“Fuck,” I muttered. “So, could that mean…?”
Sure enough, right there in the top box that usually the dean used to watch the games were two familiar royals.
“Alex’s parents are here,” I said in a rushed whisper. Mattie knew everything that’d happened that day now, so my panic was no surprise to her. But she also knew exactly what to do.
Reaching out, she grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. “Smile,” she muttered between bared teeth. “Don’t let them know you’re worried.”
Right. Right. Easier said than done, but she was already leading me toward the seats saved for royals, near the field.
By the time we sat, I had gotten my shit together, wearing a blank face and fake smile. Mattie had her palm reader out and was typing something rapidly. “Warned Rafe, Noles, and Jordy,” she whispered. “Alex’s family are renowned for their cruelty. All of us need to be on high alert, and you are never to be alone again. Not until they leave.”
“How long will that be?” I muttered while somehow keeping my smile plastered across my face.
Mattie took a second to answer, and that could not mean anything good. “With the ball next weekend and the day of travel each way between Australasia and the Switzerlands, I’m guessing they’re here until at least next weekend.”
“Fuck,” I groaned.
The Spring Ball. In the chaos of getting kidnapped and almost killing the creepy nurse, it had kind of slipped my mind that we’d soon have a ton of senior royals in our midst.
Staying out of the way of Alex’s parents for an entire week was going to be fucking impossible. Not to mention they had a lot of power, even outside of their own country. I could do my best to avoid them, but if I was called to meet with them, I’d be going or I could risk severe punishment.
“Breathe,” Mattie advised. “Let’s not panic yet. Take it one day at a time. Hopefully they have lots of meetings set up on this side of the world and they spend the next week flying their private plane around, returning only for Saturday.”
“With my luck, there’s no way that will be the case,” I muttered, but a part of me hoped that she was right. I mean, surely they were too busy to worry about me. Of course, they’d probably start investigating the nur—
I bolted upright in my chair. “I need to talk to Rafe and Jordan,” I said quickly. Nurse Psychotic had gotten her orders from the Australasian royals, and then the next day they showed up? That couldn’t be a coincidence. Somehow I didn’t think they traveled for every away game.
Mattie grabbed my forearm. “It’s too late. You’ll have to wait until after the game.”
Sure enough, the teams were streaming onto the field, and for once, Rafe and Jordan were front and fucking center. Both of them stormed out and stole every ounce of my focus.
Their gazes slammed into me—it was clear they’d both been looking for me—and relief hit all of us at the same time. We were okay. We were alive.
We’d worry about the other shit after this game.
Retaking my seat, I didn’t remove my eyes from them. Jordan took off for our goal, but Rafe remained where he was, keeping me in sight for a few minutes longer. If he kept that up, it was going to be really fucking obvious soon, but at the same time, I’d never felt safer knowing they were close again.
And then Alex ruined it, clapping Rafe on the shoulder and saying something to him that made the Swiss prince all ragey and tense. Alex laughed, shooting a deliberate look in my direction and blowing me a kiss.
Fuck’s sake.
Rafe stalked away from the Australasian prince, anger radiating from every step, and Alex just waved up at his parents like the golden boy he pretended to be.
"Somehow," I muttered to Mattie with a pained groan, "I doubt I'll survive the week without meeting King and Queen Cruel and Unusual." I kept my voice quiet because the last thing I needed was to be arrested for treason, but damn, I was in a shitty mood now.
Mattie gave me a sympathetic look and squeezed my hand in hers. "Would nachos and wine help?"
"Fuck yes," I replied with an enthusiastic nod. "Let's go now before they get busy at the concession stand."
Mattie stood with me, and we made our way out of the seating. If we were quick enough, we'd probably still make it back before the game really started.
There was only a short queue at the food counter, and I waited for the nachos while Mattie went to collect us each a glass of deep red wine. Only the best for the children of kings, I guessed.
I felt the movement behind me a moment before someone struck out. After the nurse though, I was on high alert. No one was getting the drop on me again. Sidestepping enough so that their hands only grazed me, I spun fully to see who was attacking me.
