The Beast And The Blessed

Nine: Tobias

Tobias's P.O.V.

'I don't like this."

The words continued to run through my mind, flooding me with guilt as I tried to understand what I had done wrong. Joselin had called it flirting, and I called it seducing, but in the end, we were both enjoying each other.

I didn't want her to seduce me. I wanted her to fall in love with me.

I leaned back on the couch, needing a minute to myself while Natalie was with Killian. I was no longer on her full-time detail as her bodyguard, but as I was on-call and worried about the new threat Joselin was looking into, I was staying close.

Joselin was the only positive thing about being stuck in the castle all day. Having her around made dealing with the rest of the council members tolerable. Still, I felt out of my mind, surrounded by all these women trying to kill each other constantly, even more so now that I had upset Joselin.

I thought we were having fun, flirting, and sparring. But she didn't like it.

I needed to talk to her about it, but she seemed more determined than ever to avoid me. Something that she hadn't done in a long time. How could I understand what I had done wrong when the infuriating woman wouldn't speak to me?

"You look tense. Want to talk about it?"

I glanced down, my top lip curling up in disgust as a hand was placed on my shoulder from behind the couch. Her long grey nails curled to have their points against the skin of my chest, and I bit back a groan of annoyance. She was a council member, one that I was very familiar with.

Rona laughed at her own joke as she moved around the arm of the couch, her hand sliding across my shoulders and the back of my neck as she did so.

She had been a little terror as a child, and I knew she was just as bad as an adult. It had been an enormous disappointment when her mother died. As soon as the news reached the kingdom, I could feel Joselin's turmoil at the realization that she would have to work with Rona now.

come on. Don't be

she sat on the couch next to

stationed outside the hallway of Killian's office to see if Joselin had left yet. She wouldn't get away from me without telling me what I had done wrong and how I could

as to be angry that I had bested her in front of a crowd. She had never had a problem with that before. It used to just make her try harder to win. It was one of the things

entirely destroyed by a group of warriors entering the sitting room to relax on their break. If I couldn't wait here alone, I would just go into Joselin's tower and wait for her

she was on her way down, and I tried not to smile at

ready to stand but freezing when

a while now. What it is that you like. I think the silent act is all a game, and

in, her other resting on my knee as she let out a low, airy giggle that made my

I imagined tying her up and leaving her hanging in the dungeons. Maybe then she would

her body to get them off me, but I held him back. I couldn't disrespect a council member, especially

hands, not wanting to touch her. But without physically removing her, it didn't seem like she was

as I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. Her hands were in fists at her sides as she glared not at the woman putting me in this uncomfortable situation but

next to me as Rona's feet roughly hit the ground. She knew exactly what

when she backed up. The pain on her face was quickly masked by anger, and I shook my head as I silently denied whatever story or theory she had brewing in

her eyes fell on the redhead next to me. "I warned you that today

widened as Joselin thrust her hand forward, sending Rona across the room and through the window. The sound of the glass shattering was followed by guards running to the source of the noise. Those already in the

hair. A small shard stuck out of her cheek, and she pulled it out without flinching,

flickered for a moment before appearing on the other side of the window, a twisted smile on her perfect lips. "I've

Lycan form as quickly as possible to stand by Joselin's side. I may not have magic, but I could fight for her until my last

me too, made me hopeful that there could be more between us one day. I let out a snarl as Rona walked forward, flinging her hands in front