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

Chapter 17

17

Sy

B arbie was feeling blue, yet her mind actively wandered to the treasure she had left in the House of Chaos. She was worried about thieves, as it took one to know one. I wanted to keep our treasure close too, especially the pink diamond I’d worked so hard for.

After watching the chaos prince cozy up with his betrothed and her inferior copy, Barbie was in no mood or shape to go near the chaos house. I could understand that she didn’t want to receive even more pitiful or scornful looks from her former chaos house members.

That left it up to me to go get the treasure, and I was more than happy to run that errand.

In the dead of night, I took over our form under the shadow of a vast tree. Barbie didn’t micromanage. She withdrew deep within me and let me run wild.

I dashed between the trees, feeling exuberant, passing the white stone building of Infinity Library guarded by two sphinx sculptures. They said the sphinxes moved sometimes at night, but neither Barbie nor I had seen it. I couldn’t feel magic like Barbie, even though I could feel bubbling magic in my belly lately.

A splash of moonlight fell on my face. Wind caught in my long braids. I ran and danced and twirled, celebrating being so alive and wild.

Here’s to another fabulous night of adventure!

I’d seldom come out in my own form, especially in human cities, unless I had to feed or fight to protect us. In Mist of Cinder, I finally had a taste of true life, though I didn’t get to come out to play as often as I craved.

I merged into the shadows of trees and bushes while dashing across the courtyard of the House of Chaos in a blur. Crouching under Barbie’s old room on the sixth floor, I darted my careful gaze around. Once I was sure that no one was looking in my direction, I leapt to a tall branch before swinging up toward Barbie’s room. The window flew open for me, just like before. As soon as I rolled into the room, the house magic twirled around my face in a haze of starlight and whined.

“Miss you too.” I smiled. “Blame your prince, though. But don’t worry—Barbie will visit after she calms down.”

The magic grew more agitated at hearing of Barbie being uncool, sparks of fire going off within the starlight.

“Yeah, yeah, she’ll chill,” I said.

Barbie could barely keep her eyes open within me now. She hadn’t slept well, always plagued by nightmares. I could pull her pain into me, but I couldn’t help her when she had night terrors. It was good that she could get some shuteye now, and I was handling her affairs like a badass. She could count on me.

I headed straight toward the closet, flung it open, and stooped to scoop up the shoebox. It was heavy. I grinned. No one had gotten their claws in Barbie’s treasure. But I intended to double-check and count every piece first.

I carried the shoebox and slid onto the bed, crossing my long legs in a meditative pose, which I’d copied from Barbie. I opened the lid and smiled at all the shinies—not that I coveted them, since they could do nothing for me, but I pictured the beaming look of approval on Barbie’s face when she pawed at the trinkets that I was bringing back for her.

I started to count the pieces the house magic had obtained for Barbie. My fingers plucked out the pink diamond Rowan had given Barbie so he could be with me. It was small, but the color was so pure and lovely. Pink light glinted off it. I studied the diamond, pride brimming in my chest. I’d earned it fair and square. I’d fucked the fae prince good and hard, making him come three times.

Ever since I’d earned Barbie a diamond, her respect toward me had increased tenfold.

I lost count of the pieces of jewelry as my thoughts kept drifting to Rowan, lust humming in my blood. Then I re-counted them, using all my fingers and toes, going back and forth. Before I got to the next toe, the door flew open, and the roguishly good-looking heir of the House of Chaos stood in the doorway, barefoot.

Barbie surged up like a little shark smelling a drop of fresh blood, fully awake now.

I tilted my head to the side, regarding the heir who had broken Barbie’s heart and made her so jaded that she wasn’t even excited about getting to watch me fuck my sugar Rowan later tonight.

The chaos prince’s hair was tousled, as if he’d just rolled out of bed. Had he been fucking another female—his betrothed queen, probably? Rage engulfed me. I’d take down his bitch if she was here. I’d punch her to half-death in front of him, then eat half of her face and leave the other half for all to see. The chaos heir would regret fucking others instead of Barbie. He’d come crawling back to her and beg for her forgiveness. Only then would she fuck him again. And she’d thank me for removing the obstacle for her.

