When It Reigns (Cursed Reigns, #1)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

AERYN'S POV

"Yesterday's attack was unexpected, but appears to have been deliberate," Bayer spoke. "The academy trains up and coming Draconians who do not have much experience fighting demons, making you all easy targets. With that said, only the top fifteen percent of this class will be assigned to one of the Elemental Forces. Those students will have the highest chance of contributing to the war effort and staying alive. Not to mention, all other Duties are just as critical. We need apothecaries, miners, farmers, hunters, scouts, medics, guards, and consuls to make our empire function and thrive."

The seat beside mine screeched as a body filled it. Zoran's knee brushed against mine as his long legs bent to fit in the row. "Don't look so excited," he whispered under his breath, keeping his eyes trained forward, "I'm not staying here."

I pursed my lips and restrained the urge to look up at him as he laid his forearm across the arm rest separating our chairs, leaning closer to me.

"You can't have two dragons."

I hated the way my cheeks heated when his arm grazed mine.

"And you can't have two personalities, Mr. Hot then Cold," I fired back, trying not to cringe at the immature retort.

Zoran snorted and bent his elbow on the arm rest, ducking behind a gloved fist as a smirk distorted the scar at the corner of his lips. A single dimple marked one of his cheeks as he hid his smile. His reaction caught me off-guard, and I couldn't help but gape at him.

"Did Zoran Masters just laugh?"

He dropped his hand and turned his emerald eyes to me as he tapped his fingers on the arm rest. His dark lashes fanned his cheeks as he blinked at me with a blank look on his face.

"Did the princess just call me hot?" he droned lazily.

Oh, great. Not another big ego. Bastion's confidence was large enough for our entire species as a whole and I didn't need two guys thinking I had the hots for them. Pun intended.

Then it hit me that Bastion wasn't one of us – he was one of them.

I smacked my knee against Zoran's, hissing, "Pay attention. You're distracting me."

"With how devishly handsome you think I am?"

I groaned, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Misty snickered and gave me an apologetic shrug as she failed to hide her grin.

My heart nearly skipped a beat when Zoran flashed his fangs at me and his dimple surfaced, making me feel betrayed by my body's reaction to him. He thought I was no better than scum, as well as useless, vulnerable, incapable, insufficient, a liability, and a slew of other demeaning words he could think of.

"Pfft," I scoffed. "I don't think about you."

"...will be held tonight by the pyres on the docks in Clear Water. Among those who will be burned and their essences distributed to all Draconians are as follows: Killian Vespers, Roscoe Lavoie, Francie Marsden, Racquel Caldwell, and Xantha Sisko."

I bit my lip as Racquel's name replayed in my head. Misty grabbed my hand and sniffled, swiping a hand under her watery eyes.

"The bodies unaccounted for and assumed missing or dead are Penn Nyx, Arabella Ventura, and Orion Whittaker."

Guilt flickered through me at the mention of my friend's name. I recalled Penn's petrified face as her hazel eyes widened in horror when the demon shifter carried her in his arms, stealing her away. I hadn't gone after her and now I couldn't be sure she was still alive.