Chapter 63

“Wait,” I say at breakfast, half a piece of bacon already on its way to my mouth, “what do you mean wedon’t have class tomorrow?”

“It’s Friday, shrimp cousin,” Jesse says, smirking at me. “Are you aware of these things they callweekends?”

“Don’t be cute, Jesse,” I snap, glaring at him, which only deepens his smirk. “I just didn’t know theAcademy acknowledged them. I mean, it didn’t when we were candidates out in the barracks.”

“Probably to prevent brawls,” Rafe says, pouring himself another cup of coffee as Ben, between us,nods in agreement. “Can you imagine those barracks if they didn’t keep us busy every day?”

“I think we should have a party tonight,” Luca says, raising an eyebrow and looking around at us. “Getour hands on some contraband liquor? Really let loose?”

“Get ourselves kicked out, you mean?” Rafe says, immediately putting the dampener on Luca’s idea. “Iwill go shot for shot with you during winter break, Grant, but I am staying sober here. Too much at risk.”

“Does this mean I’m invited to the palace for the holidays?” Luca says, his brows raising in interest.

“Of course you are,” Jesse answers, instant. “You too, Ben. Bring your families, if you like, there are athousand rooms in the palace.”

“Nice of you to invite them to our house,” Rafe says, glowering at our cousin, but then he turns hisattention back to Luca and Ben. “But yes, of course you’re invited. We’ll show you a good time, and ourparents would love to meet you.”

“Okay, so, sake bombs at Midwinter,” Luca says, “but nothing tonight?”

Rafe solemnly shakes his head, decided.

“Boring,” Luca says with a sigh.

“I’ll drink with you,” Ben says, shrugging and looking over at Luca. “Your room, if the Sinclairs are toostraight–laced to participate?”

I burst into a grin, looking between Ben and Luca. Ben he’s always a surprise, isn’t he?

“Seriously?” Luca says, smiling at him. “Sweet, I’ll set it

1. up. See you tonight.”

“This is not a good idea,” Rafe says, sitting up to his full height and looking between them, worried.

“Oh, they’ll be fine,” Jesse says, sighing and sitting back in his chair. “I’m jealous, but I’m with Rafe onthis one. Sitting out.”

“Shrimp?” Luca says, cocking an eyebrow at me.

I lean forward, eager, wondering really how much of a risk it would be –

“Shrimp,” Rafe says, darting an arm out even over Ben and pushing me again against my seatback, “isstaying in, and not participating in contraband.”

I scowl, glancing at my brother, who glares heartily back to me. “Shrimp makes his own decisions,” Isay, mostly to be contrary. I mean, I don’t have any real intent to go drinking in Luca’s room, even if mywolf perks up at the idea.

Rafe just rolls his eyes at me.

Even as I smirk at my brother, wondering how long I can torture him with this, I’m interrupted when awaiter comes over with a little folded note on a tray.

“For Cadet Clark,” he murmurs, holding it out to me. I murmur my thanks and take the note, peeringdown at my name neatly written on the front as all the boys at the table lean. forward eagerly. I look upand around at them, well aware that nothing like this has happened to any of us before.

Jealously, I clutch the note to my chest. “Away, you jackals,” I say, scowling at them all. “My note!”

“What is it?” Rafe asks, reaching for it, but I swat at his hand and Ben takes my side, shoving Rafeplayfully back as I quickly unfold the paper before Rafe can grab for it again. Luca

makes a snatch too, but I gasp and pull away, quickly scanning the contents of the note and grinningwhen I see that it’s from Daphne, inviting me to come down to her room tonight to hang out for an houror two.

I grin, crumpling the note and shoving it into my pocket. “Sorry, boys,” I say, standing up with a happysigh and stretching my arms languidly above my head. “Looks like my entire evening just got bookedup anyway. I won’t be available for contraband or for hanging out in our boring room.”

Jesse grins at me, intrigued, but Rafe jumps to his feet, demanding to know what the hell is going onand making a mad grab for my pocket. I just laugh and grab my book satchel, making a mad dash forthe doors to the Hall, loving that for once I have a secret that he doesn’t.

I mean, I’ll tell him, of course, I think to myself as I streak across the room, hearing Rafe jump to hisfeet behind me. There’s no way he’s going to let me wander off into the palace tonight all by myself. ButI sure as hell am going to enjoy torturing him with the information for as long as I can.

