Poison Throne: A Dark College Romance(40)

"Strip for me, Violet. If I don't see my cum dripping from that perfect pussy before Jordan gets back, I'll actually die of heart failure."

And with romance like that, how was a girl to say no?

Seriously. How?





Chapter 32





The couple of days between our arrival and the vote passed like the blink of an eye. I barely even left our room except for meals. Mattie and Nolan were spending "quality time" with their parents—Mattie had put it in quotations when she messaged me—so we didn't see them at all. Which sort of suited us fine.

Jordan's parents had wanted to talk to him about new marriage prospects. But he assured me that they'd let the subject drop when he told them he was already in love and had no intention of fucking it up with a political betrothal.

How I’d gotten lucky enough to be loved by Jordan and Rafe was beyond me, but I was never going to complain about my blessings.

Both of my princes had to attend multiple meetings with their parents regarding the vote and what it would mean for their monarchies after the fact. No one called on me, though, so by the time the vote came around, I was wondering why I’d been invited at all.

Not that I was complaining. Far from it. I was actually relieved that Wainwright hadn't come to me with any grand propositions to make me their figurehead, like Uriel had planned.

But even without being hands-on involved, I was still a bundle of nervous energy as we made our way to the conference hall for the meeting.

"Hey." Jordan tugged on my hand, bringing us to a stop in front of a jaw-dropping floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the corridor. "Just take a breath, beautiful. This is going to be fine."

"He's right," Rafe added, folding his arms and nodding at the stunning scenery past the window. The property had its own private beach—that we hadn't been allowed to visit due to security concerns—but the crisp, white sand and aqua-blue water were calling to us something wicked. "As soon as this vote goes through—and it will—we can fuck off and have our own private vacation. Just us."

I drew a deep breath, then let it out in a long sigh. "Okay. Yeah, you're right. Once this vote is done, then we're free. Right?"

Neither of the boys answered me, and I knew why. Because that wasn't true. Even if the vote went through with a landslide "yes," we still had the threat of Uriel lurking somewhere out there. Rafe and Jordan were both still the crown heirs to their kingdoms’ thrones, and I was still just Violet Rose Spencer. Orphan. Commoner. Certainly not fit material to become queen of two of the most powerful kingdoms in the world.

Then there was the fact that, come the end of the school year, the guys would graduate and I would have another three years at Arbon Academy. I wasn't one totally prone to pessimism, but the future looked bleak for the three of us.

Happily ever after had never seemed so fucking far away.

Still, I could have died that night in the tunnels or any of the other many times I’d cheated death, so I’d just take my wins where I could. Right now I had two princes, I loved them both and they loved me, and we might actually be on the right side of history.

Continuing through the large estate, we ended up in a corridor that was filled with a bunch of other royals. You could always pick them out. With their designer clothing, perfectly styled hair, and reticent attitudes, the royals were a cast all of their own.

I’d grown so used to being with my friends that I mostly forgot their royal titles, focusing instead on how amazing they all were, but now, it was slapping me in the face that I’d stepped into these sacred, upper echelons of humanity. At least in status and money.

Rafe and Jordan were greeted constantly as we strolled through. Curious glances were thrown my way, but no one really gave a fuck who I was.

“Stop trying to introduce me,” I hissed at Jordan. “No one cares about the nobody.”

He shot me a dark glare. “Say that again, and I’ll have Rafe punish you tonight.”

I scoffed. “I like having my ass spanked, so you all can stop threatening me with that—”

My words choked off when I realized that Felipe and Jax were standing there before us, the queen of the Switzerlands smirking in my direction while I turned all shades of fucking red.

“Are you all ready for the vote?” Felipe asked, taking pity on me and not bringing up the last thing I’d said.

“I’m worried,” Rafe said, looking around the hall. “The monarchs aren’t known for their brains or altruism. What makes us think this is going to go our way?”

Felipe held both hands out, looking calm and relaxed. “Don’t worry. We’ll sweeten it with some excellent trade and tax incentives. After all, there’s a reason I’ve been buying up shares in the world bank, son. Nothing like a bit of debt forgiveness for a country to suddenly see things my way.”

