Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
“Fine, I won’t touch the little mariposa but this isn’t over.” Juan stabbed a stubby finger the size of a sausage at me. “Someday, some way I’m gonna get you, Connor. And when I do, you’re gonna be sorry your little faggoty ass was ever born!”
“You can try,” I said coolly. “But I’ll be ready for you, Gonzales. Just because I don’t have a Drake inside me, doesn’t mean I’m helpless, you know.” I cocked my head to one side as though considering my options. “How would you like it if my magic needle sewed your tiny dick to your stomach one night? Might make taking a morning piss a bit more interesting, don’t you think? Hmm?”
There were other spells I could work, of course, but they would take time and effort and the right materials. I was a pretty powerful witch in my own right—something people seemed to forget, probably because Saint’s cursed Blood Drake was so much more impressive than my magic needle.
Juan Gonzales didn’t say anything to that. He just gave me one last hard stare before turning on his heel and storming off, the tense set of his broad shoulders letting me know that he was angrier than ever.
“I fear we haven’t heard the last of him,” Saint murmured, watching him go. “And the rest of the Drakes need to learn their lesson as well. It’s a good thing I’ll be coming with you to all your classes today.”
“What?” I exclaimed, frowning up at him. “We didn’t discuss that! What about your classes?”
He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling under his school blazer.
“I’ll make up the work later. Today, you are my priority.”
“Okay, well then maybe you could come and, I don’t know, sit with me?” I asked, as I carried my cooling breakfast and coffee back towards our table.
Saint gave me an unreadable look.
“I won’t force you to endure that. But I will go to all your classes with you until all the other Drakes get the message that you are off limits.”
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded, but he only shook his head.
“Enjoy your breakfast, mi Corazon, and then we’ll go.” He turned to face me and cupped my cheek in his hand briefly. He stared into my eyes and growled, “I protect what’s mine.”
Then he glided away to who-knows-where while I went back to sit at our table where—I couldn’t help noticing—everyone was watching me, though they were trying to pretend they weren’t.
I sat down across from Megan and Griffin, and beside Kaitlyn and Ari. Emma and Bran and Lachlan were beside them. All of them had obviously been whispering about me and Saint because they went absolutely silent the moment I plunked my tray down. Only Jalli, who was busy feeding her chimelings tiny bits of scrambled egg, didn’t seem hyper-focused on me.
“Well, don’t all stop talking just for me,” I said, frowning around the table. “And you might as well get a good look at this…” I pointed at my forehead. “And this.” I pointed to the left side of my neck. “Did everybody see? Good. Now we can eat breakfast.”
I sat down and began savagely buttering a piece of toast, not making eye contact with anyone.
“Er, Avery? Are you okay?” Emma asked softly.
“Just fine, Emmers. Never better,” I said briskly. I raised an eyebrow at her. “And yourself?”
Emma didn’t seem to know what to say to that. She and Bran and Lachlan gave each other a look and then she shoveled in a mouthful of eggs and started to chew.
“Um, Avery?” Kaitlyn said in my ear. “Ari and I just want you to know how really, really sorry we are about what, uh, happened yesterday.”
“You mean when the two of you were humping my legs and wouldn’t let me go?” I raised my eyebrows at her.
“We felt compelled to do so by Megan’s spell,” Ari said, looking around Kaitlyn, who was sitting on my left, to talk to me. His cheeks were dull red with embarrassment. “And I promise you it will never happen again. After all, the spell is broken and you…” He cleared his throat. “You wear the Mark of another.”
“I certainly do,” I said, lifting my chin to let him get a better look at my forehead. “Good for you for noticing. That Drake eyesight of yours is certainly sharp this morning,”
“Avery, there’s no need to be so snippy,” Megan said quietly.
I opened my mouth to snipe at her too—possibly to point out that her silly spell had been the start of all this. But then I saw the love and worry in her face and I saw that same look reflected back at me from all around the table—but most especially from my original Coven mates.
It wasn’t fair to be sarcastic and mean to the people I loved just because I was miserable, I told myself. It wasn’t right to take out the angry feelings I had at Saint for being so hard-headed and stubborn on the ones I cared about the most.