Chapter 2

As soon as Rose stepped out of the market, her shield collapsed back into a small wand. With a sharp, restless motion, she swept it over herself. The torn uniform vanished, restoring her comfortable hoodie-dress and stockings. The next time she transformed, her uniform would be whole and clean again. Another one of the unusual perks of her wand’s magic. She wondered if Foxglove had transformed into casual clothes. What would he trade the dark uniform for?

“Will you be all right?” Camellia asked, shaking her from her thoughts

“I’ll have to be,” Rose sighed. She looked over to her Knight and friend. Her yellow uniform had returned to a set of pajama bottoms and tank top. “Were you dragged from bed?”

“Movie night,” she replied with a lopsided smile. She hesitated a moment then reached over to squeeze Rose’s arm. “Do you want to talk about Snap–”

“Foxglove,” Rose corrected. “His name is Foxglove, Cami and he’s…”

Hot, everything I want in a man, dangerous–

Cami’s face crumpled into something sad but understanding. Rose sincerely hoped that Cami couldn’t guess at the depth of her feelings. She could feel the blush covering her face already.

“Don’t twist yourself into knots,” Cami said. “It’s not your fault that he’s, well… It’s not your fault. Get home safe, okay?”

“I will. You too.”

Cami gave her a final, small smile.

Rose watched Cami leave. She rubbed her forehead.

In the space of just two hours, Rose had been reunited with her missing Knight and introduced to the strongest villain she had ever encountered. The fact that they were the same gorgeous, stunning hunk only served to make her head spin. Foxglove had walked into her life like something out of both her hottest fantasies and darkest nightmares.

It just wasn’t fair! The cruelty of it all plagued Rose’s entire walk home. By the time she stepped inside, her mind was a mess and her body thrummed with excess energy. She practically sprinted to the safety of her bedroom.

The first thing Rose did when she stormed in was hurl her phone at her bed. The innocent device bounced against the wall, charms clattering. She slumped against her door, eyes squeezed shut.

Sharp eyes flashed through her mind. Her heart skipped a beat then jumped into top speed. Her nails bit into her palms. She couldn’t stop thinking about Fox. It wasn’t just the fight, the sudden return of someone she thought lost. It was…

Rose slapped her hands over her face. Her cheeks burned under her palms.

“Rose?” Cotton whispered, head poking through the solid door. Privacy didn’t exist when her roommate was a magical creature who could walk through solid objects. She shifted her foot and shoved him out of her room.

There was an indignant huff from the other side, but Cotton didn’t reappear. At least he took the hint to leave her alone.

Rose joined her phone on the bed. She buried her face in her pillow and released a scream. It did not ease the fire burning through her. She flipped onto her back to glare at her ceiling. Posters of male models and boy bands smiled seductively down at her.

Battles against creatures from the Night Blossom usually left Rose buzzing with energy. Normally, she could run laps around her apartment building or rearrange furniture to let it out. This time was different. The energy burned deeper, tighter and more insistent. 

Rose kicked her legs angrily. There was no way she was turned on by someone like Foxglove, someone from the Night Blossom! They were evil, terrible villains hell-bent on turning everyone into mindless drones. Her kingdom’s mortal enemies were meant to be glared at, not drooled over. Even if Fox’s eyes had pierced into her. Even if his deep voice rumbled in her ears, making her knees weak. Even if she couldn’t help but wonder how his claws would feel against her skin…

“No way,” she whined at the posters.

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