Page 26 of Ruthless Royalty

“Don’t blame your bloodlust on me,” I say with a scoff, but the look on their faces tells me that Nikolai is serious.

On the drive over, I tell Cat and Marina about Leo, but they don’t seem to know much about him. Marina mentions that he’s a fantastic artist, but other than that, he’s like a ghost.

I find that weird.

“By the way, where’s Sofia? Wasn’t she supposed to start this year as well?”

Cat and Marina look at each other, then Marina leans closer. “Gio told us she’s not coming this year. Her father … well, someone snitched on the Reyes Cartel and her dad got locked up. There’s a massive trial against him; word is he’s going to get life.”

My eyes widen, but I have no idea how to respond to that. He’s a criminal, so he should be locked up, right? Then again, all of their fathers are criminals; so I rather shut up before I offend them.

When we reach the Volkov Suite, the music is already pounding, and the place is packed. Marina and Cat lead me straight to the bar, and I can feel eyes on me as we walk through the crowd.

“Let’s get some drinks,” Marina says, flagging down the bartender. “Three vodka cranberries.”

I look around the room, trying to ignore the eyes on me. But then my gaze immediately falls on Giovanni. He’s dressed in black as usual; standing across the room, staring at me with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine.

I force myself to ignore him, focusing instead on Marina and Cat; there’s no way I’m going to let him get under my skin like this.

“Let’s go outside,” Cat suggests, sensing my discomfort.

We make our way to the back, where a few people are gathered around a bonfire; the fresh air is a welcome relief.

“Chiara!” a familiar voice calls out. I turn and see Leo standing by the fire, looking pleasantly surprised to see me. His hair is hanging loose around his shoulders and he’s dressed in a simple black shirt and jeans, but he looks effortlessly cool.

“Leo!” I say, smiling. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

He laughs, running a hand through his blond hair. “I could say the same about you. You look incredible, by the way.”

“Thanks,” I reply, feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze. “This is Marina and Cat. Guys, this is Leo, the one I met in the art studio.”

“Nice to meet you,” Marina says, giving him a once-over. “Chiara’s been talking about you.”

“Has she now?” Leo says with a grin, raising an eyebrow.

I shoot Marina a look because that sounded so wrong, but she just grins and takes a sip of her drink. The little shit.

“Just mentioned you’re an artist,” I say, trying to play it cool.

Leo chuckles. “I’m flattered. What brings you to this madhouse?”

“I needed a break,” I admit. “Figured a party might help.”

“Well, you came to the right place,” he says, looking around. “Volkov parties are legendary, but just stay away from the punchbowl … trust me.”

He pulls a face and I can’t help but chuckle. We fall into an easy conversation, and I find myself relaxing for the first time all day.

Marina and Cat exchange looks before giving me space, moving off to mingle. Leo and I find a quieter spot to talk, and I notice how different he looks in the party setting. Still handsome, but more relaxed.

“Thank you again for the sketch,” I say later on as we stand around the bonfire. “I didn’t realize anyone could…see that side of me.”

Leo nudges my shoulder with his own, a playful grin on hisface. “Anytime you need cheering up, you can always come to Studio 3. I would say you could call me, but I don’t have your number, so...”

I chuckle and raise my eyebrow. “Smooth way of asking me for my number, there,” I say and hold my hand out for his cellphone. When he hands it over, I input my number and call myself. “There. What’s your last name, by the way?”

When he doesn’t answer, I look up at him and notice the odd look on his face. “Leo?”

“Promise me you won’t freak out?”

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