Page 31 of House of Mages and Raven

The fact was it was massive, but I wasn’t in the mood to counter her.

I’m here, Barbie,she continued to comfort me.And look at the big lunch your witch friend is bringing for you.

I couldn’t stay here. I wouldn’t be able to eat without throwing up. I didn’t care if the masses saw me as a loser. I had to get the fuck out of here before I lost my shit.

I should never have gotten involved with the cruel chaos prince. If I hadn’t trusted him, then fallen for him, I wouldn’t have given a fuck about him and his other women, and my insiders wouldn’t have felt being torn apart.

What a mess I was, but who was I going to blame other than myself?

I rose from my seat. I wouldn’t even wait for my only friend to come to me.

Wind and power swirled in from the entrance, and the vampire prince trotted in as if he owned the whole place.

Louis’s blue gaze found me across the expanse of the hall, zooming in on me, hungry and heated.

16

Barbie

“There you are, Barbie!” Prince Louis pointed his finger at me as he stalked my way.

He wore a designer shirt and dark jeans, looking hot as hell. His blond hair was tied in a manbun behind his nape. He was just as gorgeous as Killian, and now that the chaos prince was a villain in my book, I couldn’t help looking at the vamp prince with new appreciation, especially since Sy was ogling him boldly.

It was interesting that the vamp prince seemed different, cast in a new light. I wondered if Sy was manipulating me with her pheromones to get me with a new dude. I scowled at her before swiftly sweeping my gaze to Louis, widening my eyes innocently.

“Why me? I didn’t do anything wrong,” I claimed.

He pulled his sensual lips back, his fangs flashing as white as his shirt. His pale blue eyes held an amused glint. His look of hunger intensified before he put some effort into toning it down, but it couldn’t fool me, as I knew that he still craved my bloodmore than anything. If he came after me now, Killian wouldn’t lift a finger to protect me.

I had become easy pickings for any monster once again.

I needed to run before he could sink his fangs into my throbbing, panicked veins. But Louis detected my intentions and intercepted me before I could bolt any further. And now, everyone’s eyes were drawn to us, some with curiosity, some with spite, even hatred toward me, and a lot with envy. Well, let the vamp’s big fangs sink into their necks, then.

Let’s enjoy his fangs. We’re big girls. We can take it,Sy said encouragingly, her eyes shining. She missed the lust his bites had brought. I didn’t miss that. It was my neck that his fangs had pierced and my precious blood he’d taken.

“Where do you think you’re going, Barbie?” Louis demanded, giving me a once-over.

“I’m late for class,” I said. “I gotta go.”

“You gotta eat,” he said, smiling to disarm me despite his big fangs. “You look pale. Come and eat your fill. You don’t need to worry about classes. I’ll send notes to whatever professors and tell them that you’re excused from class for a few hours. Anyway, who gives a fuck about being late for class?”

He was speaking my language, but he wasn’t in my position. The heirs could skip classes whenever they wanted, but the professors always gave me grief if I did the same. Even when I attended the class, they always picked on me.

“The teachers give a fuck,” I said.

“I said I’d take care of it,” he said impatiently. “Now come. We need to make sure you have nutrients to sustain you. My aides mismanaged it and neglected your needs when you were in my house. Now’s the time to set it right.”

He blamed his errors on his assistants. How typical.

“Uh, thank you, but sir,” I said, biting my lip, my gaze darting to Bea. Carrying a tray, she halted a few tables away, looking uncertain. “I’ll just do a grab and go.”

“Nonsense,” Louis said dismissively. “You need to eat properly.”

“If you insist,” I said as I changed my mind about leaving.

No one drove me away from food. I’d stand my ground. I’d eat a good lunch and show Killian and his women that they could go fuck themselves. I was thankful that Prince Louis was providing me with a fighting chance.

He put his arm around my shoulders as he led me toward the stairs, and I didn’t shrug him off. But then he halted before we reached the staircase, a calculating light glinting in his eyes.

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