Rafe shook his head while I opened and closed my mouth like a fucking fish. Was he legit?

The world bank was what kept the world functioning by controlling ninety percent of the world’s wealth. If Felipe was a majority shareholder in that…

“Fucking hell. I knew you were stupid rich but this is like… you’re more than just a fucking billionaire,” I muttered to Rafe. “What’s the next level up even called?”

“Trillionaire, I think,” Jordan added, joining in on my whispered conversation.

My stomach lurched and I swallowed hard. Coming from the impoverished upbringing I’d had, that level of wealth was mind blowing. Rafe just laughed—probably at my stunned face—and it was the sort of open, light-hearted sound that I’d never heard from him before. In fact, judging by the way everyone turned toward us, no one had ever heard the prince laugh like that.

“Come on,” he said, shaking his head. “Let’s find our seats.”

As he turned to walk away, Felipe reached out and squeezed my hand. When I turned to him, he mouthed thank you at me, and then released me into the care of his son. My heart was pounding so hard I felt like everyone could hear it.

Was this what true happiness felt like? Fucking addictive.





Our seats were hidden in the crowd of supporting diplomats, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized we wouldn't be required to actually contribute. My guys may be the crown heirs to their kingdoms, but the ruling monarchs were the only ones invited to speak or vote.

As all the kings and queens filed in and took their places, my eyes widened at the impressive display they cut. Each of them wore their crowns like an extension of their body. Even the young monarchs, newly coronated in the aftermath of the Spring Ball earthquake, looked like they’d been born to wear those crowns.

I guess they had been.

Alex searched the room with his gaze, and when he found me, he gave a small nod. Whether that nod meant we're all good, I'll vote yes or I'm holding a grudge and about to make you pay... I had no idea. I could only cross my fingers and hope for the best.

The actual meeting itself went on for hours, with Felipe outlining his proposal for granting the resistance a seat at the big kids’ table and what the ramifications would be for the existing monarchies. Wainwright spoke on behalf of the Society but was then dismissed from the meeting room while the kingdoms discussed his pitch in depth.

Surprisingly, several kingdoms—including The Guays—were vehemently opposed to giving the common people a representative. Maybe Mattie being their ruler wasn’t as big a deterrent as the twins had thought.

When it finally came time to cast votes, my heart was in my throat and I'd bitten all my nails to the quick.

"All in favor?" Felipe asked, and a rush of hands were raised. Too fast for me to count.

"All opposed?" Hands went down, others went up. Fewer. Fewer hands went up, I thought, and not Alex’s. He must have voted yes. Mattie and Nolan’s father, too.

Felipe banged a little wooden hammer and nodded his head. "Motion passed. The Society has gained permission to form a People's Court."

Whatever else he said faded into a rush of voices as people all started talking at once. Whether they were pleased or angry about the outcome, they all wanted to voice an opinion. Me, though? I was in shock.

That’d been so quick. So easy. It was almost unbelievable. Of course, I knew this was only the beginning and that it would take a long time for everything to truly come to fruition, but this was the first step. One in the right direction.

Alex met my eyes across the room and gave a sad smile, then turned away to chat with the young queen of the Britains beside him. I vaguely recognized her as Claudette's younger sister and a friend of Alex's. Maybe there could be something there?

"Fuck yeah!" Nolan whooped as we all made our way out of the conference hall and the twins ran over to meet us. "Told you they'd vote in favor." He smirked as he threw his arm around my neck, and I laughed.

"Gave us a scare for a minute there," I muttered, sharing a smile with Mattie. For the most part, everyone around us was all smiles. I hadn't known just how many of the kingdoms’ elite had wanted a change like this. The common people needed a voice, and it was heartening to see that progressive leaders like Felipe and Jacinta weren't the only ones who agreed.

"So what happens now?" I asked my princes as we wandered back through the estate. "Another fancy dinner or ball or something?"