Princess Ballot: Royals of Arbon Academy

by James Tate

  It’d been a snarky remark, but as soon as I said it, the genuine possibility sent a shiver of concern through me. “You didn’t, did you?”

  The smirk on Rafe’s face was pure malice. “I should have.”

  He started to walk away, and fucking hell, I should have let him. But no, me and my short temper just had to poke the bear with a stick.

  “Seriously, what’s your fucking problem? I’d actually started thinking you were a decent human being after last weekend, but then bam!” I flicked my fingers. “Monday rolls around, and you’re just as bitchy and pathetic as ever. No, worse. Did me getting beaten half to death somehow offend you? Or was it the fact that Brandon didn’t finish the job and rid your royal presence of the poor little orphan girl?”

  Rafe froze mid-step, then turned slowly back around to face me. His eyes were narrowed and his shoulders bunched with tension.

  Immediately, I knew I’d made the wrong move.

  “Tell me something, Vi,” he ordered, prowling back towards me. Crap. I tried to step backward, but I was hard up against the wall. What. A. Moron.

  “Tell you what?” I snapped back, raising my chin with determination. I’d be fucked if I let this asshole see any fear in me.

  A small, cruel smile touched his lips as he closed in on my personal space, and his palms hit the wall on either side of my head with enough force to make me squeak. Mentally, that was. On the outside I was a goddamn fucking ice sculpture.

  “Did you want me to follow through on that threat this morning?” His voice was dark and sultry, full of danger and seduction. Oh shit, I was so screwed. “Did you want me to slide my hand inside your jeans and see how wet you were? How wet are you right now? You get off on danger, don’t you, Violence?”

  One of his hands left the wall, and he trailed a finger down the front of my shirt. All the way down, until he reached the waistband of my jeans. My breath caught, and I mentally cursed my overactive libido. Sex with Alex had only made it worse, not better.

  “What would you do, I wonder, if I plunged my fingers into your cunt right here? I bet you’d be soaked, and it has nothing to do with your murderer of a boyfriend.” His fingers hooked into my fly, flicked the button open, and slid the zipper halfway down before I found my brain.

  “Stop it,” I hissed at him, grabbing his wrist in an iron grip. “You want to know what I’d do? I’d knee you so hard in the balls you’d be coughing up pubes for the next month. Wanna try it?”

  The cocky smirk on his face made me want to do it anyway.

  “Neither one of us believes that, princess.”

  Gritting my teeth, I forcefully pushed his wrist until he was no longer in touching range of my way too eager pussy. “I have a boyfriend, Rafe. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to royals, but it sure as shit does to me.” I glared at him, forcing as much disgust and poison into my gaze as possible. “I’m not a cheater.”

  He stared back at me for a long moment. A long tense moment, one in which I seriously thought he was just going to pin me to the wall and take what he wanted, consequences be damned. But then he stepped back and laughed.

  He fucking laughed.

  “What a shame your so-called boyfriend doesn’t hold the same moral code.” With another infuriating smirk, he turned his back on me and started down the corridor. “See you tonight, Vi. Can’t wait to see what you’re really made of.”

  Outraged and infuriated, it took me a few moments to remember that I was standing outside the men’s locker room with my jeans undone and my red lace panties on display. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

  Hands shaking, I righted my clothes, then strode across the hall to the locker-room door and knocked on it loudly. Rafe’s words were still sinking in, and I needed to ask Alex what the fuck he’d meant. Now. I needed to know right fucking now.

  “Whoa.” The guy who opened the door looked me up and down, then yelled over his shoulder. “Girl!”

  “Clearly,” I snarked at him, folding my arms tightly over my chest to hide that they were shaking. “I need to see Alex; can you tell him Violet’s here?”

  The guy’s grin was just this side of leering, and I was two seconds away from smacking it off his face. “Sorry, cutie, he’s already gone.”

  I frowned. “What? When? I’ve been waiting…” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder to indicate the hallway. How could Alex have already left without me seeing him?

  The guy just shrugged. “After that scene with Rafe, Coach told him to go cool off. He probably went back to the dorms.”

  Ugh. Of course.

  “Right. Thanks.” I gave the dude a half-assed smile and turned to leave.

  “Hey,” he called out, and I paused. “Look, I know we haven’t officially met or anything, but the guys seem to think you’re a pretty cool chick.”

  By “the guys,” I could only assume he meant Nolan and Jordan. No one else really knew me.

  “Okay, and?”

  He awkwardly shifted, scratching the back of his neck. “Look, just… be careful, you know? He’s got a pretty wicked temper.”

  I snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I know. Rafe seems to be permanently pissed off at me.”

  The guy frowned. “Uh, I meant Alex. Anyway. Catch ya.” With that he disappeared back into the locker room and let the door swing shut behind him.

