Chapter 11
eleven
Kaiden
Her ankle wasn’t broken, but days later, it was still a little swollen.
I was tempted to risk her wrath and carry her to this next class; the pain on her face was enough to drive me insane.
Not that she cared. The princess wouldn’t even let me carry her books.
Her books. It’s like she was afraid that me touching her things was contagious.
That was bullshit of course. The bond couldn’t be deepened through material objects.
Physical touch, attraction, the meaningful development of feelings…
all of that was required. I’m sure a bond could be forged from coupling alone, but it wouldn’t be a strong one, and I didn’t want to be shackled to a stranger for my entire life any more than she did.
I didn’t know how to make this better. Give her space, and she’d be vulnerable to the djinn.
Protect her, and she hated me. I sighed as we passed the library.
Almost to class, and she hadn’t looked at me once.
Rani walked beside Eryn, like most mornings, and her narrowed gaze bounced between us as she sensed the mounting tension that no amount of pretending could hide.
“What did you do this time?” she asked me, twisting just enough to catch my eye.
I shrugged. What was I supposed to say? I snuck a peek at my silent bond, but she didn’t add anything. Her pace quickened despite how painful I was sure it felt on her ankle, but I held back an order for her to slow down.
Rani huffed. “Typical male response. You must have done something because my girl is more pissed than usual.”
I smothered a smile at Eryn’s reaction to that bit of truth.
Her anger with me was a difficult hurdle, but not impossible, and it was surprising to hear that her feelings toward me filtered into moments when I wasn’t around.
That meant she thought about me. Whether that extended anger was good for me or not remained to be seen, but I clung to optimism.
“And what’s up with the mood swings?” Rani continued, throwing her hands in the air. “You go from ignoring her to following her around like a lost puppy.”
“I prefer guard dog, actually,” I smirked when Rani glared. “Why don’t you ask her? I’ve made myself clear on what I want from her. She’s the one lying to herself. And me.”
As I knew it would, my comment struck a nerve, and my bond growled. Shoulders hunched, she tried to limp faster. Thankfully, the doors to the classroom were in sight, and we reached them before the overwhelming urge to throw my injured bond over my shoulder reached uncontrollable levels.
“Can you grab us some seats?” Eryn asked, then handed her bag to Rani. “I need to have a word with him.”
“I’ll bet you do,” Rani sing-songed then disappeared into the thin trickle of early arrivals.
I tried not to let Eryn’s reluctance get to me. Really. Our fledgling bond was weak, but there. She had feelings for me even if she denied them. I just had to encourage her to give those feelings a chance.
“We aren’t going to happen.”
Well, that wasn’t the direction I had in mind.
“I appreciate the protection, I do, but you shouldn’t expect anything from it,” Eryn warned.
She thought I was doing this for a reward? I didn’t care if she denied the bond for the rest of our lives, I’d still protect her. The very thought of anything happening to her made me sick. I couldn’t imagine a world without her in it, even if it was nowhere near me, not after meeting her.
“I don’t expect a single thing in return for my protection. That’s not how this works,” I growled, leaning closer so we wouldn’t be overheard. “I’d be right here, defending you, even if you never let me touch you again.”
“Good.” Her eyes widened and she swallowed, some of her earlier bravado fading. “Because you’re never going to touch me again.”
Her gaze dipped to the side, and I smirked. Liar.
“We’ll see.”
Pink bloomed on her cheeks. “I mean it. We’re not bonding. I don’t trust you.”
The smirk left my face. I didn’t care how long it took for her to accept the bond. I could be patient. But her not trusting me? Not okay. Without her trust, I was nothing more than an overbearing creep—one with completely honest intentions, but a creep all the same.
“You will,” I swore, and her eyes lifted to mine once more. I tried to let her see how much I meant it. “One day, I’ll be worthy of your trust. That I promise.”
Ezra was on guard through dinner, so it was hours later before I returned to campus.
My stomach lashed at me, pissed I hadn’t fed it yet, but it could suffer a little longer.
Once I saw Eryn safely back to her dorm, I’d head home and order a pizza or something.
Nothing like processed grease to get me through a night of grading papers.
