AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wraythe nodded proudly. "Yeah. Everything's different this year." Then he paused. "Why are you here?"
"He has a class up the hall in a minute," Talin explained. "Seems he has Advanced Sensuality next."
"And I had a break before this," Anver added. "I'm also walking Nari to lunch today, so your pee-pee won't hurt either."
Wraythe slapped Anver on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back. Where's the brat?"
"Costuming," Anver said. "Sounds like there's a lot of feathers involved. I have a feeling she'll love that."
Ela made a retching noise. "Thanks, but I'll pass. We have, what, High Society next?" He looked at me for the answer.
I nodded. "Yep. Sounds like we're going to learn how to play with nobility. Should be an easy excellent."
"Or," Talin offered, "Saval knows that's where you're going to have most of your patrons. How many barons hit on you both this summer?"
"Most of them," Ela said. "Well, barons for her, their wives for me, but close enough."
"You'll get the barons too, once they realize it's an option," I assured him.
"Yeah..." Anver drawled. "I should just warn you now that Ciella's pissed about that. She's been ranting all weekend about how unfair it is that you get special treatment. I tried to tell her last night that it's because Lady Ranndor is all but your sister-in-law and she about bit my head off. Said it doesn't matter, it's still not fair, and so on."
"Because she's crass, shallow, and graceless," Talin said. "Not really the sort of thing the barons lust after. Ciella's a commoner, and it shows. Nari and Ela, however, can blend with us easily."
"Them," Anver corrected.
"Right. Them," Talin agreed. "The irony here is that Tishlie could've passed. If she'd been willing to actually study instead of playing her shallow games, she would've been appealing to quite a few of the nobles."
"She hates working for anything," Anver explained. "She - "
"Anver!" The woman in question screeched his name as she stormed up the hall.
Anver simply ducked his head and sighed. "Seems she's here. I should - "
But Tishlie marched right into the middle of our group and grabbed his arm. "You're supposed to take care of me, not them!"
"I'm here waiting for you," Anver told her. "They just got out of class. We're comparing our schedules, and you do not own me."
Tishlie huffed out her annoyance. "You are my guardian, Anver. Your grade depends on keeping me happy."
"That's not really how it works," I said.
She just glared at me like that was supposed to scare me into silence. "I'm not giving him up as easily as you did."
"Yeah, but the trick is to make himwantto stay," I countered. "Instead, you're chasing him off. Not really comparable to our mistakes as children."
"You fucking bitch!" Tishlie yelled.
Which was enough to make everyone look, including the person I wanted to see even less than this brat. The halls had cleared just enough that the mass of blonde hair and ivory skin headed my way stood out. That was Ciella. She was wearing a little too much eye makeup for her outfit, her hair was styled as if she was wearing a formal dress, and her heels were even taller than what Amerlee usually wore. In other words, she made an impression, it just wasn't the one she was hoping for.
"Anver, come!" she ordered, treating him like a disobedient dog.
"Fuck off," Anver told her. "I'm not Tish's bitch, and I'm certainly not yours."
Ciella's jaw clenched, but it was Tishlie who reached up to slap him across the face. All of us tensed, yet Anver didn't simply take it this time. He caught Tishlie's arm and pushed her back, looming over her. Anger took over his features, and the generally quiet and happy guy finally looked like the guardian he was supposed to be.
"I warned you," he said, his voice a harsh rumble, "what would happen if you tried that again. I will hit back. I will not pull it. I will not pick you up once you hit the ground. The bond is supposed to go both ways, so I will treat you exactly how you treat me. Do you understand, Tishlie?"
"You're mine!" she screeched.
