Prince of Blood | 18+

Chapter 2: Rouge Me, Rouge You

PATIENCE

I left the main hall like I always did. Calmly, with not an inkling of emotion on my face. But this time, as I brushed past Wrath, his Sin didn't reach for me and my Virtue remained untouched.

And we all know what they say about the calm before the storm.

Once we reached camp, I'd have nothing to defend myself with but my Virtue. And some of the other Unholy beings liked to play nasty too. There were monsters worse than us Sins and Virtues and I shuddered at the thought of a season spent with faces I hadn't seen for centuries. If it were possible, I'd pack weapons in my suitcase: sharp blades and an even sharper Cruor. But they'd be ripped from me the second we reached Althea and Penum.

Instead, I folded my things neatly into the open suitcase already waiting for me in my room. It was made of thick velvet in the deepest shade of burgundy. The fabric seemed to come alive beneath my fingertips as I undid the zips and locks, carefully organising weeks' worth of clothes into the compartments.

A knock tore through my thoughts.

Pandora hung by the door, a nervous smile on her lips. "Patience?"

"Hi," I greeted, dragging the full suitcase off my bed.

It was hard not to stare. I'd never seen her so stable, so confident. Because that's what Beast was to her—stability. That's what mates were supposed to be.

Something shifted in the corner of my eye and I turned just as Wrath shoved the last of his clothes into his suitcase. It was a messy pile of black shirts and black trousers.

Black, black, black.

That's all the man wore.

Still, I couldn't help but sigh at how unorganised his bag was. If he shifted the suitcase the tiniest bit to the left, all of his clothes would come tumbling—

Out.

"Beast thought that sending Wrath to camp would be punishment for the way he treats you. But where Wrath goes you go and somehow it feels like this isn't really a punishment for Wrath anymore."

I barely heard her—because right then, Wrath's fists clenched by his side, a growl of annoyance ripping through his chest at the pool of ebony fabric by his feet.

And then his eyes landed on mine.

Even though we had meters between us, I could have sworn to have felt his gaze through my clothes.

I couldn't close my door fast enough.

"No," I replied, turning my attention to her. She looked at me warmly with a sharp inkling of guilt. "It's fun for him."

Pandora's eyebrows drew together. "Fun?"

I nodded, pretending to busy myself with my luggage. "He gets a kick out of it."

Her face relaxed and she pressed her lips together almost like she was holding in a smile. "Beast has arranged for a Rook so—"

"A Rook?" I interrupted, excitement bubbling in my chest. "An actual Rook?"

Pandora laughed, blood rushing to her cheeks in excitement. "Yes! I'd never seen one before today but Beast showed me and I..."

She continued on, her eyes glittering as she spoke. It was the way Beast's name rolled off the tip of her tongue, the way her face brightened at the mention of him that convinced me.