Page 54 of Tender Thorns
“She tried to force him to touch the new girl, but he wouldn’t do it. He said he’d rather use his ability against Instructor Arnold.” The male chuckles darkly. I doubt he would have the nerve to defy such a demand, but I’m not surprised by Kage’s refusal. I have no doubt he would have killed Arnold and anyone else before he got close to Briar.
“I wonder why he wouldn’t touch her. I mean, none of the other magic worked on her, so…”
“I heard he was cursed, not gifted with magic,” a new voice chimes in. I’ve often thought the same thing.
“He was protective of her right from the start, but he acted like he killed Eli because his bugs touched him.” He shrugs.
“He probably killed Syn too.”
“Maybe she tried to fuck Kage.” The male sniffs, looking for approval from the others.
“Maybe if there was some kind of second skin to keep him from killing you… He’s gorgeous.”
“Gods, Julia!” another female remarks.
“Oh, shut up, Greta. Don’t act like you haven’t thought about it.”
“I haven’t.” Greta looks around, but I see several eyes roll in response, like they don’t believe her. I would love to make each and every one of them mute if it meant I wouldn’t have to listen to this shit anymore.
“I have. Lots of times,” Julia continues without shame. I’m about ready to rip my own ears off.
One of the males finally gets to the point. “Did he get in trouble or what?”
“Nah, Syrinx made some threats to the girl, but that’s about it. It didn’t seem like there was much she could do, considering Eli didattackhim first.”
“I wonder if the other instructors are going to do the same thing to her?”
I tune them out after that. Briar should be here within twenty minutes, and I can get the rest of the story from her.
BRIAR
Lunch with Kage is a new experience. He eats twice as much as I do, and that’s saying a lot, considering my appetite has only grown since I got here. Between bites of food, I ask simple questions, like how old he is and where he’s from, but it starts to feel like an inquisition after he gives single word responses, so I let up after only a few questions.
I have to count the fact that he’s sitting at the same table as me—although as far from the table as his arms can reach—as a win. When my plate is clean and I know it won’t be long before we leave, I finally say, “Sorry about what happened in there.”
“Sorry?” he questions.
“That he didn’t control his bugs and you had to get involved.”
Kage places his fork down on his plate and meets my eyes. “I didn’t kill him because his bugs strayed. I killed him for what he was trying to do to you. I told you, I should have killed them all.”
“It’s a nice thought, but it wouldn’t be worth the trouble,” I reply dismissively.
“The only thing that stopped me was knowing they would find a way to kill me if I did. I can’t die until after the Undertaking, when I know you will be safe.”
His words make my heart pound with concern. He seems so blasé about his death, as if he’s already accepted it will happen. “No.” It’s my turn to give a single word answer.
“No what?”
“No, you can’t die after those stupid games or any time after.”
“Never?” His eyebrows rise.
“Never.” I sound petulant, but it’s how I feel about his death.
“I’m not immortal.”
“Then you better be really careful,” I retort.
