Page 10 of Vengeful Princess

The thud of bass hurt my ears, so loud I could barely hear myself think, but I pushed through the throngs of students lining the small landing. Light and heat spilled out of a door to my left and I followed the stench of weed and alcohol.

The apartment was much larger than mine. Given it was right at the top of the tower, with amazing views and a small roof terrace, it didn’t surprise me that Cassian Forsyth lived here.

Two of the doors leading off the living room and kitchen were closed, but the other three were wide open, revealing spacious bedrooms.

A muscular arm slid around my waist, and I froze. My hand instinctively moved down my leg toward my blade, but the moment my attacker spoke, I straightened.

“Hot stuff! You came!”

“I did,” I agreed, scanning the room’s occupants and doing my level best to ignore the way Landon felt pressed up against me. Pretty boy smelled good. He really was a snack. A very hard, muscular snack I’d have loved to sink my teeth into.

If I was a normal girl with a normal life, this party would have been amazing. Everyone here was gorgeous. The girls all wore next to nothing - strappy dresses, tiny miniskirts, sparkly tops and fuck-me heels. Most of the guys also seemed to have adopted the ‘less is more’ dress code, which meant I felt extremely overdressed.

It was obvious the party had been raging for a while. Students were draped over each other, furiously making out in corners. Some danced to the music, their bodies glued together in a way that suggested they were exchanging bodily fluids.

It was like Sodom and Gomorrah on steroids.

I began to understand why my father hadn’t wanted me to socialize with my peers. He must have known there was no way I’d still be a virgin if he let me be a normal teenager.

“You look delicious, hot stuff. Let me get you a drink,” Landon whispered in my ear, leading me into the kitchen. Bottles lined the counter, along with a large bucket of ice. Landon plucked a small bottle of beer from the refrigerator, popped the cap, and handed it to me.

I took a sip and grimaced.

“You don’t like beer?” He laughed. “We have plenty of other booze. What’s your preferred poison?” I glanced at the selection. Drinking was a terrible idea. It dulled my reactions, but fuck it, I needed one night off from the shit that was my life. And it wasn’tas if I was going to find out anything this evening. Not with so many people in such a small space.

The best I could hope for was an introduction to Cassian, so I could legitimately get closer to him over the next few weeks.

I still had no clue what my father needed, but he’d made it clear I was to become Cassian’s new friend. It was laughable. How he expected me to befriend a guy who had a zillion rich and well-connected friends was baffling. I guess he assumed my looks would be enough.

That was in doubt now that I’d seen how many girls there were in Cassian’s social circle, all of whom were well-spoken, vivacious, and stunning. But Father knew best, and he was holding my sister’s safety over my head, so what choice did I have?

If I had to whore myself out to Cassian in return for access to his deepest, darkest secrets, then so be it.

“Vodka?” I didn’t much like vodka either, but I had a high tolerance to it, so could easily neck a few shots and not get wasted.

“Your wish is my command, m’lady.” Landon picked up a bottle of Grey Goose and poured a generous splash over ice into a plastic cup. Then he swapped it for my bottle of beer. “Cheers!”

The cold, citrusy liquid slid down my throat, and I relaxed.

“Didn’t think you’d come,” Landon commented as he leaned against the kitchen counter, watching me.

I shrugged, refusing to meet his eye. Making small talk was painful. I never knew what to say and ended up feeling awkward as hell. A thick silence stretched between us, filled with the sounds of laughter, sex noises, and thumping music.

Landon leaned in and murmured in my ear, “When you feel more relaxed, come and find me. I’ll show you my dance moves.” I shivered as he pressed his lips to my neck. At a distance, he was sexy as hell. Up close, he sucked all the oxygen from my lungs.

I watched as he walked off and merged with the mass of people dancing to Diplo. The boy wasn’t lying; he had moves. Knowing full well my eyes were on him, he stripped off his pale blue tee and flung it at the nearest sofa, causing a couple making out to yelp with surprise.

Landon was lean but cut, with broad shoulders, sculpted arms, and deliciously ripped abs. He even had the sexy V I’d seen on models.

My mouth watered at the thought of tracing that V with my tongue, so I took another long gulp of vodka to cool my overheated body.

It didn’t work. From Landon’s languid smirk, he knew exactly what effect he was having on me. I scowled at him and turned away. The guy was a born flirt. He probably flirted with everyone. I wasn’t special. No doubt he saw me as a challenge because I was a new here.Fresh meat, so to speak.

The poor guy had no clue who he was flirting with.

Just as I was about to step away from the counter and venture further into the apartment, a large guy strolled into the kitchen. He paused when he saw me.

Unlike Landon, who smelled of black pepper and spice, this idiot stunk of spilled beer and sweat. My nose wrinkled with distaste and I moved to step back, but he blocked me in with two brawny arms.

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