Barbie hissed, her eyes spitting fire. She lurked deeper, but I knew her better than anyone else. When my goddess soul sister was quiet, she was her most dangerous and vicious self. Didn’t they warn about the quiet ones? When Barbie pounced, there’d be a catastrophe.

I grinned at the prospect as I sniffed at the chaos princeling to single out another female’s stench on him. Confusion sparked in my eyes. There was no other woman’s scent on him. Then it dawned on me that he’d rushed here from his bed to catch me. I hadn’t heard him coming even with my superior hearing, because the prince had cloaked himself to sneak in here when he sensed that Barbie had returned.

Barbie was here, of course, but she hadn’t exactly manifested. The two of us had confused Rowan a great deal too, since he’d been in our proximity and intimate with me at the same time. Killian was now showing the same bewilderment. He narrowed his eyes, not liking it.

“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded, menace rolling off him.

I grinned, a bit flirtatiously, as I loved to fool around. I hadn’t had many chances to play, so whenever I was presented with an opportunity, I wasn’t going to pass it by.

Barbie growled.

Wooo, possessive, I purred.

“I’m Sy,” I said. “You must’ve heard of me.”

“No one has heard of you,” he said harshly, then a slow spark of recognition ignited in his storm-blue eyes. “You’re Rowan’s side dish. Wasn’t it you he screwed outside Underhill the other night?”

“So you paid attention and had your eyes on me, prince.” I beamed. “That was a good fuck, but I’m not his side dish. I’m the main dish.”

“Who gives a fuck?” he said, his gaze not even roaming over me, not viewing me as a catch, despite my delightful beauty and super-sexy outfit.

My leather breastplates barely covered my bosom. My waist was slim, which was the current fashion. Mortals and immortals were obsessed with hourglass figures, which I owned without apology. My short leather skirt showcased my supermodel long legs that many females would die for.

“Why are you in Barbie’s room?” he demanded again. “Why the fuck are you carrying Barbie’s scent? Where is she?”

I grinned at him, loving his undivided attention. He was an intense, powerful male, and I fed on such men’s attention.

“So many questions, prince,” I purred. “Where should I start? Which question should I answer first?”

Quit playing, Barbie ordered me. Just put the jewels back in the shoebox, grab the box close to your chest, and get the fuck out of here.

Chill your tits, I said with a shrug. The fun just started.

There’ll be no fun with Killian, dumbass! she said. He’s more brutal and ruthless than he appears. The more you expose yourself in front of him, the more danger you’ll put us in.

Don’t we love a bit of danger? It’s begun to get boring here, I said, offended at being called a dumbass. While you’ve gone soft, I have not. We will show the princeling who’s more dominant. He’ll grovel for all the heartache he dealt you, and he will regret dumping you like last week’s trash.

She bristled, then quieted immediately as she peered out and saw that Killian had become eerily quiet, as if he could hear her or feel her, even though she was hiding within me.

Run! she commanded.

Nay, I countered.

What could she do? She wouldn’t risk shifting to wrestle control from me in front of the chaos prince. I wouldn’t mind letting the cat out of the bag, but Barbie wasn’t ready to let the world see me.

I was her dirty little secret, though she’d promised that one day I wouldn’t be and I would have my own life.

I slid off the bed, swaying my hips and staring brazenly at the chaos prince.

“Barbie sent me,” I said sultrily, thrusting my chest out, but it was wasted on the prince, since he didn’t even bother to check out my impressive double-D cups.

He was a downer, unlike my sugar Rowan. Obviously, the heir of the House of Chaos liked his women hunched and slouching, which was Barbie’s signature pose. I had to constantly remind her to keep her tits up.

The prince’s eyes darkened in suspicion and displeasure as they darted between the jewels and me.

“To fetch her sparkles,” I said, gesturing at the jewels scattered beside the shoebox on the bed. “She said, I quote, ‘No honey, no money.’ She no longer has honey men, so she needs money to get honey men.” I ignored the rumbling sound from the chest of the chaos prince and continued to rile him up. “To level up and catch another man’s interest, Barbie needs money, like for fixing her messy golden curls.”

