Page 60 of Vicious Kings
"He offered you—Prince Corvinusoffered you—and you saidNO?" She's practically hyperventilating. "Do you have any idea what you just threw away?"
"My self-respect was worth keeping."
Everen steps back, hands raised. "I think I'll give you ladies a moment."
He disappears into the crowd, and Olivia rounds on me like a tiny pink tornado.
"Self-respect? SELF-RESPECT?" She grabs my shoulders, shaking me with more strength than I thought her capable of. "You could have been set for life! Protected!Pampered! And you threw it away for fuckingpride?"
"You're welcome to go offer yourself as a replacement." I shrug her off, moving toward the windows. "I'm sure he'd find you entertaining."
"Don't think I won't!" She hoists up her fluffy skirts and follows me, heels clicking furiously. "Someone needs to salvage this disaster."
I run my fingers along the window frame, feeling for the source of the dimensional anchor. Now that the alphas in the room are trying hard not to look like they're paying attention to a spat between omegas, I have a little room to investigate, just as I'd hoped.
There. A crystal formation that pulses with sickly light.
If I could just destabilize it...
"What are you doing?" Olivia demands.
"Nothing." I pull my hand back, but not before memorizing the pattern of the pulses.
That's how Fae resonance works. Rhythm and frequency. I've disrupted their traps before, but I highly doubt there's anything made of iron sitting around this gaudy little shindig. Fae tend to frown on decorations that could sear their perfect skin off and leave a mark.
"Just… admiring the view."
"Bullshit. You're up to something." Her eyes narrow. "You've been weird all night. Weirder than usual."
I need her out of here. Need to get her somewhere safe before I do what needs to be done.
"Fine. You want the truth?" I lower my voice, glancing around. "This whole place is unstable. The magic holding ittogether is degrading faster than it should. We need to leave before?—"
"Before what?" The voice behind me is silk over steel and we both freeze.
Prince Caelyx stands there like a shadow made flesh, those crimson eyes burning into mine. How long has he been watching? How much did he hear?
"Before the party gets too wild," I finish lamely.
His smile is all teeth. "Liar."
Olivia makes a squeaking sound, dropping into a curtsy so deep she nearly falls over. "Your Highness!"
He doesn't even look at her, those eyes still locked on mine. "You were about to do something remarkably stupid, weren't you?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"No?" He steps closer, and I smell sulfur and smoke, dark magic. "Youweren'tplanning to destabilize the temporal anchors and trap everyone inside when the pocket collapses?"
Olivia gasps. "Billie, what the fuck?"
"Quiet." Caelyx doesn't raise his voice, but Olivia's mouth snaps shut like a puppet under his command. "She won't remember this conversation."
"What—"
He waves his hand, and Olivia's eyes go blank, vacant as a doll's. She sways slightly, held upright only by his magic.
"What did you do to her?" I reach for Olivia, but he blocks me.
