My eyes go wide. “But I don’t want that!” “You should,” dad says, and I whip my head back to see him studying me with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t raise my children to simply hand out millions of dollars without knowing precisely where it went, Ariel.” “It’s going to Luca, dad,” I say, narrowing
I sit for a moment, my hand in Luca’s, considering my options. Part of me wants to push back – to just tell my parents to spend the money for me as they’ve always done. But still another part accepts that what they’re saying is right – that I’ve been insisting for months now that I’m not a little
“With my mind,” I say, raising my hands to my temple and narrowing my eyes, working hard for a joke that doesn’t land. Luca just stares at me and goes a little pale. “And I can light things on fire,” I say, giving a shrug as I sigh. “With your mind?” he whispers, still staring at me, his pace
“Well,” Rafe says, glancing between Luca and I and clearly intuiting that a little distraction might be necessary, “leave it to the Academy to get Ari out of bed, through a run, and then through a royal meeting before seven in the morning.” I turn my attention gratefully to my brother, and he gives
“The committee met,” Ben says, casting a hand out towards Alan as he moves towards the door followed by the man in brown, apparently wanting to get to his first class earlier than the rest of us. “They decided that the case was too inconclusive to kick Wright out completely – that there was no real
The woman raises her chin at me and jerks it towards the door, placing her hands solidly on her hips. “Let’s go, kiddo.” “Excuse me,” Rafe says, his shoulders lowered in aggression as he slowly gets to his feet. “Would you like to explain who the hell you are?” “Oh,” the woman says, giving a slo
“It’s legit,” I say to my brother, turning so that I address the rest of the table too. “It’s his signature and handwriting – I recognize it from his book and all the damning things he writes on my tests and essays.” Rafe’s shoulders slump a little as he turns back to the woman, as the focus of al
I scowl, stumbling into the tiny private gym. “I’m not weaker than a kitten,” I mutter, putting my hands on my hips. “I can…do stuff.” “As eloquent as you are sturdy,” Faiza says, raising a cheerful eyebrow at me. “Hey, I –“ “Look, kid,” the woman says, taking a step towards me, her voice beco