Page 61 of Vicious Desire (Fallen Royals 4)

Everyone is busy dancing, drinking, making out. This party got low-key fast, spiraling into something a little more sensual than poor, innocent Riley might’ve realized.

Even her friends have disappeared.

The music switches, and she watches me for a moment, then raises her arms. Her new dance moves are deliberate, her hips moving to the beat. Her eyes roll back, and a smile overtakes her

I raise my eyebrow and tilt the cup toward me. Dark-red liquid sloshes in the bottom inch, and I groan. “You didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” She’s still dancing.

She doesn’t know?

Rage boils in my chest.

I snatch the cup from her and chuck it, not caring that it splashes against the wall, that a few girls behind us yelp.

“Who gave this to you? Patrick?”

She frowns. “The host? Um, yeah, I think so.”

Idiot. I’m going to kill him.

I grab her hand and pull her from the dance floor, away from the pulsing music. She doesn’t even protest, and her fingers are limp against mine.

Once we’re outside, I face her. “He only gives the red punch to girls who want to party harder.”

She crosses her arms over her chest and shivers. “I don’t get it.”

“I’m going to kill him,” I say. Just for the record. And to get her to stop swaying to the beat of the music.

It’s not her fault, I remind myself. Yet, she took a drink from a stranger.

“Ecstasy,” I snap. “He laces the punch with it. You’re high and you don’t even realize.”

Instantly, her eyes fill with tears, and her chin trembles. “But… I’ve never been high before. Why would he do that?”

“Because it makes girls more…” I shift. “Willing.”

Her mouth drops open. It seems true that her inhibitions have lowered. Her emotions are clear on her face. “But I’m not willing. I don’t want to…”

“Sleep with him?” I make a face. “At least you have some sense. But that’s the whole point…”

She takes a step back, toward the house, and I groan.

“I could take you home,” I offer. “If you don’t feel…” Safe.

Fuck.

She wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“I swear, I’ll take you home and leave.” I lift my chin. “It’s either that or I leave you to fend for yourself. Where were your friends when Patrick gave you that drink, huh?”

She shakes her head. “They said I should have some fun. It’s been…”

This time, her sway is more of a full-body wobble. I reach out and steady her, one hand on her arm, and she sighs.

Yeah, I feel the electricity from it, too.

All that should matter is getting her out of here, before I do something stupid. He gave a girl a laced drink without telling her—how many other times has he pulled that move?

---