Jesus.
“Why are we friends with them again?” I asked Mattie. “I have to go to this fucking special study session in a minute, and I really don’t need their shit on top of it.”
She patted my shoulder. “I’ll handle them. I’ll also be close by if Alex tries anything. Let’s just get this out of the way.”
It was Thursday, and since Alex had missed Tuesday—thank you whoever had kept him busy—this was the first of my "special study sessions."
My new classes had been okay so far because I’d managed to ignore Alex, even when he’d been sitting right beside me. I couldn’t keep up with any of the subject matter though, mostly because I’d just been dropped into third year classes. But no one seemed to give a fuck. I’d actually gotten an A on a quiz that I’d only written in half the answers for.
Dean Morgan was taking this shit way too far, but I was on the ride now and couldn’t just jump off. I needed to see it through. Arbon was no longer the dream of a better future I’d hoped for, but I’d be damned if I ran off now.
“Come on,” I said quickly, ignoring the next few buzzes of my palm reader as the guys sent more messages. “I don’t want to be late. I can’t have the dean thinking I’m not taking this seriously.”
I also wanted them all to live in a false sense of security, thinking I’d just buckled under their pressure. It would make it so much sweeter when I wiped them from the face of the Earth.
Mattie followed me into the room I’d been assigned for private study sessions with Alex. The prince was already there, sprawled back in his chair, a decent spread going on. Normally that would be my undoing, but he was literally repulsive to me now. My skin crawled at the sight of him.
“You can leave, Matisse,” he drawled, not looking up from his palm reader. Whatever he was typing into it had almost all of his attention, but he somehow knew I wasn’t alone.
Mattie snorted out some fake laughter, like this was hilarious. “Yeah, not gonna happen. I seriously need to study as well, and since this is a study session, there’s no reason I can’t be here.”
Alex got to his feet, his eyes lifting from his palm reader for the first time. They were cold and hard. “I’m not going to ask you again. Leave, Matisse, before I have to hurt Violet.”
It was my turn to snort out some laughter. But mine was genuine.
Alex shot a look in my direction. “Yeah, I know you’re Violence, a fucking psycho, according to the gossip. But remember, I control every aspect of your life. The dean… he’d be happy to remove you from Arbon if pushed a little.”
His words cut off my amusement. Not the threat, but the fact that he knew I was Violence.
Gossip?
Was that why people had been treating me a little different lately? I’d thought it was the whole Alex thing—she’s with a crown prince, be nice to her. But maybe, just maybe, that small amount of respect had been because of my purple persona.
“You won’t get her kicked out,” Mattie drawled. “You need her.”
Alex took a step closer, and I sidled in front of my friend. She shot me a withering look but didn’t argue. “If Violet is no longer in Arbon, she’ll be stuck in the Switzerlands with no money and no way to get back to New America. She’ll need me, and I will put her right where she belongs.” His eyes met mine. “In Australasia. In my bed.”
I shook my head. “Yeah, I’d rather sleep in the snow, thanks.”
Mattie pushed up behind me. “And she will always have options now. I have plenty of money; I can fly her wherever she wants.”
Alex growled at her. “You’d start a war? Over this…” He waved his hand at me, and I tried really hard not to be insulted.
Mattie didn’t even bother to answer, she just stepped around me and dropped her books on the table. “Let’s study,” she said.
I followed, staying as far from Alex as I could. It made no difference; he just moved his shit and sat on my free side, boxing me in between him and Mattie.
No matter how much I shifted, he just followed, so I eventually gave up, choosing to ignore him as best I could.
“You need help with anything?” Mattie asked as she opened her book.
I shook my head. “Nah, my classes seem to be easier than ever.”
Alex grinned beside me, and I clenched my fists as I imagined punching his teeth in.
My palm reader buzzed a bunch of times, but I wasn’t about to read those messages with this leech at my side.
Motherfucker. What I’d give to get Alex in the fight ring. I bet it’d be all kinds of satisfying to slice that smug smile off his pretty face. I’d be totally willing to pay for the cleanup if it meant ridding the world of one of theworstfuture monarchs around.
