Page 44 of Vicious Kings
"Are you?" He tilts his head, studying me with those impossible eyes. "How delightful. Most people are terrified."
"Most people probably have better self-preservation instincts. I was a hunter, remember? We aren't known for running from danger."
He laughs. "Oh, I like you already. Do you mind if I join you for lunch?"
Yes. Yes, I fucking mind. I mind so much I could write a dissertation on how much I mind.
"It's a free country," I say instead, because apparently my mouth has decided to go rogue. "Or realm."
"Is it now?" He falls into step beside me as I head for that corner table.
I bite back the dozen responses that spring to mind, most of which would probably get me executed for treason or sedition orwhatever they call it when you tell a prince to go fuck himself. Instead, I focus on not tripping over my own feet, which have suddenly forgotten how to work properly.
We sit, and I become acutely aware that every eye in the cafeteria is on us. The other omegas look like they're trying to set me on fire with their minds. The Fae are watching with expressions ranging from curiosity to outright horror. And the various other supernaturals, the shifters and what might be a vampire in the corner, are all staring.
They're nervous. And clearly, I should be too.
Where did this guy even come from? If Corvinus had a brother, surely I would have heard of him.
Is the Patriarch fucking with me? Or is Caelyx?
The latter would make more sense, and yet, BBR and her crew would have to be in on it. There's also the fact that Fae supposedly can't tell lies.
"So," Caelyx says, leaning back in his chair, "a hunter and an omega. That must have been quite the surprise."
"You could say that." I take a bite of my sandwich to buy time. It tastes like cardboard, but that's probably courtesy of the adrenaline shooting through my veins rather than the chef's lack of skill. Everything in this place is gourmet.
"I imagine your family wasn't thrilled when they found out."
"Also an understatement."
"And yet here you are." He hasn't touched his food, some elaborate dish I didn't see in the line. "In the heart of enemy territory, surrounded by the very creatures you were trained to kill."
"Yeah, well." I shrug, aiming for nonchalant and probably landing a few hundred kilometers north. "Life's full of fun surprises."
"Indeed it is." His eyes haven't left my face once. "Tell me, Miss...?"
"Just Billie. No Miss."
"Billie." He tastes the name like wine. "Tell me, Billie, what do you think of your new life so far?"
A question so loaded it couldn't get past a metal detector. "It's very... gilded."
"How diplomatic." He leans forward, and I catch a whiff of his scent. It's like lightning and dark chocolate and all the dirty, filthy thoughts I've ever had wrapped up in one sinfully hot package. "But not very honest."
"I wasn't aware honesty was encouraged here. Not for omegas."
"It's not." His smile widens, showing teeth that are far too sharp to be comforting. Some of the Fae have sharp eye teeth, but his are fucking daggers. And four of them are sharp, not just two. "Which is what makes it so entertaining when someone attempts it."
The bell rings, saving me from having to respond. I've never been so grateful for the Fae's obsession with punctuality.
"What class do you have next?" he asks as I gather my things.
"Bonding Theory and Practice." Of all the classes I have to take, this one seems the most like rubbing salt in an open wound.
"What a coincidence." He stands, and I'm reminded again of how tall these fuckers are. Especially him. "So do I."
Of course he does. Because the universe hates me and wants me to suffer.
