The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 40

“What, you’re not going to show me!?” Luca presses, laughing and reaching again for my schedule.

my

“No way!” I shout, turning so that my back is to the arm of the couchand I’ve got feet between us, ready to kick him away if I need to. I grew up with brothers and cousins, after all I know how to do a couch war. “I didn’t even get a look at it yet!”

“Well, then just tell me what your track is –”

“I cannot,” I say, holding my paper close so that it mysteriously covers half my face. “It is…a state secret.”

Luca laughs again, leaning forward. “You spy,” he hisses, and then quick as a snake he snatches the paper from my face, immediately leaning away and holding the paper far out of my reach.

“Give it back!” I demand, laughing, and throw myself after him, landing half in his lap as I reach for it. Luca laughs hard, but holds his long arm even across Rafe’s body. Rafe, grinning and obliging, snatches the paper out of Luca’s hand and gives it to Jesse.

“Not fair!” I shout, glaring at my brother and my cousin, even though I’m still laughing. “I didn’t even get to look at it yet –”

“Well you’re a shit spy, Ari,” Jesse says, grinning at me and lining my schedule up with his and Rafe’s on his lap, “if you don’t get the information and keep it to yourself for more than ten seconds.”

“Well, I haven’t learned anything about being a spy yet, Jesse,” I say, rolling my eyes at him even as I grin. “That’s why I’m here.”

“Congrats, Ari,” Rafe says, grinning at me. “I know you wanted Espionage Track.”

“Seriously, Shrimp, congratulations,” Luca says, smiling down at me, and as I turn my face to him I realize that I’m…well, I’m kind of still sprawled over his lap, aren’t

I?

I blush beet red, mumbling something about how I’m happy too, and do my best to gracefully crawl off of my mate and back to the corner of the couch.

Chapter 40

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Luca grins at me, his smile widening as he notices my awkwardness and my blush. “You’ll be great at it at least you’ll definitely be able to squeeze into all sorts of

tiny spaces.”

I prove him right by pressing myself deep into the corner of the couch, and when I glance to my side to I see Ben grinning at me in absolute wicked delight. I give him a dirty scowl, which just makes him laugh harder.

teamed up tomorrow afternoon,” Jesse says, looking up at me and Rafe with

he passes it to me, glad to have a minute to look at it. “Are you

do you have a weird

I’ve got diplomacy every afternoon this week. Weird, though, that you guys have a cross–track class. I didn’t think those existed.”

every morning this week I’ve got Chemistry and Marksmanship, but twice this week – tomorrow included – I’ve got an unnamed seminar in Room

scooches closer so that we can study the papers together. He presses his shoulder to

eyes moving back and forth between our schedules. “Looks like we don’t have a single thing together, Shrimp.” He sighs and sits back, studying me with a sad

mock seriousness, making him

time. With a sweet place like this?” Luca leans forward, grabbing his unfinished dinner off the coffee table and starting to dig in again. “I’ll be here all the time.”

10

Chapter 10

little bit at the prospect, leaning

his schedule with interest. “Let’s get cozy. After all,

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fire, starting to re–stack the logs so that they suit my liking a bit more. “You’ve all got to try some. Nan would die, if she knew a Prince and a Duke were eating something she

a little smirk on my mouth. But, at least

too late – walking a fine line between knowing that they’re not going to be able to sleep tonight for the

cozy at night, it turns out. We spend a couple of hours laughing and chatting around the fire, the oil lamps that Rafe lights around the room giving everything a particularly comfortable glowing ambiance. The coffee cake really is very good, and I think we all over–do it a little bit on the sugar and snacks after two weeks of eating the

wrapped up in the fuzzy green blanket Rafe gave me, warm and calm, a little unable to keep my eyes from drifting back to Luca’s laughing face. I let myself fall quiet, allowing the boys take over the conversation, and instead I just…listen. As their words fade to a steady hum I drift away

to tell my mom everything, all about

doze off a little while I

for me to focus on Luca, leaning towards me a little, but then I gasp with guilt as I realize that in my

Sun, 10

Chapter 40

starting

couch –”

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the feel of his hand on my leg a little too much, I relax. “I’m just leaving now.” He murmurs. “But I wanted to say goodnight.” Slowly – almost like he doesn’t realize it, Luca’s thumb drifts across my calf, slowly pressing the

he wouldn’t notice that he was doing. But when I move my eyes back up to his, and find his intense stare

He knows what he’s

up at the clock I startle. “Luca!” I gasp, leaning forward to smack him on the

says, shrugging and ignoring my weak blow. “Besides, it

meditative –” very relaxing listening to you

up straight. “I did not