Vengeance (The Prince's Games Book 1) by Rebecca Grey (electric book reader TXT) 📕

"You're going to make my ears start bleeding if you don't stop complaining. I don't care about the damn turf war or whatever thing is going on here. I only care about getting you into Hedda's building so that I can then get back on my ship that's going to get me the hell out of The Bend. Move faster." Then I bite my lip, because I've said too much. I doubt there is any way that she could use this information against me. For a split moment it had felt like we were just two girls shooting the wind, complaining about the woes of our lives. She isn't an Orc and I'm not a Human. We're just women stuck in our sucky lives with no one else to talk to.

The group of Elves have moved across the street. I'm glad for the space between us. More so when they start their whistling and hollering at us. "How about the two of you come over and have some fun with us?" One of them is ballsy enough to shout. The one who had puked up his guts earlier is now lying on the ground next to the group. He groans a little as he tries to lift his head to look at us.

"Fuck off!" I growl and give them an obscene gesture.

They chuckle, turning back to their conversations. Then the Orc starts to talk again. "What's she even going to do with me, huh?" Her pace is painfully slow.

"Hell would I know?"

"You came to get me and you don't even know what she's gonna do. Did you not promise me that I'd be safe if I cooperated? Could you even promise me that at all?" Her voice pitches higher with every question. "I can't believe I came with you. I'm so stupid. I'm gonna die tonight, I just know it."

"You're not going to die." But I do place my hand on her back and nudge her a little bit faster. Sooner we get there the sooner this painful conversation can end. Sooner I can find an actual bathroom.

The moment we slip under the flickering street lamp and into Hedda's building, we are met with a resounding cheer. Marcello throws his hands up over his head and then snaps his fingers at Hedda, who looks more smug than surprised that I'd just done what I did. Juilliard bumps his fist against Marcello as they skip down the stairs to meet us at the door.

"I knew you could do it." Marcello pushes aside the Orc girl and grabs me by the shoulders. My hood falls off the top of my head as he shakes me. "I'm so happy I could kiss you right now."

"Don't." I shove a hand out, pushing him roughly against his chest. I ignore the idea of it and the way it makes my body buzz with anticipation.

Marcello doesn't move. "It's just a metaphor, love. I don't intend on going through with it unless you ask nicely." Then he turns, pointing Hedda toward the girl next to us. The Orc wraps her arms around her stomach, looking around as if something might jump from any corner and bite her. And it very well could. "She did it, now you have no other choice than to uphold your word and join our team. Glad to have you. Best shot in all of Pacifica."

Pacifica is the name for the entirety of the land we live on. Both The Oasis and The Bend are a part of Pacifica, though they're so different I've never bothered to use the name to unite the two places.

Part of me has to wonder if Hedda knows anything about the Resistance or the fact that Mica has something to do with an uprising against the king. Maybe I’ll sell her the information at some point. Maybe I’ll keep it to myself for now.

"That took you long enough. If I knew you were going to take so long I would have bought myself a room to pass the time." Juilliard starts to slip my cloak off, reaching for his still tied to my back.

"You're not getting this cloak back," I whisper to him.

He stops, frowning for a moment before he simply rolls his eyes and wads my old cloak up into a ball. "Very well. Keep it. But I'm getting rid of this ratty old thing. I'll buy another."

"Good boy," I reply as Hedda crosses her arms and looks the Orc up and down.

"Picked a pretty one. Pretty enough." Hedda wrinkles her nose. "Girl, go up the stairs and to your right and go wait in my office for further instructions. I'll send someone up to get you when the time is right." The Orc sighs, staying pretty composed even though her eyes shine as if she might cry as she leaves us to head for the stairs. Hedda extends a hand. "Marcello, you rich bastard, you have yourself a deal."

Marcello's hand, his robotic hand, claps against Hedda's and they shake on it. He keeps his hand in hers as he spins her around. "Go pack your bags, babe!" Marcello certainly has a thing for calling women by pet names.

I lean closer to Juilliard to pick my hood back up and cover my ears. "Where is the bathroom?"

He points a hand to the corner of the room where a small hall descends into darkness. Of course that's the bathroom.

"Perfect. I'll be right back. Wait for me." It's not a question, it's a demand. He should not be leaving me alone.

"I make no promises," Juilliard snips back but he plucks his unfinished cigar from his pocket and props himself against the wall to wait. That's good enough for me.

I make my way through the crowd, slipping into the spaces that appear between people and disappearing before anyone can