Page 31 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

But when the daisy challenged you the way she challenged first Seb, then me, you were bound to take notice of it. What other thorns was she hiding beneath her petals?

“I assure you, I have no intention of taking advantage,” I told her. “Not only would that be in bad taste, but I am not interested in you that way.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. Then she glanced around, her gaze lingering on Flora for a moment, and she nodded.

I led her toward the large doors that had been magically put in, leading to a garden space that could only be accessed when the doors were there. It was full of low flowers in brilliant colors, and brightly lit to ensure that no students could have untoward liaisons.

Sex was not unheard of at these events, of course, but in these circumstances it would only cause difficulties moving forward. It was allowed, but discouraged for first-years in general.

I found a bench near the wall and sat. Azriel remained standing until I asked her to sit with me.

“There’s a few things about these events you should know,” I told her, idly scanning the other pairs who had come out to the gardens.

Seb meandered nearby, pretending not to be watching us, with a tall black-haired boy. I didn’t know his name, but I knew he had a powerful beast-form. A prime candidate for a future bodyguard.

“What should I know?” Azriel asked, her head tilted toward Seb.

“First, it’s very rude to pay more attention to my friend than to your partner,” I said, turning my gaze upward.

Azriel let out a huff and twisted her body to put her back to him. “I just don’t want him to jump me.”

“So long as this event is in play, you are considered officially under my protection. Anyone attacking you is a direct insult to me. Though if I was to attack you while you were under my protection, it would be grounds for your family to receive compensation of no less than half my wealth,” I added, cocking my head. “Didn’t Phineas tell you that?”

Azriel lifted one shoulder and let it drop. She smoothed her expression and adjusted her posture, sliding into the perfect role of low-born. She even put a polite smile on her face, which almost looked like the real thing.

I was surprised once more by how quickly she could mold herself to the situation. Clearly, she didn’t want to be here, and she found the whole thing laughable. Yet she could play the role that was assigned to her.

Her eyes searched my face, finally paying me more mind than Seb. “You’re being very cordial tonight. Normally you’re cold as ice, but you’re almost being … warm.”

“Am I?”

“You are. Is that also because of the rules of etiquette?” She folded her hands in her lap and lifted one eyebrow.

I was being more open with her than I should be. She was low-born. Unbound. Even if I felt this draw toward her, what of it? No matter if a daisy was the most unremarkable flower in the garden, beasts like me didn’t get to have flowers.

“This is meant to mimic a real society event, is it not? I can’t get away with being taciturn in such circumstances,” I answered mildly. “Don’t expect it to change anything afterward.”

“I don’t.” Azriel smoothed her dress and turned again. This time, instead of her gaze latching on to Seb, she sought out Gareth.

Gareth caught her looking and seized the arm of his low-born, dragging her over toward us. The blushing, mousy-looking girl dropped her chin to her chest. His grin widened as he pushed himself onto the bench next to Azriel, tugging his partner next to him.

“Miss Azriel, you know Miss Penry, right?” he drawled, sliding his arms so they were behind both girls as he leaned back.

“We know each other, yeah,” Azriel said, her voice tensed once more.

I frowned at Gareth. What was he doing? Was he so bored that he was causing trouble, or was he angry at Phineas for forcing interactions? Maybe he just didn’t like the girl he’d been paired with and wanted an excuse to ignore her.

“Some people don’t care about propriety,” I muttered.

“Are we bothering you?” Gareth asked, all false innocence. “I just wanted to see what you two were talking about. It has to be more interesting than asking questions only to get one-word answers.”

Azriel shoved his arm away from her back and stood, then yanked Penry to her feet. “Maybe if you weren’t—”

Penry squeezed her arm. “Z, stop.”

I frowned at Gareth. “So, you are just trying to cause trouble. Go bug Seb and leave me alone.”

“I am bugging him,” Gareth laughed.