Page 46 of The Prince from a Cruel Summer
Zeke pushes right past me with an enraged grunt, his hand leaving a print of water and ash on my shirt, and points a finger at Aidan. “I don’t care who you are. You’re going to pay for this, Summers.”
Aidan holds both palms in front of him. “Let’s stop here before you get really hurt.”
“I’ll show you hurt, you fucker.”
Aidan backs away, but the flames burning along his skin intensify.
A scream tears out of my throat. “Stop!”
An unexpected burst of ice erupts from my fingertips and toes, freezing the entire beach. Gasps echo across the cove, and a couple of students tumble to the ground, taken by surprise by the suddenly slippery surface. Unabashed stares crawl along my skin—each gaze a dagger, each whisper a taunt.
Diana clicks her tongue loud enough to cut the awed, petrified silence. “You should leave. I’ll take Zeke to the healer myself.”
My fists ball at my sides, my heart about to fall out as I march out of Saffron Cove with my back hunched.
What I didn’t expect was for Aidan to chase after me. I’m almost back under the breezeway when he picks up speed to actually catch up, and with each step he takes, the ground shifts beneath my feet. I can't meet his gaze—not when the acrid scent of burnt flesh hangs in the air between us, suffocating and bitter. I push forward, desperate for escape. “Leave me alone, Aidan.”
“Let me explain,please.”
I shake my head, but he gains ground on me. The anger in my blood takes on a life of its own as I dig the balls of my feet in the sand. I spin around to face him and cross my arms around my chest. “Alright then. Explain.”
Coming to an abrupt stop not to bump into me, he scratches the back of his neck. “You have to know… I was trying so hard to stay out of it, but you should have heard the horrible things he said about you. How badly he disrespected you?—”
“So youimmolatedhim? Of all the things you could have done, you figured picking a fight with my fiancé and setting him on fire in front of everyone was the one thing you just had to do tonight?” I say, my voice way too high for my taste.
“Immolated is a strong word. I burned him a little, in self-defense. Ask anyone, he used his magic first.”
I clear my throat and lower my pitch. “Because you punched him,” I enunciate slowly.
“He treats you like you’re unworthy. Like you don’t belong here.”
“You did the same.”
He shakes his head from side to side. “Never.”
“Yes, you did. That night in the labyrinth, you didn’t think I could make it out alone.”
He tilts his head to the side, his lips parting. “That’s not—I’d just met you then.”
“And you were right. I wouldn’t have made it out alone. I don’t belong here. You turned me into a liar and a cheat, and the more time we spend together, the more I’m reminded of it.” I force a breath through my tight jaw. “And now everyone will wonder why the great Aidan Summers lost his temper over me and beat up my fiancé. They’ll start asking questions again.”
“Youdobelong here, Beth. If only you knew how much… I don’t know how to deal with this.” He motions to the space between us. “You spend plenty of time with Elio, and no one bats an eye. I want to get to know you, I?—”
“Elio is myfriend.”
“Let me be your friend, then.”
A dumbfounded scoff grates my throat. “You don’t want to be myfriend. I had a moment of weakness before, but I’m telling you for the last time. Back off. I’m engaged.”
“Engaged to a guy who’s spent the whole night making out with someone else? That’s rich.”
“Zeke and I have a deal. I’m fine with it.”
Aidan’s expression twists, a mixture of disbelief and frustration. “You really think that makes it okay? Why settle for a ridiculous arrangement and pretend everything is fine, when you could have so much more?”
I cross my arms again, trying to shield myself from his piercing gaze. “It’s not your place to judge my choices.”
“You deserve more than this, Beth. More than him.”