“Her curls are fine,” said the prince. “And she doesn’t need any man’s attention!”

“There’s no agree to disagree here. There’s only disagree on that,” I countered. “Her curls bounce too much, like boobs, don’t you think?”

I’d given him a hint, yet he was still too dense to check out my spectacular breasts.

“The other princes all want to fuck her,” I said. “She needs to wear these jewels?—”

The chaos prince took an aggressive step toward me, his face stormy, his fists clenched, and his power formidable. “What the fuck did you say?”

Get out of here! Barbie screamed at me.

Chill, chick, I snapped back before meeting the prince’s glare to show him that he didn’t scare me. “Duh, I don’t know why the truth is getting your pants all twisted up. Barbie is a bride candidate, so her ultimate goal, like everyone else’s, is to land a mate, preferably one of the heirs, since they’re all rich and powerful. You’re taken, aren’t you? But Barbie still has the freedom to choose anyone, including the four smoking-hot, sexy-as-fuck princes.” I flashed a smirk at him. “To be honest with you, I’ve been fucking Prince Rowan, but I wouldn’t mind sharing him with my bestie Barbie. You’ve had a threesome with the demon queen and her ward. Barbie is curious about a threesome with Rowan and me.”

The chaos prince’s power hurled toward me before he could leash it. He’d lost his shit at hearing Barbie wanted a threesome. With a curse, he grasped his power to yank it back, but I’d lunged toward his darkness and lightning, letting it slam into the center of my chest.

“No!” the chaos prince said, his face paling as he waited for my corpse to crumple to the floor.

He wasn’t as ruthless as others said.

I stood tall, smirking at him. His lightning and darkness vanished harmlessly within me. Actually, I got a boost, as Barbie fed on them like a cocktail. Once upon a time, the chaos prince’s power could trap her. Now it no longer wanted to do that, as it recognized her, though its owner was too dense to know Barbie was lurking within me, taking his lightning and darkness into the reserves of her greedy well. If he knew that we were the world’s most formidable eaters…

His eyes widened slightly in shock. “There is only one person my power won’t hurt,” he said harshly. “It should be impossible for you to take such a hit, unless Barbie loaned her power to you. And that must be why the house let you in. No one, except Barbie and me, can enter her room without the house’s permission.”

A dark light glinted in my eyes as Barbie edged to the thin surface and peeked out keenly. The heir had just unwisely admitted that his power could harm even his betrothed and Barbie’s copy. He sniffed again and nodded his confirmation. Of course he could smell Barbie, yet I wasn’t her.

“Why didn’t she come in person?” he demanded again, and I swore I could see worry and longing for her in his eyes. “This is still her room. My house will never deny her access.”

“Why would she want to come back after you kicked her out?” I retorted.

“Is that what she thinks?” he barked, but he was barking at the wrong tree.

“What else should she think, Your Highness?” I asked.

“She never mentioned you,” he said.

“Aren’t your cocky?” I said with a shrug. “You think Barbie tells you everything?”

Both Barbie and the chaos prince bristled, which annoyed me. These two probably deserved each other due to their lousy personalities.

“What else hasn’t Barbie told me?” the chaos prince purred in his rich, deep voice, and I shuddered, feeling some kind of thrill and pleasant sensation rushing along my spine until Barbie kicked me in the jaw.

Don’t worry, B, I said. He might be a prince charming, but I’m not dumb enough to offer him free intel. He’ll have to pay for it with a diamond, like my Rowan did.

It was time to retreat now that the chaos prince was poised to interrogate me, and he was in a foul mood. Yet I still gave his masculine physique an appreciative look. I liked the way his navy-blue shirt stretched across his muscled chest, and I could tell how strong his legs were wrapped in his designer slacks.

“You should wear leather pants sometime,” I suggested.

He narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“Barbie likes guys in leather pants. Bikers turn her on,” I lied, and bent to gather the jewels back into the shoebox.

“Leave it,” he ordered me, his eyes smoldering.

