Page 52 of Vicious Kings
The casual dismissal of Isabella's claim is interesting. Either he's completely oblivious to her machinations, which seems unlikely, or he just doesn't care. Given the power dynamics at play here, I'm betting on the latter.
"Well," I say, trying to edge past him again, "I'd better not take up any more of your time. Isabella might pour out of a crack in the wall any minute, and I've already met my quota for omega confrontations this week."
"Wait." He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small envelope. The paper is black, expensive-looking, with a seal pressed into the wax that makes my brain itch in that way I've already become absolutely sick of. "Here."
I take it carefully, half expecting it to burn my fingers. "What's this?"
"Open it."
I break the seal, and the moment I unfold the paper, golden text appears on the surface like someone's writing it at this moment. An address I don't recognize and a time. Tomorrow evening, midnight.
"It's an invitation," he says when I look up at him questioningly. "To a party we're throwing tomorrow night."
"We?" But I already know the answer.
"The triad." He pushes off from the doorframe, and suddenly he's closer than he was before. Not crowding me like Caelyx did yesterday, but close enough that I can feel the warmth of him. "You should come."
Every instinct I have is screaming at me to refuse. This is too easy, too convenient. One of Corvinus's triad just happening to run into me and invite me to a party where the prince will presumably be? It reeks of a setup.
But this is also exactly what I need. A chance to get close to Corvinus in a social setting, to start working whatever omega magic I supposedly have to get past his defenses. The thought makes my skin crawl, but I've done worse things in the name of completing a mission.
Maybe not more humiliating things, but objectively worse.
"I don't know," I say, aiming for uncertain rather than suspicious. "I'm not really the party type. And if Isabella finds out..."
"I can introduce you to the right people," he says, and there's something earnest in his voice that almost makes me believe he actually wants to help. "People who can make sure Isabella and her ilk don't cause you any problems here."
The offer is too good to pass up, even if it is a trap. I need allies, or at least people who think I'm too insignificant to be a threat. And if this gets me in the same room as Corvinus...
"Okay," I say, tucking the invitation into my bag. "Thank you."
"Excellent." His smile is warm and genuine, which I find even more unsettling than the whole rogue prince vibe Caelyx has going on. "Oh, and feel free to bring a friend if you'd like. The more the merrier."
A friend. Right. Because I have so many of those here.
"What should I wear?" The question feels stupid, but it's the kind of thing an omega worried about making a good impression would ask.
"Whatever you're comfortable in." He winks, and somehow it's not corny.
He steps aside finally, giving me room to pass. But as I move by him, he adds, "I'm looking forward to seeing you there, Billie."
The way he says my name sends an unexpected shiver down my spine. I mutter something that might be agreement and flee before I can do something stupid like ask why his eyes seem so familiar or why being near him makes me feel like I'm standing in a lightning storm.
I make it around the corner before I stop, leaning against the wall to catch my breath, because apparently, being in the presence of an alpha without having a full-blown heart attack is a workout, even on suppressants.
This is my ticket to getting near Prince Corvinus.
Tomorrow night, I'll be in the same room as the bastard who killed my mother. I might not be able to put a knife in his throat yet, but I can start laying the groundwork. Use this cursed omega biology for something useful, even if the thought of trying to seduce him makes me want to scrub my skin raw.
But I'll do it.
I'll smile and bat my eyelashes and play the enamored omega who's so honored to be in his presence. I'll endure whatever humiliation necessary to get close enough to strike when the time is right.
Because nothing, absolutelynothing, matters more than watching the light fade from his eyes as he realizes an omega was his downfall.
Seventeen
BILLIE
