eep dip. "Does my very presence offend you that much, or are you still only focusing on the d

is head down slightly to look at me, but the second his eyes c

ea for someone such as

like me?"

shing it immediately after. "I thought you

time. "Well, I am, but I do wonder what you meant

over her own mouth." He said, his eyes dipping to my lips before he quickly lo

without another word or glance, he released me like touching me was causing him pain and rushed up the stairs

e room I seemed to take the fir

g called from behind me and I s

back over the music and I broke into as close to a sprint as possible in my shoes until I r

d looked her up and down, making sure she hadn't been harmed in any way. "Wow, Greer." I said lowly. "You look amazing." She beamed with the praise and did a l

nd on my shoulder. "Look at y

nette beside her. I was planning to ignore them, but I get a little testy when I'm hungry. "Is there something you want to say to

descending tone. "Bit conceited of you to assume we were talking about yo

about that girl's attitude was making my blood boil. I ca

at my arm, taking me away from the table. "What are you

the other direction and I shrugged whic

we were far enough away that they couldn't hear us. "The short brunette one beside her is Frank

heir names away to my memo

, that face that telling me I was not going to like

wasn't. Apparently I only have bad luck, so my nemesis following me

inted up to the royal table. "She's a

eady made the place her own. Even at nine years old she was a demon. Regina had always been downright nasty to Greer and me, and I was sure she was just going to love Tessa. "I need something to eat." I rolled my eyes and stomped o

eing saved for the vampires instead. Did they tell you what happens if we lose?" I shudder at the thought, b

cally slammed my plate on the buffet and turned to her.

n the last Friday of every month until there's just one of us left." She said with a shake in her voice. "I don't think he liked me,

eer. I'm sure he did like you, he'd be stupid not to. I bet he was like t

eer. I'm sure he did like you, he'd be stupid not to. I bet he was like t

ispered, peeking up un

he king said he couldn't leave until after he'd danced with one

asn't the only reason." She grumbled. "

she was bringing it up. "She beco

The prince is going to turn whoever wins, Rosaly

n disgust, but Gree

's handmaiden told

sn't it? We get booted out and we die, or we win, then get used as a human incubato

lyn?" Greer called out, a

drinks. "Sorry." I apologized, helping him steady the tray, then I grabbed one of the glasses and walk

at the elevator and went up one level. When I exited the elevator my head began to feel funny, like my mind was fuzzy and my fingers were numb. I began walking through the tangles of passage ways in the dark,

ng my way out of the darkness. "Excuse

I hadn't even seen him move. He was muscular and very tall and l

"Pretty little thing like you shouldn't be running around here alone. Hasn't

..." My head

y neck, brushing the hair away. "I promise

ce boomed through the corridor, stealing my breath m

wall behind him. "Prince Calvin." He said in a shocked tone. "I was

e shouted, and a second later three men appeared from nowhere. "Take this man away, charge him with treason." He said dismissively. "He intended to

int." I said stupidly, f

me. He looked down at me questioningly, then he blinked slowly and shook hi

f, shaking my head. "I most ce

k the drinks they serve at those horrible parties. They have enough elixirs in them to make

can sit down on the ground in this dress. It's

y. "Sit." He repeated pointing at the ground. My heart was in a frenzy in my chest. I slid down the wall and sat on the ground, my legs stretched out in front of me, while he leaned against

ie at the hands of a vampire sooner or later, right? Or I guess it'll be their fangs." I mutter

eiling. "Vampires don't really have fangs

ow do y

so very rarely drink from an actual person. We have blood delivered to us." He wa

ant to be me. Everything I've been told has been a lie, and I didn't even get anything to eat while I was down there because I got so upset, which really sucks because I saw cobbler. I just wanted to go back to my horribly pi

o the real reason you're upset is because you're hungry and your room is pink?" He couldn't help smile

part about me being prisoner here until I die, but yeah. I'm still fr

He asked suddenly, looking

uestioned, feeling confused by this whole encou

cally. "I didn't realize that

k?" I huffed cr

d staring at

ore. There was no saying he wasn't easily

?" I asked, and he lifted his eyes to look at

y one who isn't thrilled with this 'compl

I whis

ked over to me, e

He looked down at me for a short moment. "I'm sorry this is happening to you." He whispered so low I hardly heard him, then he looked away, dropping my hand. "Guards!" He called out and two men appeared from the left corridor. "Levi, would

d evening, miss?" L

ve minutes alone just to get back to the elevators with how slow I was moving, feeling deflated. Apparently I was supposed to go

He bowed his head to

open my door I

s replaced with deep, royal blue silk. Everything in the room that was pink when I left,

dle of the room with a large bowl of cobbler beside a plate piled high

cobbler and try

was certainly harder than

before finally giving in around two in the morning and going to sleep. Fern had done as she promised by get

setting the tray of breakfast out on the table. "That's alright though, Miss, the other girls are too. That's why they've decided to move up the meeting for you

eet over to the table. "What meeting

, and that type of thing. After that you're all free to do whatever you please,

ially after the mention of the prince made me choke on my toast p

was another knock on the door. Fern rushed over to open it and a man came in carrying an obnoxiously large bouq

. "You must have really made an impressio

peonies all beautifully arranged. I ran my h

e my heart do this weird fluttering thing

over one of my shoulders, and they did my makeup again, but this time a little less dramatically. I picked out a flowy litt