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She goes to slam the door again and I panic.

“Wait!”

I’m not expecting anything at all, but to my surprise, she pauses.

Shit.

What am I supposed to fucking say?

Clearing my throat, I give her a pointed look. “Do you really want Cassian or Raiden to come find you instead?”

She shrugs. “It seems to me that they’re not going to be able to get in here. So I’m good with taking my chances.”

She’s so smart, but sometimes she’s too naïve.

“And when you finally leave your little shoebox, you don’t think they’ll be waiting?”

The way she gulps confirms that she understands the truth. She knows they’re relentless.

She sighs, folding her arms over her chest again. “Why is this necessary?”

I’m wondering that myself right now as pain continues to cling to my limbs from the force with which I was launched from the room. “It’s all about status. Especially since you’re technically Cassian’s?—”

“I’m not Cassian’s anything,” she interjects, wagging her finger at me.

“Okay,” I reply with an eye roll. It’s clear she doesn’t want to get into that right now, which is cool and all, but there’s also the other fact. “Besides, we heard a rumor that they’re assessing groups and considering who to place together for the battles. If you’re not in the dining hall at all, you may be an afterthought when decisions are made.”

Her lips twist and I bite back the surprised smile threatening to take over. It was Raiden who said to bring up the battles and teams, and it seems he was onto something.

“Fuck, fine,” she grumbles, turning away from me. I watch as she grabs her cloak from the floor, draping it over her shoulders before patting her hands over her hair. The braids are intricate and make her look way too pretty for how fierce she actually is, but I suppose that’s part of her charm.

A beat later, she steps out into the hallway and clicks the door shut behind her.

“My friends?—”

“Are not on my list to collect,” I interrupt, heading for the stairs without glancing back.

“But—”

I spin on the balls of my feet, cocking my brow at her, and she growls under her breath.

“You’re an ass, you know that?”

“Yup,” I reply with a wide grin before heading outside.

I sense a few double takes from the fae in the communal room, certain they’ve already seen me leave once, but none of them utter a word in my direction.

A somewhat-comfortable silence washes over us as we take the pathway that leads toward the academy building. We make it to the fountain that joins all of the pathways when I spot my brother walking toward us.

“Kryll.”

“Asshole,” I retort, smirking at him, and he grins, leading me into a false sense of security before he has me caught in a headlock. Fucker always moves too quick.

A bubble of laughter escapes Addi’s lips as she gapes at us, and my brother proceeds to rub his knuckles over my skull.

“Do you want me to embarrass you in front of your girl?”

“Not his girl!” Addi hollers quickly with a shake of her head.