“Somebody’s a grumpy glowfish,” I chirped, taking us another three steps to the right.
“Somebodyneeds to shut the hell up!”
It felt like a dance. Two steps forward and then one to the left. Three steps backward, now dip!
Rani’s growl of frustration only made it more fun. Honestly, she should have known better. Leaving the safety of the wards to go on campus and talk to her advisor wasn’t on the high list of priorities. Those spots were all reserved with ‘KEEP RANI ALIVE.’ I told her to send an email and be done with it. She could withdraw from classes with written notice just as easily as verbally.Moreeasily.
Tired of being tugged around, Rani jerked her hands from my grasp and slammed them into my chest. I stumbled back in shock, not expecting her to have enough strength to actually move me.
“This ismyfuture I’m having to put on pause, Ezra! My advisor said I had to come in person if I wanted to withdraw this late in the semester without penalty.”
I sighed. She made a valid point, and I never had any intention of stunting her dreams, or her eligibility at theuniversity. But gods, I couldn’t shake the voice in my head that warned she wouldn’thavea future if I let her take this risk.
“Despite what you may think, I’m completely capable of taking care of myself,” she continued, hands perched on her hips.
Taking her in, I tried to think impartially, as if it wasn’t half of my soul on the line. Her stance was solid, feet perfectly spread for balance, and I knew if I pushed her right now, she’d rebound swiftly. Muscles toned, curves for days—the water therapy had done wonders to bring weight and health back to her body.
She had basic self-defense down and even some offensive maneuvers that I was proud to say would decimate someone who wasn’t me. But was it enough to trust her? To risk her safety?
“Make me tap out and I’ll let you go to the meeting.”
She cocked her head in disbelief. “I just have to knock you on your ass and you’ll change your mind?”
I shook my head and began circling to the right. Closer and closer, she tracked my movements but made no attempt to stop me.
“I said, make me tap out.” A sweep of my foot to the back of her leg and she fell forward.
I caught her just as her knee hit the grass and flipped her onto her back. She landed with a softoomph, but not hard enough to have the air knocked out of her. It was hardly any work to climb up her body and straddle her hips. My knees pinned her arms to her sides, just below her elbows, while my palms slammed into the earth on either side of her head. She watched me lean in, her eyes going wide as I came to a stop mere inches from her face.
“That was easy,” I grinned.
She didn’t even try. Or maybe I was just that good. Either way, I proved my point. Her right arm wiggled but didn’t breakfree. Worried my hold was hurting her, I gave her another inch or so of space. There was a probing along the bond, an emotion from her side fighting to get through.
Glee. Followed in rapid succession by smug satisfaction.
The hell? It was almost like shewantedme to—
“Just a littletooeasy, don’t you think?”
The sharp kiss of steel against my balls made every muscle—every tendon—in my body lock up. That was a knife. She had aknifepressed against my balls! I didn’t remember seeing one on her. A bead of sweat dripped down my face, but I didn’t dare move to wipe it away.
Rani’s arrogant smile was all teeth. Gods, a tiny slip of her hand and I’d be a one-ball wonder.
“Do you tap out?” she crooned.
“You have a knife pressed against my balls,” I said, still in utter shock. “A knife. Like, an actual weapon. Touching. My. Balls.”
There was either a tumor in my brain crossing some wires, or she just unlocked a new kink, becausefuck, I was so turned on right now. But also,double fuck,I was definitely going to tap out. Which meant we were taking a trip to campus.
“I’m not an idiot, cuz,” I hissed into the phone. “I’ve been fully prepared for an attack since we left the end of the driveway.”
I paced along the skinny hall of the administration building, never straying too far from the office Rani sat inside. I’d be in there with her if she hadn’t put her foot down—literally, right on my toes—and demanded I stop hovering. Barred from the room,I killed two birds with one stone; I called my cousin and kept watch for the enemy.
“Ez, you don’t understand. The tribunal is on the verge of war. You need to get Rani in the ocean for her magick to set and then haul ass back home.”
The genuine worry that laced Kai’s tone was the only reason I didn’t go off. He’d always been the serious one, but something told me this wasn’t him being overly cautious or pulling rank to be a dick. Shit was getting worse out here.
“Tell me, how easy was it for you to get your bond to obey?” I countered, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration. I nearly lost my cousin last semester from hownoteasy his path to bonding was. I’d be damned if I made the same mistakes he did. “I have a plan to get her in the water, but it can’t be rushed. I won’t hurt her.”
