Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 787(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
I considered for half a second. “Do it. This isn’t about if she messed with my chair, it’s about the truth. If her shit bucket of a grandfather built his business on human trafficking and police corruption, the world should know. That’s why none of this stops, Lucien. Because their evil lives in the dark.”
“Not anymore.” He threaded his fingers through mine, rubbing slow circles between my thumb and finger. My head started pounding for a different reason. “Owen, Levi, Giovanni, and Wesley are coming out of the dark.”
I stared at our linked hands, and the ring on my finger. “Lucien, I’m engaged,” I blurted.
“I was aware, my lady, but it’s nice to hear it from your lips.”
I blew out a breath. “You’ve been around long enough to watch the Royals arrange marriages and then break those engagements off. I don’t know what’s going to happen between me and Victor, but he’s been trying and...” I pulled my hand away. “I have to try too. Us sitting on a bench, cuddling and holding hands, would not make him happy.”
“What would make you happy?”
Holding up my end of the deal with Jack, so Winter is avenged. I can sacrifice a lot, but not my sister. I won’t let her down again.
“If Levi, Giovanni, Owen, Wesley, and that disgusting shit sack of a man were dead.”
The corner of his mouth curled. “On that note, let’s start making their graves look more attractive.”
Lucien helped me up and off we went, slipping through the trees and approaching Lyon Hall from the back. Five stories of brick, arched windows, single-person dorms, full-size common kitchen, and a theater room complete with reclining leather chairs, big screen, and popcorn maker. Lyon Hall was dubbed the best and most coveted dorm for a reason. Outside of the frat and sorority houses where they lavished even more luxury on you, everyone who applied to Regalia University wanted to be assigned Lyon Hall.
Which is why it was exclusively Royal, and the dorm of Giovanni and Wesley.
“What about the cameras?” Two hung over the back door, pointed smack at the doorknob.
“The cameras turn on and off based on who is paying Eugene the most at the time. If it’s the university, they’re on. If it’s me, they’re down for maintenance.” Lucien strode up bold as ever and swung open the door. “After you.”
Excitement building, I hurried to catch up, sticking my head in the entrance. There was no one in the sweet-smelling, red-carpeted hallway. Voices and music floated under the door cracks.
“What if someone sees us? Your outfit is pretty distinctive, Calais.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, those guys aren’t going to ask if anyone saw a vampire in the halls the day this all went down. They’ll have bigger problems to worry about.” Lucien gestured with his chin. “This way.”
Silent as death, Lucien climbed the back staircase to the third floor. I was not as quiet—my footsteps bouncing off the concrete and my breaths basically gusts of wind, they sounded so loud in my ears. We stopped on the landing, chancing another check for anyone loitering in the halls.
It was clear.
“Wesley is 309 and Giovanni is 314,” Lucien said. “Want to split up?”
“Are you sure they’re not in there?”
“We’re in the same class. We’ve got physics this hour and I made sure they were both there before I slipped out the back.”
I considered it, then shook my head. “I want to see you in action.”
“Then follow me,” he said with a laugh.
“How are we going to—?”
Lucien plucked a leather case from the folds of his tailcoat. I marveled watching him pick the lock. Fifteen seconds and I heard the click.
“Will you teach me how to do that?”
“I’ll teach you anything you like.”
I warmed under the collar. A harmless response, but my traitorous imagination summoned dozens of dirty examples of the things a man with a long life, no consequences, and decades of experience could teach me. Lucien wasn’t a vampire, but doesn’t every girl have an Edward Cullen fantasy?
Again Lucien gestured for me to go in first. Wesley’s room was cleaner than I expected—very clean. Shelves built in a staircase design went up and down his four walls, displaying a high-end sneaker collection. Thousands of dollars’ worth of product hanging out in a dorm room, and there wasn’t a speck of dust on a lace.
His four-poster queen-size bed was neatly made. The rug vacuumed. The pencils on his desk lined in a row, and a look in the bathroom proved it was immaculate.
“I guess if a guy can plan all those accidents injuring and nearly killing my sister,” I said, lips curled, “he can figure out a vacuum and dust rag.”
“He’ll also notice if something is out of place,” Lucien replied. “We have to put everything back exactly the way it was.”
Lucien was so serious about this, he had me take pictures of everything before we moved it. I didn’t argue with him. They had this all planned for the guys to suffer at the highest possible pain for the maximum amount of time. Thor forbid I do anything to rob them of that gift.