Page 77 of Wicked Knight (Knight's Ridge Empire 1)

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

Stella

“What the hell was that?” Calli slurs from behind me as I tuck my knife into my garter.

Lowering my foot from the edge of her bed, I straighten my dress.

“Protection.”

“P-protection?” she stutters, her eyes bright with the amount of vodka she’s already had. She’s hardly had any compared to me, showing me just how smothered she really has been. She told me earlier that she usually just stays locked in her room whenever Nico throws a party after he threatened to make her leave the house once. So she just… did.

I find the whole situation bizarre, because the first thing I’d do in that situation would be the exact opposite of what I was told. But then, I’m not normal. And I’m certainly not Calli.

“You sound like one of them already,” she mutters, walking around me to find her shoes.

“My dad brought me up so that I can look after myself. Calvin, our head of security, has been training me in all kinds of MMA for years. It’s just my way of life.”

Her shoulders drop as she looks up at me, her previously excited eyes suddenly filled with sadness.

“Why couldn’t they treat me like that? Why couldn’t they trust me to be a part of this instead of treating me like I’m a complete nuisance? I know Dad wanted another boy, another son to continue our legacy or whatever. But he got me. Just because I’ve got a foofoo, it doesn’t mean I’m not capable.”

I suck in a breath and take a step toward her. “Firstly, fuck them. All of them. You want to learn all this stuff, you want to take care of yourself? Then do it. Don’t wait for their permission. This is your life, Calli. Take it by the balls. And secondly, never call it a foofoo in front of a guy. He’ll never want to fuck it.”

She snorts a laugh as she lifts her hand to wipe a stray tear from her eyes.

“We’re going to make you a badass, Calli Cirillo. Princesses don’t just wear frilly dresses and pretty diamonds. They also carry guns, wear shitkicker boots and stomp on anyone who gets in their way.”

She smiles at me and my heart clenches a little. I have no idea how Calli and I are connected in all this, but I’m pretty sure we’ve already forged a pretty unbreakable bond.

“One more shot, and then we’re going.” I pass her the bottle after she’s slipped her feet into her shoes and she does as I suggest while I do the same.

Pulling up my strapless dress a little, giving the girls a wiggle, I take a shot and slam the bottle down.

“Look out world, Calli Cirillo has arrived.” I don’t give her a chance to freak out. Instead, I take her hand in mine and drag her from the safety of her room.

The booming music from below us gets louder the second we step out into the hallway.

Calli’s hand trembles in mine, and when I look over at her, I find an apprehensive look on her face.

“Embrace that feeling, Cal. Don’t let it stop you.” She nods, and together we take our first step down the stairs.

Walking down to the party raging below is bizarre now I know everything I do. The staircase is so extravagant that I can’t help feeling like the princess the guys call me, making my grand entrance.

Having every set of eyes immediately turn our way as we appear doesn’t make that feeling lessen any.

“This could have been a really bad idea,” Calli whisper-shouts beside me so I can hear her over the music.

“Never. Hold your head high. Every guy looking at you right now wants you. Remember that.”

“I can assure you, there are a few who don’t.”

I follow her line of sight and find four very pissed-off looking guys staring up the stairs and right at Calli.

Nico’s eyes are hard, his jaw tics in irritation, and there’s a vein in his temple that I swear is about to explode.

I smother a laugh, but I don’t think I do a very good job because not a second later do those hard and angry eyes find mine.

He takes a step forward, Theo, Alex and Toby moving as one with him.