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  “Engaged?”

  “How could you?” She trembles, and I reach out but she moves out of my reach.

  “I’m sorry for the things I said last night. I never meant to hurt you, Serena. Truly. I thought we were on the same page. No feelings. Just . . . two beings getting lost in one another. I should have seen what was coming, when you stopped running. But I didn’t.”

  All the fight leaves her face and her shoulders fall. I drink her in while she stands there for what feels like hours.

  I open my mouth to say something, then close it, then open it again. “Say something.”

  “Asshole.”

  “What?”

  She points to my forehead and I pinch my brows.

  With an eye roll she grabs my arm and pulls me into the bathroom so I can look in the mirror. Asshole is written across my forehead in permanent marker.

  Magali stumbles in and throws me a smug smirk.

  I face her. “You do this?”

  She signs yes and shoos us out so she can have privacy.

  Serena stands in the middle of the hallway and I approach her back, leaning near her ear.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I wish things were different.”

  She shivers at my closeness. “I know.”

  After a moment, she steps away toward the kitchen. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to follow.

  “Oh, and Tristan?” she says without looking back.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re officially no longer my pretend boyfriend.”

  Tristan

  MY EYES TAKE HER IN AS she steps into class with Ireland and Ryker, laughing like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

  It’s been a few months since the engagement announcement heard ’round the world, and we’ve fallen into an easy routine. Every day we go through the motions: an unbearable mundane pattern of class, training, and cordial living arrangements. Nothing more.

  Rulf nods at me from the door, and I force a smile. I fucking hate that he gets to protect her and I have to watch from afar. Concern is written all over his face as he watches Serena compliantly take her seat before taking his leave.

  He’s been healed and back for two months. Surprisingly, he’s unhappy that Serena has lost her rebellious edge. She’s become agreeable. Compliant. Not herself.

  I breathe in and start my lecture, forcing my eyes not to collide with the blue pair staring at me from the fifth row, second seat to the left.

  My lecture is flat, my words forced. My heart isn’t in it. I’m not even sure my heart exists anymore, and if it does, it’s not mine. Without realizing it, I gave it away to Serena the night we were together in my cabin.

  I made love to her in my bed, knowing that I’d only have that one brief moment in time with her. Though she never said it, I knew she felt it. I also knew the minute we were done, my future wouldn’t include her, but an arranged marriage, an agreement that will prevent an ancient war between my realm and the water one.

  All this time is passing by and I still can’t seem to tell her how much I need her, want her.

  Protector rules state that I can’t tell her about the cessation. I’m not able to change our destiny. But she can. She can fight. Because there is a cessation and she’s the key.

  My eyes glide over the students before I let them fall on her. Her breath hitches in her chest as our gazes collide. I can tell she’s trying to look away, but I hold her stare.

  I’m not sure if she’ll understand what I’m about to say, but I have to try. “If protector history has taught us anything, it’s that the supernatural realms are all about power and politics. The power struggle between our realms is based on strategy—a game of chess, if you will. And even if you’re the queen or king, you’re simply a piece to be played for advantage,” the words fall out of my mouth without emotion. “Yet, the queen is the most powerful piece, because, unlike the king, her movements are unrestricted. Her fate is her own. The queen has the power to end the darkness, and with the spring start a new beginning.”

  Serena chews on her lower lip.

  Clearing my throat, I avert my gaze. The trust between us is gone, and maybe we need to move on, but I’m hoping the words resonate with her.

  I turn to grab the bottle of water on my desk, but notice it ripple just the slightest bit. My eyes dart around the room and I still, focusing on my heightened hearing.

  A low distant rumble hums in my ear. The same sound a group of horses would make as they approach. My heart rate picks up and I spin back toward the class.

  “Class is dismissed,” I state abruptly.

  They students share confused glances, but don’t argue.

  “Serena,” my voice is stern. “A moment.”

  She stills, her fight-or-flight response going into overdrive. Ireland and Ryker watch her before she dismisses them and makes her way over to me.

  I wait until the rest of the class has gone. When we’re the only two left, I snap my arm out and grab her wrist.

  “What the hell, Tristan?” she snaps.

  “Diablo Fairies.” I state, and get ready to teleport us out of the classroom and into Chancellor Davidson’s office.

  I’m stopped when Rulf storms into the room looking like he’s ready to light the world on fire. Damn lapdog.

  “Serena,” he barks at her, and I curb my desire to lunge at him and rip his throat out. “I’ve got this,” he says to me, and grabs her by the elbow in a harsh manner.

  I lose my shit. I knee him in the chest and catch him in the mouth with my elbow. He goes down quickly, which, given his protector assignment, has me furious.

  “I’m starting to think you don’t deserve to breathe the same air she does,” I growl at him.

  The sight of him touching her, in a disrespectful manner, set me off. Am I acting irrationally? Yeah, I am. But she’s mine to protect.

  He bends over in pain, and I grab his hair and slam him against the wall, pushing my forearm into his throat, cutting off his air. I watch him choke, clawing at my arm.

  “Tristan!” Serena charges at me. “Stop.”

