Page 86 of Rebellious Royals

"It's theonlyoption!" I roared, slapping his hand away. "Are you fucking stupid, Keir? Don't you get it? I'm a liability now. I'm a threat to Aspen's reign. I'm what's going to fuck this all up, and the only way to fix that?"

"You will not kill yourself," he growled, catching my arm just to shake me. "Fuck that! And even if you die, then what?"

"Then someone else will become Aspen's heir," I said. "Someone with Winter magic. Someone who has no ties to Summer. Someone who won't ruin all the magic on two worlds!"

"And we'll lose you," he said. "Aspen would stop fighting. Winter would be picked off, one by one. These 'Silent' fuckers would make sure of it. Rain would break because she's not ready yet." He paused, breathing hard enough to show he was pissed - or scared. "And I'd hate you."

"But you'd be safe," I countered.

"Fuck you, Torian. Fuck your arrogance and short-sightedness. Has it ever occurred to you that some of us care more about the petty things than crowns and thrones?"

"But the magic doesn't agree," I reminded him. "Themagicis why I care. The magic is what allows the fae to live. Sidhe, Wild, and even Rain is probably hooked into it now. Without magic, we wither. Without magic, Keir, every single person here dies."

He rocked back in shock. He also didn't contradict me, pointing out the humans, but I had a feeling they wouldn't live long either. My mother would find a way here and destroy them. That was why I'd said everyone. For all I knew, even the completely mundane humans who didn't know about us would suffer as well.

Then Keir licked his lips. "No," he said again, but softer this time. "You, of all people, can't take the easy way out. Never mind that we need you to make this shit work. We need to know what your mother taught you. Torian, we fuckingneedyou, and not just to use you. Some of us need you because we like having you around, and losing you would break us."

"Aspen would be fine."

"Hawke wouldn't," he shot back. "Wilder? Rain?" And he paused, searching my face. "Me?"

"You know I don't date guys," I grumbled.

"Haven't," he corrected. "That's also not what I'm talking about. Believe it or not, Torian, I like your company. You're my friend. A real friend. The kind that comes with bumps, bruises, and hiccups too. The sort that will make up after you punch me in the face." He pulled in a breath. "The sort I've always wanted."

The grip on my chest finally began to relax. Keir thought of me as a friend? Not just a responsibility, a problem, or something to fuck when he got bored, but an actual friend? The truth in his words rang clear, making it obvious he wasn't trying to talk around his truths either. No, he meant every word of that.

"But I don't know what to do," I whimpered, hating the quaver in my voice but unable to stop it. "I really fucked up this time, Keir."

"It's ok," he assured me. "I'll fix it, Tor, but I expect something in return, ok?"

"What?"

"Live?"

"Keir, if I have to choose between me and Aspen, I'll choose her every single time."

He nodded slowly, accepting that. "So choose both."

And my thoughts stilled. Both? I didn't know how to do that. "Find me a way, and I'll consider it," I told him, picking my words carefully.

He just rocked back on his heels and stood. "I can do that." Then he offered a hand to help me up.

Chapter Twenty-Six

RAIN

The cool thing about having magic was I could do stupid things with it. All our fighting practice made me realize I'd been looking at my abilities all wrong, so when I woke up Sunday morning, I put my theory to the test. Now, I was cradling a warm cup of tea. This was why there weren't any kettles or microwaves in the rooms! The students here could usually do this magically, and I'd finally figured out how.

Sitting in the chair Wilder had made, wearing my crow pajamas, and flipping through a textbook on my tablet, my goal was to get a little studying in while Aspen was still sleeping. Finals would come before I knew it, and while Ms. Rhodes said I wouldn't get expelled, I alsoreallywanted to graduate.

I swiped at the screen again, and Jack jerked himself awake. I noticed the movement, looking over just as my crow's full attention shifted to the door. Spike began to stretch its tendrils up.

"Knight!" Jack cawed, proving what had caused their reaction.

I quickly put both my cup and my tablet down, hurrying over to answer it before he could knock. The last thing I needed was Aspen to wake up. Sadly, I wasn't fast enough. I had my hand onthe doorknob when his fist rapped soundly, the boom echoing through the quiet suite.

"Shh!" I said as I jerked my door open.

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