Page 69 of House of Mages and Raven

I lunged and grabbed his shoulders. Before he could shake me off, I pressed my lips to his. He was so shocked that he parted his lips, and I breathed into his mouth, sweeping the tip of my tongue over his icy one, trying to push back the curse.

The Fury struck, and I rammed my imagined fist into the center of her chest while Sy let her claws out.

Fury cunt, you’ve just met the two baddest bitches!Sy snarled.

The blue-lipped Fury stared at us with shock and hatred before she turned to flee deep into the mage prince, so deep that I couldn’t reach her. But Sy had gotten her name—Bayrose.

Such a lovely name for such a vengeful spirit. She’d somehow woven herself into him, taking advantage of his guilt and feeding on his shame. Cade was gorgeous, yet the kiss I got from him was icy and bleak, because that Fury made it so. He had so much to offer, but she made sure that he’d never have a life. She made his life hell, a price he didn’t deserve to pay.

Rage and sympathy pulsed in me. When I figured out how to exorcize the Fury, I’d drive her out of him and shove the death curse up her ass, but for now I’d have to keep it quiet.

I gave his bottom lip a nip with my teeth, a challenge to that bitch Fury, before I stepped back—only to see horror on the prince’s face.

“H-how?” he stuttered, then hope lightened up his face after he recovered from the shock and terror. “What were you doing? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I got caught up in the moment,” I said. “I’m the impulsive type.”

“Just don’t go around kissing people,” he said, brushing his thumb over the bottom lip that I’d nipped. There was no blood, but it would be swollen, my imprint and challenge to the Fury. “Not everyone is as they seem. It can be dangerous.”

He was still staring at me, unable to believe what had happened, and he was still worried for me, even though I didn’t drop dead.

He swallowed. “If you don’t want to go to class today, you can stay in, and I’ll keep an eye on you.”

Yep, he was definitely worried.

“I feel fabulous,” I said. “A new life in a new house. And I got to kiss a real prince who didn’t turn to a frog. What else can a girl ask for? Now I’m ready for class. I’ll be a good member and even earn points for us mages.”

He arched a brow, hiding a riot of emotions behind the curtain of his eyes. “You swear you will?”

The mage prince appeared brighter in the soft morning light. Yet when he strolled out of my room to let me get ready, I saw his hands shaking in his pants pockets.

24

Barbie

Iwent through the morning classes without much drama, except that the usual elites sneered at me a lot, the new demon students taunted me, two-thirds of the underdogs shunned me, and my former geek friends refused to make eye contact with me.

Bea hadn’t returned. I thought of seeking her out at the border of the Kingdom of Mages, but my current reputation as a social pariah might drag her through the mud.

My chest heavy, I trekked toward Jubilee Haven, a dreadful wariness pulsing in my veins as I anticipated seeing Killian and his two women getting cozy or even laughing at me in the dining hall. The last image of Killian and Lilith leaving together, her clinging to him, still burned in my mind.

I straightened my spine. I would not hide. I wouldn’t let them drive me away, even though I lost my appetite thinking about them. I forced my thoughts toward finding a solution for Cade’s curse, which was more important than my jealousy and rage.

I didn’t enter through the front entrance, not wanting any drama. I strolled through the back door of the kitchen as if I belonged, despite the sideways glances darted my way.

“Don’t raid the kitchen, Barbie,” a sous chef warned. He was a shifter, but his animal was suppressed, which still gave him a good sense of smell, though. “There’s enough food in the hall.”

“I’m not going to raid anything. Who do you think I am?” I asked, offended, jogging along the narrow passage between shelves of raw ingredients and dried fruits. “If you want to know, I’ve turned over a new leaf, as I need to earn points for the House of Mages.”

I hid a jar of orange peel jam that I swiftly snatched from a shelf before the crew eyed me with wariness and distrust, and exited through the double door.

I paused by the door, taking a moment to think about how far I’d come. The first time I was in this spot, Prince Louis had tracked me down merely by the scent of my blood. Later, he’d dragged me to his house. In a short period of time, I’d changed from a boy to a girl, then from a servant to a squire whose duty was to make sure my princes were buried with honor after they kicked the bucket. In the end, I’d even become a bride candidate at Shades Academy. I’d gone through one house after another—if I hadn’t fled that house, then I’d been tossed out, as had happened with the House of Chaos.

But no matter how bad it got, this life was sweet compared to my past one.

With renewed purpose and a can-do attitude, I jogged toward the buffet table. I could think better on my feet with a full stomach. Hunger made me do rash, desperate, and stupid things, which I vowed to remove from the menu from now on.

I darted to a corner table. A few unpopular coeds eyed me with uncertainty. Grace hadn’t taken everyone under her wing. She had mostly collected the geeks who had been my mostvocal supporters, so these unpopular students didn’t rat me out by informing the top dogs that I’d arrived to gain favor for themselves.

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