Page 106 of Rebellious Royals

He smiled up at me. "Yeah, and I will always be that. I'm also youryoungerbrother."

"Three days," I grumbled.

"Which still makes you the elder," he said. "That means you outrank me a bit. It means, Aspen, that I will support you, ok?"

"I just don't know how to be a queen," I admitted. "The only example I know is from your memories."

"So make it up," he suggested. "Personally, I think you'll do a good job no matter what you do."

I nodded. "Which means the first step is actuallydoingsomething."

Chapter Thirty-Two

RAIN

That girl dying had really bothered Aspen. I couldn't say the rest of us were immune, but knowing Torian had gated over was more proof than either one realized. Never mind the way she'd clung to me all night long, even in her sleep. The next morning, she'd done her best to act like her normal self, but I'd noticed when she paused beside Spike to caress the plant's leaves.

So I walked her all the way to her first class. Jack rode on her shoulder, nuzzling against her neck until we had to split up. When her eyes met mine, they weren't pink-rimmed at all. Instead, her gaze was clear and even. I really hoped that was a good sign, not a bad one.

But as I walked down the stairs that led to the Never, Jack was clacking his beak together like he had something to say. Twice, he ruffled his feathers, but I couldn't exactly ask what his problem was. He'd caw out a word or a pair of words that didn't really help.

And yet, when I was deeper into the halls under the school, I couldn't help myself. "What's wrong, Jack?"

Caw!Then he chattered again. "Queen. General. Rain." And he twisted his head at me as if that should say enough.

It didn't. "I'm not following, Jack."

"Rain-General. Rain-Queen." He was even keeping his voice down. "Rain-General. Queen-Bitch!"

"Ms. Rhodes and I need to deal with Aspen because she's a bitch?" I guessed.

He shook his head just as I opened the door and entered my normal room. "Rain-General. Queen!"

Ms. Rhodes turned to look at us. "What about Aspen?" she asked.

And Jack nodded. "Rain! Rain!" And he nodded again, almost as if encouraging me.

So I dropped my tablet on the table and slid into the chair I always used. Lifting a hand, I made it clear I wanted that coffee Ms. Rhodes always brought. She passed it over, and the moment my fingers closed on the cup, I started talking.

"Torian gated into Aspen's room last night when she was having a shower. He never does that, and he's always careful to check before using that one, so it makes me think there's a problem. Then, all evening she was just a little too quiet. She didn't even ask me about Keir, and that's not normal. She always picks on me about him. But when we went to sleep..." I paused, pointedly taking a long drink to make it clear I'd accepted her offer. "She held onto me like she was scared. I think yesterday freaked her out more than she wants to admit."

Ms. Rhodes nodded her head and leaned back. "It's good that you told me, Rain." Then she let her eyes close and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "She's only eighteen years old. Little more than a toddler to me. I know she's more than that, but she'ssoyoung. Too young to be dealing with all of this - but our children haven't had the luxury of peaceful lives in a few decades."

"Yeah," I breathed, guessing that had to be hard for everyone.

"From what I understand," she went on, "Aspen didn't see her mother or guardian die. They simply vanished. I'm not saying that's better, because it leaves its own sort of mark on the mind. To worry a loved one will run out for groceries and never return?" Ms. Rhodes shook her head, proving what she thought of it. "But with the girl yesterday, Aspen secured the scene. Rain, she saw Carol's body, felt the traces of the magic that had been used to kill her, and then had tofocusaround it."

"So kinda like me sticking a sword in a hunter who didn't just walk away?" I asked.

She murmured like that wasn't quite right. "More like you racing to stop the Huntsman only to reach the gate a moment too late." And her eyes met mine, holding my gaze. They were deep green. Dark, like cedar trees in shadow. "You felt the responsibility of it, and the failure - even though it was a victory. You were fine, so you should've been happy, but not all wins are joyous ones."

"Is this going to mess her up?" I asked. "And should I ask her to talk to Liam? Or him to talk to her?"

Ms. Rhodes just lifted a hand. "I'll handle that. It's easy enough to pull her out of an afternoon class to spend the hour with him."

"Just not botany," I said. "I think she'd take it wrong."

"That is a very good point," Ms. Rhodes conceded. "But how are you handling all of this?"

---