Page 2 of Obsessively Yours (Fae Kings of Eden #2)

2

TWELVE YEARS OLD

Violet rushed through the halls of the palace toward the school rooms, furious with herself for losing track of time. She loved collecting shells and pebbles on the shore to make jewelry or sew onto her clothes. She’d risen early that morning and ventured through the jungle to the beach since morning low tide provided a better selection of treasures than any other time of day.

As the daughter of a general in the Tropical Kingdom’s battalion, her family lived on the warrior compound located within the palace walls. The children in the compound attended a school located inside of the palace, which was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it was close to Violet’s home, but a curse because her mother worked as a cook in the palace kitchens and knew before the end of the day if one of her daughters misbehaved.

Violet glanced at a large golden clock hanging in the palace hallway and groaned. Ms. Bonner, their teacher with the personality of an ornery stable cat, would scold her in front of the entire class if she arrived late. Violet could see it now. Her permanent scowl would deepen as she shook her head, the dangling earrings adorning her pointed ears clanging against themselves.

Running around the next corner toward the school rooms, Violet collided with someone and bounced backward. The momentum sent her sprawling across the floor, and her treasures scattered everywhere.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized and pushed to an upright position. “I shouldn’t have been running.” She tilted her head up and froze. Roman Covington, heir to the Tropical throne and the cutest boy in all of Saltu, stood over her with a startled expression. She couldn’t help but admire how his short sandy blond hair looked nice against his slightly sun-tanned skin. The lightest brown eyes she’d ever seen stared back at her, and to her utter mortification, she realized she’d stared too long. Great, he probably thinks I’m strange. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

He lowered his already muscular body to her level, his focus still on her. “No, I’m sorry. I was trying to get to class and wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Violet dared to look at him again. “You were going the wrong way.” She pointed behind him. “The school rooms are still upstairs. They keep us in the same room every year.”

The prince hadn’t joined their school until last year. Before that, he took private lessons with the royal tutors. He always had a serious expression on his face and seemed mature for his twelve years of age. Violet thought he acted at least sixteen.

The points of his ears turned pink. “I wasn’t paying attention,” he mumbled and gathered her books while she scooped up her shells and pebbles.

Most of the shells had broken in the fall, and she groaned. Roman shoved the books into her bag and glanced down at the shards in her hands. “What are those?”

She dumped the broken pieces into her satchel. “Shells I collected this morning.”

“You were at the shore this morning?” He scooped up more of the broken pieces and studied them before dropping them into her bag. “Are they important?”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll find more tomorrow.”

“I can help you look,” he offered.

Violet lifted her gaze to his, her lips parting in surprise. “You don’t have to do that. Thank you, though.”

After scooping up the rest of the broken shards, Roman helped her stand. “You’re Viv’s twin sister. Violet, right?”

Roman and Violet had never interacted until now, but it didn’t surprise her that he knew Vivian. Everyone did, and Violet was simply known as “Vivian Maekin’s twin sister.”

Where Violet was quiet until she knew someone better, Vivian was loud; Violet liked clothes, jewelry, and decorating things, while Vivian liked fighting and strategy games. Vivian and Roman trained as junior warriors together, but Violet only saw him in passing.

At least he hadn’t mistaken her for Vivian and actually knew her name. Since Violet and Vivian were identical, people sometimes got them confused. Violet never understood how. Their clothes, personalities, and hobbies screamed complete opposites . The day Vivian walked around in flowery dresses and beaded jewelry would be the day horses walked on water.

“That’s me.” Adjusting her book bag on her shoulder, she motioned toward the stairs. “We should get to class.”

Roman fell in step beside her and tapped the satchel draped across her torso. “What do you do with the shells?”

She pulled back the flowy sleeve of her dress to reveal a row of bracelets. “I like making jewelry and other things.”

He reached out and twirled one around her wrist. His fingers brushed against her skin, sending tingles up her arm. “I like them. Maybe you can make me one someday.”

Violet forced herself not to giggle like a little girl. “I don’t know if they’d look good on you,” she teased, hoping she sounded nonchalant.

His crooked smile made her insides flutter, and she blushed harder. At this rate, her face would stay permanently red. When they reached the classroom door, he held it open for her and followed her inside. “See you around, Violet.”

The prince lifted his chin to another boy in the back and wove his way through the desks while Violet stood at the front of the class, searching for an empty seat. She felt eyes on her and fought the need to flee.

She noted the full desks around her best friend, Griff, who lifted his shoulder apologetically.

“Find a seat, Miss Maekin,” Ms. Bonner clipped, the older woman’s sharp voice making Violet jump.

Roman waved to get her attention, and her heart skipped a beat when he pointed to the empty desk next to him. With hot cheeks that would never cool, Violet hurried down the aisle and sat down. “Thanks.”

“Look around at your neighbors,” Ms. Bonner told the class. Violet’s desk backed into a wall. Roman sat to her right, a girl named Millie sat in front of her, and a boy named Theo sat on her left.

