Page 86 of Vengeful Princess

I snorted with amusement. “Go. I’ll message Cass. Maybe he can talk some sense into the lunatic.”

“Good idea.” He ran off after Kyril while I pulled my phone out and tapped out a message to Cass.

Me: Kyril’s gone rogue. He’s hunting Thea in the woods. Need help.

Cass: WTF?????

Me: She punched him in the nuts and ran off.

Cass: OMFG I do not need this right now!

Cass: Where are you?

Me: Outside North Tower, heading back to the bonfire. Lan’s gone after K and Thea.

Cass: I’ll be there as soon as I can. Dealing with the new arrival. Looks like we’re stuck with him.

Hearing a roommate had showed up was a shock. None of us thought the college accommodation department would allocate anyone to the empty room. There was a security risk attached tonew people in our living space. Cassian had grown up with me and Landon, so we were safe.

Kyril’s arrival had been a surprise last year, but once we figured out he was the Russian Mafia heir, it made sense.

Lucian Forsyth might present as a totally legit businessman, a trusted government adviser, but we all knew differently. He had side deals going on with Vasily Orliov. Kyril wasn’t sure what, exactly, but they had something brewing.

This meant Kyril joined Cassian’s inner circle without the usual checks and balances. We were all a little suspicious to begin with, but once we got to know Kyril, we soon realized he was a good guy, and in the space of 12 months, we’d become a close-knit band of brothers.

The fact someone else was joining our little group concerned me. None of us knew who this guy was, or his background. Or why the powers-that-be placed him in our apartment?

It made no sense. But it wasn’t my concern right now. The immediate problem was Kyril. He didn’t have a clue Thea was a virgin. I hadn’t told him about my conversation with Thea. Frankly, her sexual experience - or lack thereof - was none of his or Landon’s business, and if she wanted any of them to know she still had her V-card, it was up to her to say something.

But Kyril’s deranged behavior meant I couldn’t in all conscience let him hunt her in the woods. If Thea’s first time involved being pinned down in the dirt and rutted like an animal, I doubted she’d ever forgive him. And knowing her, she’d fight back hard, which would only rile him up even more.

It was a disaster in the making.

Thea was a queen, and she deserved to be treated like one.

Landon was a better choice for her first sexual partner. He had enough experience to ensure it was good for her. And he’d be gentle. Kyril didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘gentle’. He was a barbarian.

When I reached the bonfire, my friends and Thea were nowhere in sight. The temperature had dropped by a few degrees, and away from the fire, it was freezing. Frost glimmered on the grass and tree branches.

This was definitely not a night to be charging around the pitch-black woods. Someone would end up hurt.

Pushing through the crowd of drunk students, I fought hard to ignore the discomfort triggered when random people touched me. I needed to find Kyril before it was too late. Landon couldn’t stop the big bastard on his own. It would take both of us to slow down a 230-pound slab of pure muscle.

The party noise barely registered on my consciousness as I followed the path around the rear of the main building. A light on the corner was out, leaving the area cloaked in thick shadow.

Over and above the sounds floating from the party, I heard the thud of footsteps and something large crashing through the undergrowth. It was likely Kyril, or possibly a deer. They sometimes found a way in through holes in the fence.

A trail opened to my right, so I took it while praying I wasn’t too late.

48

Thea

On a running track, I had the edge, but out here, in the woods at night, thick undergrowth and trees slowed me down. And the pain in my ribs wasn’t helping. The harder I ran, the worse the pain became.

That Russian bastard was going to feel the sharp end of my knife if he caught me.

Despite how cold it was, sweat prickled between my tits and blood thumped in my veins. I wasn’t used to being the prey. Mostly, it was me doing the hunting.

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