Page 122 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

My attention flips to Riley. “I’m glad you escaped my sister’s clutches,” I say.

Riley forces a smile. “You sure do know exactly what to say to make things awkward, huh?”

I shrug and glance away. “What’s the point?”

Margo and Riley are best friends, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Skylar seems chummy with them, but not altogether comfortable. Where does that leave me?

Nowhere.

“Why did you guys come by?” I ask.

Theo’s watching me from across the room. His friends are investigating the fridge, and when Eli sits on the couch, I try to control the fire in my cheeks.

Riley follows my gaze and chuckles. “Hey, babe?”

Eli’s attention swings back to her.

“Maybe sit on a towel?”

It takes him a second, then he leaps from the couch like it bit him. He hops around for a moment, swearing, and stops just in front of us.

Margo and Riley both burst into laughter.

“You should put a sign on the couch next time,” he advises me. “Slippery when—”

“Enough,” Theo growls from across the room.

Eli winks at me. “About time he got some action, if you ask me. He’s been a miserable prick for the last—hey!”

Theo has him by the ear and tows him back toward Caleb and Liam.

“We’re visiting to meet you,” Skylar says. “And I think they want to do dinner.”

Dinner. Right.

Everyone seems to get the memo at the same time. Theo and I go into the bedroom to grab our jackets, and he stops me from leaving with a hand on my wrist.

“You seem quiet.”

“I…” I sigh. “Am I supposed to be friends with them? Because I don’t really know how to do that.”

He nods. “Just stick with me, kid. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Great. Still, I don’t resist his arm around my shoulder. We walk in a group down the street, away from the LBU campus. Liam and Skylar drop back, closer to us, and the two boys talk about Howl. A fight club, I guess, under new management.

“It was wild,” Skylar whispers. “Theo was there the night I got drugged.”

I stare at her. “What happened?”

She rolls her eyes. “The old organizer was pissed that Liam wouldn’t fight, so he wanted to offer a bigger incentive. Drugged me and held me in a side room… it didn’t work out very well. But the twins are gone.”

“Who runs it now?” I wouldn’t mind a girls’ division. Of course, I know nothing about it, but a fight could be fun.

“I do,” Theo says.

My mouth drops open. “What?”

“Colt and RJ were getting out of hand. I was an initial investor—I backed their bets, and they gave me a royalty on what they made. Easy enough to buy them out and force them to get the fuck out of town.”

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