Page 26 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

She taps her screen, then glances at me. Her eyes are an amazing shade of turquoise. “Lucy Page,” she recites. “Second child of Michael and Elise Page. Attended Lion’s Head School until she graduated with high honors this past spring. Did not apply to LBU. Did not, from what could be found on the internet, attend Senior Prank Day, Senior Day, or prom.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m sure you found a lot of pictures of those days, though.”

“That I did. Your school seemed a bit abysmal. No offense. Everyone just looked very uppity.”

“And the credits on those photos…”

She narrows her eyes. “You’re the photographer. That makes so much more sense. Especially seeing you right now. You’re more comfortable behind the lens—isn’t that the cliché saying? Do you get mad when people ask you that?”

I shift. “While it’s sort of true, I don’t get mad. I just like capturing beauty.” And intrigue. A lot of things can be solved with a photograph or two.

She hums. “Well, mystery solved. My roommate isn’t a psychopath who didn’t go to prom, she just avoided the camera at all costs.”

Well, I didn’t go to prom—but there’s no need to tell her that.

Someone bangs on the door. “Ruby?”

She winces and hops off my bed. “I’ll give you a head start if you want to change in the bathroom. My family is a lot.”

I laugh. “Thanks.”

“One sec!” Ruby yells.

I climb out of bed and snatch clothes from my closet, hurrying into the bathroom and flipping the lock. That’s another thing—who thought a dorm room would have its own bathroom? I hurry to change. Once I’ve managed with my clothes, ripped jeans, and a graphic t-shirt I got a few years ago, I unlock the door and turn my attention to my hair.

It’s wild.

If Amelie doesn’t straighten her hair, she gets nice waves.

If I don’t straighten my hair, or use any product, or even look at it wrong, it becomes a frizzy mess. I tame it down with my brush and hair oil. It was straight last night, but between drinking and sweating on the walk home…

Hopeless.

Nothing I try is working. I grimace and decide on space buns. Quirky, like me. I adjust my makeup to match and then gather my toiletries. I assume they’ll live in one of the drawers in the bathroom, but I’m not courageous enough to be the first one to claim a spot.

I slip back into the room and eye the crowd. They don’t notice me at first, so I put down my things and check my phone. Well, I open my phone so I can have something in my hand, and let my attention drift over the people on Ruby’s side of the room.

Ruby’s parents look like models. Dark hair like hers, tall and lithe. She didn’t inherit their height, but everything else… from the cut of her mother’s jaw to the uplifted nose and their wide smiles. It’s almost eerie.

Another boy, dark hair, tall. He bears a beautiful resemblance to them, too. I would guess a brother. A girl stands beside Ruby, removing items from her open suitcase. Everyone seems to be doing something. Unpacking or examining the space. And then I locate the last person, and my stomach flips.

Sebastian has already noticed me.

Again.

He’s by the window, much like Theo was last night in the frat house. Dark shirt, jeans. A smirk aimed at me. I slowly die on the inside, wondering who I had to piss off in a previous life for this to happen.

“Mystery girl,” he calls.

Everyone pauses and turns.

“You know Lucy?” Ruby asks him, eyes narrowing.

Sebastian grins. “We met last night.”

I shift. I don’t like the way he says it, like an innuendo—we met. Naked, dancing a horizontal tango. But now’s not the time to back down. I paste on a smile and say, “Right, I thought you looked familiar.”

His eye twitches.

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