“You don’t have to walk me all the way there.”
Quinn smirked. “I know. I’m headed somewhere else.”
“How do you have the energy to make conquests during training?” I exclaimed, shoving him with my shoulder. “With who? Or are you hoping you’ll find someone worthy of Pairing to get an edge in training?” I teased as he stopped and faced me.
“I don’t kiss and tell.” Quinn smiled. “As you well know.”
Pairing was an intimate act between magic users, and it often strengthened and connected their magic. It could be done by any two people with the right intention. For many, it was tied to love and sex. Becauseapparentlyit felt like something otherworldly if you Pairedduringthe act, but un-Pairing was more complicated,although I didn’t know the details. There was Soul Pairing, too. That was truly a once-in-a-lifetime, until-death kind of thing. It even changed the color of your Marks to red. Soul Pairing allowed the couple to actually share their magic with each other, not to mention giving them a huge power boost. But if one of them died, so would the other.
I didn’t know. I’d never even Paired before.
Quinn had awkwardly tried to explain it to me once, when we’d been intimate a year or so ago. But we’d never Paired. I thought it was pointless. I had so little magic, and Quinn and I had never been serious about each other.
Quinn waggled his eyebrows at me now, and I couldn’t help giggling. “You are unbelievable.”
His smile only grew then, and he shrugged, all boyish, handsome charm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me beside him as he started walking again.
“Quinn!”
“C’mon, ribbon girl. If you want to Pair with meso desperately, you—”
Quinn cut off abruptly, straightening, though he kept his grip on me. My eyes opened, suddenly wide awake at the buzzing beneath my veins that meant only one person was standing in front of my door.
Blake Axefire’s arms were crossed like a guard’s, his eyes burning as they took in my leaning on Quinn, his arm around my waist.
“Where have you been?” His voice was filled with concern. My brow furrowed.
“What?”
“Are you drunk?” Blake asked, his voice shifting darker. I straightened, pushing off from where I was nearly resting in Quinn’s arms.
“No,” I snipped. “Are you?”
“I swear to the gods, Morningtail—”
“Rubi didn’t do anything,” Quinn stepped in, eyebrows furrowed. “Sorry, we were just—”
“You’re dismissed, Azure.” Blake’s gaze didn’t shift even slightly away from me.
“But—”
“Now,” he snapped, something fiercer in his eyes.
“I guess I should go, too, considering I’m an Azure,” I retorted, grabbing Quinn’s arm in mine, though my friend immediately tried to get out of my hold.
Blake looked furious. “You are the tygress’s chosen rider. You’re a gods-damned Silver until I say otherwise, a Tyger Warrior and under my jurisdiction.” His gaze finally turned from mine to look at Quinn. “Leave. Now.”
Quinn started to say something, but seemed to think better of it. He looked at me, and I wanted to tell him not to go, but instead, I gave him a reassuring nod. I didn’t want to cause trouble for Quinn. He turned and started down the hallway, jaw clenched in obvious frustration but with no words of dissent. Damn the Ambush Master, ruining one of the few moments of normalcy I’d had since entering this palace.
“What is your problem?” I snarled. “We had dinner with Edith in her room. You’re acting like we committed a crime.”
“You weren’t in the great hall,” he said, jaw tight, the words pushing through clenched teeth.
I rolled my eyes, stepping toward my door. His hand shot out and grasped my wrist.
“And?” I said, pulling at his grip. “I’m not a child. You might be in charge of my training, but I don’t follow your orders outside of the training fields.”
“You and your Azures don’t know the first thing aboutfollowing orders. Meals are to be taken in the great hall.” Every word from his mouth was half strangled, like he was repeating a script.
