Page 54 of House of Mages and Raven

So I refrained from reacting but kept humming to myself, tuning out all the noise around me and ignoring all the tabletstrained on me, even though I wanted more than anything to burn all those tablets to charred pieces of metal.

Then a rich, entitled male voice boomed over the collective noise. “Barbie!”

I wheeled. “Uh?”

“You,” Silas barked. “I’m calling you, Barbie.”

I squinted and spotted the shifter prince at the heirs’ table on the dais on this floor. His entourage and guards loitered close by. I wondered why he hadn’t joined Killian, Grace, and Louis upstairs. But then, it made sense that the shifter prince would rather be alone here. Shifters and vampires didn’t see eye to eye. And Silas had a long history of butting heads with Killian. So, of course, he wasn’t going to join both of his nemeses without a buffer. Cade usually served as everyone’s buffer, but he was nowhere to be found.

Silas hooked his index finger at me, beckoning me toward his table. I eyed him warily. Was he going to give me trouble as well? It’d be tough to fend off opponents from every direction.

“Why? What for?” I shouted back from where I stood, not willing to give him an inch. All the heirs were top predators, and they could turn on you at the snap of a finger. “I need to get a first helping before everything is gone.”

“You don’t need to get your own food. In my house, no one goes hungry.” He jerked his chin toward a group of shifters a few tables away. “Javier will fetch your food.”

Javier was a panther shifter, and there was bad blood between us. I’d once kicked him in the balls when he tried to bully Bea, which ended up with him unable to fuck a duck’s tight ass for a week, estimated by Cade. I’d also snuck into his apartment to take a shower and used up all his lavender soap. He’d also blamed me, as did Dixie, Silas’s cousin, for getting Luna killed by a Shrieker.

I shook my head desperately. “No, sir, not that coyote shifter.”

Javier growled. “I’m a panther!” He dropped his growl at Silas’s growl.

“Javier hates me for no reason,” I insisted. “I don’t trust the coyote with my food. He’ll spit on it. I won’t take the risk when it comes to my lunch.”

“Is there anyone who doesn’t hate Barbie?” Silas called out.

No one answered.

Louis leaned forward to watch this, a smirk on his lips. Grace snickered loudly amid the silence. Killian looked bored, which stung more.

“Anyone?” Silas added, not giving up.

I looked around hopefully, my face flaming and stony at the same time. Not everyone hated me, right? I wasn’t that awful. I’d helped the minorities, who now refused to make eye contact. No one wanted to stick their neck out for me.

Somehow, the air became thicker than usual. A second later, I sensed mind power vibrating through the hall, the source of the hostility that turned everyone against me. Only true friends could resist such a persuasive power. The heirs could shrug off this type of mental power as well.

“Fine.” Silas sighed. “Does anyone want to please me by volunteering to bring Barbie food?”

“I’ll do it, Your Highness.” A girl rose from a corner table. It was Mila, a reindeer shifter. “I don’t hate Barbie. She stood up for me when I was bullied.”

Bellona and her demon pals had cornered Jinx, Mila, and their geek friends a couple of weeks ago, and I’d helped them out by putting the demons in their place. Mila still hung out with Drusilla and Charlie, but the rest of the geeks had followed Jinx’s lead and joined Grace.

It took courage to stick up for me, even though the shifter heir was backing her up. Then all of a sudden, a dozen or so students shot to their feet and volunteered to bring a tray of food for me, their eager gazes trained on the prince.

Silas beckoned for me to join him again, and there went my plan of getting the food and eating outside. I sauntered toward him, my hands in my pockets. I wasn’t worried about being tripped or attacked, since I was faster than everyone here, except the heirs, though I hadn’t tested the demon queen and her ward’s speed and fighting prowess.

I picked a seat ninety degrees from Silas. No way would I sit too close to the wolf heir. From this angle, I could also catch a glimpse of Killian and his new squeeze toy enjoying a drink. I hoped they choked.

“Are you looking forward to my courting you, Barbie?” Silas smiled at me, his intense amber eyes zooming in on me like a big bad wolf on a cornered bunny.

“What?” I squirmed and stared at him.

He was strikingly handsome. I hadn’t looked at him this closely for a while, but now I took the opportunity to examine him, since I didn’t have much to do while waiting for my food. He had a strong face with good bones, his nose straight, his square jaw stubborn. He definitely came from good stock. A tattoo of giant paws crawling down his left temple made him even more distinctive.

I bet the wolf is good in bed.Sy licked her lips.You should fuck him now that the chaos prince is fucking his bitch and her ward.

I bristled at her stupid advice and shallow personality just as an unexpected pain shot through my chest at the mention of Killian screwing his women.

“You don’t need to play hard to get anymore.” Silas grinned. “I can read females well, and I got strong vibes from you duringour speed date.” His smile dropped as he paused to frown in displeasure. “That was a bad date, as it was being staged in the House of Chaos. Now that you aren’t in that suffocating house anymore, no one can control or even try to use you.” His smile returned. The prince could change his expression as fast as shifting. “I’ve been musing over what you said about what women really want. The problem in the realm is that not a single female spoke her mind until you came along. Last time, you bitched that no one ever asked you what your favor color was or what your favorite food was. I was about to ask you those things, but then that poltergeist spy sent by Killian kept interrupting our date. Killian can’t do shit to get between us anymore. Now I’m giving you a chance to tell me all about you.”

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