Fire Breather

18.

    "THIS really isn't necessary." Violet glanced at me and Liam as we made our way toward the door of the Archives. The cart I was sitting in didn't even squeak anymore because the blond broad beside her had fixed it.

"So you've told us for the last week," Liam said with a grin.

"And you probably will continue do so until next year," I added with a hum, leaning my head against the handle behind me, looking up at her.

"And yet you two are still here. Every day. All day."

"Until otherwise ordered," Liam said.

Violet shook her head at him as Pierson shot upright at the Archives doors, fixing his cream tunic. "Good morning, Cadet Pierson."

"You as well, Cadet Sorrengail." He sent her a warm smile, which died when he glanced at me and Liam. "Cadet Riorson and Mairi."

"Cadet Pierson," Liam simply responded.

Me, on the other hand, enjoyed teasing Pierson every morning. "Oh, come on, Pierson. I thought we agreed two days ago that you would put a little more chirp into greeting me and my rebellion friend."

Pierson paled at the memory of my dagger lightly tracing up his arm the other day, and he hurried to open the door.

"That's better," I hummed as Violet pushed me into the Archives and we waited by the table just like every other morning. "You would think he knew better," I further added, climbing off the cart to stand beside Liam.

"How do you do that?" Violet asked in a hushed whisper. "Handle when people are that rude without reacting?"

Liam raised a brow, jabbing a thumb at me. "Did you not just see her reacting?" he rhetorically asked as I rolled my eyes. "You're rude to us all the time," he teased.

"Because you guys are my babysitters, not because..." She trailed off.

"Because I'm the daughter of the Great Betrayer?" I monotoned, crossing my arms over my chest.

"And because I'm the son of the disgraced Colonel Mairi?" Liam's jaw ticked, his brows furrowing as he looked away.

Violet nodded. "I guess I'm really no better, though. I hated Xaden on sight, and I didn't know a single thing about him."

"The same could be said for me with you," I admitted, shrugging my shoulders. "I wanted to punch you in the jaw the second I saw you, but Xaden made it clear that I couldn't. Plus, Xaden's...easy to hate for some people."

Liam scoffed, earning us a glare from a scribe near the back corner. "He has that effect on people, especially women. They either despise him for what his father did or want to fuck him for the same reason, just depends on where we are."

I shuddered with a gag. "Too many first-years have tried to mount my brother. It's fucking disturbing."

"You actually know him, don't you?" Violet looked up at Liam. "He didn't just pick you to shadow me because you're the best in our year."

"Just now catching on, huh?" A grin flashed across his face. "I would have told you that on the first day if you hadn't been so busy huffing and puffing about the pleasure of our company."

Violet rolled her eyes just as Jesinia approached us—and for once, this was a scribe I didn't mind. She was quiet and sweet. "Hey, Jesinia," she sighed.

"Good morning," she signed back, her mouth curving into a shy smile as she looked up at Liam.

"Good morning." My idiot friend signed with a wink.