“Follow,” Kel agreed, “but don’t be a sheep, Rin.”
…Right.
“I’ll summon you when I’ve got the time,” he told him, moving away, finally returning Rin’s personal space. “Make sure you come when you’re called.”
“Of course.” Rin was pretty certain he hated this guy. Didn’t matter that he was suave and sexyappearing. Inside the dude was rotten and he could already tell. He smiled brightly and bowed. “Have a nice day, Kelevra.”
The prince laughed and swiveled on his heels, walking away without so much as a second glance.
Around Rin, everyone else was still talking to their senior. It was just him and Tine left standing there like fools twiddling their thumbs. He met the other cadet’s gaze.
“Lunch early?” Tine asked.
“Hell yeah.” Maybe some food and a massive cup of coffee would help rid him of the bad feeling still coiled in his gut.
Chapter 2:
Rin felt the energy literally draining from his body as he stepped out of the fancy golden elevator and onto the rooftop of Lady Rose, the largest hotel in the city.
And also the home to the Imperial Prince.
Kelevra owned the penthouse suit as well as the rooftop and even had his own private elevators.
The one giving access to the roof had been where Rin had been directed by the burly security guy downstairs when he’d said he was here visiting the prince. He’d thought it was a bit strange that Kelevra had wanted to meet at his place, but he’d assumed they would be dining at the expensive restaurant on the hotel’s main level, like normal people trying to get to know one another.
Wrong.
The rooftop was in full swing, music with a heavy staccato rhythm blaring, neon lights flashing from bot-orbs that circled the air over the party. Tables packed with food lined the back patio, pressed against glass walls that gave a view inside to a massive living room. A few people mingled in there, crowded on the black and white couches, lifting bottles of beer and other alcoholic beverages to their lips as they laughed and joked around.
The smell of grilled meat and chlorine tickled Rin’s nose as he passed a set of barbeque grills big enough to feed a small army. Chefs who kept their eyes down worked like machines, flipping meat and adding it to golden serving trays that were carried off and added to the table.
Everything was done in excess. Lavish and filthy and over the top in your face wealthy. More his brother’s scene than Rin’s. If his brother were here instead, he’d be getting a kick out of it, already three steps ahead of everyone else, target selected, plan in place. He’d probably love messing with the half-drunk people and the idiots over in the corner playing a drinking game.
His brother enjoyed when people were sloppy. Got off on theopportunity, as he would put it.
Rin, on the other hand, was just tired. And he’d only been there for two minutes. To be sure he hadn’t misread the message earlier, he checked his emblem multi-slate, rereading to be sure.
Kelevra:Come to this address. It’s time to get to know your mentor.
Seeing the commanding words only had him rolling his eyes all over again like he’d done when he’d initially read it. It’d only been a day since they’d been assigned to each other, and already he was getting on Rin’s last nerve.
He was beginning to see just how foolish this pairing was for him. There had to be a way he could get out of it. Tomorrow, he’d go in early to talk to Banks, beg if he had to. Rin had built up enough of a reputation as a nice guy that he was fifty percent sure he could convince the Active to do him a favor and help him come up with some way to slip free from the Imperial Prince.
“Hey, Varun!” a female voice pulled him out of his inner thoughts and he had a friendly smile firmly settled on his face before he glanced up to find her waving at him. Arlet Zamir was the daughter of a famous composer, cute and sociable. Her wavy lilac hair was pulled into a short ponytail, her golden eyes lighting up at the sight of him.
She was in the pool, a huge rectangle that took up almost half of the rooftop, set toward the edge with a glass barrier to keep anyone from accidentally falling off the side of the roof and tumbling to their death.
Which honestly did not sound half as bad as it should to Rin right about now. He hated parties. Hated having to mingle. The noise was grating, the raucous laughter half-faked, and the fact it was a pool party to boot—don’t even get him started. This was just an excuse for people to walk around shirtless or with their tits out.
His brother would tell him not to be such a stick in the mud—in less censored terms—but it wasn’t that simple. It was a lot harder for Rin to fake it.
“Aren’t you looking lovely this evening?” Rin walked over to the pool and crouched down, smile widening when Arlet giggled at his compliment.
It wasn’t a complete lie; the girl was beautiful, dressed in a vibrant yellow bikini, the water lapping just beneath her full breasts. And if the flirty way she batted her long lashes at him was any indicator, she’d be more than willing to take their acquaintance even further.
She wasn’t his type though. Too many friends, too big into networking and the party scene. All things Rin was set on avoiding.
“What are you doing all the way out here?” Arlet asked, moving closer to the edge so she could rest her arms on the ledge, water coming close to the tips of his boot-covered feet. She didn’t seem to notice, still focused on his face. “It’s rare seeing you out at night since the semester started.”
