Zyacus is going to lose his mind over this.
When I hit the bottom step Zyacus turned and pushed off the wall. “Hey sleepy,” he said casually. “Hungry?”
I’d made sure to at least fix my hair before I came down but I still had a pillow crease imprint on the side of my face. “Famished actually.”
“So the winter formal is in a couple days,” he said as we walked. “Have you gotten your dress?”
“Not yet.” Tell him about the note. I wanted to but I didn’t want to ruin his good mood or have him race off to find Kyan. I’ll tell him later.
“You’re not backing out are you? I know it’s a big event and our parents might be there. I was worried you didn’t want that—attention.”
I grabbed his hand and laced our fingers. “No, I mean I haven’t spoken to my parents about us dating yet but I’m sure they’ve heard. It’s not exactly a secret.”
“Good,” he said, bringing my hand to his mouth and kissing it.
As we walked to the dining hall my mind kept drifting back to the note. Could Senica be here? Kyan had said he went home and wouldn’t be a problem. It was possible that Senica came back without Kyan’s knowledge. Unless I’d been completely fooled by Kyan’s kindness, his story about being turned against his will, but my ring would have told me that was a lie. Senica could have sent that note from anywhere.
When we entered the dining room, we didn’t draw every eye like the first couple of times. Everyone had gotten used to it. Legacy stood and waved us over. “It’s our turn,” she said grinning when we got close. Since the first day we sat together, we’d switched back and forth between tables. Legacy didn’t like that I wasn’t there every time. It made me laugh.
After only getting a single bite, I noticed someone moving very fast out of the corner of my eye. I turned and ducked just in time to miss a fist. Instead of hitting me as she intended, Jennika cracked Zyacus in the jaw.
“How dare you try to attack our princess!” Taz roared. Good old Taz.
I sprang up before Jennika could recover from her shock of hitting Zyacus and tackled her. The whole room broke into chaos. Fights started everywhere. People flew through the air, magic exploded, bodies hit the floor with people wrestling or getting dropped from punches, screaming—I was wild with rage. My fists pelted her face over and over until they hurt. After I’d thought she’d gotten over it, moved on, she tried to cheap shot me, and hit my man.
When her face was good and bloody and she curled up rather than fight back, I stood. Zyacus knocked someone out cold with one blow, Legacy was on top of the table and kicked a girl in the face, one of Jennika’s friends, I noticed as she went down. Taz was at my side and we stood back to back, ready to take on anyone else.
“ENOUGH!” A voice boomed and the very walls shook. The fighting slowed and most of us turned toward Headmaster Jace. “Everyone report to your dorms immediately!”
Zyacus took my hand, Taz was on my other side and we made for the exit. Someone grabbed the back of my uniform and I turned ready to fight but it was Headmaster Jace. “Except for you two. Come with me.”
Escorted by several professors, Zyacus and I were taken to the headmaster’s office where Jennika waited, holding a cloth that covered most of her face.
“What the hell is going on?” Headmaster Jace shouted. “We’ve gone more than half the year without something like this happening then the entire dining hall erupts in a fight, starting with you three.”
Honestly I was surprised that this was the first big brawl at the academy. When no one spoke, he slammed his fist on his desk. “All three of you will be on stall mucking duty, together, and maybe you’ll learn to get along.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Zyacus said, matter of factly.
I shot to my feet. “I will not be punished for defending myself from her.” I jabbed my finger in Jennika’s direction for emphasis.
“Princess Visteal,” Jace’s voice cut through the room. “Sit down.”
With a drawn-out breath, I shook my head and did not sit. “I didn’t start this. She did. She tried to cheap shot me because she wants him.” My eyes flicked to Zyacus. “I want her expelled.” I stormed out and no one tried to stop me.
I waited down the hallway for Zyacus. Being in close proximity with that girl made me seethe with rage. Bindy came into view and leaned against the opposite wall. “Good job,” was all she said and we both grinned.
“Only you and Madison would be proud of that.”
She laughed. “Madison is a wise woman. I told her about the threatening note. Extra precautions are being put into place.”
When the doors opened, Zyacus was the first to emerge and I straightened up. “You’re going back to Hesstia,” he snapped. “End of discussion.”
“Zyacus you can’t do that,” Jennika whined. “How can you expect me to just sit by and watch you with her—I love you.”
Bindy and I exchanged glances, and that raging fire that had simmered down inside me, flared up again. She loves him? They must have been so much closer than he let on. Were they in a relationship before? He’d gotten by the last week without telling me but I had to know.
“Pack your bags,” he said and turned his back to her.
That was cold. A small part of me even felt sorry for her; she just said she loved him and he crushed her heart like a bug. But after trying to hit me, actually hitting her prince and therefore starting a massive brawl, she had to go.
Before Zyacus reached me, I said to Bindy, “Oh, before I forget. I need a dress for winter formal in a couple days.
