Page 42 of Vengeful Princess

Eden stared at me, speechless for what was likely the first time ever.

“You’ve scored an invitation to the most prestigious event on the social calendar bar none, and you don’t have a dress to wear. Does that cover it?”

I didn’t realize this was the party of the year, but whatever. “Yeah. No dress. Can you help?”

“I don’t get it. How did you get an invite?”

“My uncle on my mother’s side is a friend of the family,” I lied.

Eden brightened and nodded, like it made perfect sense. I wasn’t sure how likely it was my family were friends with the Forsyths, but whatever. She swallowed the rest of her third glass of tequila before shoving the bottle away with a sigh.

“I can’t drink anymore. I’ll need my wits about me if we’re shopping online. Have you seen the disasters that some poor bitches end up with when they shop on shitty Chinese sites?” She shuddered before swiping through her phone and showing me a social media post where some woman thought she’d bought a stylish prom dress and ended up with a sack.

“Pretty sure I’m going to need something couture, not Shein, Eden.”

Eden coughed discreetly. “Um, not to be a bitch or anything, but can you afford couture?” She scanned my leggings decorated with pink rabbits and then grimaced.

“Yes, my father can.” He’d given me a credit card for ‘expenses’.

Eden brightened immediately. “Excellent!” Then she frowned. “We can shop online, which is risky, or take a trip to Glasgow. Up to you?”

Neither option filled me with joy, but she had a point about online shopping. I didn’t relish the idea of paying a fortune for a ball gown that didn’t fit me. I needed to blend in, not stick out like a sore thumb.

“When are you free?”

“Tomorrow? We can take my car.” She scowled for a moment. “Some asshole dented the door while it’s been in the student garage, but it’s OK to drive.”

“Oh crap, really?” I passed her a chocolate bar in commiseration, but she shrugged.

“It’s fine. Declan said he’d sort it out at Christmas. He also promised to find out which coward caused the damage and failed to leave a note.”

I winced, but decided it wasn’t worth worrying about. I’d disabled the cameras down there and Eden didn’t know I’d cloned her car key, just in case I needed to borrow her wheels again at short notice.

“I’m sure it was an accident.”

“So tomorrow, yeah? I’ll meet you at breakfast and we can get straight off!”

“Can’t wait,” I lied.

22

Milo

I’d spent years honing my stalking skill set. With a combination of tech gadgets and good old-fashioned lock picking, I rarely had a problem entering a room or building. Kyril often joked I’d missed my calling as a cat burglar, but stealing shit didn’t motivate me in the slightest.

Watching people as they slept was my favorite activity. Specifically, the women who caught my attention. Some would argue my behavior was deeply problematic, and that I needed professional help, but those people could go fuck themselves.

After Kyril told us what happened when he stumbled across Thea standing over a corpse, I was even more invested in finding out who Thea was. The others were curious too, especially Kyril, but none of them could get inside Thea’s private space.

I’d spend the last few days watching her, following her every move. The campus was busy, which made it easy for me to blend in. I enjoyed following her while she moved around, often with her little friend in tow.

Eden Kelly was another anomaly. While she was related to Seamus Kelly, the leader of the Irish Mafia, her father had made sure Eden wasn’t involved in the family business.

Unlike her cousin, Declan, who had a fearsome reputation for violence. Declan’s younger brothers, Conal and Ronan, weren’t much better, either.

I wasn’t sure why Thea and Eden were friends, as they didn’t seem to have much in common, but it was clear Thea had a soft spot for the girl with pink hair. She was the only person besides us who Thea talked to.

My phone buzzed in my pocket as I stood in a small alcove outside West Tower, where Thea’s room was. My breath steamed in the cold air and I wished I’d worn a thicker jacket, but no matter. I wasn’t planning to hang around outside for long.

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