Page 45 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
“And she’s on board with your appalling behavior?”
Zeke crosses his arms with a faux air of indifference. “Please… the last thing I need is a lecture on loyalty from someone who can’t even keep track of which girl he’s sleeping with.”
Ezra chuckles, a sharp edge to his laughter. “Better to be a rake than a prince whose crown is only as secure as his fiancée’s affection.”
Zeke straightens his cards and sits on the log on the opposite side of the fire, his legs sprawled. “Beth is lucky I didn’t tell my father how... frigid she is.” He cracks a devious smile and elbows the fourth-year sitting next to him. “I shouldn’t have expected anything different from a moth, right?”
“That’s not something a real man should say. Ever,” I clip over the rumble of the bonfire.
“Hear, hear!” Ezra chimes in. “You might have the name and pedigree, but she’s got the looks, the brains,andthe power, Zippy. I’d be careful if I were you. I’d think you have just as much to lose if she rescinded her promise—if not more.”
“Settle down. It’s just us guys,” Zeke scoffs.
The satisfied smile on his lips jolts me to my feet. “I won’t settle down.”
The bum rolls his eyes. “Oh, you think she’s so great, huh? Well, maybe you should try to fuck her. Maybe she needs a little fire in her cunt. Your renowned, almighty cock might spark her engine to life or something?—”
Thwack.
I shake off my knuckles, the impact of my fist on Zeke’s face followed by a spray of blood.
He covers his nose with both hands. “You broke my nose!”
Loud gossip buzzes across the beach, and I can’t make out the words, but I know they’re talking about us. I draw in a shaky breath, trying to ground myself. The stares of my peers tingle across my spine, unrelenting.By the Flame. What have I done?
Zeke still clutches his nose, his shock morphing into rage as he wipes the blood from his face. “You’ll pay for this, Summers.”
“Try me.”
Zeke pushes me backward toward the fire, and I stagger to keep upright, lost in the haze of my own actions for a moment before he sends a lash of shadows my way, cutting my leg. I sidestep to avoid his incoming right hook, but he shakes off the failed attack and sharpens his magic into a dagger at his side.
Is he serious?
The fire behind me stretches to meet my own, and I block Zeke’s weapon with my bare hands, my flames spreading across the blade and then latching onto his clothes. He yells in a mix of surprise and pain and runs off toward the sea.
By now, everyone has stopped drinking and talking to watch, and my pulse spikes as I lock eyes with Beth. Her wide-eyed gaze reflects shock—and something more dangerous: murderous fury. Her lips are parted in disbelief, and I can almost see the wheels turning in her head, calculating the fallout of my actions.
Heat churns in my blood. I’ve crossed a line I can’t uncross. I’m not defending her honor—I’m putting everything at risk.
Her expression hardens, and I know I’ve messed up. Badly.
Chapter 14
Propaganda
SONGBIRD
The salty air kisses my lips as I teeter on the last stone step leading down to Saffron Cove, wishing I had stayed in my room after all. I stand at the edge of the gathering, all eyes suddenly upon me. The glow of the flames illuminates the faces of my peers, their expressions a mix of horror and fascination. Clouds obscure the moon while the flickering firelight dances erratically, casting long shadows that twist and contort like phantoms on the sand.
A couple of students run to Zeke’s aid, but most of them are drinking in the fallout, ravenous for more. Willow marches over to punch her brother’s chest. “Blessed Flame! What wasthat?”
They argue among themselves, drawing a bit of attention away from me, and I take advantage of the reprieve to walk around them, giving the fire—and Aidan—a wide berth.
In the water, Johan and Diana are helping Zeke to his feet. Black and red marks mar his naked chest, a few scraps of fabric embedded in the burns. Tears streak down the Shadow Prince’s face as he stumbles out of the ocean, his skin extinguished but his gaze burning with the fire of the seven hells.
“I’ll take you to the healer—” I start, feeling responsible for what happened.
If I hadn’t kissed Aidan this morning, or answered his flirty notes with my own, none of this would have happened.
