Zane scoffs, brushing imaginary lint off his jacket. “Jesus . . .”
I glance at Dredyn, but he’s not looking at Zane anymore.
He’s looking at her.
Mara.
And Mara?
She’s fuming.
Which—fuck, that’s cute.
Hands on her hips, glaring up at a two-hundred-pound nightmare like she’s ready to fight him herself.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” she demands, anger making her voice ring out across the quad. “You think you can just go around shoving people?!”
Dredyn tilts his head slowly, considering her. And then, he grins. A lazy, chilling grin. “Yeah. Actually, I do.”
Mara blinks, taken aback by the sheer arrogance, just as Zane steps up beside her and lets out an exaggerated sigh. “See? This is why no one likes you, Steele,” Zane drawls. “You never learned how to behave like a human being.”
“You’re disgusting.” She spits at Dredyn. “And pathetic, if you think throwing your weight around makes you anything other than a bully.”
Dredyn’s smirk sharpens.
Oh, he likes this—the fight. The fire.
He’s dragging her down to our level.
He takes one step closer.
And she, stupidly and foolishly, stands her ground.
“Let me guess,” he murmurs. “Daddy taught you how to talk down to the little people, huh? Taught you how to keep your chin up while stepping on the rest of us?”
Her jaw locks. “You don’t know a goddamn thing about me.”
He leans in closer, not touching her but coming close enough that she flinches. “I know your type,” he says softly, crowd noise falling away. “Daddy’s caged girl. Chin up for the cameras, eyes down for the men who own you. You don’t float above me, Princess.” His mouth tilts, but not in a smile.
She exhales sharply, hating every second of this.
And Zane—who has been dramatically texting for the last thirty seconds—finally looks up. “You’re really monologuing like a fucking supervillain right now?”
Dredyn’s smirk falters.
I bark out a laugh.
Zane, you magnificent little shit.
Mara crosses her arms. “You’re nothing but a violent, insecure little boy, throwing tantrums because the world doesn’t cater to your every whim.”
Dredyn’s smile drops.
Oh.
Oh, she just fucked up.
The air around us shifts.
