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“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, standing up and re-tucking her blankets. “You tell me about Kaiden, and I’ll tell you about Dix. Fair’s fair.”

She frowned at him. “There’s nothing to say about Kaiden.”

“Then this conversation’s over until thereissomething to say,” he said as he headed to the door. “I doubt we’ll have to wait long, judging by the starry-eyed expression on your face whenever his name is mentioned. Sweet dreams, Alex.”

She remained scowling at the door long after it closed behind him.

“Stupid, arrogant, thinks-he’s-always-right best friend,” Alex muttered to herself. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

Yeah. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, her thoughts reiterated, as she drifted off to sleep.

? 1D;

Twenty

Something woke Alex in the middle ofthe night. At first she wondered if D.C. was still having her recurring nightmares, but there was no noise to indicate any distress. In fact, when Alex lifted her head, she could easily see Dix was sleeping peacefully in her bed. So, what had woken Alex from her deep slumber?

When a shadow moved across her field of vision, Alex’s heart skipped a beat. She sat up, squinting into the darkness. The shadow moved again and Alex froze.

“Easy, little human. It’s just me.”

Her eyes widened when she recognised the voice and saw its owner step into the moonlight.

“Zain? What are you doing here?” she asked, gaping at the huge Meyarin. “And how did you get past the bio-sensor on the door?”

“Forgive the intrusion, young mortal, but Prince Roka needs to speak with you urgently,” Zain said, only answering part of her question. “He’s sent me to escort you to Meya.”

Alex stared at the intimidating guard who seemed much too large for her dorm room. “Uh, sure.” Then her brain replayed his words and she clarified, “Wait, do you mean right now?”

He chuckled. “Yes, Alex. Right now.”

She wasn’t thrilled about sacrificing her much-needed sleep—Fletcher would kill her if he found out—but she grudgingly dragged her tired body from her bed.

“Just give me a second to change,” she said, grabbing a fresh outfit from her wardrobe and retreating to the bathroom. She quickly peeled off the tattered gown and replaced it with a pair of jeans, T-shirt and a light jacket.

“Okay, I’m good to go,” she said, re-entering the room. “Just let me wake Dix.”

Alex walked over to her roommate’s bed but before she could reach out for D.C., Zain laid a hand on her arm.

“Prince Roka has requested you come alone.”

Alex frowned at him. “But—”

“I believe he’s already told you why,” Zain interrupted pointedly.

“It’sDix,” she argued. “She’s aprincess! Whatever Roka wants to say to me, she can hear. It’s practically her job to keep secrets!”

“Even so,” Zain said, “I have my orders. Sorry, little human.”

“Stop calling me that,” she grumbled.

Zain laughed quietly as he used his hand on her arm to guide her to the window.

She looked at him in confusion and pointed to the other side of the room. “Um, the door’s that way. We kind of need to use it to get to the Library.”

“To the Library, yes,” Zain agreed. “But not to Meya. Hold on, little human.”

“I told you not to call me—”