Evermore Academy (Evermore Academy #3) - Audrey Grey Page 0,43

a big ol’ softie.”

“Summer—”

Ignoring her scary expression, I turn on my heel and march outside. Eclipsa follows, making sure to slam the door behind her. “Summer, you are still mortal and you need to—”

“No.” I whirl around, fueled by desperation and the need to somehow fix this. “That’s exactly why I can’t stay in bed. I have to make them respect me.”

Eclipsa sighs, her features softening. “The prince is going to murder me.”

“I think he has bigger worries right now.” Like being cryptic and preparing to break my heart.

She pops one hand on her hip. “Do you have a plan?”

“Yes. First, I have to take one of them down. Publicly.”

“Go on.”

“And I’m going to make a few allies . . . including my soon-to-be sister in-law, Freesia.”

She gives a begrudging nod. “That could work. Divide and conquer from within his court. But none of that matters if he beats you in the Nocturus.”

“He won’t. We’ll train three times a day. More if needed.”

“I can see about pushing the Nocturus from Samhain to Yuletide. That would give us a few more months.”

“Once I win the Nocturus and you receive the antidote, I will have allies, a spy within his circle, and the respect of the school.”

“And then?” Her eyes glitter with lethal excitement the way I imagine a cat’s does right before it pounces.

“And then we take the bastard down.”

Her smile is downright feline. “Easy, killer. You’re forgetting one thing.”

“Yeah?”

“If you best him in the Nocturus, there’s no way he’ll ask for mercy. You’re going to have to kill him or the other Fae will think you’re weak. Are you ready for that?”

The truth is that I don’t know if I am, but then I think of Valerian. All the things he’s given up already. The way he offered to be whipped publicly without hesitation. To give up his entire kingdom for me.

If I don’t fix this I’m going to lose my soulmate.

I may not be a killer at heart, but the thought of someone taking away Valerian awakens something primal and violent inside me.

“Yes.” There’s no hesitation in my voice. “As Aunt Vi would say, putting a rabid dog down is a mercy.”

“It won’t be a mercy, Summer. It will be horrible, the most horrible thing you’ve ever had to do. Do you understand?”

I was prepared for some quip about him deserving it and her words leave me momentarily speechless. The last thing I expected was Eclipsa to suddenly grow a heart.

“Was your first time like that?” The words just come out, and when I see the fleeting look of sadness cross her face, I wish I could take it back.

“Worse.”

Before she can hide her emotion behind the defenses she’s built up, I grab her hand and squeeze. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

She jerks her hand away while rolling her eyes. “Whoa, easy there on the sappy mortal feelings. If you’re going back to school today, I need you in hardcore bitch mode. Got it?”

I imagine Inara’s too-perfect face until homicidal rage practically oozes from my pores. “Yep.”

After Eclipsa grabs her bag and we head toward the main campus, I finally find the courage to ask the question I’ve been dreading since Valerian left. “How far would Valerian go to keep me from marrying Hellebore?”

Eclipsa doesn’t even hesitate. “He’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Everyone keeps saying that but what does it mean?”

“It means he will do whatever it takes. Bribe, betray, murder, war. You’re his mate and the future queen of his court. Fucking with you was the worst mistake Hell ever made, he’s just too self-engrossed to see that now.”

“Would he . . . would he remove the bond between us?”

She halts under a beautiful elm tree, her face unreadable. “If such a thing were possible and it freed you from your cage, yes.”

The kernel of dread lodged behind my sternum grows into a fist of ice, and I slide my fingers over his mark, skirting the star-shaped white flowers—and the sinking realization that there are more today than yesterday.

I will deal with that later. After I’ve implemented parts one and two of my plan and can finally see a light at the end of this jacked up tunnel.

I have to fix this myself before Valerian does. If I don’t, I know I’ll lose him forever.

The main library on campus is busier than usual, which makes sense since it’s the first day. I inwardly curse as Mack and I pass a group of fourth year Spring Evermore, wishing I