Page 41 of Vicious Kings
If I don't defend myself against a harmless omega, how big of a threat can I really be to their nobility?
Before the blow can land, though, a perfectly manicured hand shoots out and wraps around Blondie's wrist.
"That's enough."
The voice cuts through their outrage. Cold and utterly without inflection, yet somehow managing to convey more threat than if she'd screamed.
Even before Blondie looks up and sees who grabbed her, the voice makes all the fight drain from her and she freezes. As soon as her hand is free, she skitters back.
The effect on the others is just as instantaneous. Baby Blue Ruffles actually stumbles back a step, her face draining of color. The others scatter like roaches when you turn on the light.
Isabella Larue stands ten feet away, and I have to admit, the girl knows how to make an entrance. She hasn't raised her voice, and yet she commands the space like she owns it. Judging by their reactions, she might.
"Isabella," Baby Blue Ruffles squeaks like a mouse that's just noticed the cat. "We were just?—"
"Leaving." Isabella doesn't look at her. Her dark eyes are fixed on me with an intensity that would make most people squirm. I've been stared down by vampires, werewolves, and my extremely disappointed father. This barely registers. "Now."
BBR flees after the others. There's no other word for it. Six omegas in designer dresses literally run away, their heels clicking a frantic retreat against the stones. One of them actually trips in her haste and doesn't even stop to check if she's torn her expensive dress.
And then it's just us. Isabella and me, standing in the garden with nothing but the sound of those impossible blue roses rustling.
She studies me like I'm a frog she's considering dissecting. Those dark eyes seem to miss nothing. For her sake, I hope they do.
"You're new here," she says finally. It's not a question.
"What gave it away?" I ask, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. "The lack of ruffles or the fact that I can walk in a straight line?"
Her lips twitch. It might be amusement. It might be annoyance. With her, it's impossible to tell. Unlike most of the other omegas I've met, she doesn't wear her emotions on frilly sleeves.
"You're from unconventional circumstances." She steps closer, and unlike Baby Blue Ruffles' attempt at intimidation, thisalmostactually works. There's something about the way she moves, like every gesture has been calculated for maximum impact but also, paradoxically, comes as naturally to her as breathing. "So I'm going to do you a favor and make some things clear."
"How magnanimous of you."
She definitely smirks this time. "The Fae may be in charge, but they're not the ones in control. Not nearly as much as they think."
I file that interesting little tidbit away for later examination. "And let me guess—you are?"
"Your time at this university can go smoothly," she continues as if I hadn't spoken, "or roughly. The Fae themselves have very little control over that."
"Right." I cross my arms, mainly to stop myself from fidgeting with the suppressants in my pocket. "So you're the gatekeeper between those two roads?"
"Clever girl." The smirk becomes sharper, more dangerous. "And they say you were uneducated."
"That's me. Full of surprises."
She circles me once, a slow, deliberate path that reminds me uncomfortably of how predators size up prey. Her dress doesn't make a sound as she moves, which is fucking unsettling.Everything makes noise. Even silk whispers. But she's silent as death.
It's a shame she was probably born into the cushiest of human reserves. This one would have made one hell of a hunter.
"Let me make it very simple," she says, coming to a stop directly in front of me. "I run these halls. You had a target on your back the moment you walked on campus, and I have the power to make that disappear."
"How sweet. Are you going to tell me about your Lord and Savior next, or do we skip straight to the part where I sign over my soul?"
That actually gets a laugh out of her. It's not a nice sound, but rather bitter and sharp as broken glass. "One word from me, and every omega on this campus will magically stop gossiping about you. They'll never begin all the things they're already planning on doing to make your life a living hell."
She pauses, letting that sink in. I think about Baby Blue Ruffles and her crew, multiply that by however many other omegas are skulking around this place, and yeah. That could get inconvenient fast. Hard to hunt a prince when you're dodging mean girls with too much time on their hands.
"Fae who wouldn't even look twice at you will be falling over each other for a chance to court you," she continues. "Access to parties, events, the kinds of gatherings where real power moves through this place."
