Page 67 of Vicious Kings
"Cunnilingus," he calls after me without missing a beat. "I'mexcellentat that!"
I roll my eyes, flicking my hand to open the doors leading into my private wing.
As usual, I'm surrounded by idiots.
And suddenly, all of them are orbiting around a girl who's either the biggest fool at this university, or clever enough to be the downfall of us all.
Twenty-One
BILLIE
Light slices through the gap in the curtains like it's aiming directly for my retinas. I crack one eye open, immediately regretting consciousness.
First day of the rest of my miserable omega existence.
I roll over, pressing my face into the pillow that smells like vanilla. Pretty sure it's wafted over from Olivia's side of the room, considering she has a spray for everything.
Body spray. Linen spray. Air spray. Hair perfume.
I can't say for sure, but I think I caught her misting some kind of fragrance on the plant by her window the other day.
My body aches in places I didn't knowcouldache. The shoes from Saturday night left blisters on my heels that still throb. My shoulder, courtesy of Brittany's stair ambush, has graduated from spectacular purple to a sickly yellow-green that makes me look like I've been dead for three days.
Maybe I am dead. Maybe this whole thing is just some elaborate hell designed specifically for me.
Across the room, Olivia hums while she applies her morning face. The girl wakes up at five to start her beauty routine, ensuring she's runway-ready before the sun fully rises. The sound grates against my skull like nails on a chalkboard.
At least Caelyx's little mind fuck doesn't seem to have had any lasting negative effects.
I force myself upright, immediately regretting the decision when my head spins. The suppressants are doing their job, keeping my omega biology in check, but they make me feel like I'm constantly hungover. Nauseous, dizzy, vaguely disconnected from my own body.
Small price to pay for not going into heat and broadcasting my availability to every alpha on campus.
"You look like shit," Olivia observes without looking up from her mirror.
"Thanks. You're a real ray of sunshine."
"I'm just saying, if you're going to be my roommate, you could at least try to look presentable." She finally glances my way, wrinkling her perfect nose. "We have a reputation to uphold."
"We?" I swing my legs out of bed, feet hitting carpet that's too soft, too warm. "Since when is there a 'we'?"
"Since the party, obviously." She applies another coat of mascara. "Did you see how Everen looked at me? I'm pretty sure he's going to ask me on a proper date."
Right. The party where I almost collapsed a pocket dimension and killed everyone inside, including myself, apparently.
The party Olivia doesn't actually remember.
"Yeah," I say carefully, watching her face for any sign of recognition. "He seemed really into you."
"Into me?" She laughs, bright and genuine. "He was practically drooling. And when he kissed my hand… oh my gods, I thought I was going to die right there."
She remembers the hand kiss. The champagne. The conversation about the Shadow Courts. Everything up untilthe moment I announced I'd rejected Prince Corvinus and she dropped her glass.
Everything after that?
Gone.
Replaced with vague memories of drinking too much and me being a responsible friend who escorted her home.