“These are your assigned seats for the rest of the year.”

Griff turned to look at Violet across the room and mouthed, “Sorry.” He’d promised to save her a seat.

She lifted her hand and sliced her finger across her throat, making Griff laugh. They’d met two years ago when she was running back from the forest and twisted her ankle. He’d stood over her, pushed his black hair behind his ear, and said, “You’re supposed to stay upright when you run.”

She’d told him to buzz off as he’d helped her up, and they’d been friends ever since, but junior warrior training started last year, and he’d been spending more time with the other trainees and less time with her. Violet understood, but it made the fact that she only had one close friend glaringly obvious.

As class droned on, Violet kept her eyes straight ahead and furiously took notes, struggling to keep up with the teacher’s rapid explanation of the Human Kingdom’s wildlife compared to the fae kingdoms’. The four fae kingdoms—Mountain, Desert, Tropical, and Garden—surrounded the Human Kingdom. A magic barrier erected by the gods thousands of years ago prevented humans from crossing into fae lands without a fae escort. No one knew for sure why the humans couldn’t pass through the barrier on their own, but scholars theorized it was because they had no protection against the fae beasts. According to Ms. Bonner, anyway.

Not only were fae faster and stronger than humans, but they also had glamour—magic that allowed them to make humans and animals see whatever they wanted them to. It also helped protect them against the animals in the fae lands, which were infinitely more dangerous than those in the human lands. Some animals were the same, but most weren’t.

Violet covertly glanced at Roman. As a royal fae, he and his parents were stronger and faster than non-royal fae, and their glamour worked on other fae as well, whereas non-royal fae could only glamour humans and animals, but not each other.

Roman could make the entire class see a giant wulfer waltz through the door if he wanted. She smiled faintly at the image of Ms. Bonner screeching at the sight.

Other than stronger magic, royal fae had two things non-royal fae didn’t: familiars and mates.

Familiars were animals royals bonded to on their fifteenth birthday, and a mate was the only person a royal could marry. Royals and their mates were born on the same day. Violet wondered if she and the prince had the same birthday. Roman caught her staring and lifted a brow with a knowing smirk.

She jolted out of her ridiculous thoughts as mortification shot through her. Next time she came across a beast in the forest, she’d forego glamour and let it eat her.

Violet resumed taking notes and prayed Roman would never look at her again. Better yet, maybe she could transfer to the other school in Saltu. Despite being the capital, Saltu was fairly small, and the walk wouldn’t be too far.

A few minutes later, a folded piece of paper landed on Violet’s desk, and she froze. It came from Roman’s direction, but she refused to look at him.

With a steadying breath, she unfolded the paper.

Is sitting next to me that bad?

What ? Violet peeked at Roman, who watched her, that same smirk still in place. She bit her lip and hurriedly wrote back.

Why do you say that?

After checking to ensure Ms. Bonner wasn’t looking, she tossed the paper on his desk and turned her attention back to their teacher. Tried to, at least. Roman Covington wrote me a note.

Her stomach flipped when the paper landed on her desk again, and she tried to look aloof as she opened it.

You threatened to kill your friend.

Violet’s eyes slid to the prince. His body faced forward as he wrote in his notebook, but she could see him fighting a smile. Had he been watching her, or did he happen to look over at the right time? Violet scribbled her reply and discreetly tossed it back.

A threat means it might not happen. I’m actually going to kill him.

Roman laughed out loud, and the sound bounced off the stone walls. Violet sank down in her chair when everyone, including Ms. Bonner, swiveled their gazes to the back of the room.

Violet glared at Roman, and he clamped his mouth closed, puffing out his cheeks to hold in his laughter. When everyone turned back around, she looked him dead in the eye and slid her finger across her throat.

He drew everyone’s attention again with his uncontrollable laughter, only this time, Violet laughed too.

* * *

The next morning, Violet hurried into the classroom and slid into her seat at the back of the class. Thoughts of seeing Roman again had kept her awake all night. Will he write another note?

When the prince waltzed in, she held her breath and pretended to read over her work from yesterday. A small canvas sack plunked down on her desk, and she pulled back with a start. Roman sat down without looking her way.

She turned her attention back to the bag and noticed a piece of paper attached to the twine holding the sack closed. Violet ate up the words, and she bit her cheek to keep from squealing.

Sorry about yesterday. My mother helped me pick these out. I hope you like them.

Violet’s hands trembled as she untied the string and opened the bag.

Pretty shells of all shapes, sizes, and colors stared back at her. Violet worried her heart would tire of beating furiously and stop entirely. Folding up the note, she stuck it inside of the bag and carefully placed them in her satchel.

She dug out a charcoal pencil and a piece of paper, scribbled her reply, and tossed it across the aisle.

I guess I won’t kill you after all.

Ms. Bonner scowled in their direction when Roman’s laughter filled the room.

Violet decided it was her favorite sound in all of Eden.