  I don’t look at her. “I warned you, Serena, that under my protection, nobody lays a hand on you. I told you that if another being so much as looks at you disrespectfully, I will end their existence, without warning. That includes your royal guard.”

  “Let me go so I can protect her,” Rulf demands.

  I snort because he’s doing such a great job of it. The thought ticks me off even more, and my fingers twist in his shirt, lifting him and slamming him again against the wall.

  “She isn’t yours to take care of,” I spit in his face.

  Rulf smiles wickedly before spitting blood onto the ground. “And she’s yours?” he goads.

  Fuck. He’s right. Enraged, I roughly drop him onto the ground, his head bouncing off the floor as I knock him around.

  “Leave him alone!” Serena pushes at me from behind.

  I turn and face her. My expression is furious.

  Her eyes quickly drop to Rulf, who is picking himself up.

  “Are you all right?” she asks him.

  “I’ll live,” he replies with a groan. “Can’t say the same for your protector, though.”

  Her cold stare shifts to me. “He isn’t my protector.”

  “Yeah? You might want to tell him that,” Rulf seethes.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Serena pushes at my chest, and the protector mark pulses, sending another irrational jolt of anger through me.

  The Diablo Fairy army is getting closer and closer. I need to get her out of here, and the only way to do that is to get her away from her guard dog.

  I curse under my breath, because I’m about to take this too far, but I need her to get worked up so I can teleport her. She won’t go willingly at this point.

  I look down at Rulf. He’s pushing himself up off the floor, and I kick him hard in the ribs, causing him to fall back down.

  “Sorry, man.” I le
an down and whisper in his ear.

  Serena curses at me. “By the grace, I hate you!”

  I stand and face her. “It’s about fucking time,” I push.

  It works. Fire ignites behind her eyes, and she charges at me with her fists flying.

  I grab her wrists and teleport us to Middle Lake, because it’s easy to get to my realm from there if need be.

  It’s also what I told Rulf I would do when I whispered in his ear not to interfere.

  “You are unreal.” Her voice is cool as she comes at me.

  “Serena—” I duck and grab her arms. “Stop it!”

  “No,” she jerks against me, tears streaming down her face. “I am not yours to protect!” she shouts.

  My pulse beats faster, angry at her words. She doesn’t see that regardless of what she wants, I am her bonded protector. I pushed too far and need to calm her down before we both do or say something we’ll regret.

  I pin her with her arms behind her back, and her chin juts out in defiance, exposing her neck. I curb the desire to run butterfly kisses down it just so I can hear her mewl.

  Instead, I lean into her face. “While most areas of you and me are messy, when it comes to matters of your protection, I have not given you a reason not to trust me.”

  She closes her eyes.

  “Look at me,” I demand. “I need you to trust me—with only your protection right now. That’s all I’m asking.”

  “I don’t need your protection,” she spits back, but some of the fight behind her words is gone.

  “I disagree,” I exhale. “Can you please just trust me?”

  Her eyes open, and she stares directly into mine.

  “Did you just say please?” she asks.

  I hold her gaze. “I did. I’ll beg if it will keep you safe.”

  “I trusted you more than anyone else I know, Tristan. Your lie destroyed that,” her voice is hoarse.

  “I swear to you that I will work twice as hard as anyone to regain it,” I vow. “I just need a little faith right now.”

  Her eyes narrow. “I’m still pissed.”

  “I know.” I release her. “I’m sorry.”

  She massages her wrists. “I know.”

  We take a seat on a rock near the water, and I text her clan and Henry. He informs me that the moment I got Serena off Academy grounds, the warriors retreated.

  It’s so odd.

  Almost as if they’re not even trying.

  She’s quiet for a while as I work through strategies.

  “What are you thinking?” she asks.

  “Asmodeus is slow to attack. It’s strange,” I say.

  “How so?” she questions.

  “It’s as if the demon is playing with us. Testing us. These faux strikes feel more like a warning of what’s to come,” I sigh. “I don’t like it. Something’s off. Demons are coy, but not usually this messy. It doesn’t feel right,” I ramble. “And at this rate, his attacks won’t be ending anytime soon.”

  “Is that what you want? For it all to end?”

  “More than anything,” I reply.

  Silence falls between us for a moment before she shifts.

  “What happens to us at the end of all this?” Serena asks.

  I exhale. “I walk away. Not because I want to, but because I have to.”

  Serena

  Long, ring-covered fingers caress my cheek, making their way down my face with a gentle touch. At the soft caress, my lips part, and I stop breathing all together.

  Tristan’s hand flattens as it glides down my throat and over my collar bone, then stops over my heart. His eyes never leave mine as he inhales deeply and his hand slides across my breast and over the white lace fabric of my low-cut pajama top.

  Bending at the waist, he leans down so his lips are a breath from mine. His gaze is intense while his hand moves lower, until two fingers run over the thin material covering my damp lower body.

  Narrowing his eyes, he tilts his head, watching my reaction. I know this has gone too far, but I'm not stopping him. Skilled fingers slide up and down the cotton in a rhythmic motion, causing my body to tighten with pleasure.

  I release a needy whimper as his lips brush the outside of my ear. “Is this for me?” Tristan whispers, cupping me. “Are you soaked with need to have me inside you, Serena?”

