Chapter 209: His ’Trouble’

Elara:

I had almost made it past him when Reign’s arm suddenly extended across my path, blocking the way.

I stopped and slowly turned my head toward him, giving him a glare sharp enough to cut through the tree trunk behind his back. "What do you want, Valemont?"

He lowered his arm, but instead of stepping aside, he pushed away from the tree and moved directly in front of me. The sudden loss of distance forced me to tilt my head upward to meet his gaze, an irritating reminder of the fact that he stood six-foot-three and apparently considered personal space a negotiable concept. He looked entirely too pleased with himself. "Fine, I’ll be honest. I’m here to check on my favorite person in the world."

For one deeply humiliating second, something inside my chest shifted. It was small, barely perceptible, and over almost before I could recognize it, but I felt it nonetheless. My heart gave a stupid little flutter, and I immediately wanted to file a formal complaint against it for gross incompetence.

Favorite person in the world? Really? This man had spent months provoking me, challenging me, and making it his personal mission to test the limits of my patience. He had watched me struggle, interfered when he thought it necessary, and somehow managed to make even an ordinary conversation feel like a competitive sport. There was absolutely no reason for those four words to affect me. None whatsoever. Besides, the mocking curve of his lips made his intention perfectly clear. He was teasing me, and the only thing more embarrassing than reacting to his words would be allowing him to realize that I had reacted at all.

I mentally grabbed that traitorous flutter by the throat and reminded it that Reign Valemont was not someone I could afford to find charming. Unfortunately, my heart had never been particularly good at following instructions.

"Now that we are about to return to the academy," he continued, seemingly unaware of the internal crisis he had caused, "I thought I’d make sure you are ready for the new term."

I narrowed my eyes. There was something about the casual way he delivered that statement that unsettled me more than the words themselves. He looked perfectly relaxed, as though he had merely stopped by to ask whether I preferred tea or coffee, rather than ambushing me in the middle of a forest before breakfast. His shoulders were loose, his hands rested comfortably at his sides, and his expression suggested he had all the time in the world. That was what worried me. Reign was never this casually pleasant without a reason, and considering his history, the reason was almost certainly going to make me regret every decision that had brought me here.

I forced a bright smile onto my face, one so artificial that it probably deserved its own place in a museum. "How thoughtful of you. I have confirmed that I’m still alive, my legs work perfectly well, and I’m fully capable of returning to the academy without a personal inspection from you. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to finish my run before the sun sets."

I tried to step around him. He shifted with infuriating ease and blocked me again. My smile vanished.

"Valemont."

"Argentis."

"Move."

"Not yet."

I drew a slow breath through my nose, reminding myself that murder was frowned upon in royal territory, particularly when the victim belonged to a powerful noble House. "You have approximately three seconds to explain why you are standing between me and my morning exercise before I start reconsidering the value of your continued existence."

His eyes gleamed with amusement, but then he said something that made my irritation sharpen into suspicion. "I have heard Lorien has been giving you special training sessions lately."

I went still. Of course. Of course, this had something to do with Lorien. The man had apparently developed a habit of informing people about my progress, although I wasn’t entirely certain whether I should be grateful or start charging him for every time my private training became public knowledge.

Reign tilted his head, studying me with that maddeningly confident expression. "So I thought I’d test you personally. See how much you have improved before we head back."

I barely had time to process the words, let alone decide whether I should laugh, swear, or demand that he find a more productive hobby.

"You want to-" I never finished the sentence.

Reign moved.

For one horrifying fraction of a second, my brain simply refused to cooperate with the situation unfolding before me.

One moment, I was standing in front of a ridiculously smug blonde man who had apparently mistaken my morning run for an invitation to participate in his personal entertainment, and the next, his fist was flying straight toward my jaw with enough force to make me question whether I would survive breakfast.

My eyes widened, but thankfully, my body reacted faster than my brain could finish screaming a very eloquent what the actual hell?

I twisted sharply to the side, feeling the rush of air as his knuckles passed dangerously close to my face. His punch struck nothing but empty space, and I stumbled a step before catching my balance. And for a fleeting second, I stared at him in pure disbelief while he withdrew his arm and turned toward me with the calm efficiency of someone preparing for his next attack.

The moron had actually tried to punch me in the face. Not pretend to punch me, not throw a warning strike, but genuinely swing at me as though he had every intention of rearranging my facial features before the morning was over.

I had known Reign Valemont was arrogant, infuriating, and occasionally in desperate need of being thrown down a flight of stairs, but I had never imagined he would interpret the phrase ’test your improvement’ as ’see whether you can dodge a potentially bone-breaking punch before you have had breakfast’.

"Are you completely insane?" I demanded, still trying to process what had just happened.

Reign merely tilted his head, blue eyes gleaming with amusement. "You dodged it, didn’t you, Trouble?"

"I swear to every goddess who has ever existed, I’m going to-" He moved again, and my unfinished threat died in my throat.