She shoved me against the wall and smashed her breasts against my chest. Her head moved toward me to give me a kiss, but I ducked away. “Chastity, I’m not interested. That’s final.”
Her gaze darkened. “It’s not like you have a lot of options. You’re a disgraced prince with no title. You’ll come crawling back when the Sosna girl gets tired of you. Looks like she already has. I’ll be waiting when you finally realize what’s good for you.”
Chastity spun on her heel and walked away. I breathed a sigh of relief when she left me alone— but it was hard to do, as she took all the air out of the room with her. She was as conceited as my mother.
And dangerous, I was reminded. Chastity came from a powerful family. She had connections, and she would use them to get what she wanted… mainly, a proposal from me.
Hopefully the leshane would kill me off long before she pressured me into such a thing.
I’ll do you one favor, the demon hissed. Even I’m bothered by the likes of her.
If a demon was afraid of Chastity, that was a sign to steer clear. Death, or being engaged to her? I’d take death.
I didn’t have anything to do for the rest of the afternoon. My plan was to lock myself away in my dorm, until I spotted Emma leaning against a pillar. Her eyes said to come with her.
I gravitated to her side immediately. We walked side by side in the halls without speaking. I was unsure of where she was leading me, but I felt like it had to be important. We caught a few offhanded gazes— people were surprised to see us together, given our situation— but nothing too unusual.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as the curious sensation of being followed trailed over my skin. I didn’t glance behind, but saw two familiar figures in the decorative mirror that was hanging on the wall up ahead.
Oren and Zander— the alicorn pair that used to follow Eli around like a couple of dogs. My friends and I had gotten into a brawl with them a few semesters ago, though they’d been smart enough not to cross our path since… not after Stefan had pummeled their friend, Andrik, to pieces last semester for going after Delmare. Looks like their stupidity had finally caught up to them, however, because they were looking for trouble.
“They’re following us,” Emma murmured. She kept her gaze ahead, though irritation flooded her features.
“Why?” I gave a glare behind. Oren blanched, but Zander didn’t even flinch. He wanted us to know he was a threat.
“Eli’s put them up to looking for the alicorn stone, I’m sure of it,” Emma whispered. “We can’t let them get to it before we do.”
“We have to lose them. Come on.” I grabbed Emma’s arm. She bristled, but I forced her to follow as we ducked into a large crowd of students milling outside the Conservatory. Emma vanished, but I was tall. My head stuck out, giving Zander and Oren a clear target.
“We’ll split up. Meet me on the rooftop above the dormitories,” I said quickly.
She nodded, and took off. Instead of turning tail, I walked out of the crowd and faced them both. Oren skidded to a halt, while Zander towered overhead— he was a big alicorn.
“What exactly is this nonsense?” I spat. I said it loud enough the crowd stopped speaking. Everyone in the large hallway turned to look at us.
Oren shook, but Zander curled his lip. “I don’t know what you mean. We’re merely walking to class.”
“You’re bothering my mate is what you’re doing,” I growled. “And if you don’t want to end up with broken legs, I suggest you head in a different direction next time.”
“Those are big words from a shifter who can’t hold onto his whore,” Zander threw back. “Maybe we all want a turn.”
I snarled and changed on the spot. Several people screamed as I landed on three paws, bearing my teeth. Oren lunged out of the way, though Zander shifted to face me. The black alicorn lowered his horn and pawed his hoof, ready for a fight.
“I know what you’re really after,” I snarled. “Apparently I need to send my little cousin a message.”
“You can try, cripple.” Zander put his head down and charged. I spread my jaws wide, looking to deliver a sharp bite to the neck, but Zander and I were both knocked backwards as