Page 90 of Vicious Kings
I hate how good she is at this. Hate that there's a part of me that actually finds it soothing to watch her arrange fabrics and pillows like it's an art.
"Everen asked me to meet his pack soon," she says casually, like she's discussing the weather instead of dropping a bomb.
I pause mid-pillow placement. "His pack?"
"Mmhmm." She's glowing with happiness that makes her look even more like a sparkly pink princess than usual. "He says they've been dying to meet me. Isn't that sweet?"
Sweet. Right.
Or it's a trap.
Or a test.
Or any number of things that could go catastrophically wrong when you're a human omega being introduced to a pack of supernatural predators.
"Just... be careful," I say, trying to inject concern instead of cynicism into my voice. "You don't really know if you can trust him yet."
She looks at me like I've suggested she kick a puppy. "Why? Because you're a hunter and he's a shifter?"
"No." I sit back on my heels, meeting her eyes. "Because he's aguy. And particularly because he's an alpha."
Olivia's expression softens slightly. "You really don't trust anyone, do you?"
"Not anymore."
She's quiet for a moment, then goes back to fluffing a throw pillow with more force than necessary. "And yet you spend your days hanging out with the golden triad."
"I'd hardly call forced proximity 'hanging out.'"
She rolls her eyes, like she thinks this is a trivial difference. "They're all talking about it, just so you know."
My stomach drops. "Talking about what, exactly?"
"About how Prince Corvinus is in all your classes now."
"Technically, I'm in most ofhis."
"How he carries your bag," she goes on, ignoring me. "Then how you broke his nose and he just smiled." She shoots me a look that's equal parts curiosity and concern. "Even for Valemyre, that's weird behavior."
"I don't really care what people talk about," I say, which is mostly true. Let them gossip. Better they think I'm Corvinus's new fixation than suspect what I'm actually planning.
And Isabella hasn't followed through on any of her threats yet, so that's something, I guess.
"Then I guess you won't care about the rumor that you were talking to Prince Caelyx in the gardens yesterday."
I freeze, my hands going still on the pillow I'm holding.
Shit.
"People saw that?" I try to keep my voice casual, but it comes out strangled.
"Billie, this is Valemyre. People see everything." She lowers her voice, leaning closer. "You should be careful with him. He's Unseelie."
Like I could forget. The red eyes, the dark magic, the garden of probably-man-eating plants. Everything about him screams danger in princely packaging.
"All Fae are the same to me," I say, which isn't technically a lie. They're all obstacles between me and my target, just in different color schemes.
"You know they eat people, right?" Olivia whispers, her eyes wide. "The Unseelie. I've heard stories about what they do to humans in their realm. It's not pretty."
