Page 165 of Vengeful Princess

Or sweet Milo, whose presence kept the nightmares away.

Landon made me smile and moan in equal measure.

And then there was Cassian. I didn’t know him as well as the others, but we had a connection, one I couldn’t ignore.

Ugh, I was such a mess. A freaking, hormonal mess.

The door banged open behind me and a menacing figure in a tux stood in the entrance, seething with rage and violence. My insides turned to liquid and my panties went up in smoke. I gripped the edge of the marble counter and wondered whether I had time to pull my knife from my clutch.

“Kotenok, you’ve been ignoring me,” growled a familiar voice.

87

Landon

Thea looked amazing in her red dress, like a sparkling gift I wanted to unwrap. The bodice showcased her tits to perfection. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only person who’d noticed how fine my soon-to-be-wife looked tonight.

I caught Erik doing a double-take when she sashayed past, scanning the crowd, oblivious to all the eyes on her. No doubt she was looking for her friend. I’d spotted Eden earlier, talking to Michael.

The two of them seemed to have patched things up since she got back to college. I wasn’t sure where she’d disappeared to for a while, but Micheal had been upset about it. The stupid sap had caught feelings for Eden.

I’d sat him down for a bro talk when he fell apart in the gym, sobbing some nonsense about being breadcrumbed. Kyril, the unfeeling fuck, had laughed his ass off. Thankfully, I was there, and unlike my dumb Russian friend, who lacked empathy because he was a legit sociopath, I understood Michael’s pain.

He calmed down once I reassured him Eden would be back. I told him her cousin was a scary motherfucker and had probablyplaced her under house arrest, but not to worry, Thea would make sure she was OK.

And sure enough, Eden appeared two days later.

I watched Thea as her expression softened when she saw Eden and Michael. The girls chatted and then Eden said something that made Thea turn around. Her eyes slid down over my kilt and I grinned. My girl loved me in my kilt, I could tell. No doubt she was wondering what I wore beneath it - it was the question on every girl’s lips this evening.

The answer was nothing, naturally. Real men went commando under a kilt. Not that anyone other than Thea would have the pleasure of finding out.

Just as I was about to head over, she dashed away.

“Thea!” I yelled, but to no avail. My girl disappeared in a sea of colorful gowns. I shoved my way through, ignoring the dickheads who had the nerve to complain when they spilled their drinks. They could all bite my peachy ass. Or file a complaint with Kyril, my unofficial public relations czar.

He was good at dealing with complaints. Nobody ever pursued a complaint when I asked them to discuss it with him. Probably because he threatened to kill them if they did.

Thea was almost within reach when a female in a gold dress stepped into my path. I nearly slammed into her but managed to put the brakes on just in time to avoid a calamitous collision.

“Landon,” she purred, her eyes zeroing in on my kilt. “You look well this evening.”

“Miss Markham,” I gritted out, forcing my face to remain neutral. I did not want anyone knowing I’d fucked this cold bitch.

“I was hoping we could snatch a quiet moment together this evening,” she said. Her hand reached out and touched my wrist. To anyone watching, it would look like a comforting gesture. One a student welfare officer might legitimately make if she felta student was struggling in some way. However, the only thing I was struggling with was quelling the desire to vomit all over the bitch’s shoes.

“Veronica, get your fucking hand off me,” I hissed in a low voice. Thea watched us, her face a picture of fury. I had a feeling she knew exactly what was happening here. Cassian had explained how my father liked to use me for his own sick purposes. Thea was clever. She must have put two and two together and worked out my relationship with Miss Markham was not consensual.

“Landon, that’s not very friendly.” She pulled her hand away, her lips pursed in annoyance.

“No?” I stepped forward and whispered in her ear, “I have a video clip of you and Caspar Knight in your office. If you touch me again, I’ll make sure Milo circulates the clip to the board and the tabloid press. I’m pretty sure you don’t want the public - or your fiancée - to know you’re a predator who loves to target vulnerable young men.”

Milo had done some digging and discovered I wasn’t the only student Veronica had had an inappropriate relationship with. Caspar and I talked one night in the bar. He told me how she’d hounded him until he gave in. He agreed to carry a small camera into his next session with her so Milo could record some evidence against her. I’d sent the dude a case of 40-year-old whiskey as a thank you.

“Now leave me alone,” I said, before shoving her away. Needing a moment to calm down before I chased down my girl - and another drink - I zoomed over toward one of the servers and grabbed a glass of champagne.

Girls flocked around me like colorful tropical birds, but I ignored them all. Thea was the only woman for me.

Now and forever.

---