Midnight Kisses (Shifter Island #1) - Leia Stone Page 0,43

so douchey?

I nodded and spit the last bit of bile from my mouth. “It’s all good.”

I’m fine. Everything is fine.

Does this school offer therapy?

I’d never seen someone’s insides spill out like that. Even the occasional skirmishes with the rogues were nothing like that. Even hunting with my dad and taking down a deer, I’d never seen insides become outsides. He was young… at most in his twenties… with his whole life ahead of him…like me.

“Come on,” Honor said, cupping my elbow. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“I’m in charge here, Nai.” Rage invaded my space, pushing Honor back. “If I say stay put, you better damn well listen. You pull something like that again, next time, I’ll throw you in the dungeon of my father’s castle for a week.”

Did he say dungeon?

His eyes glowed orange, and I knew his wolf was close to the surface, but legit… what … the … hell? Definitely not my mate.

“Everyone here—” I waved my arm in a wide circle “—might bow to your every whim, but technically, you aren’t the alpha king yet, so you’re not in charge of me.” I was 67.3% sure of this.

Or was he in charge of me?

The fuzzy swirling in my head made it difficult to put a percent on that—maybe not 67.3%, more like 43.9%—but I hated bullies more than I was worried about being right.

Towering over me, Rage glowered, running his eyes over the length of my body, causing my cheeks to warm. “Actually, as first prince, I am in charge of you, along with every other student when it comes to safety.”

Well, damn.

Fury burned away the nausea, and I straightened my spine to get every last inch of height as I glared at Rage. First prince? Whatevs. I offered him a one-finger “first prince” salute. “Don’t tell me to stay put next time, and I won’t have to ignore you.”

I crossed my arms, and my wolf growled. Dude better back down, or his pretty face was going to get up close and personal with my snarling teeth.

Rage stepped forward, and dark fur rippled on his arms. “It’s my job to keep the students at our school safe when the king isn’t around. He gave me that charge. Don’t test me, Nai. Understood?”

Dammit. Maybe he did have some power around here. Where was my rulebook? Probably with my supply list and official uniforms.

I wanted to demand to see it in writing, but I knew better than to poke a wolf covered in blood and surrounded by the bodies of his enemies.

My nostrils flared, but I swallowed my pride and choked out, “Understood. Also, your school sucks.”

Honor bumped Rage. “Don’t be a douche. She saved me from getting skewered.”

“Dude,” Noble added, snickering as he stepped up to join us, “she got to the singer before any of us could. Well done, Nai.”

Rage shook his head, glaring at his brother just as Evil Barbie stepped up next to him.

“Prince Courage!” she gushed. “That was so brave—oh, oh, what happened to your pants?”

I blinked, seeing the situation with new eyes. His crotch area was all wet with selkie blood, but his pants were really dark, so it looked like…

“I think he got a little nervous in the scuffle,” I told her, holding back a grin.

Rage narrowed his eyes at me as he cocked his head to the side, but he didn’t look pissed. He looked…

Holy mage. Was he about to smile?

A warm feeling spread throughout my chest when his lips curled into a smirk, and I rubbed the area because—no way was I getting warm fuzzies over this a-hole.

“You’re a pain in my ass, Nai.” That was all Rage said, still trying to fight the smile that wanted to grace his sexy face.

No. Not sexy. Ugly. Ugly troll man who must get off on misery.

Noble burst out laughing first. “Damn, girl,” he said, patting my arm. “I think I love you.”

“It’s selkie blood, idiots!” Rage barked, but his grin ruined his attempt at acting pissed with his brothers.

My stomach flipped over that smile, and I knew in that moment that this man would be the death of me.

My adrenaline wouldn’t shut off after the selkie attack. School was canceled for the day, and the king was rumored to be beyond pissed. Rage and the other brothers had been called to the castle for a meeting while I sat in Harvest Dorm and recounted the entire story to Nell, Rue, and Kaja. We all sat around a pristine wood-polished coffee table while