After failing as a vampire hunter, 17-year-old Cleo is sent to an academy full of vampires as a false peace treaty. Her true objective is supposed to be finding the hidden heir to the dark world while befriending the current one, but the current hei...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Felix's words made my blood run cold. I glanced around the hallway, hoping Claude was already long gone, and couldn't have overheard Felix. But fortunately, the hall seemed void of princes. When Felix opened his mouth to say more I grabbed the collar of his shirt, using an impressive amount of strength to haul him into one of the empty classrooms.
I slammed the door behind us, locking it, and whirled around to face him. "You were eavesdropping on me?"
"I wasn't eavesdropping," he denied, smoothing out the wrinkles I'd made in his shirt. "You know, I could get used to you manhandling me—"
"Felix," I said, giving him a hard look.
"I just wanted to make sure you weren't in danger."
"Danger?" I repeated, my hands clenching into fists. "Didn't I tell you I would be fine? He's my father—"
"And he hit you. And threatened to disclaim you for not following through with his orders."
So, Felix had heard everything. And seen everything. Anxiety began to creep through my body, causing my stomach to churn. I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of this one. It was bad enough that Claude had heard my father order me to kill him, but Felix had heard everything. Directly from my father's mouth. I couldn't deny anything. But what would Felix do with that information? Would he tell Claude? Would he tell Evander? Would he use it to blackmail me somehow? What would happen now?
"Cleo, don't worry," Felix said, breaking me from my thoughts. "I'll keep your secrets. I'm not going to tell anyone."
I stared at him in disbelief. "How am I supposed to believe you?"
A flash of hurt shot across his face and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Didn't you say you trusted me?"
"You invaded my privacy by following me and listening in on my conversation, Felix."
"And I told you I only did it because I concerned about your safety," he retorted. "Are you really going to be mad at me about that?"
My mouth almost fell open. "Why are you turning this back on me?"
"I just told you I wouldn't tell your secrets. I don't see what is so bad about me wanting to make sure you were safe. I didn't know your father would discuss such things so openly in the middle of enemy territory. That's not my fault," he shot back.
The hard edge to his voice made me falter. "I... I'm not mad that you worried about my safety."
"What are you mad about then? That I heard something that could ruin your friendship with your favorite prince if I said something?"
My body tensed before my mind could catch up. I squeezed my hands into fists, staring hard at the floor. "It's not that."
Felix noticed my response and he rolled his eyes. "So, it is that. I'm not going to say anything to him. What would I gain from that?"
