Page 190 of Fractured Fate

Even though Aiden knew about the kiss, his potent anger made her question how intense his fury had been when she first told him about the kiss before the bond started to develop. Hearing Noah say the words himself likely had an effect similar to pouring gasoline on a bonfire.

Riley leaned forward on the table, her knees on the seat, peering around Lukas, who remained a silent sentinel between Noah and Aiden. “When’d that happen?”

Charlotte took a breath. Even though she could taste his anger, he moved the hand from her thigh to stroke her arm with the gentlest touch. “Before Aiden came to visit. The night I saw the Vasirian in the alley.”

Riley’s eyes narrowed. “Did he force you?”

“No! Noah’s not like that. I pulled away and told him I only wanted to be friends. Nothing happened.” She didn’t understand why she needed to defend herself or Noah. She wasn’t dating Aiden then. Still, she wanted to ease their worries. “We’re friends. Nothing more.”

Aiden grunted.

Lukas looked back at him. “We good?”

“Yeah,” Aiden said, voice no higher than a strained whisper.

Charlotte turned to give him a quick kiss on his lips to make him feel better, but he startled her by putting his hand on the back of her head, sliding his tongue into her mouth, and tangling it with hers. When she moaned, he pulled away, cutting his eyes to Noah. Well, then.

“Talk about asserting his position,” Riley said, echoing Dominic’s earlier words about Blaire. He snorted a laugh.

“If everyone is done acting like children, I’d like to finish this,” the headmistress said.

Aiden scoffed, sitting back and pulling Charlotte against him.

“Mr. Black. With the danger you will face turning your back on the local gang of rogues you have been with, I have been advised to inform you that you are under strict orders by the Blackthorn Clan not to leave campus until they can send for you to come to Europe to discuss what you know.”

“Don’t gotta worry about that. No way am I going back into town and getting myself killed.”

She nodded, satisfied with Noah’s response.

“So I have a question,” Aiden said.

Headmistress Velastra looked at Aiden, who sat watching Noah with intense scrutiny. “Very well.”

“How’d you have the black eye and split lip for so long?”

Noah scratched his head, fluffing his curls. “Brent.”

“Brent?” Seth asked.

“Yeah. The rogue who stalked Charlotte. The one Aiden—”

The headmistress cleared her throat.

“The one who disappeared,” Noah corrected. “He injected me with Folinarin before he kicked my ass for kissing Charlotte. I couldn’t heal for a while. He wanted me to suffer.”

“He sounds like a sadist,” Charlotte said. And to think I felt a little sorry for the guy and his loss.

“You’re not far off the mark. One of the other guys told me that after he lost his Korrena he wasn’t the same. I didn’t know him before that. Brent said he wanted me to remember my place and have a reminder not to touch what is his.”

Riley’s face scrunched. “What’s his?”

Noah looked at Charlotte. “Her.”

Aiden’s hands tightened on her; an inhuman growl rumbled in his chest.

Riley, ignoring her brother, asked, “Why are the rogues after Blaire? It’s the one thing we’ve tried to understand. Like, why would they try to kill her if she’ll be able to save them?”

“What are you talking about?”