Page 16 of Hell Fae Captive

Hell Fae Rule #2: Don’t Draw Attention.

A tingle of magic crawled up my back, making my brow furrow.

I frowned at the full-length mirror beside the wardrobe, twisting around to see what enchantment had just crawled across my skin.

Magical embroidery glimmered across my shoulder blades, the script not having been there when I’d selected my shirt.

Because I would have noticedmy namewritten across the fabric.

Camillia De la Croix.

No wonder the Warden had said I would have a target on my back. The fucking shirt had mynameon it.

Which meant everyone would know who I was. Cue the walking billboard that screamed I was a threat that should be dealt with accordingly—in the midst of a deadly bride trial.

“Fuck.”

Underneath my name were three black stars, also glittering from some unknown spell.What the hell are they for?There hadn’t been any mention ofstarsin the rule book.

Tugging the shirt back over my head, I reviewed the fabric and growled as the black embroidery disappeared, leaving the shirt spotlessly white again. Pulling on a different one, I felt the same tingle of magic and sighed in frustration as my name and the three stars appeared again.

Great, my choices were to go out dressed as a target or break the rules.

Hell Fae Rule #3: Know Your Enemy Before Engaging.

Right, so if I wanted to survive, I needed to understand this place a hell of a lot better.

“Target-practice uniform it is,” I grumbled, grabbing the boots I’d worn on the way here and pulling them on. If I did manage to find a weapon of some kind, I could use the boots to store them.

Besides, they were comfortable.

Unlike the weird slip-on shoes sitting in the closet.They couldn’t even give us socks?I shook my head.Whatever.

As for the target on my back, I’d worry about it later.

Right now, I had bigger issues at hand.

Like finding a loophole in Lucifer’s contract that would allow me to legally leave this place without being shredded apart by a bunch of crow-shaped blades.

Venturing into the bathroom, I found a full array of amenities that had likely been conjured by the Warden.

I traded out the puffy scrunchy that I’d worn to the party with a simple black band, securing it and giving myself a nod in the mirror before heading out.

Reaching my door, I ran my fingers over the wood and felt a softclickburst through the air. Drawing in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and ventured through the wood.

Emerging on the other side in one piece, I opened my eyes, only to glance at the long spiral of stairs.

Fuck.

I’d have to factor in a hundred steps into my schedule calculations for curfew.

Mentally ticking off the seconds, I jumped down the steps two at a time, reaching the bottom of the stairs after what seemed like ten stories. I couldn’t remember how many there were going up, just that there had been a lot of steps.

Hopefully, I didn’t run into any trouble that would wear me out, as these were going to be a bitch to climb again later.

Retracing my steps, I walked through the campus that, according to Ajax, was modeled after Midnight Fae Academy. The library wasn’t hard to find—it was right in the center of the academy turned prison.

A few fellow candidates gave me curious glances, and I tried to keep to the shadows to hide my name. However, I took note of the few names I did see along my way to the library.