Page 31 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

Doubtful.

Plus, if I was kicked out, Lux would be on her own.

“Fine,” I grit out. “Your time starts now.”

Sebastian grins and strides forward, patting my shoulder on his way by me. “This is going to be fun.”

Two weeks. Sure, we can survive that.

And if not… I’m not sure what I’m going to do. But the consequences might be worse than getting caught trying to cheat.

9

Lux

“Are you settling in okay?” Amelie asks.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” I’m on the main campus, sitting on one of the benches that faces the quad with my sister’s call playing into my earbuds. Some guys are tossing a frisbee around, hollering and yelling. Generally being loud, although they’re far enough away that it isn’t too bad. “I got my student ID and set up my classes.”

“What are you taking?”

“Just general stuff. A math class, English, biology, and a philosophy class.” I sigh. “I don’t know what I want to even major in. They told me to start thinking about it, but I thought I would have two years to figure it out at the community college.”

I hate talking about this with her, because our parents forbid her from going to college. They say they know what sort of things happen—worse than the parties Amelie attended in high school, apparently. Less control on our parents’ end. At least if she’s living under their roof, they can set a curfew and monitor who she’s with, and when…

Not that any of her friends remained in Rose Hill.

That was probably the hardest part of finishing school. My sister sat at home, reading and daydreaming, or pacing the mall. Sometimes her fiancé would call on her, and they’d go to lunch or something. But it was never enough to keep her mind occupied.

And now I’m at a university I never thought I’d get into, much less afford on my own.

“You’ll figure it out,” she murmurs. “Classes start Monday?”

“Yep.” It’s only Saturday now. There’s still plenty of time for things to go wrong. “My roommate seems nice… her brother and his friend, not so much.”

She sighs. “I wish I could be there.”

“You can live vicariously through me. Or visit, maybe?”

“I’ll see what Mom thinks.”

She’ll probably say no.

“What’s your roommate’s name?”

“Ruby.” I fill her in on the little information I’ve managed to sleuth about my new roommate. Her father, Everett Devereux, is a pharmaceutical mogul. He apparently made most of his money in England before spreading his business to the United States. Specifically, the East Coast. Her mother is an actress, although it seems her most recent endeavors have been producing and directing nuanced films. The type they show at Sundance that receive the haughty awards.

They’re rich and impressive.

It’s no wonder they managed to groom three beautiful children. Even the youngest, Maisie, seems more put-together than the average teenager.

“Wow.” Amelie laughs. “Would she have fit in at Emery-Rose?”

“Probably. With her background. She’s pretty, too. She probably would’ve been the queen bee.”

“And take my role? Never.”

I laugh, but it dies off fast. Things like this remind me how different Amelie and I are. How rough growing up was.

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