9. Addi

NINE

My back hits the wall with a thud, stiffening every muscle in my body as I glare up at the self-righteous vampire. His facial features give nothing away, not even a sneer, and it makes me want to put one there. I'm not sure what it is I've done specifically that's put the biggest target on my back, but it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon.

"Addi." The worry in Flora's voice is clear. This isn't something she needs to get herself involved with. The last thing I want is for Flora to be on their radar.

"I'm good, Flora. I'll meet you there." I don't look away from Raiden, trying to keep my voice as calm and unfazed as possible. I don't actually know where there is, but whatever this issue is, it's between Raiden and myself, and getting her away from it is my first priority.

"Addi," she repeats, her insistence both surprising and irritating me. Glancing in her direction, I try to offer her a smile, but I know it falls flat. I don't have time to deal with this. Tilting my face to Arlo, I narrow my eyes. Thankfully, he takes the hint, slipping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her down the hall. She still peers back at me a few times as I watch her go, and I exhale with relief once she's out of sight.

I give myself a second to gather myself before turning my attention back to the asshole in front of me, whose grip on my arm only tightens. The rest of the students move around us like we're not even here, confirming that we're not yet willing to defend each other.

This is for me to solve, and me alone.

With the clarification clear in my mind, I consider my next course of action. The instinctive desire to ask how I can help him takes over, the same level of snark as earlier, but I bite it back. I refuse to play the same game with him again. Instead, I opt to remain silent, eyes boring into his as I wait to see what he actually wants.

One of the first things my father taught me was the art of silence. It can be comfortable, it can be unsettling, it can be everything in between. Channeling the vibe you're going for will only work to your advantage.

Awkward it is.

With every second that extends between us, his nails bite deeper into my flesh, despite my long-sleeved shirt covering my arm. Is that a vampire thing or a Raiden thing? I'm not sure. I've never been this close to either until I got here.

My interactions with other origins has been limited to mainly humans with the odd shifter here and there. Wolves usually prefer to isolate themselves in their own spaces, mages usually have their heads in a book, and vampires are just…vampires. They think far too much of themselves to bother interacting with those of us they consider beneath them.

If anyone else were in his grasp right now, especially another fae, they would likely wince, but I've been trained to take more than the pinch he's inflicting.

"Addi Reed." His voice is raspier than I expect as he says my name. He makes it sound like a sin. Like my entire being is antithesis to the good of the world, yet it still sends a shiver down my spine.

Twisting my lips into something that resembles nothing of the smile I'm going for, I return the gesture. "Raiden Holloway."

His grip tightens further, but I still don't grimace at the pressure as he seems to stand taller, looming over me even more.

"Your mouth is your first problem," he states, eyes penetrating mine, and I make a flourish of rolling them.

"I'm sure that would depend on whose perspective we were considering."

"Exactly my point," he retorts with a nod, as if I've just proven him right.

Ass.

"I don't know, I kinda like her lips." My gaze darts to the blond mage who sits beside me in the class, and my jaw falls a little slack at his statement.

"Of course you would," Raiden grumbles as a hand smacks the back of Brody's head, and I quickly realize there's an audience.

Glancing around the watchful stares, I note Cassian and Kryll are also present. The wolf and the shifter. Behind them, I can also see Vallie with a few girls glaring in our direction. I can't deal with that on top of this too, so I opt for the easiest option, which is to center my focus back on Raiden.

"Are you going to release your hold yet?" I ask in a bored tone, but it only grows tighter. "Noted," I mutter with a sigh. "Are we going to get to the point then?"

Right on cue, The squeak of Vallie's voice echoes around us. "Raiden, what are you doing?"

"Move along, Vallie," Cassian grunts, earning my attention, but the second I catch a glimpse of him, Raiden adjusts his stance so all I can see is him.

"But, Raidy," Vallie pushes, and I have to slam my lips together to hold back the chuckle at her nickname for him.

Raidy. Freaking Raidy. I've never met a guy who suits his full name and nothing else until I met the one standing before me. I don't know anything about him, not an ounce, but I know with certainty he's no Raidy.

A grunt vibrates from someone behind Raiden, likely Cassian or Kryll, it sounds like a shifter, but since Raiden is crowding me, I can't know for sure. I refuse to break eye contact with him to confirm it. A dramatic sigh echoes around us a moment later before perfectly polished red nails wrap around Raiden's upper arm and Vallie's face appears a moment later.

"Fine, deal with the trash. I'll meet you there."

Her words go right over my head as she glares at me for an extra beat or two before sauntering off down the hall. It's on the tip of my tongue to see if she knows where there is, but I decide keeping my mouth shut might bring this all to an end more quickly.

Raiden's stare remains fixated on mine, waiting for her to leave with her friends before he takes the smallest step back. It doesn't change the grip on my arm, though. There's going to be a bruise, for sure.

"Why aren't her ears pointed?" Cassian steps forward, green eyes raking over me as he waits for someone to answer him. If he's expecting it to be me, then he's in for a long wait.

"She's got scars." The answer comes from Brody, the mage who seems to be the most observant of the bunch. People don't usually notice them unless I point them out, but it appears he's not regular people.

"Who did that?" Cassian grunts, eyes latching on to mine. I can't tell if it's concern or something else in his eyes, but they're swirling with something.

"Who fucking cares?" Raiden responds before I can even consider if I want to answer or not.

I cock a brow at the irritating vampire that continues to infiltrate my life as he steps closer again, this time bringing us chest to chest.

"This is the only warning you're going to get. Otherwise, I'll do just as Vallie recommended and deal with the trash." The warning is clear in his tone, but I've never been one to listen well.

Exhaling heavily, I rest my head back against the wall. All of this for a warning? I'm sure that could have been achieved without any physical touch, but apparently, he really wants to assert his dominance. Yay me.

"What are you warning me about, exactly?"

The desire for clarification clearly pisses him off since his nails dig even deeper into my skin, deep enough to be drawing blood at this point.

"Leave. Go home. Fae mean nothing around here, and whether you're here to attempt to be the heir or train to be a part of their team when the time comes, you're going to fail."

Ah, I thought that might be what he was hinting at. "Is that all?"

"She's not hearing a word you're saying," Brody states, a level of amusement in his tone as he inches closer.

"Because she's stupid," Raiden remarks, bringing me to the brink of my limit.

"No, she isn't," I grunt, internally cringing at myself for talking in the third person, but it's hard not to when they're discussing me like I'm not here.

Channeling the irritation, I drop my weight, managing to catch myself before my ass hits the floor. Having achieved my goal of breaking Raiden's hold on my arm, I swoop to the left and step out of his space, acutely aware that this guy and half his friends have the benefit of incredible speed on their side. Surprisingly, none of them move.

I straighten, running my hands down my combat pants before straightening my cloak. "Thanks for the heads up. The threat wasn't entirely necessary, but we can hopefully work on your manners in some of our classes. To clarify: your warning is wasted, your threats will go unnoticed, and anything else you can think of, I don't care. I'm not going anywhere, and I certainly don't care what you think of the fae people because all that matters is that I don't fail. Ever."