Page 26 of Cruel Destinies

“Look,” I snapped. “Quit making me feel guilty for saving you, okay? It was a split-second decision.”

“Yes. But if you could—”

“If I could do it again, I’d do the exact same thing. Get. Over. It.”

Niko growled. “The prince isn’t supposed to sacrifice himself, okay?”

He conjured a flaming red ball and chucked it right at my face, on purpose this time. I extinguished it before it could do any damage. But it was the comment more than the fireball that caught me off-guard.

“I thought...” I started but didn’t finish. “I would’ve done it for the girls, too, you know. And not just Arya. I would’ve taken the hit for Ashlyn, too.”

My chest heaved with each breath. My chest ached somehow, but it wasn’t exactly a physical pain. It bothered me that, of all people, Niko was using the prince card and throwing it in my face.

And he was still angry. Niko threw his hands in the air and looked like he was about to attack the wall again.

“Of course, you would,” he said, his tone thick with ever-building frustration and anger. “As far as we knew, they were both inexperienced and essentially defenseless—until Ashlyn became a major badass and finally shifted.”

“How are things, by the way?” I asked, suddenly wanting the subject to change. Pretend like Niko hadn’t used my family and perceived position against me. I was getting weary of the fight. And since Niko was leaving soon... “With Ashlyn, that is.”

It must’ve struck a nerve because Niko visibly flinched at her name, his face contorting for a brief second.

“I broke things off.”

I hadn’t expected that. “What? Why? I thought you were into her.”

“Iaminto her.” He rubbed his hand over his head again. “Likereallyinto her. It’s just...”

“Because you’re leaving?” I asked.

“Sorta. She’s not taking it well and...” He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “And I don’t want to be the one holding her back from being...happy.”

“That’s stupid.”

His eyes shot to me.

“She probably thinks so too,” I added.

He pushed off from the wall, his defenses up again, and stalked toward his room.

“Whatever. It’s not like the general is forcing you from school,” he called back. “You have no idea...” He didn’t finish his thought and waved a hand. “I’ve gotta pack.”

“Is that what you did to Ashlyn?” I knew I was pushing Niko’s buttons but couldn’t help myself. “You broke up with her and walked away because you didn’t like what she said or something?”

Niko whipped around and stomped toward me with a finger in my face. “You havenoidea what you’re talking about. She’s...” he paused, his fire faltering a quick second. “She’s not like any girl I’ve ever dated.”

He didn’t have to say another word. His tone and expression said everything.

“She’s got you whipped.”

His shoulders dropped. “Yeah, she really does.” His brief vulnerability vanished from his face, and the familiar anger and frustration returned. “Don’t ever try to save me again, Tobias Dracul.”

The use of my full name stung a bit. Arthur was generally the only one who used it. Well, and Mom. But she never used a tone like that when she said it.

I didn’t say another word as Niko disappeared into his room, even though I knew that was the closest thing to a goodbye I was going to get.

***

In defense class, I threw myself into training. The exertion helped clear my head from the run-in with Niko—who was probably already gone at that point, but I tried not to think about that.

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