Page 76 of Vengeful Princess

Eden jumped up after me. “Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry!” The genuine regret in her voice made me pause.

“Look, I appreciate your concern, but it’s not something I can talk about.” I yanked up my hood and headed across the cafeteria, praying Eden didn’t cause a scene. The last thing I needed right now was any extra attention. If too many people saw me covered in bruises, the gossip train would take over and Cassian’s engagement would no longer be the hot topic around campus.

Unfortunately, Eden wasn’t a quitter. She soon caught up with me.

“Slow down!”

“Can’t, my crumble’s getting cold.” I shoulder barged my way into the stairwell up to my room, grimacing in pain.

“Pinky promise not to ask any more questions,” Eden huffed as I power-walked upstairs. “I won’t even pass comment on the fact Landon was in your room the other morning!”

“Really?” I halted on the first-floor landing.

“Yes, really. Please don’t cancel me. I don’t have many friends here and it sucks.”

“Why don’t you have many friends?” She was way more outgoing than me, and unlike me, a nice person.

“Because too many people know my uncle is head of the Irish mafia. A lot of the students here are connected to other criminal families, so they don’t want to associate with me because they’re scared of my asshole cousins. The rest are members of the aristo set. People like that are way too stuck up to hang with me. They only socialize with other toffs.”

“I suppose Cassian Forsyth and Landon fall into the latter.” I hauled my carcass up the last steps to the second floor. “What about Milo and Kyril?”

“You mean the two who share an apartment with them? Kyril’s Russian mafia, but not sure about Milo. He’s not a blue blood, but his father is some super wealthy tech genius who made billions when he sold a software application to Microsoft. I don’t think he hangs with anyone apart from Cassian, Landon, and Kyril. I’ve never seen him talking to any other students.”

“I thought you had friends on your art course?”

“No, not really. The other students studying art are mostly from blue blood families and only here because they couldn’t get into more prestigious schools. None of them take the course seriously. I’m the only one in the studio after hours. It gets kind of lonely.”

Well, shit. Now I was starting to feel sorry for her. I understood the pain of loneliness. I’d spent most of my life alone. Verity was my only friend until I met Dar, which was probably why I was stupid enough to becomehisfriend.

“That sucks,” I said when I reached my door.

“Yeah. I have nobody to watch Vampire Diaries with. So, are you up for a binge-watching session?”

I opened my bedroom door and Eden followed me in like a little lost lamb. It was pointless asking her to go. She seemed in desperate need of a friend. And I wasn’t mean enough to throw her out, even if I was overdue another nap.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you can stay as long as you don’t talk too much. My head hurts.”

She grinned at me. “I promise! Now open Netflix on your laptop and I’ll introduce you to Damon Salvatore. Trust me, you won’t regret it.”

Eden had left an hour ago, and I was now a card-carrying member of the Damon Salvatore fan club. It was late but I couldn’t sleep. My ribs still hurt like a bitch and the deathly silence from Torrance and my father was unsettling.

It was too late to call Verity, but I resolved to try when I woke up in the morning. Assuming I got any sleep. Right now, it wasn’t looking hopeful.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling while rain pattered against the window. The nights were drawing in and snow hung heavy on the horizon. Not that news of an incoming snow blitz had derailed a planned bonfire night party.

Eden had done her best to persuade me to go with her, still adamant I was her only friend. Honestly, her claims she had no other friends were probably an exaggeration, but I had reluctantly agreed.

The minutes ticked by. Midnight came and went, but sleep was elusive. Just as I was about to crawl out of bed, I heard a noise outside my bedroom door. The lock clicked and the door opened.

There wasn’t enough light to see who it was, but from their height and build, they seemed like a man. My hand swept under my pillow, and before the intruder could take another step, I spoke.

“Come any closer and you’re dead.”

“Thea, it’s me.”

I lowered the gun. “Milo, I could have shot you!”

He laughed softly. “You didn’t, so we’re all good.”

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