Page 40 of Powerless

His voice is flat. “Because I told you to.”

“And that is supposed to mean something to me?”

I am playing a very, very dangerous game.

He cracks a smile. “Fine.” And then he’s suddenly stepping behind me, muttering, “Stubborn, little thing.”

Rough fingers brush against the nape of my neck.

My breath catches as he casually pulls my hair into his hands, combing the strands out of my face and away from my bloody ear. “What are you—?” I stop short, feeling the pattern he’s gently weaving. “Are you...braidingmy hair?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?” he asks simply, unaware that my mouth is hanging open in shock. His voice is full of that cocky challenge as he says, “What, do you need me to teach you how to?”

“No, I don’t need you to teach—” I pause, taking a breath. “How do you even know how to braid?”

He huffs out a laugh that stirs the hair at the back of my neck. “You say that like it’s supposed to be difficult.”

We’re quiet for a moment, and the brush of his fingers traveling farther down my back has me stilling. I clear my throat. “I thought you told me not to get used to you being a gentleman?”

I can practically hear the smirk in his voice when he says, “And I still stand by that statement.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

He heaves a sigh. Fingers fall to my arm, and I almost jump at the sudden skim of his calluses. They stop on the strap wrapped around my wrist before slipping it off to begin securing my hair.

“There,” he says, stepping around to stand in front of me as he flicks the long braid over my shoulder. Then he gives it a tug, admiring his handiwork with a smile that displays his dimples.

I look down at the braid and stifle a snort at the sight of several strands sticking out. “I thought thiswasn’tdifficult for you?” I laugh as I say, “You do know thatallof the hair is supposed to make it into the braid, correct?”

“Odd way to say thank you, but I suppose that is the best I’ll get from you.” He leans in closer, lips lifted into a mocking grin. “Perhaps if you won’t let me teach you how to braid, you’ll consider letting me teach you some manners.”

I nearly choke on my scoff at the thought of the future Enforcer teaching memanners. His eyes skim over my ear before he takes a step away, slipping his hands into his pockets. “You should get that healed up before the interviews tomorrow,” he says casually, nodding to my wound. “We wouldn’t want Blair’s mark on you to scar.”

The sudden bite in those words has me stunned for a moment as I study him in the growing silence. “No,” I finally manage, “we wouldn’t want that.”

His gaze sweeps over me again before he turns, tossing a smirk over his shoulder. “Good luck tomorrow, Gray.”

I don’t bother fighting my smile. “If I had any manners, I would wish you luck as well, prince. But you already informed me that I don’t.”

He laughs, and the sound snakes down my spine as he continues to stride away. Without him to distract me, my ear stings furiously as I begin my trek back to the castle with one thought occupying me.

He never answered my question.

ChapterFourteen

Paedyn

The cool steelof my father’s ring does little to comfort me as I spin it on my thumb.

Gentle fingers are gliding through my hair, pinning and pulling at the messy strands. Between Ellie’s soothing touches and the plush vanity bench I’m currently slumped on, my drooping eyelids threaten to pull me back into restless sleep despite my reeling mind. Ellie must see the worry and weariness written all over my face because she offers me a sympathetic smile in the mirror. “How are you feeling? You know, about the interviews?”

The constant spinning of my ring never slows though my nerves never calm. “Well, I have no idea what to expect. And if it goes poorly...” I trail off as Ellie nods at me in the mirror, not needing me to finish that thought.

“Don’t overthink it. You’ll be fine,” she assures while continuing to pin up my hair. “Besides, the people can’t stop talking about theSilver Savior.”

The Silver Savior.

I nearly laugh at the name I’ve been bestowed. If they really knew why I was able to stop the Silencer, they wouldn’t be calling me a savior anymore. In fact, they wouldn’t be calling me anything, because I would just become another dead Ordinary who doesn’t deserve a name, a title, a memory.

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