Playboy Princes (Royals of Arbon Academy, #2)(32)

“What the fuck was that all about?” I demanded, whirling in my seat to confront Alex. “What the hell did you do, you shady bastard?”

“Me?” He spread his hands out like he had no idea what I was talking about. Damn, I wanted to hurt him. Physically. “I think you’re starting to see monsters in every closet, Violet. Maybe Matisse’s mother just wanted to check in on her daughter.”

I stared at him for a long moment, searching desperately for that devil inside—the devil I knew to be inside—but he had seriously the best game face I’d ever seen. If I didn’t loathe him so much, I could have learned a thing or two.

“Bullshit,” I spat. I slammed my textbook closed, having not understood a single word, and stuffed it in my own bag. My chair scraped the floor sharply as I pushed back from the table, and Alex’s hand shot out to grab my wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

My eyes narrowed into a poisonous glare. “Anywhere but here. Got a problem? Tell the dean. I’ll be sure to tell him you’ve been sleeping around with Claudette and endangering her betrothal to Rafe. You know, the most powerful heir in the world? Yeah. Let’s see how that goes down.” I forcefully yanked my wrist out of his grip. “Don’t fucking touch me again, Alex. You make me sick.”

I made it all of three steps away from the study desk before his chair crashed to the ground. A shocked gasp was all that left my lips as he grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed me face first into a bookshelf. It was more a power move than anything intended to injure me, and despite the dull ache in my eyebrow I didn’t think it’d leave a lasting mark.

Fuck, I wanted to make him pay for that cowardly move, though. But I knew it wasn’t that easy. Resorting to physical violence against a prince would not solve my problems. I needed to be smarter than that to win this battle. I needed to think long term, beyond the short satisfaction of beating the shit out of him. For now, that meant letting him manhandle me and allowing him the illusion that I was some helpless, scared little girl.

Alex’s psychotic chuckle rolled over me as he pressed his body to my back, crushing me against the shelves in an attempt to prove who was in charge. Hot tip, it wasn’t me.

Not right now, anyway.

“Silly little Violet,” he murmured, his lips caressing my earlobe even as his grip on my hair tightened to the point of painful. “You seem to have forgotten your place. Maybe someone needs to leave an anonymous tip with the Swiss Guard. It’s quite the crime for a commoner to own a steel bladed weapon, don’t you know? Especially at a college full of royal heirs.” He tsked in the most condescending way that made my blood boil.

“That would fuck both of us, Alex,” I reply, clenching my teeth with anger. I remained dead still, not trying to buck him off or punch his lights out. Why play my hand when all he wanted to do was assert a bit of pissy dominance? I’d learned a long time ago that my pride was only damaged if I allowed it.

For what seemed like the thousandth time, I reminded myself that my problems couldn’t be solved by beating the ever-loving crap out of him. A move like that only ended one of two ways. Either I killed him, and then I was responsible for killing the crown heir of Australasia… Or I didn’t, and it just made my own situation worse with his petty anger and revenge tactics. Nope, right now, as much as I hated it, Alex held too much power over me and my freedom.

He hummed a thoughtful sound. “But would it? Stupid, lovesick Rafe would never let them execute you, and I bet it’d be really easy to get them to release you into my custody.”

My stomach churned, and nausea made me dizzy. Custody would give him total control over my life—where I went, who I spoke to, what I spent my money on. But then again, was that really any different from his current plan to make me his personal baby machine?

“Of course, it doesn’t have to be like that, Violet.” He released my hair and spun me around to face him. “All I need to know is that you’re not going to cause any trouble for me. The lottery has run this way for generations and is controlled by much bigger players than you or I. Don’t make waves because your feelings are hurt.”

I seethed. “So, sit down and look pretty? That’s what I’m expected to do?”

He laughed, throwing his head back with mirth. “Oh, babe. No. I also expect you to spread your legs on cue. Think you can handle that?”

Vomit threatened to come up. “I think I’d prefer to take my chances with the Swiss Guard, thanks.” I tried to slide out from between him and the bookcase, but he pressed his body harder against me, trapping me.

This time when he laughed, it was that awful, dark sound. His villain laugh, as I was starting to think of it. “You gonna force my hand, Violet? You didn’t have any problems taking my cock two weeks ago. You were practically begging for it, as I remember.” His hips rocked into me, and I realized with utter revulsion how hard he was.

“I thought I was in love with you two weeks ago, Alex,” I hissed at him, my words dripping with scorn. “Or with the person you pretended to be. Now I know better, so get the fuck away from me before I make you.”

His mocking smile said it all. Sure he’d heard gossip about Violence; he’d even connected the dots and correctly guessed she was me. But he hadn’t witnessed my fight firsthand. He hadn’t seen the bloody pulp I’d reduced my nameless, faceless opponent to… all the while picturing it was Alex. He was a damn fool.