Page 16 of A Witch and Her Dragon
“Socreepy,” his companion responds.
They laugh, and the sound is particularly cutting.
Alina tenses up—I can feel her energy in the air between us, palpable and impossible to ignore.
At my sides, my fingers curl into fists. Who are these boys, and why do they feel it’s their right to question her this way? To tease her?
“Can you send him away?” one of the boys asks.
Now I turn fully to face them, and all three of them look up at me.
“No. But I can sendyouaway,” I say, voice low.
Alina’s eyes widen. Then she quickly wipes the surprise away, replacing it with a thin smile. “Raelan,” she says, trying to maintain her composure, though the tension beneath her words is obvious, at least to me. “Could you give us a bit of space, please?”
My response is immediate and unwavering. “Absolutely not.”
Now her wide eyes narrow. “Excuse me?”
I’m still staring at the boys, who are starting to wriggle under the intensity of my glower. “I saidabsolutely not.” To make my point, I take a step closer to the crescent couch they’re all seated upon. “You”—I jut my chin towardone of the boys, whose thigh is abittoo close to Alina’s—“move over. One foot.”
His mouth pops open in a look of shock, and he throws a glance at his friend, then returns his gaze to me. His brow arches. “What if I say no?”
Good, a challenge.
Without hesitation, I reach down, grab him by the robe, andphysicallyseparate him and the princess, shoving him a foot down the blue velvet couch. “Then I will happily do it for you,” I growl.
“Raelan!” Alina snaps, but I ignore her. My dragon wouldverymuch like to toss these boys from this tall, tall tower, and all its focus is on them.
“Man, get a grip,” one of the boys says. “You’re crazy.” He quickly snatches up his bookbag and pushes to his feet. “I’m out of here.”
“Me too,” the other boy says. “See you around, Alina.” He, at least, is smart enough to give me a wide berth as he stands. Then, without glancing back, they both stride across the tiled floor and pass through the doorway to the spiraling staircase, leaving everyone in the room staring at me—and the princess.
Her anger vibrates in the air around me, making my skin tingle with warmth.
“What thestarswas that?” she asks, voice low and punctuated with venom. “What were youthinking?”
I draw myself up and adjust my long-sleeved tunic; it got rumpled when I manhandled the boy away from Alina. “They just wanted to get youalone,” I say, and I somehow keep my voice level despite the anger singing through my veins.
“No, they wanted to get away fromyou, very much like I do right now.”
Slowly, I draw my gaze away from the doorway—it doesn’t look like the boys are coming back—and look down at Alina. She’s clutching her schoolbook in her lap, and ice creeps from her fingers and across the book, turning it inch by inch into a block of ice. If she notices what she’s doing, she makes no indication of it.
“It’s my duty to protect you—that includes protecting you from other students who may have... ill intentions.”
Alina’s light brown cheeks turn a shade of red. “Ill intentions?” she growls. “Who are you, myfather?” With a huff, she pushes to her feet, goes to throw her book into her bag, and realizes it’s frozen solid. Dismay flashes quickly across her face, and I’m suddenly feeling atouchbad about making a scene.
Because everyone iscertainlystaring now.
So far as I’m aware, the princess is a powerful frost witch, but she lacks the ability to fully control her magic, hence her interest in attending the academy. But whatever her reason for being here, it’s my job to protect her, even if that means keeping young men and their twisted thoughts away from her.
What about my twisted thoughts?
It’s not lost on me that I’m the most dangerous thing here. As if reminding me of the power locked inside my veins, the chain around my neck burns, stinging my skin.
Cheeks still flushed, Alina shoves the frozen tome into her bag, then hefts the strap onto her shoulder. “I’m going to the library,” she says. “You’re dismissed for the day.”
I don’t miss a beat. “You can’t dismiss me, Your Highness. I don’t answer to you; I answer to His Majesty.”
