Page 15 of The Kings
“Hey!” a loud shout comes through the wall, and I snort.
“Sorry!” I call back to Eliza, wondering what she thinks that was.
“Tarquin?”
“Yeah!”
“You got a temper on you?”
“You always shout at people through walls?”
I wait and I’m not disappointed. Seconds later, there is a sharp rap on the door. I leap off the bed, ripping my pants and shirt off, answering the door completely naked.
Her eyes go wide as she blinks and takes in my body slowly from the top of my head all the way down to my cock, where it lingers for just long enough to make it stir.
“Do you always lounge around naked?” she asks, drawing her gaze back up to my face.
I rake my gaze over her, dressed only in a white satin dressing gown that shows off the curve of her luscious tits.
“Mostly. It is my room, after all.”
“Hmm,” she murmurs. “Who is on the other side of you?”
“James.”
“Next time, throw your shit at his side.”
“Will do.”
Our gaze holds, and it’s like being struck by lightning. Untouchable or not, she is mine, and I want to pin her to the wall while I fuck her senseless, letting her know that she can never escape me.
Slowly, she turns away, crushing my soul with her actions. “Night, Tarq.”
“Night, Eliza.”
I shut the door and lean against it, wondering if she is doing the same on the other side of the wall.
9
ELIZA
Hidden by a bush,as I do a bit of snooping the following day, I watch and learn. Despite my success at the lame-ass trial and my family name bearing down on me, I’m still the outsider. The underdog with zero friends, only enemies and the guys I live with, whose statuses are still undetermined. A couple drifts by, looking dodgy and secretive, so I lean in closer, ignoring the scratch of a thorn against my cheek.
“The meeting is set for midnight; no outsiders,” one of them murmurs. “The families will finally prove their worth.”
Intrigued, my eyes narrow. I can’t believe they’re planning this without me. Where the fuck was my invite? But I’m not just going to stand here feeling snubbed. No, this clandestine chat is about to become my ticket into the belly of the beast.
Or maybe that’s the test. If I don’t show, I’ve failed.
“Knew that trial yesterday couldn’t have been the whole shebang,” I mutter, but then second-guess myself in a moment of weakness.
I’ll get in that meeting and unmask the hidden alliances and feuds that are festering beneath the surface.
Knowing I have my work cut out for me to uncover this secret meeting, I slink through the bustling corridors of Castle University, each step calculated, blending into the hum of student chatter. The air is thick with secrets, ripe for the plucking—I’m on the prowl, ready to sink my teeth into every whispered word that floats my way.
“Eliza, hey!”
Turning, I see Imogen—the girl from the quad and yesterday’s test, looking all casual and a lot more friendly than she did when she heckled me yesterday. A key player, if my instincts are worth a damn.
