I can protect myself

The car ride back to the castle was the kind of suffocating silence that wasn't really silent. I could hear the soft hum of the engine, the gentle click of the turn signal as the car glided down the winding mountain roads, but the weight of Seraphine's presence next to me was louder than anything.

She sat perfectly still, back straight, her hands folded in her lap like some regal statue carved out of sheer disapproval.

Meanwhile, I sat slouched against the window, forehead pressed to the cool glass, trying to keep my mouth shut because I already knew how this was going to go. But, of course, the Demon Queen doesn't do silence for long.

"You're being reckless," she said, finally breaking the tension with the kind of tone that made it clear she was already gearing up for a lecture.

"I'm being what?" I snapped, turning to face her with an incredulous look. "You dragged me out of training like I'm some helpless child, and I'm the reckless one?"