Claudette.
Fuck this bitch. "What did you do to Brandon, you little slut?" she hissed. She dove forward, claws extended in a move designed to rip my face apart. I shifted again, so fast she didn’t have a shot at reaching me, and my cheek grazed the side of the concession stand because I had nowhere else to go. But that was a small price to pay to get into a position where I could reach her. I latched onto her wrist, securing it in a deadlock.
"Let me go!" she screeched, flailing her free hand around until I increased the pressure on the one I held captive. Her thumb was pinned by my grip, almost touching her own wrist, and it'd only take a small adjustment to break it. Fuck, that was tempting. "You can't do this! I'm a princess! I could have you arrested!"
She was raving, but the academy staff member running the concession stand looked concerned. I needed to wrap it up quickly before he decided to call for assistance.
"Listen here, you diseased whore," I said in her ear, keeping my voice low but deadly threatening. "Stay the fuck away from me and stay the fuck away from Rafe. Unless you want to find out firsthand what happened to Brandon?" I let out a cold, bloodthirsty chuckle. Brandon hadn't been seen around the academy since the fight night, presumably because his face was too bruised to be easily explained. He was still on my list, though. He'd get his.
"Rafe?" Claudette whimpered. "Don't you mean Alex?"
I scoffed. "No. He's all yours. You two were fucking made for each other."
I was about to release her, but then... fuck it. I snapped her thumb and left her in a howling pile on the floor while I collected my steaming nachos.
"Girl," Mattie exclaimed, standing there with a glass of wine in each hand and a wide-eyed look of awe on her face. "Firstly, that was so badass I think I just came a little bit. Secondly, the guys are going to freaking kill me when they see your face. Dammit, Vi!"
I touched a hand to my cheek, feeling the ache of a bruise forming. "Oops."
Mattie groaned but didn't look back at Claudette’s crying and wailing even once as we walked away. Good girl.
Chapter 28
I’d never thought much about the monarchy of Australasia. For one, it was on the other side of the freaking world, and as a poor orphan, I wasn’t getting there any time soon. And two, well, mainly just the number one reason. It was too far away to ever really register on my radar, and it wasn't until I’d met Alex that I’d even crossed paths with anyone born there.
After my first introduction, I’d expected them all to be evil assholes. I mean, look at their king and queen and heir. So I was surprised to find their team played a super clean game, no cheating, fighting, or catcalling.
“This is the most professional game I think I’ve seen,” I said to Mattie at halftime. She grimaced.
“Oh yeah, Australasians are super disciplined in general. They look like hot surfers, but they’re soldiers at heart.”
“Lots of beaches, right?” I said, trying to recall the few things I knew about them. “And weird animals.”
Mattie laughed. “If by weird you mean able to kill with a single bite, then yep, that’s about right.”
Kill with a single bite. Well, that explained their monarchy. They were just as lethal.
My palm reader buzzed, and I lifted it to find a message from Alex.
Dinner with my parents after the game. Not a request.
My heart beat like a fucking jackhammer in my chest as I quickly showed Mattie. “I can’t get out of it,” I said softly. “What freaking excuse would be good enough to bail?”
Her eyes were wide, but she didn’t immediately panic. I could see she was running it over in her head, no doubt trying to find a protocol I wasn’t aware of.
“Don’t answer him yet,” she murmured. “We need to check with Rafe. He might be the only one with the power to supersede their request. I’m just not sure how it can be worded so as not to raise suspicion.”
Jesus. This was not my week. Month. Year. If it kept going this way, I’d just call it “not my decade” and be fucking done with it.
“Should I tell the guys now, give them a chance to work it out?” I asked, putting my head right next to Mattie’s.
She pursed her lips. “It’s a close game. Maybe just wait until they’re finished, and that way we won’t distract them during the second half.”
“Yep,” I nodded, “good plan. These moody bastards hate to lose, and I’d rather not be the reason they were distracted.”