Page 82 of Vexatious Queen

“It might not have changed anything,” I said gently. “But from now on, if we say someone’s a threat, take it seriously. Next time, it might be you who gets hurt.”

His mouth curved upward.

“You almost sound like you’re worried about me. Unless that was a threat.”

“It’s not a threat. I care about you, but if you sleep with those girls, you’ll be on your own. I’m team Ivy forever. Got it?”

He chuckled. “Got it.”

A door at the end of the hallway creaked open, and a terrified freshman shuffled toward us with takeout bags.

“That’s my food,” Sabastian said.

“You scare kids into delivering for you?”

“No. I pay them.” He smirked. “If they’re scared, the service is faster.”

“Goodnight,” I said, laughing and turning away.

“Hey…those photos we talked about. This weekend?”

I glanced back. “Sure. Text me.”

At least this conversation ended better than the last. Now I had to figure out what to do about Vadin.

JANUARY 28 – WEDNESDAY 4:43 PM

Ren

Myles weaved through the drills with such speed that I could only stare in astonishment. I liked to think that my fighting and endurance skills had come a long way. But if I had to do an obstacle course like this and go up against Myles, I’d be left in his dust. Or in this case, snow. Why their coach thought practicing army drills outside in the snow was a good idea was beyond me. All I knew was that I was officially freezing.

Ding.

Digging in my pocket, I pulled out my phone. The moment I tapped the screen, my heart jumped.

Liam.

And the photo…

I glanced around to make sure no one could see my screen before looking down at the image that made me forget all about the cold and the foot of snow around me.

A mostly naked, very hard, smirking Liam stared back at me with a caption in bold at the top.

IF YOU CAN FIND ME, YOU CAN HAVE SOME.

Heat curled through my stomach.

Game on.

I glanced up as the coach whistled for everyone to start at the beginning. Catching Myles’s eye, I pointed toward the building and indicated that I was cold. He nodded.

Destination…straight for Bowfield Hall and the art room. Liam hadn’t given me very much to go on in the background with the plain beige wall behind him, but the paintbrush gripped between his teeth like a rose was a dead giveaway.

Yanking open the door, I sighed at the welcome blast of warmth. The fluorescent lights left on hummed, joining the chorus of my wet boots squeaking on the tile floor. The classrooms were dark, and as I slowly opened the door to the art room, I began to second-guess myself.

The setting sun wouldn’t have provided much light in the first place, but it didn’t matter since the blinds had been pulled down, leaving the room in complete darkness.

“Liam?” My voice was barely a whisper. “You in here?”