And by that, I mean I dream about him every night and can barely breathe when he’s near and turn bright pink when he touches me.
Like right now. Beneath the table, his thigh presses into mine, and I’ve never been so aware of anything in my life.
How am I supposed to concentrate on finals when my body reacts to his presence like a drug?
Thank the Shimmer, I talked Eclipsa into allowing me back to my dorm with Mack. We all agreed I’m probably safe, and that everything was a coincidence.
I still see him after lunch and combat class. Each time I leave the encounter feeling like I’m drowning. Like he’s an itch I can’t scratch. A smarmy, arrogant, beautiful pointy-eared dickwad rash I can’t get rid of.
It’s torture.
“Ready to start extra training this week?” Eclipsa asks before biting into an apple. I watch her eat for a moment, the small, quick movements almost predatory. As if the apple is a heart she’s just plucked from an enemy’s chest.
I refrain from saying something cheesy like I was born ready, and nod. But I’m excited. Our training sessions have become my favorite part of the day.
“Good, because the Wild Hunt is coming up in a few months. You’ll need all the help you can get to pass.” Her gaze shifts to the prince. “And you? Ready to get up early to train with Summer?”
What the frick?
“Why does he need training?” I blurt.
He grins, the act somehow wanton. “Eclipsa thinks we need to gel as a team.”
Bastard. He knows exactly why that’s a bad idea.
I swallow, picking at the initials someone carved into the table. How will I survive four days a week with him in tight clothes that showcase every single hard angle and plane of his gorgeous body?
“Scared?” he teases.
Yes, I want to say. Terrified. That’s what happens when you have no control.
Instead, I glare beneath my brows at him. “Puh-lease.”
My bragging isn’t all hot air. It’s been three months since the prince and I sat in front of my house in the snow, and I’ve put every bit of pent up attraction toward my training. I haven’t gone against Reina since the last time, but I’m confident I would smoke her now.
Speaking of. Inara and the rest of the Six watch us from their table. Reina and her two boy toys are there, along with Lyra, Bane, and Kimber, who wears a black veil over her face to counter the bright sun. Her shadow, a timid, pale girl with short auburn hair, holds a pink Hello Kitty umbrella over the vampire Fae.
From what I’ve read, Kimber won’t burn to cinders or anything, but her skin suffers a poisonous reaction to the sunlight. Even ten minutes in full sun could be crippling. A full hour and she could die.
Kimber winks at me, and I decide to pretend the gesture is friendly. After the taco incident, she treats me like a monkey here for her amusement. But I don’t have any illusions about our relationship.
If the situation called for it, she’d rip out my throat in a heartbeat.
The rest, however, glare without even trying to hide their loathing. If not for the prince, I have no doubt they’d be over here torturing us right now.
Inara and I lock gazes, and the hatred in her eyes sends a chill down my spine. I’m starting to wonder if there are cracks in the Six. More importantly, I’m beginning to question what could cause a rift between the most powerful group in school.
And I’m praying it has nothing to do with me.
46
“Again,” Eclipsa commands. It’s the Thursday before the Winter Formal, and classes are out early for Ostara, yet another Fae holiday. So, instead of combat class, I get my own personal private lesson.
I spring forward, my baton held high, blocking the Lunar Fae’s advance. Her sword flashes as it arcs through the air. It connects with my baton, the impact rattling my bones. “No,” the prince says, coming up behind me. I freeze as his hands glide around my waist, repositioning me. Then his fingers brush the underside of my arm as he lifts my reach an inch higher. “There. Better form.”
He jerks away quickly, and Eclipsa notices. Her sharp gaze shifts from the prince’s fingers to my face.
Crap. My stomach flip-flops. She totally knows.