Page 36 of A Lesson in Obedience
“What?” he asked, taking the steps two at a time. When he reached the bottom, he went to the entryway table and grabbed my keys.
“Where are you going this time?” I inquired, eyeing my car keys.
“You were the one who said and I quote ‘I’m not paying for that dogs food so you better make sure it has what it needs if it’s going to live here.’” He raised his eyebrows, ending his impression of me.
“I don’t sound like that.”
He wrinkled his nose, shrugging. “I’ll be back. I promise if Iget him a toy, it won’t have a squeaker.” He turned the doorknob, heading out but I called him back.
“How is she?”
River moved his mouth to the side as if he was attempting to bite the inside of his cheek. “Based on everything that’s happened, she’s doing better than I thought. She is really trying here, Asher. If she is going to deal with these things and eventually rid herself of Chancellor Fowler, then she needs to trust us. All of us.”
I tilted my head to the side, crossing my arms over my chest. “Why do you say that like I’m the problem? I’m trying to keep all of you in fucking line and make sure nothing goes sideways.”
River looked up at the ceiling, groaning. “I’m not calling outyouspecifically. She needs to handle the Grayson thing and she knows that, but in the meantime…” He leaned forward, poking me in the chest with his index finger. The king chess piece he had tattooed there in my view. “Be nicer to her. You know you want to.”
“I’m realistic, River. If that doesn’t make me her favorite person, then so be it. At least we will all be alive when it’s over.”
He furrowed his eyebrows. “You are very dramatic. Dad pisses me off, but the man doesn’t scare me.” He let out ahmph, before adding, “She must have you wrapped around her finger if you are this wound up about something.”
“It’s called being concerned.”
“That’s one word for it.” He winked at me and turned to leave.
I ran a hand roughly through my hair, flexing my hands from all the tension I was trying to release. I had spent my time doing everything I needed to do for when school started again and I wasn’t the least bit hungry. I looked over to the couch, seeing Beau lazily staring at the TV screen. A colorful cartoon was on and his eyes drooped a little, telling me he was starting to fall asleep.
He was kind of cute, I admitted to myself. That couch would be covered in dog hair and I would most likely be the one to clean it because that’s what always happened. Beau let out a loud sigh and I mimicked him. I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water andheaded back up the stairs when I’d chugged it in one sitting. River’s door opened as I passed it.
Riley jumped when she saw me staring at her. I scanned her face and then my eyes traveled down to my brother’s shirt and her bare legs.
“This feels a bit like déjà vu, doesn’t it?” I joked. “Are you also going to ask me if I spied on you guys having sex too?”
Her mouth dropped open. “You just have really weird timing, that’s all.”
“Perhaps,” I said nonchalantly, finding myself working very hard to not stare at the legs, her brown skin looked so smooth and I was aching to touch her. I triedveryfucking hard to not remember what was between those legs and how it felt to have her contract around me and come. She opened her mouth to speak, but I ignored her, turning to my room and nearly ripping the door off its hinges to get inside.
I heard her footsteps following closely behind me. “I was figuring out a way to come and tell you that I maybe overreacted a bit to you claiming that I was going back to school, that I was sorry that your dad is just as insanely diabolical as the chancellor.”
“There is no need actually. I’ve been over your outburst for a while now.”
“I’m trying to be civil here, Asher.”
I gave her a forced smile. “Again, not necessary. I’m not the one you need to be deciding to have civil conversations with.”
She reared her head back, a look of shock on her face. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the need to step back when she walked further into my room. The instant memory of what happened here was always vivid anytime even a fragment of it entered my mind. The way her eyes looked up at me when she took me in her mouth, so willing to let me fuck her throat. I felt the overbearing need to throw her on my bed and do it all over again.
“Grayson is going to be helping us, so maybe find a way to make all of this less of a hassle for the people you seem to trust.”
Her brown eyes widened. “Oh, I’m sorry if my apprehension is a hindrance to you. I am working my ass off to understand everything and find my footing. Do I need to show my work, Professor? Do I need to get your approval before I can be graded on how well I’m moving on and improving?” She pointed over at me and a canvas that was hooked on my wall flew off and hit the floor.
I looked behind me, thinking that anyone else in this situation would have been nervous or trying to calm her down. I found her eyes again and noticed how all this was tied up in her emotions. Anger was something that held a lot of weight, especially in magic. Most definitely for magic that had never been nurtured.
“So, we’re back to overreactions again, hmm?” I placed my hands at my hips and waited for her response. I wasn’t riling her up on purpose, but I wasn’t going to run and coddle her either. She had River for that.
“I am going to step on that campus and know that he is probably around, watching me. I have to fucking pretend like that man didn’t just infiltrate my entire life in the blink of an eye. He smiled about it, he fuckingsmiledabout it and kill—” Her voice caught, almost as if she wanted to cry. She wet her lips with her tongue and pushed her braids out of her face, steeling herself. Little sparks of fire danced along her fingertips, and she focused her gaze on them, curling her hand into a fist so she wasn’t forced to look at what she’d created.
