Page 49 of House of Ydril

Now, what I really need is my friend, but when I go look for her, I see her talking to Harry. I frown, but then I realize that he’s trying to make her dance with him. And she blows him off, but then this hot fae-blooded guy cuts in and I see the two of them climb the stairs to the podium, hand in hand, while Harry watches sullenly from the sidelines.

I guess I’ve no other option but to get to work on plan B, that is, getting the Vipers to make me one of their own. So I draw in a breath and start walking towards Harry.

But he’s not in a good mood. Once I get close, he does tear his eyes away from Nuala, but he only shakes his head at me and walks away.

Perfect.

I start strolling around the Main Hall, trying to spot the other Vipers. And there’s Leo, talking to one of the professors. He looks up, catching my eye. He’s already excusing himself and heading straight towards me, but I don’t want it to be him, that’s how much he creeps me out. If it turns out I have no other choice, sure, but until then, I’m staying out of his sight.

So I quickly turn on my heel and I almost bump into Faust’s date rushing out of the Main Hall, crying her eyes out. Trouble in paradise, I guess, I think to myself. But I don’t have time to linger on it.

Because there’s Zelda, standing by the bar and waiting for a drink. I take a deep breath and start walking.

“Miss Longborn,” I hear someone say and I stop midstep. When I turn around, I see an older vampire with a heavily scarred face towering over me. “Or should I say MissOlarel?” he says with a smile.

I notice the pin on his white cloak. A black cross in a circle of rubies, the crest of the House Lilith. But the color tells me I’m talking to a Duke. I rush to bow, feeling once again that I’m being watched.

It makes the Duke let out a laugh. “No need for such formalities, I assure you.” He motions at the group of powerful-looking people sitting at one of the more prominent tables. “My friends and I would very much like to get to know you.”

And he’s still smiling, but he’s looking at me a lot like I believe a hungry cat would look at a delicious mouse. Fuck, can I even say no, I wonder. Should I try? “I’d be delighted.” And as I speak, it dawns on me. “It’s just that I first have to say hi to the rest of the Chosen. You know,” I say with a smile, “out of courtesy at least.”

There’s a second of silence, during which my heart skips a beat, before the Duke flashes a smile and says, “Of course. We’ll be here.”

That was close, I think to myself as I walk away, even though I don’t know what exactly I was scared of. It doesn’t matter. Eyes on the prize, Quinn.

And I see that Zelda is no longer at the bar, but there’s Sarya passing by. I practically charge at her, but before I can get close enough, Leo appears in front of me.

“You know,” he says with a sly smile, “you never thanked me for helping you back there.”

“Really?” I ask, frowning. “How rude of me.”

“It’s alright. I’m more than ready to forgive you,” he replies as he leans a bit closer, “provided you give me another dance.”

For a second, Ialmostsay, “Sure, provided you get me in the Vipers.” But I can feel it in my bones, that this is not a guy I want to be indebted to.

“You know, I would,” I choose to say, “but I really have to go say hi to someone.”

And I move to walk away.

He blocks me and lets out a chuckle, looking over his shoulder to where Faust is standing. He’s surrounded by groupies near the center of the room.

To my surprise, I see him throw back a shot.

“Even now that you’re an Olarel,” Leo whispers in my ear, “you’re not good enough for a prince, you know?” He turns to face me and holds out his hand. “So it might not be such a great idea for you to refuse your next best option. For the second time at that.”

“What’re you gonna do?” I spit out. “Keep stalking me like some psycho?” I ask, thinking about the chocolates.

With that, I leave him standing there, a flash of anger crossing his face. Damnit, now I’ve pissed him off and I don’t really have a clue how far he’s willing to go in this game of his.

And to make matters worse, he’s not the only one trying to stop me from doing what I’m supposed to do. Now that everyone knows about my heritage, I seem to be the belle of the ball, I think to myself as I spot a couple of guys preparing to approach me.

The next thing I know, Faust appears in front of me, his hands in his pockets and his head tilted to the side. I frown at him. “What do you want?”

There’s something off about him, the way he just looks at me. His hair is slightly disheveled and the first couple of buttons on his shirt are undone, revealing the curves of his collarbone.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he finally says. It’s barely noticeable, but the words are slurred.

It’s then that it finally hits me. He’s drunk. His skin is flushed and there’s a glimmer in his eyes.

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