“No can do,” I said ruefully. “They belong to Barbie, and she’s waiting eagerly for me to bring her these shinies.”

“If she wants them, tell her to fucking come and get them herself.”

He’d once softened for Barbie, but now they’d broken up, he’d returned to being a hard-ass again.

“My, my,” I said. “But Barbie won’t step an inch into your house again. She doesn’t want to be near a certain person, and you have no authority over her, since she’s no longer a member of your house.”

The house magic whined.

It’s not personal, house, I offered. Barbie has no quarrel with you. She loves you, and we’ll protect you with our last breaths when the day comes.

“You aren’t taking anything of hers. You’re lucky that I haven’t thrown you into the dungeon for breaking into my house, and that’s only because you’re her friend.”

“Like how your king father threw Barbie into the dungeon and sent six waves of assassins so he could serve her head to his queen on a silver platter?” I asked viciously, and the chaos prince’s jaw clenched. “And believe me, princeling, you don’t want to throw me into your dungeon. I won’t just shatter the cage; I’ll fuck with whoever cages Barbie and me for eternity, and there’ll be no dignity in death for them.”

“You and what army?” He grinned mercilessly, ready to confine me. The prince didn’t bow to any threat.

“Barbie, is that you?” a voice called cheerfully.

Then two people showed up at the doorway. Cami peeked in first, then Rock followed her. Then they both narrowed their eyes at me.

“Who the hell are you?” Rock demanded.

“Why are you in Barbie’s room?” Cami asked in displeasure, her distrustful gaze darting between her prince, me, and the jewels on Barbie’s bed.

“His Highness caught a thief.” Rock whistled. “Now she’s going nowhere.”

“She’s going somewhere, werewolf.” I smirked. “I’m no thief. I’m Barbie’s bestie. We’re two peas in a pod.”

Rock narrowed his eyes further. “If you’re a pea in Barbie’s pod, then why has she never mentioned you?”

“Barbie is a very private person,” I told him.

Rock snorted.

“She’s made a lot of new friends in the House of Mages,” I protested. “She’s the most popular bride candidate.”

“Tell that to Princess Grace,” Cami said, rolling her eyes at me. “They call her Barbie 2.0.”

“An inferior copy,” I said. “I’ll put her down and eat her, starting from her stupid, boring-colored eyeballs.”

The chaos prince, his cousin, and the werewolf stared at me.

“I have a to-eat list,” I bragged. “Barbie 2.0 is at the top. I’ve eaten a lot of sentient beings, but Barbie won’t let me eat them in this realm.”

Shut up! Barbie barked, but I was holding the reins now, and no one silenced me!

Something flashed in Rock’s eyes. He could relate to my eating habits. We should compare notes.

“Fuck, she isn’t lying,” said the werewolf.

Cami’s jaw dropped, yet she didn’t back off. Nor did she put distance between us. Barbie had told me that every supernatural was dangerous, but we were at the top rung of being dangerous. I licked my lips and flashed them a savage grin.

The chaos prince folded his muscled arms over his cut chest, studying me instead of attacking me, trying to find a crack in my armor while his tight circle asked clever questions to gain insight and get my guard down.

“So, you came to the realm with Barbie?” the prince asked in a deceptively soft voice.

Don’t tell him anything, Barbie warned. The more you talk, the more mistakes you’ll make. Take off!

I growled back. I didn’t like to be told what to do, but she was right about exiting.

“This place is getting crowded,” I said. “No wonder Barbie had a hard time in this house. She didn’t even have breathing room.”

“She had fun with us.” Rock growled. “She even laughed at midnight.”

I waggled my brows. “Maybe you’re confusing laughing with screaming, werewolf?”

Barbie had night terrors very often.

“How did you meet Barbie?” the chaos prince asked, his suspicious gaze darting to my pointed ears again. “And which house did you say you’re from?”

I could pass as fae, by my scent was different, and I also carried part of Barbie’s scent.

