Read Breaker (Ondine Quartet Book 4) for Free Online Page A

accepted the position. I would become Governor at seventeen, two weeks before her.
    “I only ask you live up to that other…” he slowly handed over the envelope, “exception.”
    Rhian had always addressed him as William. He’d cried at her funeral.
    Even now, his sadness was palpable, an intense grief for a friend.
    I met his gaze. “I won’t let her down.”
    With a final tired nod, Pelletier left.  
    I spent another few minutes packing up my belongings, then did a final once-over.
    My gaze travelled over the scuffed linoleum floor, the dark wardrobe, the slanted corner dresser where Bastien had once left an iris.
    Lumiere had transformed my life but no real evidence of it remained. Nothing here marked this place as my own. There was only the room’s quiet sigh as it let me go to make space for another.
    On impulse, I walked over to the desk. The wooden table top was worn, the edges stained. Students had etched the usual crap into it over the years.

    R+G 4eva
    suckah!
    whtevs
    me395v

    I removed my dagger and carefully carved the letter k in the corner. It was inconspicuous, tiny compared to the others.
    But I knew it was there.
    Satisfied, I grabbed my duffel bag, stepped out, and closed the door.
    The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, muddled rays tangling in the cloudy skies. An hour ago, the day had been bright and warm. Now a chill brushed against me and fat drops of rain splashed on my head.  
    I quickly pulled up my hoodie. Spring was always mercurial and indecisive, restlessly shifting between teasing warmth and aching cold.
    A year ago, I’d arrived in Haverleau during the same season. The first day I entered the cafeteria, I’d treated Lumiere as just another new school, another sea of nameless faces I needed to guard against so I could move on.
    I never imagined this would be the one where I stayed.
    Two hulking royal gardinels stood beside a gleaming black sedan in the Academy parking lot. Its modern lines and curves clashed with Lumiere’s gothic architecture.
    The car door opened and an impeccably tailored figure stepped out.
    “ Sondeleur ,” Jeeves’ smile lit up the day’s dismal gray. “Are you ready?”
    Like his son, Jeeves was a study in contradiction. I’d seen him fight in the Selkie Kingdom. Beneath the elegant attire and immaculate etiquette was a highly trained former chevalier with a technique as killer as his charismatic smile.
    When he graduated from the Academy, I doubted he saw himself as Chief Counsel, clothed in sophistication, wearing Italian loafers and concealing his chevalier mark with designer suits.  
    Maybe the paths we embarked upon were as unpredictable and startling as spring.
    I joined him. “Let’s go.”
    We settled into the lush, leather seats in the back. Rain steadily fell, rivulets streaming across the windows.
    “Everything is running on time, sondaleur . Catrin will be arriving at any moment. Your friends have been setting up your room and the confirmation ceremony will proceed as scheduled three hours from now.”
    Good. “Ian?”
    “He has settled into the east wing of the House.”
    I’d made arrangements for Ian to move into one of the Governing House’s countless spare rooms. When word got out, the Council, especially Marquisa LeVeq, had foamed at the mouth but there was nothing they could do about it. Ian was under my personal protection as well as Tristan’s.  
    After what happened with Bastien and Rhian, suspicions were running at an all-time high. I didn’t want the sole nix in our community to become a primary target.
    Placing Ian in the House wasn’t just because he was my friend. It was also for his own safety.
    Jeeves scrolled through the calendar on his phone, a slight frown marring his brow. “We need to make a decision on the event coming up in a few weeks.”
    I gave him a sidelong look. His voice was too casual.
    “Several Council members feel it’s inappropriate to hold the Governor’s Ball this year, especially with