Page 113 of House of Lilith

I’m still staring at him when he turns back to me, throws me a hot, hot grin and says, “He’s the one in charge of this kind of thing.”

It’s just at that moment that my eyes dart to a figure jogging up to us.

“Ricky, mate,” Howe tells him as he slows to a stop, “we’ve got a new sheriff in town.” He gives him the form. “Make sure this is all taken care of.”

Ricky nods, throws me a funny little look, turns on his heel and starts jogging back to the ‘ring’.

I turn my eyes back onto Howe, who’s smiling at me. “Happy?”

“Sure,” I snap, frowning, and I move to finally get myself out of there. “Bye.”

But he just follows me. “So I’ll see you tonight at nine?” I hear him say.

I don’t stop and I don’t turn to look at him. “Not coming.”

“Why the hell not?”

“I have this thing.”

“Like a date or something?”

“No, like a family dinner,” I say with a frustrated frown. I pause before I choose to add, “With some dignitaries thrown into the mix.”

“Dignitaries?” I hear him echo with a little laugh, still walking beside me. “Well, they’re a dime a dozen, everyone knowsthat. And the party before the day of the Third Game, there’s only one ofthose.”

And he walks around me, blocking my way. “Come on,” he urges as he locks eyes with me, “cancel the boring stuff.”

What the fuck is it with him today? I throw daggers at him. “I can’t,” I snap, glancing around to make sure no one’s listening. And it somehow feels stupid, but I still choose to say, “It’s for my birthday.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “Your birthday?” he echoes, turning the volume up a little too much for comfort.

“Keep your voice down,” I hiss at him. “You know how big of a fight I’ve had to put up to keep the date from going public?”

He laughs. “Such highly relatable problems you have,” he comments with a grin, sarcasm lacing his every word.

“Ha ha,” I drawl in the flattest voice I can muster. Then I take a step forward, getting in his face and making his eyebrows shoot up. “See how you likethis. If I hear a single word about it, I’m going to kill you with my own two hands.”

“Understood,” he replies, with a serious nod and without so much as a second of hesitation. “So, in short… I telleveryoneit’s your birthday and I see you tonight at nine.”

I frown at him, to which he just throws me a grin.

I roll my eyes and move to walk away again.

He doesn’t let me. “Fine,” he rushes to say. “I say nothing about no birthday… and I see you tonight at nine.”

And then there’s another grin.

I have to fight not to let out a frustrated groan. “You say nothing about no birthday,” I start, making my voice as final as possible, “and tonight at nine, you see whoever the fuck you want,exceptfor me.”

He just looks at me for a second. Then he squints. “Yeah,” he drawls, his lips curling into a mysterious little smile, “we’ll see about that.”

And with that, he turns on his heel and walks away. For a second, I just keep standing there, frowning as I watch him go back to training.

What the hell was all this about?

My fox is not good around noblewomen?What’s that even supposed to mean? And,Yeah, we’ll see about that?As if he can force me to come to a party I don’t want to come to.

I let out a frustrated breath, I turn around and start marching away, determined to put it out of my head for good.

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