Chastity gave me a look that burned at the edges of my patience. “I thought we should have a quick chat.”
“Well, time’s ticking.” I was way less rude than I wanted to be.
“I just want to be clear. I’ve heard you’re having a baby with someone else. I assume you’re done with Ethan?” She pursed her lips.
Those stupid pregnancy rumors. They were really doing their damage. “You’ve heard wrong. I’m actually single right now. I’m not having a baby, and I haven’t broken my mating bond with Ethan, either.”
Chastity’s gaze was abhorrent. “Well, why not? You’ve been broken up for months, and to be honest, hanging onto him like this is cruel. You need to consider what’s best for him, and let someone else make him happy.”
Strangling her would be a great way to relieve all this stress, but I held back. After breaking up with Finlay and losing Ethan, I wasnotin the mood to deal with this bitch. “Ethan’s happiness isn’t your concern.”
I went to move around her but she put a hand on the wall, blocking my exit. “Ethan has certain talents, talents that you have no idea how to harness for power,” Chastity snapped. “He needs a girl that can steer him in the right direction.”
“And what does that mean?”
“I’m from a high-born family. I can navigate the tricks of the royal world. Look at you! You’re a commoner— worse, an immigrant. You have no idea how to fit into our society, let alone conspire in the intricacies of court. The press has made a mockery of you from the beginning.”
The nerve of her. Chastity was exactly like Queen Antonia— a controlling, abusive snake. No wonder the two got along so well.
Chastity didn’t love Ethan. All she wanted was to use him to bolster her status and income. She only cared about herself.
“You shouldn’t bother yourself with my reputation. It’s none of your business,” I growled.
“I couldn’t give two shits about a pathetic fae like you,” Chastity replied. “I only care that you’re getting in the way of what I deserve.”
“Ethan’s not a prize to win,” I seethed. “And if you think I’m going to break the mating bond so you can move in—”
Chastity gave a laugh. “You have no mating bond with Ethan. He chose you because he thought he coulduse youfor the King’s Contest. The only reason he didn’t pick me for the Contest was he wanted to keep me safe. He thought you were going to die in the competition, and that he could choose me for his queen once he won.”
She sniffed. “Bad choice, because you obviously stayed alive and lost him the crown.”
This girl was delusional. Anyone could see that Ethan and I were bonded. It was clear as day.
But still… her words got to me. I knew they weren’t true, and yet, my heart felt like they were. Maybe if Ethan was with Chastity, she’d have found a way to save him from the demon by now.
I wasn’t polite this time. I shoved past her. Before I could get away, Chastity grabbed my arm. Her nails dug into my skin as she held on tight.
“If I can’t have Ethan, no one’s going to,” Chastity hissed. “Certainly not a scrappy little runt like you.”
My magic burst out of me. A shimmering blue shield expanded outward and blew Chastity backward. She hit the wall and slid down it, her expression going wide with shock.
“I’d let Ethandiebefore I allowed you to sink your claws into him,” I growled. Then I ran off, because if I stayed with Chastity a moment longer, I was certain my magic would’ve killed her.
Death was better than being in the hands of that manipulative bitch. If I had to choose between the leshane and Chastity, the leshane would be it. At least the demon would end Ethan’s suffering eventually. Chastity would never let him go.
Lord Lucien stood at the entryway to his classroom, surrounded by a large group of students. “Everyone, we will be taking a little field trip for today’s class,” he boomed. “Follow me.”
Lucien walked ahead, and my class followed. I stayed at the back of the class, because I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was feeling so down a simple greeting was too much to muster.
Lucien led us off campus and into the woods that surrounded the university. I drew my winter cloak tightly around me, to keep out the chill as the snow trailed down from the skies.
A couple of people looked nervous, but Lucien said, “Don’t worry, the path was cleared of monsters this morning. We should have a peaceful walk on our way to our destination.”
Our path ended at a circular clearing in the woods. A group of wooden benches were there, placed in a circle around a roaring fire. I sat closest to Lucien and enjoyed the bonfire’s heat as he began the lecture.
“You cannot learn Fae History without understanding faekin,” Lucien said. “Some of you may have covered faekin in other classes. Today, we’ll be meeting some of the more powerful faekin in our world, otherwise known aslosbiety, or women of the wood.”
Excited murmurs broke out, but Lucien said, “Calm down. These faekin are to be treated with utmost respect. They are beautiful, but dangerous. Which is why I’m going to instruct you on what to do before we meet them.”