  What the fuck was that all about? He wasn’t the first person to mention Alex’s temper, but I’d never seen anything like that from him… I mean, he had just started a fight with Rafe on the soccer field and there had been that fight the first day I arrived. But that was just stupid boy shit, wasn’t it?

  Chewing at my lip, I hurried down the corridor. I needed to see Alex face to face and hash some of these rumors out.

  My wrist buzzed, and I pulled the message up as I walked, clicking on my reader to open it.

  Angel: Newbies fight first, don’t be late.

  The message was accompanied by a picture of one of the academy hallways. In it, a small lamp on a shelf was circled in red and a time scribbled beside it. Shit. That was only twenty minutes from now!

  Confronting Alex was going to have to wait. I couldn’t miss this fight. Not for anything.

  Changing my course, I ran back to my room and hauled my old duffle bag out from the closet. My purple Vengeance catsuit and boots were tucked into the false bottom, along with my blade, so I quickly pulled them out and dressed.

  Back home, no one gave a shit if chicks were fighting, so my costume didn’t conceal my gender. Quite the opposite, I’d made a weapon of it. I’d lost count of how many fights I’d won simply because my opponent saw some tits and hips and assumed I’d be a pushover.

  Once dressed, I threw a black woolen coat on top to conceal my costume and hide the deadly blade at my waist. A quick glance in the mirror told me it just looked like I was wearing purple leggings and boots. Nothing suspicious there.

  I took a few steadying breaths before applying my makeup: smoky black eyeshadow and winged eyeliner with plenty of mascara, then a soft lilac lipstick to compliment my outfit. I’d never needed to wear a mask in my previous matches, but I tucked the black one Nolan had given me into my coat pocket.

  “Nice to see you again, old friend,” I murmured to my own reflection, smiling wickedly at the gleam in my eyes. Fuck yeah, this was going to be fun.

  After slipping out of my room, I hurried through the halls of the academy. Last time had been a whole shitload easier, seeing as everyone had been asleep. What the fuck were they thinking starting the fights so early? Didn’t they know everyone was still out celebrating from the soccer game? Then again, maybe that was the perfect cover.

  The image Rafe had sent was of the hall leading to the science labs, so I took a shortcut through the elaborate entrance hall and past the dean’s office.

  Just as I was about to turn the corner into the science wing, voices ahead made me freeze. There was no way I could explain what I was doing in this area of the academy at night and I badly didn’t want to be hel
d up trying to bullshit my way out of questions. I froze against the wall. Hopefully, they wouldn’t come this way, or I was screwed. Somehow I doubted any of the teachers had left their offices unlocked for me to hide in, and I hadn’t learned how to pick locks yet.

  Snippets of conversation traveled back to me from the speakers, and I didn’t pay too much attention until they said my name.

  What the…?

  Inching closer, I strained my ears to pick up more words.

  It was a woman speaking. Her voice was hushed, so it took me a moment to place it. But sure enough…

  “You promised me! You said that whore bitch wouldn’t come between us,” Claudette whined. “And now look. I’m a fucking social pariah, all thanks to her. Sluterella needs to be put in her place once and for all.”

  Great. Don’t tell me I’d just walked into a lovers’ quarrel between her and Rafe. Just what I fucking needed. Although, on the upside, Rafe would be mindful that the fights were about to start and hopefully wrap things up quickly.

  There was the distinctive sound of a scuffle, then Claudette let out a squeal of fright at the same time as a loud thump sounded. Had Rafe just smacked her into the wall? What the fuck?

  I hated the bitch, but I was more than willing to give that arrogant prick what was coming to him if he was beating his girlfriend. Quietly, I poked my head around the corner to assess the situation.

  Holy. Fuck.

  Claudette wasn’t arguing with Rafe at all.

  “Don’t you dare threaten Violet again,” Alex hissed at her, his hand around her throat and his face inches from hers. “You’re lucky you weren’t more severely punished for that stunt you pulled with Brandon.”

  Shock damn near electrocuted me. I’d never seen that murderous look on Alex before, and it gave me chills. Not good chills.

  “More severely?” Claudette shrieked back, seemingly unconcerned by the hand around her throat. In fact, she pushed into it a bit. “Rafe tried to break off our engagement for that slut! Do you have any idea the kind of shit my parents put me through this week until they could enforce the betrothal agreements?”

  Alex bared his teeth in what was probably meant to be a smile. It looked like a wolf preparing to rip someone to shreds. “But it was enforced, and you’re back to being the future queen of the Switzerlands. So don’t fuck it up.” He snarled those words at her, and I saw his forearm flex as he tightened his grip on her throat.

