Page 5 of Phantom Flower

He stared back, face blank. “You’re off your game.”

I shoved him off and got to my feet. “I’m fine.”

I walked to the ropes and grabbed a water bottle, squeezing cold water into my mouth.

After that, the three of us left the gym together.

In the hallway outside, I scanned the crowd out of habit.

And then I saw him.

Rei Kurosaki.

He was walking on the far side of the main corridor with Marco pressed close to his side. His uniform jacket was open. He looked tired. And guess what he did when his eyes lifted and met mine across the sea of bodies?

He fucking glared again.

Marco tugged on his sleeve and whispered something urgent. Rei’s jaw tightened. He turned his head and kept walking, disappearing around the corner with his friend.

Ilya whistled beside me. “Well. That was interesting.”

Alexei said nothing, but I felt his eyes on me.

I was going to enjoy pulling this boy apart, petal by petal.

Chapter 3

Rei Kurosaki

I woke up with the same heavy pain in my chest that had been there since the day we buried my father and I got dragged across an ocean into this shiny prison.

When I walked into the dining room, Daniel was already sitting at the head of the table. My mother sat to his right, pushing eggs around her plate with that empty smile she had worn since the wedding.

She looked up when I came in and her eyes softened. Then the parasite next to her opened his mouth.

“Rei. Sit. You’re late.”

I didn’t argue. I never won when I did.

I took the seat farthest from both of them, the one that let me see the door. The chef put a plate in front of me. I didn’t think I would eat. I couldn’t stomach anything with Daniel’s face anywhere near me. He made me want to throw up.

“Your mother tells me you’ve been skipping the car service again,” he said. “The driver is paid to take you to school. Use him.”

“I like walking.”

“You like making statements.” He set his coffee cup down. “This family doesn’t need more attention. Especially not after yesterday’s little incident at the academy. I already heard whispers.”

My fork stopped moving.

Of course he had heard.

Daniel had ears everywhere that mattered in this city.

I kept my eyes on my plate.

“It was nothing.”

“It was you putting your hands on Dimitri Morozov in front of half the student body.” His tone stayed calm, but the disappointment was clear. Not that I cared. His opinions meant nothing to me.