I gave him a soft, playful shove. “Bastard.”
He laughed. “Back to name calling are we?”
“Only when you deserve it.”
Chapter 30
The time up to the winter formal went by quickly. As if time itself sped up since Zyacus first kissed me. He and I could barely stay away from each other. When we had to be apart, I felt a pull, a yearning to be near him. I think if we hadn’t known each other for years, and hadn’t been bantering, and fighting and flirting for months, I’d have been much more shy with my first kiss, my first real feelings with a boy. And Zyacus made it easy. We didn’t do the hot and cold game anymore. He didn’t hide his feelings for me. It was like once we both admitted our feelings, a snap of the fingers and we were in it.
Every morning he waited at the bottom of my stairs, and every evening after classes and sparring lessons or whatever activity we had, we found each other. We spent hours laughing, talking, or stealing kisses in a darkened alcove. He made my heart race and distracted my thoughts, and if it weren’t for my classes really upping the brutality and how sore I was from the week, I would go to him straight after my last class today.
But I was limping after the lesson in Advanced Swords. Madison put us on two teams for an open battle, somehow Zyacus, Lora, and I ended up on the same team and we destroyed the other side but it took a lot out of me. I still got hit and bruised and was exhausted. I told Zyacus I would meet him in the dining hall for dinner but a nap was in order.
I crashed on my bed and snuggled in my blankets, pulling them up to my neck and was out in minutes. When I woke up it was dark. I waved a hand and my bedside candle lit up. Setting my feet on the floor, I felt a piece of paper crinkle under my toes. Someone had sent me a note while I’d slept. I smiled thinking it was probably from Zyacus. I grabbed it and pulled at the corners. It was folded several times which I thought was strange. When it finally opened, I read:
I haven’t forgotten the delicious aroma of your blood, Princess. I can’t wait to taste it.
At the bottom of the page was a bloody set of lips imprinted. I crumpled the paper. That sick bastard Senica wasn’t gone after all. With everything that happened with Zyacus, and talk of the winter formal, I’d almost let the danger of him slip my mind.
Jumping at a knock on my door, I hurried to open it. Bindy stood on the other side. “You’re late for dinner, and Prince Zyacus is waiting at the bottom of the stairs. I caught him trying to sneak up here.”
“I hadn’t realized I’d slept so long.”
Bindy looked at the crumpled paper in my hand. “What’s that?”
The blood was showing on the outside. “It’s…” I trailed off and handed it to her.
Her face was stone after she read it. “It’s possible this is just to scare you but we can’t take that risk. You are not to go anywhere alone. Go to the prince, I need to speak with Madison.”
Zyacus is going to lose his mind over this.
When I hit the bottom step Zyacus turned and pushed off the wall. “Hey sleepy,” he said casually. “Hungry?”
I’d made sure to at least fix my hair before I came down but I still had a pillow crease imprint on the side of my face. “Famished actually.”
“So the winter formal is in a couple days,” he said as we walked. “Have you gotten your dress?”
“Not yet.” Tell him about the note. I wanted to but I didn’t want to ruin his good mood or have him race off to find Kyan. I’ll tell him later.
“You’re not backing out are you? I know it’s a big event and our parents might be there. I was worried you didn’t want that—attention.”
I grabbed his hand and laced our fingers. “No, I mean I haven’t spoken to my parents about us dating yet but I’m sure they’ve heard. It’s not exactly a secret.”
“Good,” he said, bringing my hand to his mouth and kissing it.
As we walked to the dining hall my mind kept drifting back to the note. Could Senica be here? Kyan had said he went home and wouldn’t be a problem. It was possible that Senica came back without Kyan’s knowledge. Unless I’d been completely fooled by Kyan’s kindness, his story about being turned against his will, but my ring would have told me that was a lie. Senica could have sent that note from anywhere.
When we entered the dining room, we didn’t draw every eye like the first couple of times. Everyone had gotten used to it. Legacy stood and waved us over. “It’s our turn,” she said grinning when we got close. Since the first day we sat together, we’d switched back and forth between tables. Legacy didn’t like that I wasn’t there every time. It made me laugh.
After only getting a single bite, I noticed someone moving very fast out of the corner of my eye. I turned and ducked just in time to miss a fist. Instead of hitting me as she intended, Jennika cracked Zyacus in the jaw.
“How dare you try to attack our princess!” Taz roared. Good old Taz.
I sprang up before Jennika could recover from her shock of hitting Zyacus and tackled her. The whole room broke into chaos. Fights started everywhere. People flew through the air, magic exploded, bodies hit the floor with people wrestling or getting dropped from punches, screaming—I was wild with rage. My fists pelted her face over and over until they hurt. After I’d thought she’d gotten over it, moved on, she tried to cheap shot me, and hit my man.
When her face was good and bloody and she curled up rather than fight back, I stood. Zyacus knocked someone out cold with one blow, Legacy was on top of the table and kicked a girl in the face, one of Jennika’s friends, I noticed as she went down. Taz was at my side and we stood back to back, ready to take on anyone else.
“ENOUGH!” A voice boomed and the very walls shook. The fighting slowed and most of us turned toward Headmaster Jace. “Everyone report to your dorms immediately!”
Zyacus took my hand, Taz was on my other side and we made for the exit. Someone grabbed the back of my uniform and I turned ready to fight but it was Headmaster Jace. “Except for you two. Come with me.”
Escorted by several professors, Zyacus and I were taken to the headmaster’s office where Jennika waited, holding a cloth that covered most of her face.
“What the hell is going on?” Headmaster Jace shouted. “We’ve gone more than half the year without something like this happening then the entire dining hall erupts in a fight, starting with you three.”
Honestly I was surprised that this was the first big brawl at the academy. When no one spoke, he slammed his fist on his desk. “All three of you will be on stall mucking duty, together, and maybe you’ll learn to get along.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Zyacus said, matter of factly.
I shot to my feet. “I will not be punished for defending myself from her.” I jabbed my finger in Jennika’s direction for emphasis.
“Princess Visteal,” Jace’s voice cut through the room. “Sit down.”
With a drawn-out breath, I shook my head and did not sit. “I didn’t start this. She did. She tried to cheap shot me because she wants him.” My eyes flicked to Zyacus. “I want her expelled.” I stormed out and no one tried to stop me.