The suite door flings open. Erica drops a load of suitcases and sighs dramatically. She swims over the pile and throws her arms around me. “I missed you! Did you have fun? I’ve got to fill you in on everything that happened!”I return the embrace but don’t answer her question. I don’t want to talk about anything. The longest spring break of my life is finally over. I spent the majority of my waking hours studying before taking my exams. I’m not sure what the results are, but I sailed through each test.Isaac didn’t call or stop by once. Not that I have a shell phone, but he could’ve left a message or asked me to take the call from theErica doesn’t seem to notice my mood and goes on to tell me about her trip to the Atlantic. They explored a city and she met a cute guy who promised to keep in touch.She plops onto my bed breathless and smiles. “Now tell me all about your break. Tell me you didn’t study the whole time!”“That’s about it, really.”“What aren’t you telling me?” She tilts

“Whatever.”Want me to zap her dead?“No!”Everyone turns and stares at me. Earwyn looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. I probably have. Any sane person would’ve said yes.So, you want me to?I shake my head no.Earwyn holds up her blade and rushes at me, her eyes full of fury. I block the move, and my trident sparks. She swings at me around the side. I block that move too.Mr. Brant blows his whistle. “I haven’t called for you to begin!”Earwyn swings at me again. I move out of the way and aim my weapon at her. It heats up even more.I can still zap her. Don’t have to kill her.“Let me do this.” I lunge for her, slam into her, and pin her against the wall, holding the trident with all my strength. She struggles then swipes her blade against me, cutting my arm. I cry out and back up, covering my wound. My trident glows and tiny bolts of lightning spark from the tips. They band together and something tells me they’re going straight for my opponent. I pull the weapon to the side just bef

Erica sets her fork down and looks me in the eyes. “Are you okay?”I’m anything other than okay, but I can’t talk about that in the middle of a meal surrounded by all the students in the academy.“Mila?”I move my fork around the plate. “Let’s talk later.”“Right after the meal?”“Sure.” I turn my head just enough to be able to see the band at the end of the table. Isaac is turned toward them, so I can’t see anything other than the back of his head. If only I could see his face, I could gage how he’s feeling. Does he want to work through things or break up with me?Tears blur my vision. I realize Erica speaking, so I turn back to her. She’s talking with Lumen, which is a relief. I don’t think I can pull myself together enough to hold down a conversation. There isn't anything I want to talk about anyway. Not my parents, not Isaac, not the fact that I’ve angered Earwyn again. When she and her friends arrived at the table, they each made a point to glare at me before sitting.I should ta

“You weren’t avoiding me because I didn’t do what you told me to do?”He studies me. “Do you really take me for that kind of guy?”“No.”“Good, because I want you to have a mind of your own. Yeah, I’d like to think you value my opinion enough to consider it, but that wasn’t what bothered me.”“I wasn’t trying to push you away. It was too much for me to process, and I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. Do you know what it was like to be at my dad’s funeral after killing him, to have my mom and uncle make their grand entrance like two lovebirds? I didn’t even know she was back in Valora! I guess she was too busy making out with her lover to tell me.”“Or maybe she just arrived moments earlier, and they just wanted to surprise you.”I chew on my lower lip before responding. “No. I’m certain they wanted to stick it to my dad and Walker. That’s what it was about. I’ll bet if Tobi couldn’t have done that, he wouldn’t have allowed the funeral. He says it was for my sake, but I have to

They turn back to me and Tobi speaks. “We’re going to announce our engagement to Valora, and we’d like you to be with us. I’ll confirm the rumors so everyone can calm down and focus on the wedding instead. I know you don’t want to be in the spotlight.”Relief washes through me. Not only am I not getting in trouble for my incident, but everyone’s gossip will be focused on the upcoming wedding rather than me. “That sounds great.”“Perfect.” Tobi grins. “Would you like to change into a gown?”I give him a double-take. “You’re going to do the announcement now?”“As soon as you’re ready.”“But I have to get back to the academy and study.”“I’ll excuse you from your assignments. One of the benefits of being king.” He winks.Before I can reply, someone bows in front of me. It’s the same servant who helped me the first day I arrived. The one I called Sally because she wouldn’t tell me her actual name. “To your room, my lady.”I don’t bother telling her to call me by my name. I suppose I’ve re