Kai stands off to the side with Mar and Dover, his whoops and whistles echoing through the midnight expanse.
I manage to land a satisfying punch to Cece’s face before Zadyn and Jace pull us apart.
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Jace hooks an arm around my waist and throws me over his shoulder. Cece wails upon seeing the blood pouring from her broken nose. Zadyn and Mar crouch beside her, attempting to settle her down. “My nose! She ruined my nose!”
“Get off of me!” I kick and squirm as Jace drags me from the scene of the crime.
“Not a chance.”
“Damn it, Jace, let me go!”
“I enjoy a girl fight as much as the next guy, but I know you. You’ll kill the poor girl. You need to control your temper.”
“Like she didn’t have it coming?”
His stride doesn’t let up. “She was trying to rile you.”
“Well then, mission accomplished. Put me down.”
“Are you calm?”
“No, I’m not fucking calm, I want to claw her stupid face off,” I say as we reach the steps of the terrace and he lets me drop to the ground.
“So possessive. You’re worse than your guard dog.” He leans against the stone railing, sounding slightly amused.
“I am not,” I huff, dusting myself off and smoothing my hair.
“If you’re going to lie to my face, then at least be honest with yourself, little witch.”
“Whatare youtalkingabout?”
“You’re attracted to him,” he mutters, lifting a shoulder. The others appear in the distance, ushering a sniffling, blood-drenched Cece toward the castle. “Or you wouldn’t have tried to rip Cece apart.”
I glance away, wondering if I should even bother denying it.
My feelings clash. I want Jace, but I—we can’t go there. And it’s tough to keep pretending that there is nothing between Zadyn and me. Something that’s getting harder and harder to suppress.
I don’t know when it changed. Maybe that kiss in the alleyway, maybe the night I met Margot. But somewhere along the line, I started seeing him as more than my familiar. More than my friend. Seeing him with Cece after the few moments we’ve shared—I couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t bear to think that, like me, he might have conflicting feelings or that I said the wrong thing and basically drove him into someone else’s arms.
“It’s alright.” Jace pushes off the railing and walks up to me, tilting my chin up. “I want you to explore it.”
“You want me to explore things with Zadyn?” My brows shoot toward my hairline.
He shrugs. “Do what you have to. Fuck him if you want. Get it out of your system. So when you choose me, I’ll know it’s because there’s no one out there who can love you better than I can.”
Without another word, he walks up the steps. I stare after him, baffled, my feelings a tangled-up knot in my chest.
“How’s her face?”I ask as Zadyn walks me to my room.
“I think it will make a full recovery.” He strokes the stubble along his jaw. “You didn’t have to break her nose.”
No, you really did not,Furi chuckles.Whydidyou feel the need to maim the girl?
I toss her a mental scowl.
“I know, I know. I just lost it, okay?” I slide my eyes toward him and take a deep breath. “I saw you two dancing, and it got me upset.”
He glances down at me. “Serena, we were only dancing. It didn’t mean anything.”
