The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

We walk slowly to the front porch, murmuring our plans for tomorrow. His family lets me go with a few calls of goodbye, but without much fuss. I'm warmed by this - by the casual goodbye of family members who know they'll see you soon, and so don't need to make a big deal out of it. As we step onto the front porch though, Luca's grandmother calls him back, saying something in swift Itablio.

Luca sighs, hesitating but stepping away from me. "She wants you to take a slice of cake to Rafe - is that all right? I know it's ridiculous, but —"

"Of course I will," I say, laughing and pushing him towards her. "I'll call Captain Conner - you get the cake." Luca nods, smiling his dazzling smile at me, and then he steps back into the house with his Gran. I make a quick call to Conner, who let's me know he's just around the corner and will bring the car up.

I sigh happily, looking down the dark street, but I jump slightly when a shadow detaches itself from the corner of the porch and steps forward towards me. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight, miss Ariel?"

I press a hand to my heart, laughing a little at how skittish I am when I see that it's just Luca's uncle, who was out here enjoying a quiet cigarette. "Yes," I say, nodding when I get some of my equanimity back. "Your family is lovely - thank you so much for making me feel so warm and welcome."

welcome here," Bruce says, nodding evenly to me, and I can tell that he means it by the serious way he says it. "You're family now, and I'm glad we've let you know that. Even if I didn't think the

falls a little.

girls that boy brought home," he shakes his head contemplatively here, "...they were a mess. But you did very well. Still - I told him to hold off introducing you until after the fight - to just concentrate on what needed to be done. But he insisted." Bruce shrugs, like Luca's a problem he can't quite solve and has resigned himself to that fate. "And his mother and his gran indulged

tonight was, perhaps Bruce is right. Luca should already be in bed, he should be thinking about the fight tomorrow, not me. It is a big deal to be boxing against the Atalaxian champion and...well. This party could

murmur, dropping my head to look at the wood

raised. Because I meant it - I

looks at me evenly now, assessing me, his mouth pressed to a thin

he says quietly, seriously. "If I say something true to you, that you might not

wanting to