Page 64 of Change

Chapter Twelve

Bianca

Even

Bryce was in his bedroom when I got home. I wasn’t sure which was more offensive: the fact that he was hiding to begin with—since he very obviously had only just been hanging out in the living room with Finn, disappearing only seconds before I entered the room. Or the fact it was Finn who had to point me in the right direction.

Finn had been sitting, crossed legged on the couch with a book open in his lap, looking innocent enough. But across from him, next to one of Damen’s lounge chairs, was another book. It was face down beside a half-empty mug.

I glanced at it, then back to the blonde, who only shrugged as he said, “Yeah, I don’t know. Bryce ran and hid the second he heard you coming.”

I groaned, rolling my eyes. This was further proof that Titus was right—Iwas going to have to be the one to mend the chasm between us. It was my responsibility. I spun around and almost ran into Titus's chest.

“Sorry,” I apologized, ducking under his arm. “I need to take care ofsomething.”

It was impossible to miss Finn’s odd look, or Titus’s solemn nod, but neither were important at the moment. Instead, I crossed my arms, protecting myself from Damen’s drafty hallway, as I made my way to Bryce’s room.

I barged in without knocking on the door.

“Bianca!” He was in the process of taking off his shirt. He jumped, spinning to face the door, as he pulled down the olive fabric over his washboard abs. “What are you doing? You can’t just barge into a man’s room.”

But he wasn’t a man; he was my brother.

“We need to talk.” I pointed to the bed. “Sit.”

His bottom lip jutted out in a pout, but he obeyed, throwing himself into a defeated heap at the bottom of the bed. “What?” he asked, his tone petulant.

“I’m still very mad at you.”

Bryce’s forehead wrinkled as his scowl deepened. “I know. I’ll still help you where I can. Don’t worry, Brayden will be a good Er Bashou. He’s not as solid of a fighter, but—”

“You’re not getting away that easily.” I stomped across the room, poking my finger into his chest. With him sitting, our faces were almost even. “You’remy Er Bashou, and we’re going to get along.”

He seemed shocked. “We don’t usually get along?” he asked. “I thought we were rather amicable—other than the incident at the hospital.”

I wanted to pull out my hair. “No, we don’t!” I stomped my foot, because surely, he was joking. “We’re rivals! You’re my arch-nemesis.”

“Really?” His scowl had faded—now he only seemed confused. “Your ‘arch-nemesis’? What makes you think that?”

“You’ve stared me down in class!” Had he forgotten? Because I hadn’t—it’d been so embarrassing. “You’re always trying to challenge my authority.”

“No…” Bryce tilted his head to the right. His hair was in complete disarray after being caught in his shirt, and, for once, he seemed almost normal. “I’m helping you.”

Helping? “You’ve been challenging me!”

To his credit, he didn’t deny it. Instead, he leaned back. “At first, sure. I didn’t know who you were. I couldn’t have someone usurping my position.”

But it wasn’t only ‘at first.’

“Then?” I prodded.

“I’m trying to help you,” he reiterated. “A lot of people are going to try to throw you off, especially in the courts. I’m trying to get you ready.”

“By annoying me?”

Bryce shrugged. “If that’s what it takes. Us fae are very competitive.”

I was screaming internally. I totally should have said something sooner. We could have been so much more productive than this.