I’m still laughing as I get through the doors of the Hall, but my laughter is cut short as I slam into a bigpiece of granite –

My breath is all swept from my chest as my butt hits the floor, my hand going instantly to my nose. Igasp, my eyes smarting as I wonder whether or not I’m bleeding-

“Oh my god,” a voice says, “what the hell are you doing!?”

My eyes instantly snap up because obviously, obviously it’s not a piece of granite in the hall.

It’s just my damn gigantic mate.

Jackson crouches in front of me, his eyes frantically scanning my face.

“Is it bleeding?” I ask, taking my hand away from my face. I mean, there’s no blood on my hand, but Ican’t really feel anything but rampant pain in my face right now.

“No,” Jackson murmurs, studying me closely, taking my chin between his thumb and his. finger to turnmy face back and forth, studying it. “You’re an idiot for running through the halls like that, but theredoesn’t seem to be any real damage.”

“It would have been fine if you weren’t just lurking in the doorway,” I sigh, putting my hands on theground to push myself up.

“What the “Rafe’s voice booms behind me, instantly livid. “What the hell did you do to him!?”

Jackson’s eyes go wide as he stands up in a flash, putting his hands up in front of him. “Clark did thisto himself,” he insists. “I am not responsible for any of this.”

“He’s right,” I sigh, pushing to my feet and nodding to my brother. “I ran into him I wasn’t looking whereI was going.”

“You didn’t see….Ari, how did you miss him!?” Rafe sputters, gesturing to my mate, who is as big asmy brother, if not even half an inch taller.

“I don’t know,” I moan, being kind of a baby about it because I know Rafe will let me off the hook. “Myface hurts, be nice to me.” I rub my nose, scowling.

Rafe turns to Jackson, sighing and rolling his eyes but letting him know that he’s off the hook.

“Actually,” Jackson says, turning his attention to me again. “I was looking for you.”

Rafe’s shoulders go tense. I look up at Jackson with interest.

“You have an hour before class, right? And I have Friday mornings free. Do you want to get that magichomework in now?”

“Oh,” I say, my eyebrows going up. “Actually, yeah,” I say, my wolf spinning in an eager circle in

my soul. “That’s a great idea.”

“Ari,” Rafe protests, shaking his head. “Even if he has off, I don’t –”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Jackson asks, frowning.

“Well he can’t ” Rafe says, but then he snaps his mouth shut, realizing that….it will be very weird if hetells Jackson that I can’t go anywhere alone with him without my big cousin to chaperone. Rafe sighsand crosses his arms. “It’s dangerous,” he says.

“What?” Jackson says, smirking at him. “You think I can’t protect him?” He gestures to me like it’s it’ll bethe easiest thing in the world.

Rafe narrows his eyes, because that is obviously not what he’s worried about.

“It’s an hour,” Jackson says, looking Rafe up and down like he’s being ridiculous. “I’ll walk him to classand everything after. It’ll be fine.”

Rafe’s mouth gapes open for a second as he searches for a reason to protest, but when he comes upwith nothing Jackson just shifts his gaze to me and jerks his head towards the long hall. “Come on, let’sgo outside and see if you can blow up the sun or something.”

“This is a bad idea!” Rafe calls as I hurry to Jackson’s side and start to walk with him.

“It’ll be fine!” I shout back to him, excited. But as I turn to smile at my brother, to let him see that I reallydo think that I’m going to be okay under my mate’s protection, my smile falters a little when I see Lucaand Jesse standing at the door, staring after us.

Jesse nods and waves to me as Rafe mutters something to him about homework, but Luca?

Luca’s jaw falls open in shock, and then he snaps it shut, crossing his arms and glowering at

1. me.

My wolf yips victoriously inside of me and I have to laugh a little, because quite frankly, he deserves tobe jealous. If he won’t meet me in the dream state or talk to me about this thing between us?

Well, here’s my other mate, who very much is willing to make time in his day to spend at few minutesalone with me.

I grin, and subtly take a step closer to Jackson, turning my face up to smile at him. And he smiles rightback.

And so I walk out of the castle into the open air at my mate’s side, going for what I can only think of inmy mind as….kind of a first date.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report