“Your Highness.” Cami cleared her throat. “We can continue to interrogate this thief.” She gestured at me. “Queen Lilith and her ward are in the house, asking for you.” She sighed exasperatedly. “It concerns Barbie. They’ve found evidence of her association with?—”

She paused and darted me a look. Barbie and Cami had become friendly. Even as a princess, Cami had no chance of ascending the throne, but she was content to stay in her cousin’s shadow. And now, she’d intentionally let this information slip so I could pass the message to Barbie. Our past kept trying to catch up with us. It was only a matter of time until shit blew up in our faces.

Barbie sat upright, paying rapt attention, her gaze fixed on the chaos heir without him knowing that she was right here with us. Yet he watched me with unnerving predatory focus, as if he could sense her in me. I wondered if he could hear two heartbeats within me; the panicked, erratic one belonged to Barbie. But he seemed to be listening, trying to make sense of it, his face unreadable.

“Tell Queen Lilith and her ward to seek out Cade instead of me,” the chaos heir said roughly, “as Barbie is no longer a member of my house.”

I felt a sting of heartache from Barbie at the chaos prince’s rejection, even though he was stating a fact. Barbie now had nothing to do with him and his house.

“Queen Lilith has rounded up Lady Ethel and all the other heirs to develop a new security measure for the academy,” Cami said, sighing. “Also, she’s added her ward into the pool of the Brides Selection.”

A move against Barbie. I bit my lip in fury, a bad habit I’d learned from her that was difficult to get rid of. While everyone was momentarily distracted by the news of the demon queen’s arrival, I tossed several jewels into the shoebox, grabbed it, and charged toward the French door.

“Stop!” the prince heir shouted. “I’m not done with you.”

I grinned at him over my shoulder. “You are now, babe.”

Barbie hissed, Do not call him babe.

I blinked innocently. Should I call him honey, or hon for short then?

The prince charged at me, but I’d dashed through the room like a flash and leapt out of the French door. I touched down in a crouch, planting one hand on the grass, which was Barbie’s favorite move and now mine. I was all about adapting and copying the best.

The chaos prince stared down, and behind him, Rock and Cami peered down at me as well. I tilted my head to look up at the prince, a taunting grin growing wider on my full lips.

“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to entertain your beloved , princeling?” I asked.

“Mind your own fucking business,” he threatened me. “I’ll find you, Sy, and you’ll tell me everything I want to know.”

My name sounded so rough from his lips, the opposite of how Rowan said my name in lustful worship. Pissed, I raised my fist and flipped him the bird.

I felt invincible. I felt wild. I felt cool.

Then my grin dropped as the damned chaos prince flashed the shoebox, which was in his grip. He hadn’t caught me, but he’d snatched Barbie’s treasure while I jumped. What a sneaky bastard! He was faster than he had the right to be.

“Tell Barbie to fucking come get it herself instead of sending an errand girl,” he called.

An errand girl?

“She doesn’t want to be near the likes of you, Snowflake,” I growled, not caring that no one ever dared to call him Snowflake. He’d hurt Barbie, and he deserved to be humiliated.

“Then she won’t get her treasure,” the chaos heir said, dangling a handful of jewelry at me before he examined a pink diamond between his thumb and finger.

“Prince Rowan gave Barbie that pink diamond,” Cami said.

“For what?” the chaos heir asked harshly, jealousy in his dark expression.

“You’d like to know, wouldn’t you?” I whispered, my voice barely audible, but I knew the powerful heir could catch my words. “You don’t deserve her. You used her then discarded her like she was trash, but you have no idea what kind of gem she is. Barbie is one of a kind, like me. We’re the two baddest bitches, superior to any other, including your queen and your new squeeze. But you can’t see us, as you’re fucking blind. She’s the wind, and you won’t break her. Not even a god can. And a pretty face isn’t everything.”

I rose to my feet and dashed away from the House of Chaos.

Zoooom! The wind tousled my hair. The moonlight caressed my face.

I didn’t get Barbie’s jewel tonight, but I could try again. There was always tomorrow, and our fight wasn’t over.

I would work harder to earn more diamonds.

I headed toward Underhill, my gait confident and brisk, while I whistled a tune that I’d once heard from the vampire prince.

Hurry up, Sy, I told myself gleefully. You have someplace to go and a hot prince to fuck.