“Sorry, what?”
His hand twitched at his side, like he was going to reach out for me, and for a single, desperate moment, I wondered what would happen if he touched me.
“You’re moving like you’re in pain,” he said slowly, eyes locked on mine, intensity radiating from him.
What in the...
Jordan crowded into me then as well, his gaze racing down my body, and not in a sexual way. They were concerned.
Meanwhile, I was about to hyperventilate because these two beautiful crown princes had me cornered in the hallway, and for the life of me, in that moment, I couldn’t recall why I had ever hated Rafe.
“Violet!” he snapped again. I had been around enough dangerous men to recognize the lethality of this prince.
“I’m fine,” I said shortly. “Just an overly handsy nurse. A few painkillers and I’ll be all good.”
A muscle twitched in Rafe’s jaw, but his eyes softened minutely. Alex had blue eyes that were light and pretty, like a summer sky, but Rafe’s … they were dark and tumultuous. A blue like the deepest ocean touched by violent storms.
Eyes that a girl could drown in, if she let herself get too close.
Rafe stepped back, and it was like I could finally breathe. How did a person do that? Without another word, and looking like he regretted stopping in the first place, he turned and stalked away, leaving me with Jordan.
“We keep running into each other, new girl,” he said, his smile slower and less intense than usual. “Don’t forget what I said.”
His eyes dropped to my palm reader, and I nodded.
When he was gone, I ran as fast as I could to my room, sinking back against the door when it closed. Wasting no time, I ripped off the uniform and jumped into the shower, the water as hot as I could handle. A few degrees below scalding.
Scrubbing my skin didn’t really help; most of the dirt was in my mind, and it was much harder to clean there. But when I emerged ten minutes later, some of the icky feeling had faded.
It was just a physical exam. And it was practical to have birth control. I didn’t want to get pregnant, and even though I knew the rich would have condoms, doubling up never hurt anyone.
I just wasn’t used to that sort of examination. No one went to doctors in my world unless they were dying, and even then … it was rare.
Dressing in a clean uniform, I redid my hair and applied light makeup. A quick search of the room told me there were no painkillers. I’d probably have to see the nurse to procure some, so there was fuck all chance of that happening.
When I opened my door, though, a small package in front of it stopped me short. Reaching down, I lifted the box and found two different painkillers inside.
I looked around the long hall, but there was not a student in sight. Hands trembling, I stepped back into my room and grabbed some water, all the while fighting against the hot swell of tears that wanted to burst from my eyes.
I wasn’t sure which of the princes had left me this gift; it could have been any of the three, although Alex hadn’t even seemed to notice I was in pain. The way the sender had kept it anonymous made me think it might be the prickly Swiss royal.
Rafe hated me though. Would he really want to ease my pain?
Jordan, then, was the most likely suspect.
Whoever it was, I owed them big time. This many painkillers would be worth thousands back home. And they’d just dropped them off like it was no big deal. Guess to them it wasn’t, but to me it meant everything.
My palm reader buzzed, and I jumped, not used to it yet.
Mattie:Girl, are you hitting the library this afternoon? I have a table there.
I sighed, amazed by how easy it was to contact my friends now. My course work was definitely easier with the palm reader, and when I figured out its last few functions, I’d be cruising on easy street.
Yep, on my way now,I typed, my clumsy fingers taking far longer to get the right words out than Mattie usually did.But Alex wants me to study with him. He’s going to help me.
There was a long pause, and since my thirty minutes was already up, I left the room. I was halfway to the library before she replied.
Watch your back, Vi. Alex is one determined bastard.