  For a horrifying moment, Claudette gagged and gasped for air. Then he released his grip, and she moaned so loudly I almost blushed. Did she just come?

  “All I need is a few more weeks to lock it down. Violet is already half in love with me, and with Jasmine dead she’s my last chance.”

  I choked on my confusion, it filled my head until I felt like I was going to explode. Last chance for what?

  Claudette coughed, and her voice came out hoarse when she replied. “Maybe you shouldn’t have killed the bitch then. I hear she was already pregnant.”

  Alex’s hand smacked into the wall beside her head, loud enough to echo down the hallway, and I fucking shook with anger. Little information bombs were exploding in my brain, and I was starting to see red.

  “With someone else’s baby,” Alex spat. “I won’t make that mistake again. Nurse Reller won’t tamper with Violet’s birth control until I’ve got her complete loyalty. Then, and only then.”

  Claudette whined pathetically, pawing at Alex’s T-shirt. “But baby, the idea of you fucking that trailer trash whore makes me sick. Can’t you just lock her up and use IVF like the Siberians do?”

  Bile rolled in my stomach, and I needed to clamp a hand over my lips to keep from vomiting all over the floor. What the actual fuck was happening right now? Had Alex been body-snatched? Was this a rehearsal for a play? Because it couldn’t be real. No way. No fucking way was this happening.

  “The Siberians are no better than animals,” Alex sneered. “We’re smarter than that, and the press loves to report on happy endings from the Princess Ballot. And for once, the winner will become a queen. My queen. Violet will be my wife; don’t ever fucking forget that, Claudette.”

  Fuck me. Fuck me. This was all an act? Birth control? Was he talking about deliberately knocking me up? Was he grooming me to become his “queen” aka broodmare? Oh fuck. That thought damn near made me pass out.

  How. Dumb. Could. I. Be?

  All the warnings. Everyone had freaking warned me. Everyone. Yet I’d stupidly ignored them because I needed to follow my heart. What the actual fuck?

  Claudette was leaning into him now, her hand on the front of his jeans as she rubbed his crotch. She was whispering something in his ear, but I no longer cared to listen.

  My wrist buzzed, and I took two unsteady steps away from the corner to check it.

  Angel: tick tock, newbie. Fight’s about to start.

  Shit. Shit.

  I swiped at my cheeks with the back of my hand and found them wet. Apparently when my heart had started breaking, my tears had also started falling. I hadn’t even noticed over the gut-wrenching pain of Alex’s betrayal.

  Alex and Claudette were still talking, but their voices were growing more distant. To my relief, when I poked my head back around the corner, they were disappearing in the opposite direction. Probably going to his dorm room to fuck.

  My stomach churned and my heart fucking squeezed to the point of physical pain.

  I couldn’t believe I’d been such a sucker.

  My wrist buzzed.

  Angel: Guess you were all bark and no bite after all. What a shame.

  No. No fucking way. This wasn’t how my night was going to end.

  A quick check of the time said I had two minutes until the fight started. I could still make it if I hurried.

  Swiping my cheeks again and hoping my smoky makeup wasn’t halfway down my face, I strode into the now empty hall and found the lamp Rafe had circled in the photo. It took me all of ten seconds to find the lever to open the hidden door, then another minute to follow the arrows—sprinting—until I popped out in the main chamber.

  “Thank fuck,” one of the black-masked figures exclaimed, blocking my path before I made it more than two steps inside. “Here, I got you a present.” It was Nolan, and he was pressing something purple into my hand.

  Still dazed and numb from what I’d witnessed moments ago, I frowned down at the fabric. “You got me a mask to match my outfit? How’d you even know what it looked like?”

  Nolan shrugged, “I snooped your room while you were passed out last weekend. Hurry up and put it on.”

  Gulping down a few steadying breaths, I put the mask on and gave Nolan a tight nod of thanks.

  “Hey,” he said, grabbing my arm when I tried to pass him. “Are you okay? You look… off. I don’t know. Upset. If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you’d been crying.”

  My heart was bleeding inside my chest and my mind was shattered to pieces, but still, Nolan’s observant, caring nature warmed me.

  “I’m fine,” I replied, my voice husky. “Just ready to kill someone.”

  Nolan barked a laugh. “That’s my girl.”

  I shrugged my black coat off and handed it to him, hearing his low whistle of appreciation right as I was announced. I hadn’t heard who I was fighting, but it didn’t matter. Whoever it was, I’d annihilate them and picture Alex the whole fucking time.

  “...newcomer to our games,” the robotic commentator was saying. “Please welcome the fresh blood of the night, Violence.”

  Rafe. That motherfucker. He’d changed my persona.

  Well, so be it. I’d show him violence, alright. I’d show all of them.

  No one messed with Violet Rose Spencer and got away with it.

  To Be Continued…

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