I hold her gaze, not satisfied with her answer. “If anyone’s givin’ you a hard time, you need to let me know.”
“Why? So you can make them have an accident?” she jokes.
I don’t see what’s so amusin’. “It won’t be an accident,” I tell her seriously. If someone is messin’ with her, I would take care of them quickly. If I had my way, she wouldn’t be attending the classes at all. She’d only get private lessons from us. Unfortunately, the queen has already set eyes on our little mate, and it’s hard to know whether the queen has any spies at Shadowbone. If Shade didn’t turn up to classes, it would raise questions.
“I mean it,” I tell Shade when she doesn’t say anything. “If anyone’s givin’ you trouble, I’ll take care of them.”
I can see her mind working, like she’s contemplatin’ her answer. I’m about to press her further, when her lips curve into a soft smile. “Nope. I’m all good. But remind me never to get on your bad side.”
I grin. “That’s not somethin’ you need to worry about, sunshine.”
Her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink, and I can’t help myself. Leaning in, I press a kiss to her lips. She relaxes against me as she kisses me back, and I pull her closer, one hand slidingto the small of her back. Fuck, she tastes like caramel and cinnamon, and I can’t believe Knox is missing this.
At the thought of my brother, my muscles tighten. Sensing the change, Shade pulls back. “Something wrong?” she asks, breathless.
I groan as I force my gaze away from her lips, but I don’t release her. “Yeah,” I let out a long breath. “What’s wrong is that I promised I wouldn’t get distracted.”
She stares at me quizzically as I stand and lift her to her feet.
“See, as much as I’d love to have my way with you right now, we’ve gotta go,” I say reluctantly.
“Go? Go where?”
“I’ll explain when we’re with the others.” Shadows cloud the air behind me as I create a shadow pathway, and Shade grabs her sketchbook from the grass. Taking her hand, I lead her through the pathway. “Oh, by the way, did you leave food in the forest?”
“Huh? Oh, the snacks. Yeah, I figured whatever my animali is, it’s probably hungry.”
My lips twitch. “You’re hopin’ to lure a creature to you with…snacks?”
She frowns. “What? I’m not trying to lure anyone. I’m just trying to help the process along.”
“That’s not how it works, sunshine.”
“Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying,” she replies.
I’m still smiling when we step from the pathway into our private rooms. Thane, Galen, and Knox are all waiting for us in the sitting room, already dressed in their fighting gear.
I don’t miss the way Shade’s gaze lingers on my brother. It’s not surprisin’ considering the bastard has been avoidin’ her, and the idea that she’s uncomfortable irritates the fuck out of me. I maintain my hold on Shade, my hand squeezing her waist. Shedoesn’t say anything, but she relaxes a fraction, and a thread of satisfaction winds through me.
At the sight of us, Thane immediately turns to Galen. “Looks like you’re on cage duty.”
Galen purses his lips and gives me a wounded look. “You let me down, Raith. I was sure you wouldn’t be able to resist.”
Grinning, I grip Shade’s hip more possessively. “It was touch and go for a minute there.”
“Can we just get this over with,” Knox says coldly, observing from further away.
Shade frowns, glaring at Knox. “Get what over with? And what the hell is cage duty?”
“He lost the bet,” Thane growls like it explains everything. Of course, Shade only looks more confused.
“Galen bet that I’d be late bringin’ you here, because I wouldn’t be able to help myself from satisfying you,” I elaborate. “Seein’ as he lost, he’s stuck with cage duty when we capture the nemins.”
Shade opens and closes her mouth before speaking. “None of that makes sense to me. What are the nemins? And why are you capturing them exactly?”
Thane adjusts his belt and checks his weapons. “The nemins are a breed of zenali. They’re small shadow creatures that hunt in groups, called a ‘hollowing.’ We need to capture a hollowing tonight in preparation for the graduation games.”
“Oh. Right,” she says, her face growing a little pale. “And let me guess, these creatures are incredibly dangerous, and the students will have to fight them during the games?”
