MAGE CHRONICLES: THE BEGINNING

53. Steamy Predicament.

It was a week after I had come back, a week since my parents came and papa and Khalil made up, and a week since I embraced my new family.

"Stop sulking, it's not so bad," my annoying brother shouts from the side lines.

"Focus," Andrei yells at me and I move my attention back to him.

"I thought you said you dance, is this all you got?" Roan snarks from next to Ax, while Blue played with his hair.

"You try waltzing in six-inch heels motherfucker then come talk to me," I yell back at my wit's end and I could smack myself when Blue turns face lighting up, "Mama! bad word, Ro down!" He commands making Roan put him on the floor.

It had been Axel's bright idea, to change the punishment from ice cream rewards to the perpetrator caught cursing near Blue doing twenty crunches.

Given how the past two days had gone, I was well on my way to earning a six-pack.

"Yes, princess drop and give me twenty," Andrei snarks letting go of me and moving back to create space.

"Don't call me that," I grit out.

"Why, it is kind of fitting don't you think?" He asks head tilted.

Yeah, that was my new life now, I was the long-lost princess of faery. After the news was released, my life turned topsy turvy because apparently, I needed a declaration ceremony, plain words just don't cut it here.

In his defence, Khalil hated this as much as I did. Nona however was another thing, she and my mama had ganged up deciding it was time to get me all girly, the only opportunity they'd ever get if I had a choice. They had so much fun getting me to try on dresses, crowns, heels, the make-up, you name it, and Dru the traitor indulged them.

The boys were given the task of teaching me ballroom dancing and they were having the time of their lives while I was on the verge of skinning them alive.

Mor had taken one look at me this morning; all dolled up, feet shoved in heels and hightailed it out of there, not just my room, but the academy, Killian following close behind.

I had not seen Keon since they got kicked out of my room a week earlier, I wasn't curious, I didn't care where he was.

"Any day now, princess," Axel, yells from the bench and I flip him off on autopilot.

"That's forty," Andrei adds, mouth splitting into a shit-eating grin.

I was teaching Blue to be accountable and responsible, flaking out on my punishment wasn't an option, and sometimes I hate being a parent.

"I liked this better when the punishment was having to share my ice cream," I grumble moving to the floor.

"Ice cream got you into this mess, to begin with," the asshole standing next to me says.

One minute I'm moving to my first crunch and the next I'm holding Andrei up by his neck at the edge of the gym.

"Oh shit!"

"Dude."

"Wow."

The array of responses precedes the sound of footsteps running to where we were.

"Drac, let him go, we all know he's an idiot," my brother tries to placate me, looking up at me from the floor.

Why were they so far down? Oh shit! We were hovering in the air!

It cost me to get distracted because the next minute I'm slammed against the wall and Andrei's hands go around my neck. A weird shiver goes through me as I stare at his triumphant face so close to mine.