He nodded his head slowly. "She has a real hate for Wilder and Aspen. I bet that's why she's going after Rain. I mean, Bracken doesn't really hide his Winter heritage well, and that bitch hates Winter magic."
"Fuck yeah, she does," Wilder agreed. "That woman tried to fail me last year."
Which made me look at him in a whole new way. "How many teachers give you shit, Wilder?"
He scoffed. "Most? Was bad for Aspen last year, but Ms. Rhodes made sure she got the good teachers this year."
Torian just grumbled, clearly not happy, but I was looking at this crew in a whole new way. Calling the elevator made the doors slide open, proving it was already on the ground floor, so we all piled in, yet Torian still said nothing.
"What?" I asked when the doors closed to take us up.
"Don't act like you give a shit about us," he said, turning to face me. "The only reason you're even here is because you want to fuck Rain."
"No," I said, sure he could hear the truth as easily as I could. "I would like to get to know her, but I respect her relationship."
And those words made the entire court fall silent. They knew I knew about Rain and Aspen, though. Didn't they? Yet none of their expressions were either shock or surprise. Instead, I was getting looks of distrust.
Then Wilder said, "Aspen made him part of the court, guys. Lighten up."
"She what?!" Torian demanded just as the elevator reached the fourth floor.
With a sigh, I stepped off, but Torian wasn't about to let this go. He followed, grabbing my arm to spin me around only a few steps later.
"Why the fuck do you want on the court?" he demanded. "And what fucking right do you think you have to be here?"
Lifting both hands, I backed up a step. "That was Jack and Aspen. I had nothing to do with it."
"I already talked to him," Wilder assured Torian. "He's cool with it."
"With. What?" Torian growled.
"With notoriety," Wilder clarified. "Tor, he's not looking to be a cool kid. He's just trying to take care of Rain."
"Bracken asked me to be her backup," I explained. "I'll be tutoring her in weapons for her detention class and standing with her any time she needs it. None of that has a damned thing to do with the court, but Jack learned a new word, started using it, and Aspen decided it sounded like a good idea."
"I was there," Wilder added. "And yeah, that's pretty much how it went."
Torian just continued to glare at me. "Why?" he demanded.
Not wanting to pick yet another fight with this guy, I pulled in a breath and actuallythoughtbefore answering. Torian's problem was that he was both powerful and impulsive. The fool didn't need to bother to think before acting, because his magic always guaranteed him results. Worse, he wielded that shit like he'd had it for most of his life.
I was more of the wait and see type. Well, for most things. When helping someone came into play, that was when I stepped up - and Torian was never anywhere to be seen. He only did things for his own benefit, never anyone else's, but I didn't really blame him for it. From what I'd seen, most people here just wanted to use him for one reason or another.
"Look," I said, trying my best to de-escalate the tension in this hall, "Rain has made it very clear that I'm just her beard. She and Aspen are cute. I made sure Aspen was ok with me giving Rain that kiss tonight - "
"That's not what I asked," Torian broke in.
"Then what the fuckdoyou want to know?" I snapped.
The air began to crackle as Torian's anger pulled magic closer. Those green eyes of his were impressive, both in the color and how intensely he glared at me.
"Why," he demanded, "do you want to get involved in our mess? Why does Rain matter to you - and don't you dare try to say it's because you want to be with her. We both know you're not that shallow."
"Nor are you," I countered. "But I like having a friend who actually stops and listens. I enjoy being around someone who isn't always trying to prove she's better than me, more powerful than me - who doesn't even give ashitabout power levels. I like the way she sees things, and it's as instructive for me as it is for her. That she's learning the sword faster than I expected?" I lifted a brow.
"And she has a girlfriend," he shot back.
"Mhm," I agreed. "Doesn't seem to be stopping you though, is it?"
