Page 45

Chapter 44

Tomas

S he’s in my head.

It’s pathetic, really, how thoroughly she’s infected me, plaguing my every thought, sinking into my bones like a sickness I can’t shake. It started the moment she walked through the doors of Obsidian Academy, head held high, fire in her eyes, radiating defiance as if she was daring the gods themselves to strike her down. She looked like she’d walked through hell and it didn’t even phase her.

I was doomed from that moment.

I tried to fight it at first, tried to drown her out the way I always have, fae wine burning down my throat, smoking as much dahlia root as I could, bodies pressed against mine in the dimly lit corners of whatever back alley den I found myself in. Just enough to scratch the itch. Just enough to forget.

But I can’t forget her, and I don’t even know her. I don’t know who she truly is and it’s fucking driving me insane.

The moment I even think about touching someone else, absolute disgust rises in me instantly. The second someone presses too close, whispers some meaningless invitation in my ear, all I see is her, images of her face playing on repeat.

I can’t escape her.

I close my eyes, and I see her lips parting when she’s caught off guard, her fingers twitching when she’s pretending not to care, the way her throat bobs when she swallows too hard, as if holding back her urge to spit fire at anyone and everyone, just like her new friend, Nasarea.

I see the way Selestina stands her ground against me and Rhyker, and hell even the other prick princes, like she’s caught between predators and refuses to be prey.

She’s my fucking obsession. And apparently Rhyker and Matheus’ too. I see the way Kaelion and Nazriel look at her too.

And it’s infuriating.

I don’t know how to talk to her. Not really. I don’t know how to make her see me, not as the arrogant vampire prince, not as the flirt with the sharp tongue and sharper fangs, but as something more. Something real.

So I fall back on what I know.

Flirting is easy. It’s effortless. It’s what I was raised to do, charm, seduce, manipulate. My father made sure of that. Words are just another weapon, and I’ve wielded them well, used them to get what I want, to secure power, to close deals that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. My body was never really my own, not when it could be bartered, leveraged, used to make alliances stronger, to put debts in our favor.

It never mattered.

Until now.

Because now, I want something I can’t seem to have.

Selestina isn’t someone I can charm into my bed, a fleeting conquest to be forgotten by morning. She thinks I’m just some fuckboy who fucks anything with a pulse. But she’s not wrong.

And the worst part?

She has no fucking idea.

I lean in closer, just enough for my breath to graze the delicate curve of her ear.

“What are you studying for, princess?” My voice is a low murmur.

She exhales sharply, her fingers tightening around the spine of a book she’s clearly not reading. The one she had been reading before is still clutched in Rhyker’s hand, though she makes no attempt to retrieve it. “Um, for finals,” she says, clearing her throat, though the slight waver in her voice betrays her composure. “Like the two of you should be doing.”

At that, she reaches across the table and snatches the book back from Rhyker with a defiant flick of her wrist, her knuckles brushing against mine in the process. I catch the way she stiffens at the contact, the way her body goes still for half a second too long.

I smirk, shifting my gaze to Rhyker, who is watching us with barely concealed irritation, his emerald eyes darken with something dangerously close to possessiveness. I’ve always known the fae prince had a territorial streak, but I don’t scare easy. And I sure as hell don’t back down.

“You look tense, Rhyker,” I tease, tilting my head.

Rhyker scoffs, his lips curling into something that isn’t quite a sneer but isn’t far from it either. “Oh, fuck off, vamp.”

Selestina groans, rubbing her temples as if our presence alone is enough to cause her a migraine. “Why are princes always in my fucking business? Putting me between their own rivalries like a fucking prince sandwich?” She says it softly, like she is saying it to herself.

“Oh, princess, I’d be willing to be in any sandwich you want me in,” I murmur, letting my lips hover just close enough to the shell of her ear that I know she can feel my breath.

She inhales sharply, her fingers curling around the edge of her book. Then, something…changes.

I catch it in the air before I see it on her face.

A scent. Sweet, warm, unmistakable.

My body reacts before my mind can process it fully, my senses sharpening, my muscles tensing. I inhale deeper, my nostrils flaring, letting it wash over me like the most intoxicating drug. My gaze snaps to Rhyker, and the way his entire body goes rigid tells me he’s caught it too.

Our eyes meet for the briefest of moments, a silent understanding passing between us.

Selestina is aroused. She’s aroused by the thought of us.

I glance toward Matheus, still on the other side of the library, speaking with the librarian. His posture has changed, he’s stiff, but trying to appear casual. I scoff. Even from this distance, I can see the way his chest rises and falls with heavier breaths. His dragon could probably scent her from a hundred miles away.

Selestina shifts in her chair looking between the two of us, her nose scrunching in confusion. Then, I see the moment realization dawns.

She knows we can smell her.

Rhyker lazily waves his hand in the air, casting a glamour around us. I raise an eyebrow at him. Hmm. I don’t know everything about the fae, never cared to, but I know he is making sure nobody else can smell her or see her.

The world beyond us fades slightly, the edges of the library distorting into something softer, more intimate. It’s like we are the only people here.

I grin wickedly. “Well, well, princess. This is interesting.”

Rhyker leans in slightly, his voice smooth as silk. “You like this, don’t you? Being between two princes?”

Selestina swallows, her fingers tightening around the book she’s pretending to read. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Oh, but I don’t think we are,” I murmur, my fingers grazing along the soft skin of her arm. “I think you like the attention. The way we look at you. The way we,” I inhale again slowly, “can smell what this is doing to you.”

A flush creeps up her neck, blooming like a stain of rose petals against her skin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her blush before. And gods, if that isn’t the most delicious discovery I’ve made in a long time. I wonder what else I can do to her to make her blush like this.

She looks back to Matheus, who remains stiff in the distance, his nostrils flaring as he fights against the primal instincts clawing at him. Then her gaze shifts back to me, wide eyed.

I chuckle lowly, my smirk widening. “Oh, princess. You’re kinky and I like it.”

Selestina’s breath stutters, her lips parting as if she’s about to say something, likely a scathing retort, but Rhyker beats her to it. He waves his fingers again, the glamour shifting once more, enclosing us further in the illusion.

Selestina straightens, her eyes narrowing. “What…”

Rhyker stands with fae grace, moving closer, taking the seat right next to her and closing the space between them. “What are you reading?” he asks, amusement and desire dripping from every syllable. That’s when it hits me. His obsession for her matches mine, and I don’t know how that makes me feel.

My gaze drags over her, drinking in every telltale sign of her internal war, the way she licks her lips, the way her legs press together just slightly, the way her pulse jumps at the base of her throat.

She is so strong, so fierce, but it’s like she doesn’t believe why anyone would be into her. Why anyone would want her, and that leaves me puzzled.

She’s everything . Temptation wrapped in a curvy body and eyes that show she’s been through more than I can ever imagine.

For a moment, I wonder if she’ll let this play out. If she’ll play along.

Then, abruptly, she shoves her chair back with a screech and bolts to her feet.

“I need to go.” Her voice is sharp, but there’s an edge to it, breathless, something not quite as steady as she wants it to be. And that tells me everything I need to know.

She’s not running from us.

She’s running from herself.

And just like that, she’s gone, practically sprinting out of the library as if the very air around us had become too much.

I sit back in my chair, watching her retreat with a satisfied smirk.

Rhyker exhales slowly, his gaze watching the doorway she disappeared through. Then, he turns to me and smirks.

“May the best man win.”

I laugh. “Game on.”