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“After I sent word to Sie to come get you, he carried you back to your dorm. He said that once you were there, you kept complaining about how hot it was. Before he could stop you, you apparently started stripping down. That was right before you vomited everywhere.”
He laughed as my mortification grew. “Relax, nothing else happened. He cleaned you up and gave you fresh clothes. You fell asleep before you could embarrass yourself more.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening. My hand instinctively grabbed my neck as I swallowed. I couldn’t decide what bothered me more. The fact that Sie carried me home—carriedfor crying out loud—or the fact that I had taken off my dress in front of him, and then vomited while beingnaked. Sie telling Peter was just the cherry on top.
I also couldn’t shake the comment about Sie seeing tons of naked girls. It shouldn’t bother me, so why did it? It did, however, answer my question about the rumors of Sie being experienced in that regard.
Of course he had been with tons of people. He had been a known rank five ever since he was little, making him famous in Tennebris. That, along with his annoyingly handsome face and tall lithe body, must make females throw themselves at him.
“I’ve never seen Sie so dopey before. I guess he saw before everyone else that you have a nice body underneath all the guard gear and male clothing you usually wear. I can see now why he was so happy.”
Peter pointed toward the thin material of my dress. I shifted on my feet. “Are you mocking me?”
“Only a little,” he said, grinning, exposing his two deep dimples as he placed a glass of champagne in my hand. “Don’t worry, Scottie. I’ll make sure you don’t drink too much, and I’ll make sure your clothes stay on, even though I’m sure half the males in this room wouldn’t mind if they didn’t,” he added.
I gave Peter the nastiest glare I could muster, but it dropped as my mind started to race.
Remembering Sie’s words,I don’t want you to get hurt because of me,and how his lips were so close to mine on the monorail ride. Then remembering how he told me he didn’t care about a wife. How he thought that me being chosen was a setup, that I wasn’t an appropriate match for him.
Then my traitorous mind went to all the females throwing themselves at him right now, even though this banquet was supposed to celebrate our betrothal. Sick of my thoughts being consumed by him, I put the champagne glass to my lips and drank deeply.
The liquid fizzed as it went down my throat. It was sweet—nothing like the vodka and beer I had at the party.
“You better keep your word,” I said as I finished my drink. “I’m sure your Prince wouldn’t be happy to have his future wife embarrassing him.”
Peter returned my words with a smile, and despite myself, I found myself smiling back at him. He went to open his mouth to say something when someone came up behind him.
“Peter,” the male purred as he placed a hand on his shoulder. “And this lovely female must be Princess Rumor?”
“It’s Scottie,” I said to the male. He smiled at me as he shook out his coppery hair. He wasn’t built like a fighter, not in the way Peter and Sie were. But even though he was more lanky than lean, he had an aggressive arrogance to him. I couldn’t tell if it was cockiness or confidence. The four branded on his wrist told me enough, that even if he didn’t physically train, he was powerful.
“Nice to meet you, Scottie. I’m Alec. Friend of Sie, Peter, and our dear Reagan. I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you now.”
Peter stiffened next to me. The gesture suggesting they weren’t friends. Alec assessed me as he drank from his glass. There was a gleam in his eyes as his gaze raked over my body.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sie stalking straight toward us, his eyes more narrow than usual. The girls he’d left behind all looked disappointed. Especially Reagan, who was now glaring at me as she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulders.
“Peter. Alec.” Sie sneered under his breath, voice low and raw. Some silent conversation must have gone on between them because Peter and Alec both looked at Sie, nodded, then left without saying a word.
Once the two of them walked off, Sie turned his attention to me. “Don’t talk to Alec.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he said, taking a step closer. “Don’t talk to him.”
“I don’t take orders from you.” I crossed my arms as I looked up at him, my empty glass now dangling from my hand.
He huffed and I couldn’t tell if it was in amusement or irritation, maybe both. “I’m surprised to see you drinking again.”
My eyes narrowed at the audacity of him. “Like I said, I don’t take orders from you. If you’re worried about me embarrassing you, you should have picked someone else to marry.”
“I wasn’t trying to tell you not to drink. I was just surprised.” When I didn’t answer, he added, “On the contrary, I find you quite amusing when you drink. You’re not so uptight.” He almost smiled, taking me in. “I don’t mind the less-clothing thing too.” It was as if he’d heard the conversation Peter and I had moments before. “I like the dress,” he added.
“I bet you do. I was told you picked it out, so I guess I have you to thank for all the stares not directed at my face tonight.”
I shifted uncomfortably as his own gaze briefly drifted to what I’d implied.
He turned serious, the half smile dropped from his face as he said, “You shouldn’t let your guard down, not yet. I don’t trust anyone here, and neither should you.”
