Page 40 of Soulless Rivalry

I chuckled, shaking my head.

It had been scary as fuck but Lord was it worth it. The feeling that went through my chest when I saw his face, the satisfaction knowing that he never even saw it coming—I would do it again a thousand times.

“You scared the shit out of me when you asked for my secret stash the other day before I threw it all away,” Mia laughed. “I’m glad your crazy plan worked, butboyI wouldn’t want to be you right now.”

I simply shrugged, deciding I would deal with the fallout once we got back to the castle.

I wanted to enjoy a classless afternoon with my friends, drinking coffee and visiting the town’s only thrift shop. I would think about the consequences of my actions later.

“He had it coming!” Sinem grinned widely at me, “Just because he’s hot doesn’t mean he can bully people into giving him their food. I thought shit like that only happened in high school.”

“Yeah well, welcome to the Academy.”

The girls kept talking as we walked to our destination and I chimed in from time to time but I was mostly happy seeing them interact. Briar was telling us about her audition for Swan Lake next week.

“There’s a few of us competing to be Odette, and Madame Ferdinand said there would be two swans. I’d prefer Black Swan but honestly, either would work for me.”

“Who else is competing?” I asked.

“Your cousin.” She rolled her eyes, as the mere mention of Viola irked her, understandably so, “Lucy Hossman and Katarina Korolova.”

Mia, who had been focused on her phone since we’d left the castle, finally looked up. She hadn't been her normal self since last night. Today, she’d tried hiding the dark spots under her eyes with a lot more makeup than she usually used, but it looked cakey. Her outfit consisted of one of Lorenzo’s hoodies and some leggings, which changed drastically from her usual designer attire, and the smiles she kept throwing our way didn’t reach her eyes.

“What is she like?” she asked Briar, her head tilted to the side, “Katarina.”

My best friend shrugged. “Pretty nice. Sweet, soft… very different from her siblings. She doesn’t talk much unless it’s about ballet. She’s always in one of the rooms, training.”

“Damn, that’s true devotion.” Sinem looked out into the distance, shaking her head.

“Yeah, she’s a damn good ballerina but she never takes it for granted.”

Katarina Korolova was Konstantin’s older sister and Mikhail’s twin, but as Briar said, she seemed nothing like her siblings. She didn’t appear bloodthirsty or to have any mean bone in her body. Nobody knew anything about her but that she loved ballet and was damn good at it. She didn’t have any friends except for her siblings, but contrary to them, she was sweet and kind to anyone who tried talking to her.

The girls continued their conversation while I kept my eyes on Mia, silently observing her. She didn’t notice my eyes on her because hers were riveted on her phone. She was waiting for a reply. That got me thinking about our conversation at the library and whether or not she had gone through with what we talked about.

My gut was telling me she had, mostly because there was a certain sadness to her since yesterday. She seemed down and not at all like the bubbly Mia I was used to.

When she noticed me staring, the small frown she had on was wiped away and she smiled at me instead. I smiled back, but worry didn’t leave me.

“Woah, that’s Longfield Village? It looks so cute,” Sinem exclaimed, coming here for the first time.

“Yeah, well, I hope people are a little more polite than last time I was here,” came in Briar’s muffled response.

As we walked through town, Sinem couldn’t help but stop every few minutes to snap pictures of the Halloween decorations. Longfield was one of those small towns/villages that went all out for the holidays, whatever it was. Everybody knew each other here; Longfield was a really close-knit community… and they didn’t like the outsiders we were.

We stopped by the thrift shop first, looking through the racks for some vintage pieces of clothing that would suit our tastes. Again, Sinem was beaming and telling us about how she never went shopping with friends back home.

From what I’d gathered, her father and brothers were a tad bit overprotective of her, so she reveled in being here today. It was her first time going out without a bodyguard and I smiled at that. We too weren’t allowed out without an escort, although Mia more than me.

After all,shewas the true mafia princess. I was the bastard daughter of one.

“Oh my God!” Sinem’s voice brought me back to reality and I turned around, alert. “Elyssa, this is so you! I’m getting it for you.” She pulled a hanger with a nice, burgundy dress hanging off of it from the racks and presented it to me.

It was a gorgeous dress. Silky and pretty revealing when it came to cleavage but made modest by its length.

I couldn’t fathom a single occasion where I would wear this, and yet something screamed at me to buy it. It truly was beautiful.

“I appreciate you, Sinem, but I can’t let you?—”

---