Pia wasable to stop the bleeding on my face, but she hadn't practiced her magic enough yet to fully close the wound. She pushed me to go to the infirmary for sutures, but I assured her that it would heal on its own in a few days. When I finally got her to reluctantly agree, she left and I showered before falling asleep in utter exhaustion.
My head was still throbbing when I woke hours later. I wouldn't have been surprised if I had a concussion fromSawyer bashing my skull into the mat.Oh well.There would be plenty of those during my time at the academy.
I rolled to my side and looked out the window. The sun had almost set, meaning my nap lasted longer than planned. I should have gotten up and gone to the castle for dinner, but the idea of having to face Sawyer or Sebastian again today gave me goosebumps.
I let out a long, heavy sigh and pulled the quilt up to my neck. How had everything in my life gone so wrong in a matter of weeks? I was happy before I was gifted. I had spent most of my time at the beach or working with my mother. Now, I was getting my ass handed to me by the king's soldiers.
My fingers lifted to the gash carved into my cheek. “Fuck,” I moaned, the wound aching to touch.
A soft knock hit my door, and I jolted upright again, clutching my blanket into my fists. “It's unlocked,” I answered mid-yawn, figuring it was Pia returning.
My eyes narrowed on him as Sebastian let himself into my room, closing the door behind him. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a sad attempt at a smile. He looked out of sorts, and though I hadn't known him for long, he didn't often seem to get frazzled.
“What could you possibly want?” I questioned, obvious annoyance rolling off my tongue. Theaudacityof him to come here—his friend just beat the crap out of me, and I was sure he had something to do with it.
He took a few more steps into the room before he spoke. “Please just let me talk before you say anything,” he insisted.
I didn't have the energy to resist, so I pointed my eyes at the ceiling, doing anything I could do to avoid his gaze.
Sebastian sighed heavily. “First of all, I'm sorry for what happened today on the mat. I had no idea that Sawyer was going to attack you like that. It was uncalled for and an abuse of power.”
I dropped my eyes to him and sat up a little straighter,pushing my back against the headboard. “You didn't know? Really?” I raised my eyebrows in suspicion. “Am I supposed to believe that?”
“I swear to the gods that I didn't know. Sawyer suggested demonstrating some techniques, but he didn't say anything about using you as an example. I never would have allowed that had I known.” The seriousness in his expression was enough to make me believe him.
“Then why didn’t you intervene?”
“That is incredibly frowned upon. The fact that I tore him off of you at the end was dishonorable enough.”
I’ll tell you what's dishonorable.
My lips parted to counter his claim, but he got the first word. “Let me finish,” he demanded and inched closer to me. “I’m sorry for not warning you about my father’s plans to announce your gift during the gala.” He held his gaze to mine, hardly blinking as he went on. “And I'm sorry I was such a dick about it afterwards. You didn't deserve that.”
My blatant shock was obvious. “No. I didn't.”
He held a single finger to his lips and took another step towards my bed. His cerulean eyes were sewn to mine with an invisible thread, and I couldn’t look away.
My breaths quickened. I pulled the quilt up higher to cover my breasts, suddenly all too aware of the thinness of my shirt's material.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you under the tower. I didn't want to, but you have no idea about the implications that my father has set for me. If anything happens to you—” He averted his glorious eyes from me to walk to my window, settling his hands upon the sill.
I watched the way the muscles of his back tightened as he drew a breath, holding it for a moment before setting it free into a deep sigh. His head bowed. “My father will always do everything he can to protect Caelestis. Even if that means putting the kingdom before his family.”
Silence overwhelmed us. I wanted to ask exactly what he meant by that, but something told me that now was not the time to pry. He seemed so…unbalanced.Distraught. As if he truly was sorry for these things.
When I was sure he was not going to say anything more, I slid out of bed and went to accompany him at the window. He didn't look at me as I joined him in staring out at the twilight.
My breath fogged the glass of the window. “I'm sorry that I assumed the worst of you, and that I've been making your job more difficult, and for all of the terrible things I have said to you.” My apology was soft spoken and much shorter than his, but it was heartfelt and I meant it.
Sebastian turned to me, his eyes glistening in the soft light of the moon. A forced smile found his face, though it was short-lived, vanishing when he caught a glimpse of my wound. He reached out to touch it, but stopped himself, putting his hand back on the window sill.
“I’m going to kick his ass,” he mumbled under his breath.
I brushed a finger over the injury. “It's not that bad, and let’s be honest, it was only a matter of time before someone beat me up,” I tried to joke.
He didn't laugh.
The air was heavy between us. Strangled with tension and something else that I couldn't quite name.
