Page 297 of Blood & Betrayals

“Are you ill?” he asks, tilting his head slightly.

“No, sir.”

“I think you may be coming down with something.”

My cheeks heat more.

“You’re getting more red.”

Fuck, what is wrong with me? Stop it, Summer. I back up, but my foot gets caught on the curb. I yelp as I lose my balance and start to fall. The headmaster’s instincts are obviously well-honed. He grabs my arm, stopping me from falling on my ass. I grimace as he straightens me again, and I look up at him. His face is frozen in an expression of discomfort and annoyance at my stupidity.

“Are you all right?” he asks, but I can tell he’s already assessed me and no longer cares.

“Yes, sir,” I say, trying not to notice how his heat lingers against me.

He releases my arm and steps back. “I should get back to my run.”

“Enjoy your run, sir.”

He puts his earphones back in and takes off down the path. I watch him for a long moment, wondering what he listens to on his runs. Probably boring podcasts about sorcerer things.

Shaking it off, I set out on my run again. I let my mind wander, and I think about my year here. How I’ve changed, and how my life has changed. I started this year completely alone, and now I have a best friend, a fiancé, a… stranger, and a stalker.My ring glints in the sunlight as I run, and I smile at it. This is the first time I’ve ever felt like I truly belong somewhere.

I stop running and curse when I notice that my subconscious has brought me to the fucking gym. It only takes me a moment to decide to go in. I’m not hiding from fucking Maximillian Romulus just cause he’s feeling weird that I’m getting married.

He smiles at me when I walk in. “Late today,” he says in greeting, and even that pisses me off. I flip him off as I go to the weights.

He rolls his eyes and follows me to the weights rack. I pick up a dumbbell and stand in front of the mirror.

“Why are you mad today?” Max asks, leaning against a nearby squat rack.

I shake my head. “Not mad.” I hold one of the dumbbells to my chest before doing a deep squat. “Talk to you later.”

Max scoffs, watching me. “Come on, you’re pouting over something.”

I do another squat before looking at him. “Max, let’s just leave it, okay?” I look back in the mirror to check my form before completing my set.

“Summer,” Max growls as I sit on the bench, dropping the weight and taking a second before starting again.

When I don’t reply and stand up, reaching for the dumbbell, Max picks it up and puts it back on the rack. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Why does it matter?”

“Because you’re in my gym, pissed off at me.”

I tilt my head, staring up at him. “What happened yesterday?”

Max tenses, but his face stays smugly unbothered. “What do you mean?”

I keep my gaze locked on him. We both know exactly what I’m talking about.

Max’s stare turns into a glare, and I can feel him getting uncomfortable. Clearly, he’s not going to talk about it. Fine.

I shake my head and look away, moving past him to retrieve my weight. Max grabs my arm. “Summer, hey.”

I sigh and drop my head back. “What is with you, Max?”

He drops my arm, and I grab the weight before returning to my space and doing another squat. Max growls, still standing in the same place.

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