I approached the Commons, prepared to suffer through the smells of food I didn’t have time to sit and eat, but was pleasantly surprised to see my bond waiting for me out front.
My brows rose, and I scanned the immediate area.
Why the fuck was she alone? A flash of platinum blond hair in the window showed an eagle-eyed Ezra watching from a safe distance.
I scoffed. Pussy.
Ever since Rani flambéed him for following them around, he’d taken a more covert approach when there wasn’t a legit reason for him to be there.
I quite simply didn’t care what anyone else thought.
The only opinion that mattered belonged to the beautiful woman with dark curls scowling in front of me.
Her arms were folded tightly across her chest, and she walked away as soon as I was within reach, but there was no cussing today.
That was a point in my favor. The sun set over campus; slowly, like it was stretched in time.
The golden light hovered as we walked, and the warmth it provided felt nice on my skin.
It was hard to keep a bad attitude in the sun, and some of the tension eased from my bond’s shoulders. The slow stroll was also easier on her ankle. Small victories.
“I’m not quiet.”
“What?” I laughed. That came out of nowhere.
“I won’t obey you,” she continued. “You should find someone willing to do what you say because I’m not that girl.”
Ah, so that was her plan then? Her fury didn’t scare me away, so she thought to use reason.
Too bad her reasoning was faulty. I didn’t want a quiet, timid little bond to boss around the bedroom.
I wanted the spirited hellion beside me; someone strong enough to be my partner…
who I also wanted to boss around the bedroom.
“What’s this?” I chuckled. “You’re trying to convince me to find another bond? It doesn’t work like that.”
“I’m poor,” she insisted, knuckles white as she gripped the strap of her bag. “I don’t come with any assets to further your family’s position of power.”
That was a lie, but perhaps one she wasn’t aware of.
Her very nature improved my family’s political position because our children would be powerful.
That wasn’t why I wanted her. She wouldn’t believe me if I told her, but if she needed that reassurance, I’d be damned if she didn’t hear it from me every day.
“Princess, I wouldn’t care if you were human.”
My mother would, along with most of my family. Definitely the tribunal. They could honestly all go suck a dick for all I cared of their opinions on the matter.
“Now I know you’re lying,” she snapped. “There’s no greater shame to your precious pedigree than tainted blood. Even I know that.”
She wasn’t wrong. Prejudices in our world ran deep, but she needed to know one thing about me if nothing else—I didn’t agree with half of our society’s practices.
That was why I needed a strong bond. I needed someone to stand at my side while I fought for change.
The second I inherited my family’s seat, I planned to shred the tribunal to its core and shake things up.
Along with the support of others I knew who shared my thoughts.
There were a lot more suffering in our world than just her kind.
The sirens specifically had it bad right now.
Our community was on the verge of imploding if we didn’t change our ways.
I glanced down at her, so innocent to the darkness of our world, and yet the direct victim of it as well.
I didn’t want to fight with anyone else at my side.
“Say that thing about tainted blood to Ezra, and he might just freeze your head.”
“Don’t tell me, he’s an ally?” she snorted. “‘Humans are friends, not food.’ Yeah, I can see him lobbying the tribunal to forgive him the number of co-eds he’s hooked up with on this campus alone.” I cleared my throat, and she rolled her eyes. “Oh my gods, he’s already tried that, hasn’t he?”
“No,” I said, slowly. “He couldn’t get a meeting with the tribunal if he begged.”
“I find that hard to believe,” she muttered. “Isn’t he your cousin?”
“And half human.”
She stumbled, and I instinctively reached out to grab her arm. A slight pulse went from my fingertips on her skin to the center of our bond. When she didn’t immediately push me away, a knot eased in my chest.
“Ezra is half human?” she asked with disbelief and a little awe on her face.
It was the first time she’d looked straight at me without a scowl for days, and I soaked it in.
Her green eyes looked tired, but not churning with hate.
Those delectable lips weren’t twisted in a sneer but slightly parted.
Gods, she was beautiful. I wanted to keep her there, looking at me like that for as long as I could, so I told her about Ezra and how he was hated by my mother and his siblings but beloved by me and his father. He was loyal and my best friend.