Page 136 of Powerless

My shoulders stiffen, but I force myself to sound relaxed. “Does she?”

He huffs out a laugh. “Yeah. She’s the only person who doesn’t tell me what I want to hear, isn’t afraid to speak her mind. And quite often, might I add.”

“Would you like me to call you out on your shit more often, Brother?” I ask casually. “Is that what I’m hearing?”

He gives me a lazy shove, ignoring my comment. “She’s got this sort of fire. Even called me an ass the other day.”

My lips twitch despite the tension coursing through me. “Sounds about right.”

“It’s strange,” he says quietly, his eyes scanning the crowded garden. “I haven’t known her for long, and yet, I find myself wanting to know her for longer.”

Silence stretches between us, his words hanging in the air.

“Maybe I was wrong,” I say stiffly. “Perhaps you do have a way with words.”

He turns towards me with a crooked grin. “And what do you think about her, hmm?”

My eyes drop to the stain on my shirt. I smell of wine and whiskey and the faintest hint of lavender that always clings to Paedyn. And with the way she clung to me tonight, the sweet scent of her has seeped into my clothing to distract me.

What do I think of her?

When do I not think of her?

I grab the flask from Kitt’s fingers and repeat the same words I had earlier. “I’m not drunk enough to talk about this right now.”

Lies.

Even sober she has my head spinning. I don’t need to be drunk to admit what she’s done to me, how she’s made mefeel.

The swishing of skirts and chatter of excitement has me looking up. I watch as the guests begin to head out of the gardens and towards the training grounds. I throw Kitt a confused glance, to which he responds, “I have no idea.”

We stand, only slightly unsteady on our feet, and follow the crowd. Before we’ve even made it to the training yard lit with torches, I spot rising platforms surrounding a large dirt ring where guests begin taking seats.

Tealah steps out into the middle of the ring and spins in a circle, smiling at the guests surrounding her. “How fun is this! Not only did we get a ball, but we also get a brawl!”

I was certainly not planning on fighting tonight.

The crowd cheers and claps as they look around, likely searching for the contestants. And I’m doing the same. There’s no sign of the girls, only Jax, Braxton, and Ace on the opposite side.

I run a hand through my hair, suddenly dizzy from the alcohol and all the powers pressing down on me. The flask grows sweaty in my hand and I’m wishing I hadn’t drunk so much of it even as I contemplate downing the rest. When I move to head over by the contestants, a hand grasps my arm.

“Kai.” I turn to find Kitt’s eyes pinned on me. “In case I don’t see you before tomorrow...”

“I know,” I say, not needing to hear the three words to know that he means them. “I know.”

“Be careful,” he says with the hint of a smile. “And don’t you dare die.”

“Don’t worry. You won’t be able to get rid of me that easily, Kitty.”

ChapterThirty-Nine

Paedyn

“What is taking so long?You know, you really are a princess sometimes.” Lenny’s grumble is muffled by the door separating him from my room as I tear off my dress.

“Calm down,” I mumble back. “I’m trying not to rip my gown.”

“Yep. That’s something a princess would say.”

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