Page 41 of Dark Elf's Good Girl

16

AIKEN

I tip my head back against the wall my back is pressed against, staring up at the ceiling as I try to swallow back the rising magic threatening to spill out of me. Aggravation grips me tighter and tighter by the throat the longer I’m stuck in here.

“No, no, no!” My father’s palm slams down on the table in the middle of his office that Calix and two of our business associates are gathered around. If they can be called that.

Cassian is Calix’s personal rival – and I’m not sure it’s because they are in the same line of work. They’ve had a long standing feud for as long as I can remember, opposites in every way.

Where my brother has his yellow eyes and dark hair, Cassian has deep indigo eyes and silver strands. Calix is known for his aggressive and unpredictable behavior where Cassian is a charmer in our social circles.

I have a feeling that Calix knows that Cassian is everything he’s not.

But none of that matters. I really don’t care about their feud. I only care that I’ve been dragged up to my father’s office because I am supposed to be schmoozing both Cassian and his uncle, whose name escapes me.

It’s unlike me to be so resentful. Most of my life I’ve been rather apathetic to their plans for me, always going along.

But I’ve had a rather unusual night so I really don’t give a fuck. They’ll have to try and behave themselves for one meeting because I’m not interested in joining.

Something is already not going right, though I’m not sure what. I watch as my father’s cheeks tinge red and he swings around on Cassian, who is grinning with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Most days I’d be amused by such a sight.

Right now, with every glance toward the gardens and the reminder they hold, I’m annoyed.

“Father, perhaps if we change the trade route to–”

“Calix!” he roars, and I don’t miss the way Cassian and his uncle exchange an amused glance. I’m starting to wonder if they came here today to even make a deal or if they just like to laugh at my father and brother.

It’s not uncommon for it to be the latter.

Yet, my father’s eyes narrow on mee. I raise an eyebrow, unamused. This only makes my father grow angrier.

“Yes?” I ask him.

He glances over his shoulder at Cassian and his uncle before crossing the room to come to me. He leans in close, and I want to recoil.

“You’re supposed to be helping,” he hisses.

Normally, I would nod along. But right now all I can feel is the aggravation boiling inside of me as I think of Isla and how I am not at her side. I am a tool to them, and until recently it didn’t bother me.

Suddenly it does.

I suck in a deep breath through my nose and push off the wall. Calix is watching me with a hard stare.

I approach my brother, clasping him on the shoulder and giving him a good squeeze. “ I think you’re right, dear brother.” I let a smile spread across my face. But I can feel it’s threatening. “I think there is a compromise here.”

Except I’m not thinking about the trade plans. I'm thinking about Isa and my brother's ownership of her. I wonder if he can feel the magic pulsing through my veins, eager to strangle him. By the way he winces, I think it’s already constricting around his throat.

I consider strolling right out of the office at that. According to my father and brother, I’m not part of our family’s trade. That is Calix’s job.

But I know that enraging my brother will only make him more present around me. He doesn’t know what it means not to get his way– I suppose I’m gonna have to teach him. And I don’t mean with this trade deal.

So I let my gaze slide from Calix to Cassian, knowing the sooner that I put an end to this incessant meeting, the sooner I am free. And that’s all I want — to be away from these two.

I can feel my father fuming behind me, expecting me to do more than this. I’m supposed to be convincing Cassie and his uncle to be on our side, not bringing my brother to theirs.

Before the situation can escalate to a point that is going to make me burst, I step away from my brother and approach our two guests.

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