  I swallow, unable to find my voice.

  “Is it me that you want to take you higher, until it’s my name rolling off your lips as you scream out in pleasure?”

  At the rawness of his words, my body begins to tremble. Just when I think I can’t take his touch for another second, he pulls his fingers away, bringing them to his nose and inhaling.

  “You’re so damn sweet,” he growls into the dark room.

  “Tristan.” His name is a plea to finish what he started.

  His lips tilt wickedly as he straightens to his full height and takes a step away from the bed.

  Confused, I watch him, clamping my thighs together, desperately needing relief after his assault.

  “You aren’t mine to touch. And I sure as hell am not yours,” he bites out, before turning and storming out of the room, as I’m left cursing his name.

  I jolt awake with a gasp, and it takes me a minute to collect myself from my intense dream. I wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and look around my room.

  Rays of the sun’s light are peeking through the curtains, blanketing everything in a warm butter hue. Morning.

  It’s morning. And that was just a dream.

  I will my heartbeat to slow down as I swing my legs over the side of my bed and stumble toward the bathroom. Throwing cold water on my face, I glance at the mirror. I look tired. Worn out. I miss the free-spirited girl I was a few months ago. I toss my hair into a bun and sigh, before brushing my teeth and padding my way toward the kitchen.

  When I step out into the hallway, I stop in my tracks at the sight of a shirtless Tristan. Sipping on coffee. On the balcony. Half naked.

  “By the grace,” I mutter.

  For the past few months we’ve managed to live together without too much drama. He’s usually gone before I get up in the morning, and returns long after I’ve gone to bed.

  After my dream this morning, though, my body is tight with the need for release, and seeing him here, with the sunlight beaming off his half naked body, makes me want to throw caution to the wind and ravish him.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, then open them and focus on the coffee machine. Caffeine sounds good. I should get coffee instead of staring at Tristan’s back. His beautiful corded back. My legs move me toward the balcony. To him.

  Sensing me, he turns and offers me a sad smile.

  “Hey.” His voice sounds like gravel.

  “Hi,” I squeak out. “No class or training sessions today?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why is that?” I give him a sideways glance.

  “Your clan is coming in a few hours. We’re meeting with them in Chancellor Davidson’s office,” he responds.

  “Oh.” I grip the railing, and my gaze roams over the Academy’s campus. “I didn’t know.”

  “The text came in this morning. Apparently, I need to explain my actions of the other day, when I teleported you off campus to Middle Lake without prior approval.”

  I bark out a laugh. “What?”

  “Rulf wasn’t too happy with the way I handled things.”

  “Rulf is such an idiot,” I exhale.

  “He’s a necessary evil, to keep you safe,” he states.

  “And isn’t that what this is all about? Keeping me safe so that I can fulfill my destiny and rule my race,” I sneer. “The training, the protection, the strategy meetings.”

  “The best we can do, Serena, is be ready,” he retorts.

  “Ready?”

  “For war,” his tone is flat.

  War. Is that really even a reality?

  I don’t trust myself to speak, so I simply nod my head.

&nbs
p; I’ve grown up in the supernatural worlds. I know that war always lurks on the horizon; it’s nothing new. Yet, to hear Tristan confirm it, as it relates to me, feels strange.

  “It’s almost summer,” I change the subject. “Every year the Academy hosts the Solstice Gala. Will you attend?”

  “No.”

  My heart sinks. I know I have no right to be saddened that he won’t be there, but a small piece of me had hoped.

  “Not a fan of dancing?” I jest.

  Tristan turns to face me. “I’m leaving.”

  I stop breathing. “For the summer? I think we all are.”

  “Forever,” he whispers huskily.

  My stomach bottoms out. “What about me?”

  Wrinkles appear in his forehead as he looks at me.

  “I mean, I thought you needed to protect me to work off your sentence?” My throat is scratchy and tight.

  “Oren has requested the ceremony with Freya be moved up. He’s threatened to declare war on my mother’s realm if we don’t adhere to his new deadline. Given his threat and the fact that there are only few months of my service left, I’ve been fully absolved of serving the remainder of my sentence.” His eyes study my face.

  A piece of me dies inside. I lean against the railing for support and wait a few seconds to collect myself. As much as I want Tristan to be my protector, to give me strength, I know he can’t. This is something I have to do on my own.

  I just stand, like an idiot, staring at Tristan for the longest time. No matter how many breaths I take, I still can’t breathe.

  Leaving.

  He’s leaving.

  To marry someone else.

  Without a word, I turn and walk toward my bedroom.

  I don’t glance over my shoulder.

  Not even when Tristan calls my name.

  Serena

  I’M HIDING. HIS ANNOUNCEMENT GUTTED ME. I can’t face the fact that he’s leaving. I have no right, but somewhere along the way, I fell for Tristan Gallagher. Hard.

  Sobs break free from my chest, and I use my palms to wipe away the tears streaming down my cheeks. I’m devastated at the unfairness and cruelty of our world.

  My door slams open and Tristan storms into the room, but immediately stops cold when he sees me.

  “Are you crying?” he asks.