Page 10 of Oleander
“It’s Prince Oleander!” someone gasps next to me. “I knew it!You owe me twenty gold coins.”
I stand frozen and entranced, fully captivated by this beautiful, new Fae. Something drops nearby, and glass shatters on the hard stone, followed by a muffled curse. The disruption snaps me out of my trance and away from his magnetic pull.
Royalty.
I scoff and roll my eyes, earning a glare from the fairy girl standing next to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a fucking ceremony for him. It may be unreasonable, but I’m feeling a little bitter about the magical silver spoon he’s most likely had shoved in his mouth since birth, while I don’t even know who I am anymore. Growing up privileged in this strange world, knowingexactlywhere you belong, is an advantage I will never have. And it’s not his fault he’s a prince. He didn’t choose to be born into royalty.I know this.Just like I didn’t choose to destroy my neighborhood. But those are the hands we were dealt, and honestly, it’s all feeling a little unfair at the moment.
Man, I’m salty as hell.
My shackles are hidden by the ratty hoodie I had tied around my waist on the journey here. It’s dirty and torn, but I have no choice but to cover my shame, and it pisses me off. The more frustrated I get, the more I start to irrationally hate this handsome-as-fuck Fae before me. He peers at the tower,my tower, shading his eyes with his hand. That’s when I get my answer to my roommate question before another pops into its place.
Why would the headmaster put a prince and a half-Fae scholarship student in the same suite together?
CHAPTER FOUR
OLEANDER
Iduck my head and follow the agents assigned to my protection, allowing them to lead me through the gathering crowd to my temporary home at the top of Edgemoor Hall. At least the familiarity is comforting. It reminds me of the East Tower back home at the castle, where an elevator wasn't even a choice.
“Let’s take the stairs,” I request, and a few of the Fae holding the heaviest boxes grumble but don’t say a word otherwise. We head toward the stairwell, but I fall behind, examining each dorm as I stroll down the first-floor corridor.
Every resident has their door decorated with an element and with their name. I recognize a few—old friends from before my toxic magic manifested and I left school to study at home.
Zephyr, Hawk, and Leo.
They never got along with my brother; not many people did except for River, so we didn’t keep in touch. Hopefully, they don’t hate me for abandoning our friendship and pushing them away.
I’m standing in front of Zephyr’s door, admiring the rainbows and clouds, when it suddenly swings open. I guess I’m about to get my answer.
“Hey, Zeph,” I mumble quietly because what else can I say after not speaking to a good friend for five years.
“Oleander.” His tone is cold and curt. I can’t even blame him.
My eyes dart up, making contact with an intensely dark stare. Zephyr’s arms are folded tightly across his thick chest, and his sleeveless shirt shows off the intricately patterned runes decorating his deep brown skin. His biceps are gigantic, and it looks like he’s tripled in size since we were fourteen. His dark locs are pulled partially back, the remainder cascading over his shoulders and nearly reaching his waist. Despite the friendly aura that I remember, Zephyr glares at me with a deep-seated anger that's quite intimidating.
I swallow roughly. I wasn’t ready for a confrontation on day one. I’m hoping we can table it.
Before either of us says another word, the door behind me opens, and Hawk sticks his head out, his neon-red hair sticking up in disarray. He squints at me like he’s searching for a memory.
A small female with flowing lavender hair and tiny wings pushes past us, giggling as she skips down the hallway in a barely-there dress that matches her hair. A trail of shimmery dust settles on the stone floor behind her before disappearing into the ether.
“Pixies again, Hawk?Really?” Zephyr questions, sounding like a disappointed father.
“They’re wild in bed, let me tell you, Zeph! Seriously, the girls are freaky, and the lads just want to sword fight, if you know what I mean,” Hawk teases with a cocky wink.
I can’t help but crack a smile at his usual antics, still going strong five years later at nineteen. A wave of sadness washes over me when I realize how much time I’ve missed with the friends I left behind.
“Ander? Holy shit, is that you?” Hawk shouts in awe, peering up at my six-foot-three frame. I’ve grown quite a bit since we last saw each other. “Damn, you got fucking hot. And tall.”
I can feel my blush deepen, and Hawk’s smirk only grows. I’m no less innocent than I was back then, and he knows it. No one can touch me without fear of beingpoisoned. Flame was sure to tell everyone at school what happened with River after we both disappeared suddenly.
“What room are you in?” Zeph asks me, interrupting Hawk’s uncomfortable flirting.
“Eight hundred.”
“The top of the tower, figures.Princess,” Zeph sneers, disrespecting me and my title. I can’t even pretend not to feel the knife twisting into my chest and piercing my heart. He was one of my best friends, and I wish there was a way to turn back time. That it wasn’t too late.
Hawk laughs loudly like he always did anytime Zephyr made a rude joke, and I’m completely unprepared to be the target. Or for a confrontation like this to be happening right now. I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the magic pulse inside of me.
