“It looks like we’re going on a little walk. And if it wasn’t obvious, you’re not invited.”
Squeezing Arthur’s hand, I drag him out of the room and past the three glaring men. Arthur is tense every step of way, as if he’s expecting a fight. I want to explain to him they’re mad at me, not him, but I’m too busy marching our asses out of there. I don’t stop until we reach battlements, the walkways on the walls surrounding the academy, and then I finally slow.
“Whoa,” Archer says, letting out a deep breath.
“Yeah, I don’t know what the hell has gotten into them. I mean, they’ve always been assholes, but I don’t know what their specific problem was today, with you being in my room.”
“You said they’ve always been assholes?”
I give him a look, debating about how much to tell him. “Basically, they’ve been complete jackasses since the day I showed up. They’ve made it really clear that they don’t think a woman, or a commoner, should be a dragon rider. And they feel they’re more entitled to having Ebron as their dragon, given that they’re men and princes.” I roll my eyes. “They absolutely melted down when I was dancing with another dragon rider. When I tried to leave the bar with a random, nice guy, they chased him away and basically dragged me home. Prince Gareth sat outside my room all night when he thought I was going to fuck one of the other men here. They’re seething because my dragon plans to choose their dragons as mates, which I guess in this crazy worldmeans that I’m going to end up married to the princes. It’s just… it’s a clusterfuck. I swear, those three make absolutely no sense to me.”
He lets out a low whistle. “So, they have a thing for you.”
I stiffen and look at him like he’s crazy. “What? No. Did you listen to a thing I said?”
The wind blows his dirty blond hair around his face as he spins to face me. “I heard every word of it. Those three have itbadfor you.”
“Wh-what in the world are you talking about?”
His brows rise, and I hate when he looks at me like this. Like I’m missing the obvious. “I’m a man. I understand men. You have always been absolutely horrible at understanding men, so I’m going to say this slow enough for you to understand. Those three are walking around peeing on you like dogs, trying to make sure that no other men so much as look your way. And the reason they were freaking out about me being in your room is because they thought we were fucking, or going to fuck, either of which they weren’t about to tolerate, because you’re theirs.”
“N-no.”
“Yes.” He continues walking, and I have to scramble to keep up. “They don’t want other men looking at you. They don’t want other men talking to you. And they sure as hell don’t want other men touching you.”
It feels like my brain has just stopped working. I try to apply his assumption to all the situations I’ve dealt with with the three princes, but none of it makes sense. They… like me? They’re jealous?
“You don’t know them,” I say, even though my thoughts are still racing. “They’re not like other men. They’re jerks to their core. It’s just all this dragon hormone stuff pulling us together and making us feel things that we don’t really feel.”
“Uh huh.”
I punch him lightly. “Seriously.” As I speak, I become more sure of it. “They don’t like me. I actually think they hate me. There’s no way their actions are fueled by jealousy.”
“Yeah, because men waste a lot of time torturing women they’re not into.”
I open my mouth, then shut it.
“And theytotallyjust had nothing better to do than go flying into your bedroom when I was in it. Because theytotallycare that much about who the woman they hate is banging.”
It’s hard. I honestly don’t know what to say. “But it’s been more than that.” Then I go on to explain Prince Alaric punching me during our one-on-one fight, Prince Lucien pulling down my top for everyone to see, and the names they’ve been calling me.
His mouth pulls into a thin line. “They’re assholes alright. Assholes I’d kick the crap out of, you know, if they weren’t princes, bigger than me, better fighters… all that.”
“So, you see, they don’t like me.”
“Oh, they still like you. Like a boy pulling a girl’s pigtails, which is honestly fucking sad, because they should have grown out of that shit by now, but they still like you.”
“Seriously, it’s impossible.”
He doesn’t look convinced. “Has anything romantic happened between you?”
I think of the tense moments I shared with all three men. Images of Prince Gareth's body close to mine fill my mind. Of the touches and looks between Prince Alaric and I. I even think about nearly having sex with Prince Lucien in the kitchen.
“Well…”
Arthur grins. “You know I’m not a warlock. I don’t have any mystical powers, so how do you think I guessed that?”
“I don’t know.” And I try not to pout as complicated thoughts and feelings wash over me.
