House of Mages and Raven (Shades of Ruin and Magic #4)

Chapter 13

13

Barbie

O n my third day in the dungeon, there’d been six attempts on my life. Rock and Cassius prevented each endeavor—they were just that good. Rock also insisted on my only eating the food he brought, even though poisons wouldn’t work on me unless it was the Seed of Heaven, or something like that.

When the queen’s guards had tried to take away the blanket Cassius brought me while I slept in a corner on the ground, he almost gutted them. Cassius was lord of assassins, and I was thankful that he was on my side.

Killian hadn’t visited me once, but I heard that he’d put a stop to the idea of torturing me. He put the word out that whoever dared to torture me would suffer tenfold and more. I appreciated this the most, since I had a low tolerance for pain. Whenever Sy took the pain meant for me into her, I broke a little more every time.

On the seventh day, I was released from the dungeon of Kingdom of Chaos. I didn’t look too bad, as Killian and his team had made sure of it. Rock escorted me back to the academy, and Prince Cade and his mage entourage waited at the end of the leyline, a spark in his turquoise eyes, a grin on his handsome face.

A river of metaphysical energy rolled across the leyline before it shut down. The magical wind tussled the mage prince’s wine-red hair. My golden curls also bounced in the air current.

“Barbie!” Cade called, as if he was pleased at spotting me at the flea market. “Congratulations—you’ve officially been transferred to the House of Mages, where you truly belong.”

In a nutshell, I was kicked out of the House of Chaos.

This time, Killian hadn’t fought for me to be in his house. He’d let me go. I’d done a lot of thinking in the dungeon, sussing out my feelings about the situation. Yes, we’d fucked each other, but it didn’t mean that we owed each other any promises.

This was a clean break. It’d take time for me to heal, but I’d heal.

At least you fucked him and fed on him a couple of times, Sy said. Not all is lost. We’ll have a good time with Cade. He’ll feed us as well.

Cassius had disappeared like a silent shadow as soon as I was safe on the academy grounds. Rock and Archer still hung back.

“Should I go back to my former room in the House of Chaos to pack my stuff?” I asked.

“No need. Everything is taken care of, including your new house uniform,” Cade said. “You’ll stay in the spare room next to my penthouse.”

“What about the s—smutty books and the rocking chair in my old room?” I asked. “I like them.”

What I was really worried about was the jewelry in my shoebox. I bit my lip and vowed to hunt down anyone who dared poach my treasure. I might not be a dragon, but I was just as possessive when it came to my shinies.

“Those smutty books were returned to their rightful owners,” Archer said. “They had no idea how those books ended up in your room. The rocking chair belongs to Prince Killian.”

“That sucks, man,” I said. “Now I’m back to square one and own nothing.”

“Don’t pout, Barbie,” Rock said. “Even though you’re now a member of another house, you’ll always be one of us. That room will always be yours. The house magic refuses to let anyone except His Highness enter your room. You can sleep over in your old room any time. I heard that the House of Vampires, the House of Shifters, and the House of Fae have also made the same arrangement. No house can lock you out anyway, and you don’t need to raid any of the houses, especially the kitchens. But officially, you’re now a mage and will live in the House of Mages.”

“Let’s go.” Cade waved his wand. “You’re now under my protection, Barbie. And you’ll obey my every order.”

“Even bad orders?” I asked, following him gingerly.

“Especially the bad ones,” he said cockily.

“See you around, Barbie,” Rock said, then gave a bow to Cade while Archer pointed a finger at me. “Stay out of trouble.”

I watched the chaos team take off, and my heart ached.