Page 73 of House of Mages and Raven

No one cheered, but Cade was laughing.

“Cease talking!” Grace ordered me.

“Give me a few more minutes, please,” I said. “I need to clarify my name, since you have doubts about it. I was Bobbi, then everyone called me Little Bob, and when I told His Highness of the House of Chaos that my real name was B-o-b-b-i, he insisted on calling me Barbie. So, if you’re so unhappy about my name, then you should take it up with Prince Killian. I bet you’ll have more meaningful things to discuss now.”

Why did I have a suicidal wish to provoke the chaos prince? I’d tried to avoid him, but he had started to show up on my turf where I needed to feed, parading his betrothed and his new squeeze toy in front of me. I would’ve let go if he hadn’t fucked me then fucked with me.

I was bringing the fight to his door, offering a piece of my mind, even though I was nobody and he was the most formidable heir in all the kingdoms. I’d tried to lie low, and they still came to punch me every chance they got. So now I held my chin high, ready to punch back at any fucker who came at me.

Shocked silence stretched out before the other heirs pounded the table and laughed heartily to encourage me.

“Shit! This is a real treat,” Silas said, wiping a tear from his amber eye.

Louis punched the table again in glee. “We should have lunch here more often.”

The vamp prince and the shifter prince were still in a temporary alliance, especially since the newly combined power of the House of Chaos and the House of Underworld was making the other houses uneasy. It hit me that it could be one of the reasons that the other heirs were still backing me up. To continue to secure their support, I must win this duel. The heirs would not like to be embarrassed, and no one rooted for a loser.

“My new member is a spitfire.” Cade chuckled. “She picked up quite a few habits from other houses. I won’t let her go too far, though, Killian. I promise. Barbie loves to run her mouth, but she’s harmless.”

“Harmless, you say?” Rowan snorted.

Sy preened. She didn’t care what came out of his mouth as long as it came out of his mouth.

“Harmless,” Louis confirmed. “Why not?”

“Mostly, anyway,” Cade said amid a round of amiable or sarcastic chuckles.

“Having enough fun?” Killian yawned. “I think I’ll take off.”

“Let’s stay,” Queen Lilith purred, an indulgent smile ghosting her lips.

My chest tightened with bitterness and ache and rage, and I fought not to let her and her fiancé get to me.

“That’s what happens when you let Barbie talk,” someone murmured in Grace’s ear. “She’s infamous for giving everyone headaches.”

“Aren’t you sick and tired of hearing your own voice?” Grace sneered at me.

It was creepy to hear my own voice, albeit more polished and cultured, snapping back at me.

“Never,” I said with a cat’s smile.

“You won’t stay in the Brides Selection,” Grace said, her smile sharper. “I’ll make sure of it. Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be a bride candidate.”

She attacked, and I let the bowl of noodles sail toward her face. Let’s see how glossy she looked with egg noodles dangling from her nose. Let her go home crying so that her prince charming could lick the noodles off her nose. Eww!

But what I hadn’t expected was a gust of hellfire wind shooting out of my opponent, hurling the jet of noodles back toward me with unbelievably strong force.

Shit! Shit!

Double shit!Syechoed, her golden eyes widening.

If the noodles splattered all over me and hung from my hair, I’d never live it down. I could see all the glowing tablets from those little shits trained on me.

My dark wind threw up a shield in front of me, thanks to my quick instincts honed by the world’s secret top hunter and predator, which was Sy.

You’re welcome.She beamed.

But I wouldn’t give Sy all the credit.

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