I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Was Legacy a curse on men? Aric had died but thankfully been brought back even if it were as something else, and now Taron had been cursed to die. Maybe it was a good thing she never liked Taz back. I couldn’t lose one of my best friends.
“No, bring him,” I said with a smile. “He seems nice.”
“We don’t mind at all,” Lora said and nudged Taz.
Taz shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Guess what,” Lora said suddenly grinning. She pinched her brother and said, “My big bro qualified in the main seventh-year tournament! Isn’t that great?”
All of us rattled off our congratulations. It wasn’t easy to get into the major tournament. Madison only allowed the best.
“That’s really exciting, Aramis. You might face off with Zyacus again then,” I said, smirking about their last brawl.
He sat back in his chair with a chuckle. “That would be interesting.” His inviting brown eyes lingered on me for a few beats until he leaned forward, resting his forearms against the table. “If you hated the prince so much before, what was it that changed your mind?”
I’d thought about this a few times before. “I can’t pinpoint a specific time that my feelings for him changed. But there’s a lot of things I like about him.” It definitely happened gradually.
“I don’t know him well, but he’s tough, that’s for sure,” Aramis said. “If fighting skills make a good king, he’ll be successful.”
“I think he’ll make a great king one day.”
“Vis, are you going to be queen of both Delhoon and Hesstia?” Lora asked, bouncing her fingers on the table. “Because that would be amazing. I think it’s the Queen that makes the King.”
My eyes dropped to the table. “I don’t know. We’re not betrothed. You all would know if we were.” It was awkward to talk about something Zyacus and I hadn’t really discussed. We were both so young. The only reason anyone asked about our union was because we were royal. None of the other students talked of marriage.
I didn’t want to say aloud, but Zyacus would probably be dead before I ever became Queen of Delhoon. He’d die before my mother would.
As if reading my thoughts Legacy said, “Zyacus probably won’t live long enough to see her be Queen of Delhoon.” As if her words wouldn’t sting. “I mean,” she stammered, blushing again. “But he might.”
Everyone scowled at her, including me.
Taz shoved her. “Real nice, Legacy. We don’t know that.”
“Just because he isn’t magic-born doesn’t mean there isn’t another way,” Lora snapped.
Aramis stood, his chair scraping against the floor. “Let’s get going. The hunt starts soon.”
I was thankful for the interruption.
The group of us headed toward the door then Legacy pulled me back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound harsh.”
“It’s fine,” I said even though the pit of anxiety I’d already been experiencing only grew. “I know you weren’t saying it to be mean.” What I really wanted to say is she should be worried about her own relationship, and how long that might last.
She smiled. “I’m so glad you’re not mad at me. I say stupid things sometimes.” She twirled a piece of her hair. “So, I wanted to ask what you thought about Taron. Do you like him? Do you think he’s cute? I think it might be time for me to let Aric go. He won’t even talk to me.”
My mind drifted back to the vision. “Yeah, Taron seems nice. And definitely cute.” I wanted to tell her, I really did, but if I could stop the Fae, she wouldn’t need to get her heart broken at all. She didn’t need to know.
“I guess we’ll see what happens with him.” Legacy beamed. “I need to go find him. Meet you outside.”
∞∞∞
Once I caught up to my friends we arrived at a gathered group of a hundred or so students from all kingdoms. Taz, Aramis, Lora and I waited for the game to begin. I hoped Zyacus would show soon. I didn’t want him to miss the hunt when he was so excited about it.
Aramis stood on one side of me and nudged my arm. “There’s the prince.”
A warm trickle rolled down my spine. I peeked over my shoulder finding Zyacus. Somehow my body or magic, I wasn’t sure which, always seemed to be aware when he was near. A shot of jealousy flamed within me, seeing him walk beside a girl. I tried to quell it. I promised I would trust him. He’s entitled to have girl friends.I have Taz and he’s never once said a word about it.
I had almost conned myself into relaxing until I recognized the big boobed brunette I hated. Does she have a death wish?Why in the burning pits of hell is Jennika still here? And why is he talking to her?
At a light tap on my shoulder, I snapped my head around with an angry glare. Legacy stood beside Taron. “Why is Zyacus talking to her. Better question, why is she even here? I thought you told her to leave.”
“I did,” I grumbled.
When Zyacus joined our group, he shoved his hands into his pockets. He noticed the tension immediately. “What are you all pissed about?”
I moved to his side and slid my hand around his back. I had to show I wasn’t a jealous psycho. “Nothing.”
Taz and Legacy exchanged knowing looks. Aramis and Taron seemed confused and Lora tugged her brother aside, probably to fill him in.
“Well, if you don’t say it, I will,” Taz said. “What’s the situation with Jennika? After last night especially.”
It seemed everyone knew about the fight me and Jennika had gotten into. If they hadn’t been there the cat network told them.
Zyacus immediately looked to me as if he hadn’t even considered why I might get angry. “She wanted to talk about kingdom
