His Miracle Mate

Chapter 20

Oh, why did she have to say that? I was going to just move on...

I turned on my heels and gave her a smile. "First of all, I believe you bumped into me, since I'm the one who ended up on the ground. And let's not bring our parents into such petty issues. It's unbecoming of an adult."

She blinked at me for a second, her face turning a lovely shade of rage red. I heard a few snickers and stifled laughter, but I ignored them. I didn't want to do this to give people a show, but I wasn't about to let her walk all over me that way.

"I am not apologizing to a lowly human," she screeched, her eyes wide and her lips twisted down in disgust.

I sighed. "I never asked you to. But let's at least try and be civil to each other. Alright?"

I didn't wait for her reply. I walked away, Blake looming beside me like a sentinel. Ignoring the students who'd stopped to look, I plastered a smile on my face and moved forward.

We reached the spot before Ezra and Haley did, so we waited for them. The silence was heavy, and the people who'd lingered behind were now scattering after they realized there was going to be no more drama.

Blake's sigh was filled with resignation. "You're not going to tell his highness, are you?"

"Of course not."

Blake groaned. "Orla, you should tell him stuff like this. It may seem like nothing, but it could grow into an issue later. At least he'll know to keep an eye out."

"Blake. It's not a big deal. I'm not going to whine to him every time someone looks at me the wrong way. I mean, although that sort of behavior is unacceptable, I kind of understand where some of them are coming from. I'm a human who knows nothing about their world, and who will become their queen one day, so I understand if they don't welcome me with open arms. Even I still have a hard time coming to terms with it."

"For what it's worth, I'm very happy you'll be the queen. And I know you'll do an amazing job at it, too."

"Thank you," I whispered with a smile, genuinely touched that he would think so highly of me.

"You're welcome, your majesty," he said with a British accent, bending in a deep bow.

I broke into giggles. "What are you doing?"

"Why, minding my manners in front of an esteemed lady such as you high self, of course," he said, putting a hand on his heart, his facial expression exaggerated. I laughed harder.

Blake's eyes flickered behind me. He dropped his hand and cleared his throat.

"Something funny, Orla?"

I turned towards Ezra, a big grin painted on my face. "Nothing. Just Blake being silly."

Ezra looked at me with a soft expression, his lips twitched up the slightest bit. He rarely smiled in public as wide as he did when it was just the two of us.

He kissed my forehead when he reached me and took my backpack. With a nod at Blake, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and ushered me along.

Haley linked her arm through Blake's and waved us off. "You guys go ahead. We'll see you later!"

"Where are we going?" I asked Ezra.

"Home? Why? Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"No, you seem like you're in a rush, so I thought you wanted to go somewhere."

"I am in a rush," he grumbled. "I only get little time with you alone before they all come crashing down on us again."

I shook my head. "Oh, shut up. You love them all."