With his body healed, he turned his attention to me. “There could be something dangerous which is exactly why you shouldn’t be out here alone.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you’d suddenly become Bindy.” I put a hand on my hip. “How did you even know where I was?”
He sneered at me, and even that was beautiful. “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who saw you storm out of the dining hall pissed off.”
“I didn’t storm out,” I said, slamming my dagger back into the sheath in my boot.
“And Bindy should be the one out here,” he said, his eyes flicking toward the academy. “But I didn’t see her in the dining hall.” His voice was soft, lovely.
It hit me that Zyacus might actually care about me. I arched an eyebrow. “Is that concern I hear in your voice?”
His mask of calm and arrogance returned. “It sure would be shitty if the Princess of Delhoon got herself killed on day two and this place was shut down. My people wouldn’t get the training they need. We don’t have enough magic professors.”
I guess I’d been mistaken about his caring. “Oh, that’s right,” I drawled. “Because your kingdom murdered most of their magic-born.”
Anger flashed in his too-blue eyes and then it disappeared. “Not most, and that was before my time. You can’t hold that against me.”
His father had embraced magic, only when my mother convinced him to change their laws. Something Zyacus and I never talked about was the bloody past our parents shared. The killing, the deceit, the hatred. My father assassinated King Rolland, Zyacus’s uncle and that was just scratching the surface. I guess we thought it best to let those weapons stay buried. That there were some lines that if we crossed, we might not be able to come back from.
Without saying anything else, I started toward the academy. Whatever lurked in the shadows was still out here and I didn’t think it was wise to linger just to bicker with Zyacus. I could do that anywhere.
He caught up to my side in a couple strides. “So what pissed you off?”
I kept my gaze ahead. The last thing I wanted him to know about was that Legacy and I got into an argument about his cousin. “Not your business.”
“Fair enough.” And that was all he said. From then on our conversation consisted of the sparring matches during Advanced Swords. He was particularly interested in my grandmother Madison, our instructor, since he’d heard so many stories about her—ruthlessness. I wondered if he’d taken her up on her invitation to the students to find her after classes.
By the time we got back to the dining hall it was cleared out save for a few students who hung around to chat. Taz and Legacy were probably nearly finished doing dishes but I didn’t care. She owed me an apology.
I could feel an angry gaze on me; it was almost like a hot poker hitting my chest. When I searched the room, my eyes fell on a girl—Zyacus’s girlfriend. When I peeked over at him, he’d noticed her watching us too. Her eyes slid to his ripped shirt and her cheeks flared red. I gave her a feline smile, one that dared her to come to say something to me.
As I headed toward the kitchen, Zyacus caught my wrist. I was so surprised I couldn’t even muster up a glare when I turned. “I know you hate me,” he said quietly. “But if you need to go out for a walk—blow off some steam. Come get me. Don’t go alone.”
“I’m not a breakable doll.”
He didn’t release me. “I know.”
My heart began to race and I didn’t like the way he was making my stomach flutter. The way his eyes stared into mine without pause, without expectation, without that careful hesitation many others had in my presence. I pulled from his grasp, and hurried to the kitchen. I thought I heard him laugh.
When I stepped through the kitchen doors the dishes were already done. Now I’d have to owe them an apology, Taz at least. Before I opened the door to my room, I took a deep breath. Then a bump against my legs stopped me.
“She’s not in there,” Atticus purred.
“Where is she?” Though I already knew the answer.
“With the Collweyan prince.”
A bit of relief settled on my shoulders. At least we’d both have time to cool off before talking about what she said. Lying in bed I watched the stars twinkle on the ceiling. It looked so real I would have believed I was outside if I didn’t know it was bewitched.
Chapter 11
For three days Legacy avoided me. Zyacus wasn’t even in either of the two classes I had with him, and my grandmother made sure that Aric and I didn’t fight during sparring.
I’d taught that Hesstian boy a lesson on how to actually fight with a sword and not cheat, like Madison had told me to. Simply by beating him in a couple moves. Over four different matches. He was embarrassed, as he should have been.
While in Magical History, of course when I was already upset, Professor Deg had to call on me. I wasn’t sure what it was about me that he disliked so much but he sure brought out the worst in me. “Visteal, when was the portal spell first created?”
Like anyone knows that. “Some time in the age of magic.” I tried not to sound overly sarcastic but I did. For the record, I wasn’t always a smart ass to him and all my other professors seemed to like me.
Taz chuckled beside me. A few other giggles escaped the students and Deg gave them the evil eye that was usually reserved for me. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”
I shrugged. I was poking his nerves today. “Not particularly.”
“When was the first unicorn tamed?”
“Is this going to be on the test?” I asked.
More laughing from the class.
His face flushed a deep shade of pinkish-red and I thought he might get a nose bleed. “Just answer the question.”
“The year six hundred forty-three.” Take that Deg. “Better write that down everyone, it will probably be on the test.”
“Five miles.” He whipped his hand at me and a blue glowing band appeared around my ankle. “Go run right now. I’ll know if you’re short a single foot.”
Five miles?! I pushed up from my seat and walked out without another word. I needed to run off some frustration anyway.
I came back sweaty and dirty after running the perimeter of the property until I hit the five-mile mark. I wasn’t the only runner but everyone else was out on their own volition. Deg thought it was a punishment but I usually ran to keep my endurance up anyway, just not five miles.
When I busted through the door, Legacy was curled up on her bed. I shook her awake.
“What are you doing?” she asked, groggily rubbing her face.
“This nonsense stops now.”
She sat up and folded her arms. “What nonsense?”
“You’ve been avoiding me or ignoring me for days. Even when I tried to talk to you during dish duty and class. Short one-word answers and I’m sick of it.”
Her face fell with guilt. “I haven’t been entirely avoiding you. I’ve just been hanging out with Aric in the morning and after dish duty. And since you don’t want me to, I didn’t tell you.”
A long breath parted my lips. “I never said not to hang out with him. I said don’t fall too hard for him just yet. Hang out all you want but be careful not to get your heart broken. That’s what I meant.”