Looking outside, he grew quiet. Then he groaned. “Her father and… mine want us to be married within two years of graduating from the academy. She wants us to be married. ‘It’s a strong match politically’ my father said.”
I felt like someone punched me in the gut. “What?” I balked. “Are you betrothed to her?”
Shaking his head, he looked me in the eyes. “I told my father I would choose my own wife and he is giving me that choice, so no, I’m not betrothed nor do I want to marry her.” He waved a hand at me. “Obviously or I wouldn’t be here with you.”
“Have you kissed her?”
He only hesitated for a moment. “Yes.”
Oh, now I really hated her. “Have you done—other things with her?”
“Define ‘other things’.”
I shot him a warning look. “Zyacus,” I said, trying not to sound upset. If he had been intimate with her, and she believed they’d be married then she had every right to be angry.
He chuckled and moved closer, wrapping me in his arms. “I’m playing with you. No, we’ve only ever kissed and even that was before we started here. I’m saving other things for someone else, someone I truly love.”
That spoke volumes about the kind of man he was. He wasn’t flippant about his affections like I wrongly assumed. I dropped the conversation about her and while waiting for the blood drinkers to come back, I reached for a blanket to warm my numb fingers. I spotted a figure in the trees. “There,” I whispered. No features were discernible at this distance but it was someone with an all-black Delhoon uniform.
Zyacus stood and immediately went for the ladder. I hustled down after him and we darted into the woods. When we drew closer to where we’d seen the person, we slowed and I drew my boot dagger. A branch snapped and we moved toward the sound but after searching for several minutes, we found no one. “Do you think they saw us? And appearus spelled away from here?”
Zyacus turned in a slow circle. “It’s hard to say but whoever they are, they’re gone now. Or very well-hidden.”
Other than my own breathing, the animals in the trees above were the only sounds I heard. “We need to talk to my grandparents and tell them what we heard the vampires say.”
“And when our parents arrive tomorrow we’re going to the meeting.”
“Are you worried about what our parents will think about—you and me?” I sure was.
“I have a hunch it was my father who gave that order to separate us, although he’ll blame it on the fight, it was probably because I sent Jennika home. He still has hopes I’ll want to marry her. And…” he trailed off.
“And what?”
“Of course he likes your parents now as allies but he still harbors some resentments. Your mother did pretend to want to marry him as a ruse to bring down my kingdom.” He paused waiting to see my reaction. I knew the stories, so I stood stone-faced. “Your father assassinated my uncle… My father told me, after you and I danced at your party, and on other occasions—that you were probably like your mother and I should stay away.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. These things had nothing to do with us. It was our parents, and my mother had good reason to do what she did, as did my father. His uncle was a tyrant, slaveholder—
“But I don’t care about any of it,” he said, cutting off my thoughts and interjecting before I could say anything. “I have no ill feelings toward your parents or you. The past is the past and if he has anything to say about it, I’ll tell him just that.”
I hoped it would be that easy, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t.
Chapter 34
Bouncing my leg with anxiety, Zyacus and I waited in Madison’s office. She wasn’t around when we showed up and since we’d get in trouble for wandering the halls during class time, we decided to hang out in here.
She was instructing a class no doubt but I’d bet she would show soon, given that I was sure Professor Tessam would contact her about my leaving class and giving her an order. Zyacus browsed the bookshelves, picking up little trinkets here and there. He turned over a crystal ball in his hands and then set it back down.
The quiet creak of the cat door made me turn and in strutted my little white fluff ball Atticus. “There you are,” he said, his green eyes going from Zyacus to me. “People are looking for you.” He sauntered over and hopped onto a stool. “Oh and there will be a knock at the door right about—”
Knock knock knock
“I am good, am I not?” Atticus was clearly pleased with himself.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“Bindy.”
Of course it is. When I tugged the door open Bindy strode in and folded her arms. “I’m here to protect you, and yet you keep doing shit that makes my job harder.”
Her brown eyes fell to Zyacus and she nodded. “You skipped classes together, then went outside after an attack and after Senica sent you that note? And gave a direct order to a professor.”
“What note?” Zyacus asked curtly.
Bindy put a hand on her hip and gave me the death glare. “He sent her a note a few days ago.” She pulled it from her pocket and tossed it to Zyacus. “Your mother and father are here. Professor Tessam wrote a letter.” She turned to Zyacus. “Your father is here as well. I suggest you find them.”
My gut twisted, Zyacus didn’t seem worried but I hurried out of the office. Oh I was in so much trouble.
No pranks or rule-breaking I’d ever done made me that nervous to face the consequences. It was dish duty or running, mucking stalls perhaps, something of the like but I’d never truly liked a boy before. Never introduced anyone, let alone Prince Zyacus to my parents as someone I was more than friends with. And I was nervous about this.
As we stood outside the double doors of the headmaster’s office where Bindy said they waited, Zyacus tried to take my hand and I pulled away. His brows drew closer and his lips formed a hard line but he didn’t say anything. I wasn’t ready to march in, holding his hand and throw it in my parents’ faces. He should understand that.
The doors opened from the inside and their conversations stopped. The way my father’s jaw hardened when he looked at Zyacus and I walking together, made me ill.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Zyacus said with all the confidence in the world. I was shocked he didn’t wither under my father’s piercing gaze, all the other boys our age did. I hadn’t even dared to look at King Enden yet, knowing what he thought about me. “There’s going to be another attack on the academy and the vampires plan on taking the youngest.”
Headmaster Jace paled, putting a hand over his mouth and my mother looked like she might rip someone’s head off right now. The talk of our less-skilled students being taken, changed the atmosphere in the room and the spotlight was no longer on Zyacus and I. More important matters were at hand, and they were demanding to know the details. We told them all we had heard. More guards, more protective enchantments, the same suggestions were made, but I said, “I want to go and hunt them down. We should make a move before they do.”
“When we hunt them, academy graduates—soldiers will be the ones to do it,” Father said. “Not you.”