess bubble up and fuel my anger further.

“Don’t defend that monster Percy, you don’t have to,” he replied still angry but had stopped trying to reach out to me.

“She’s not a monster! I asked her to mark me!” I told him. My anger made me forget that there were many people to hear my outburst.

“What the fuck Percy,” he responded yelling. “What’s wrong with you!”

“Enough Dylan!” Ana commanded her hand reaching out to touch Dylan’s face and I saw as her magic worked passing over his skin in veins of red. Dylan immediately calmed and while the anger in his outraged stare did not die, his chest was no longer heaving.

“What’d you do witch?” I turned to see Edward close and walking closer with his gaze narrowed towards Ana. Instinctively I moved in front of my friend at the menace in Edward’s stare.

“I calmed his blood, lowered his heart rate,” Ana explained.

“Back off Edward,” I told him and he looked at me, I watched as he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

“We prepare for the Spring Festival together with our houses,” he told me, his face became neutral masking whatever he felt, and that apprehensive feeling he gave me the previous time we had interacted returned.

I turned back to Ana and Dylan. Dylan looked at me as if I had betrayed him in some way. Ana smiled apologetically.

“We do have to work with our houses,” she told me. “Don’t worry about this Percy.” She pointed between Dylan and me. “Dylan is protective of his friends.” The boy in question looked away from me as if ashamed and allowed Ana to lead him back through the crowd.

“This way please, each house has been given its schedule of tasks,” Edward spoke after a moment, and I followed him through the crowd to where I recognised Justin, Jasper, and Evie but there were more Borealis servants than I was familiar with. On my arrival, there was an air of tension and I felt very much a spectacle of curiosity, only politeness holding back blatant staring.

“We will be decorating the entrance foyer and great hall.” A young woman I didn’t know began speaking to the group of about a dozen Borealis servant students. “I think we’ll get things done faster if we split up into two groups.” She looked around the faces for objections or agreement and when bored indifference met her, she huffed and began to split us up.

“Justin, Paul, Sarah, Evie, and Percy.” She knew my name; “you will be with me, here in the great hall.” She turned to the others, “The rest of you will decorate the foyer. You will be helped by house Vouna and Obscurum. Edward will be your leader today as I trust him to aim for perfection in the name of House Borealis.”

No one seemed to argue with her, although it was obvious from some of the faces made that not everyone was happy with Edward overseeing the group. She turned back to those of us remaining in the great hall. “We will be working with house Viridis and Syngeneia.”

The great hall began to empty as groups of servants left to attend to their tasks.

“Excuse me.” I turned to the woman giving out orders who looked a little older than me. “We’ve not been introduced. I’m the head servant of Borealis, if you lived in the servant residence halls we would have met by now. I’m Leilani.” And it felt like she already didn’t like me. “I’m not a student I’m a servant coordinator, I’m who you come to if you have a problem with your classes, lecturers, fellow students. It’s my job to help make your time here at Sanguis Academy productive and enjoyable,” she explained.

“It’s nice to meet you, Leilani,” I replied. And she smiled with too many teeth on show.

Eventually, it was only me, the other Borealis servants, and I was surprised to find that Viridis and Syngeneia were made up solely of Ana, Dylan, and Harris.

Our two groups met at the top of the great hall where supplies were waiting for us. I immediately went to Ana’s side. Dylan looked away and occupied himself with talking to Harris.

“Is Dylan very upset with me?” I asked Ana.

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