Page 35 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

“Iamasking you,” he snapped, the pretense of civility cracking just a hair.

I shrugged. “I already asked her. She said she decides when I die.”

That did it.

A twitch pulled at the corner of his mouth, his jaw tightening. His hands moved behind his back, fingers lacing, controlling himself with visible effort.

“She hasn’t bonded you yet,” he said, almost to himself.

“No,” I answered truthfully. “But I’m close.”

He didn’t like that.

Not at all.

“Your magic is unstable,” he said after a pause, his voice cool again, calculated. “It puts others at risk. And so do you.”

My brows lifted, slow and sharp. “What exactly are you saying?”

“It is no longer safe for you to be part of the Fourth Guild,” he said carefully, like he was trying to wrap poison in silk. “I would like to?—”

SLAM.

The door burst open with a crash that echoed off the stone walls.

Remy strode inside, fury radiating off him like heat, his boots thudding with purpose.

Theron didn’t move, but his sophisticates flinched.

Remy’s eyes locked on the prince. “That’s enough.”

And just like that, the air shifted.

The tension crackled in the air like a live wire as the door slammed shut behind Remy. His shoulders were squared, jaw clenched, the storm in his eyes aimed straight at Theron.

“Back off, Theron,” Remy growled, not bothering with a bow or a title. “This isn’t your decision to make.”

Theron turned slowly, eyes narrowing, like a cat playing with its prey. “This is a matter of guild safety, not your bedmate’s feelings.”

Remy took a step closer. “You don’t give a damn about safety. You’re just pissed you can’t control her.”

Theron’s voice dropped to ice. “She is taking too long to complete the bond. That dragon is dangerous. Unstable. She?—”

“—That’s bullshit and you know it,” Remy snapped, cutting him off. “Half of Iron Fang hasn’t bonded yet, and you’re not calling them unstable. You’re targeting her because she doesn’t grovel at your feet.”

The prince’s nostrils flared, his sophisticates bristling like they wanted to defend his honor with empty threats. But Remy didn’t flinch.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” Remy said, stepping right into Theron’s space. “Tell me this isn’t about politics and bloodlines and your fragile little ego.”

“You forget your place,” Theron hissed, voice trembling with rage.

“No,” Remy said with a cruel smile. “I know exactly where I stand. Which is why I’m offering you a chance to settle this like real men, in the ring.”

The air snapped taut with silence.

Theron’s fists balled at his sides, his pale face flushing with fury. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Dragging me down to your level.”

“You’d never survive my level,” Remy muttered.