Page 102 of Taste of Thorns

“They were making out yesterday in class!”

“Who were?”

I frown. Is he being deliberately evasive?

“Beaufort and Henrietta.”

“Little Kitten, have you met Henrietta Smyte? She’s off her fucking rocker.”

“So! They dated before, right? He must have liked her once. What’s not to say he still likes her?”

“They’re friends,” he snorts, “sort of.”

“What does that mean?” I say, standing.

“It means he puts up with her, gets along with her, because he has to. Which is why he’s gone with her to Onyx. Henrietta has information.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“Kitten, Beaufort’s crazy about you. He hasn’t looked at another woman since you came along.”

“Then why was he kissing her?” I say, my voice breaking out into a sob and tears filling my eyes. “I trusted him. Am I a fool, Dray? Are you all playing me?”

“Ahh, little Kitten,” he says, pulling me into a warm hug.

Dray and I have done a lot of dirty stuff recently, but the way he holds me feels far more intimate and far more real – like he truly cares about me. I melt into him, resting my head against his chest and hearing the reassuring thud of his heart. Suddenly, nothing seems so bad.

“I don’t like it when you’re sad, little Kitten,” he says into my hair, “so if you don’t trust him, at least trust me. I’d shred Beau’s ballsack to pieces with my claws before I let him hurt you.”

“You’re bond brothers.”

“Yeah, but you’re my mate.” He kisses the crown of my head. “Talking of which …”

Without warning he scoots down and flips me right over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” I squeal.

“This is a waste of time. I’m already the fastest person in this place and you, little Kitten, can wield light. We’re gonna do something better with our time.”

“But the teachers!”

He snorts and I understand why a couple of minutes later as he strolls past the Titan twins, waving at them as he does and informing them we’re skipping class.

The taller one simply chuckles and the other shrugs.

“Are you sure they won’t report us to the Madame?” I say, resigned to my fate and not even bothering to struggle.

“Those two are lazy fucks. They won’t be bothered.”

He carries me back towards campus and along the pathways. Soon I realize we’re not headed to his tower, we’re walking towards mine.

“Where are we going now?” I ask.

“We’re going to move you across to our place. Its been long enough,” Dray says. “No arguments. It’s not doing any of us any good being apart and it’s not safe for you to stay here.”

He lowers me to my feet right outside my tower.

I’ve spent the last few nights shivering alone in my bed in my room. I have questioned what the hell I’m doing and if I’m right in the head. Especially when I picture that amazing room at the top of the Princes’ tower. However, the idea of leaving my friends behind, even if they’re just across campus and I’ll see them at meal times and in lessons every day, has prevented me from making the move. I haven’t had a lot of friends in my lifetime – for the last year or so I had none at all – and I’m not prepared to let the ones I do have go.