Yeah, should have known the finite resources of the world would not limit anything at Arbon. I took a final drink, finishing the deliciousness, before setting the glass on a nearby table. I noticed a few other people on the wide balcony move closer together and whisper amongst themselves, but Mattie distracted me by dragging me inside the house and to the main dance floor. With heat flooding my body and the alcohol dulling my senses, I let the beat fill me as I started to dance.
I hadn’t been lying before; dancing was one of the two things in the world I considered myself pretty fucking skilled at doing. It was also one of two things that kept me sane in this mess of rules that governed all of us, especially those of us who were poor.
Since I was sort of stuck not being able to indulge in my other mental and physical escape, dancing would have to do for a while. So I was not wasting one second.
“New girl can move,” a smooth voice came from beside me, and I flipped Nolan off before it registered that he was a crown royal and could probably have my head removed from my body for that offense.
Lucky he was as laid-back as his sister, throwing his head back and laughing loudly. “I’m swinging your way today,” he told me, and I remembered that Mattie had said neither of them were completely straight. Was that what he’d meant?
Also … could I survive these flirty princes?
Deciding it was best not to let any of them know I was rattled, I forced a smirk. “Swing away,Nole.I’m a first level baseball player. I can take anything you send my way.”
It wasn’t a lie. I had played for the firsts, but it was the “poor league” so there was no professional ambitions for us. No matter how good you were.
I mean, there was a lottery for that as well, but I’d already won mine for a lifetime.
His gaze ran across me. “Yeah, you’ve got that whole athletic vibe I’m really digging.”
Mattie rolled her eyes so hard I practically heard it. “Fuck off, Nole. Seriously. Every single time I find a friend, you screw around with them and then they’re out the door. No. Touchie.”
Nolan’s smile didn’t falter. “Ah, my sweet twin. You know me better than that. I don’t touch what’s yours. Not since you almost bit my finger off.”
Mattie shrugged but didn’t deny it. “I was four,” she told me. “And everything Nole touched, he broke. It’s still that way, but now he breaks things that are harder to fix. Like hearts.”
I waved a hand at my overheated face. “I’ve been here for one day and already I have two heartbreakers to avoid.”
Nolan reached out and wrapped an arm around me. “Who is the other one? Tell me now so I can kill him.”
My snorts of laughter escaped against his firm chest. His hold was strong, but I still pushed to find some space. I knew exactly how to make him step away, but I was not about to pull that move out. Not yet.
Thankfully, Mattie went into sibling rivalry mode, slugging him in the chest. With a groan, he rubbed at the spot before finally releasing me.
“Alex has his eye on her,” Mattie spat the words out, and almost immediately there was a dark shadow that crossed Nolan’s face. For the first time since meeting him, I could see something dark lurking under that jovial exterior.
Clearing my throat, I attempted to change the subject. “So, you’re the crown prince? Are you looking forward to ruling?”
Mattie and Nolan still had their eyes locked in a silent conversation, but eventually she answered for him. “Nolan isn’t huge on responsibility. He’s still trying to figure out how to hand the crown to me.”
Nolan laughed, but his eyes were flat. “It’s unfair that Mattie gets all the benefits of being royal without the responsibility and pressure.”
Mattie echoed the sentence at the exact same time as him.
“Twinning like that is creepy,” I told them honestly.
Both of them smiled the exact same smile and …fuck.
“Oh my god, you two totally practice that, don’t you?” I said, my tongue looser than usual with all the green drink flooding my body and brain.
“Nole!”
The shout distracted us all before anything else was said, and Nolan turned toward Rafe, who stood with three other dudes. I found my gaze drawn to the one that was right at Rafe’s side, mostly because he was gorgeous. He had a striking look, with golden skin, and a slight tilt to his eyes that spoke of a half-Asian heritage. He was almost as tall as Rafe, with broad shoulders and a mess of auburn hair that fell over eyes that looked almost black—it was hard to tell their true color from this distance.
“That’s Jordan,” Mattie whispered in my ear. “Rafe’s best friend and heir to New America.”
I blinked, realizing that this was the crown prince tomycountry. A crown prince that was probably going to hate me because Rafe already did, for whatever reason. Now that I knew, I could see the resemblance to our king, but no one ever saw pictures of the heirs in media so I’d never have guessed otherwise.
Nolan started forward, only stopping when Mattie lunged for him, grabbing his arm. “Don’t go this time,” she murmured low, but I still heard her.
