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

me? Why would I want to get to know you?" I can't help the roll of my eyes. "You sound like some hopeless romantic. Love like that doesn't exist."

"It doesn't exist with the wrong people."

"And you think you're the right person?" A playful annoyance edges my voice. I'm not some here and now girl for him to fall in love with.

"I never said that I plan on falling in love with you." He snickers and motions me forward. When I near, he turns me around and I move stiffly.

"What are you doing?" I hiss.

"Covering your eyes. It's a surprise, you idiot."

His fingers cover up my line of sight and I squeeze my eyes shut. My back presses into his chest, my heels scrape the ground as I shuffle each step to go where he leads.

"Call this a trust exercise," he says softly, and I know his mouth is close to my ear.

"I don't trust you," I say just as quietly back.

"That's why you have to practice now, before the game starts tomorrow."

Wind whistles through buildings. I expect the same painful cold wind like The Bend would provide, but the breeze only carries the slightest nip of a chill against my exposed leg. My fingers lightly hold Marcello's arms over my eyes so I can cling to him should he try to throw me over the edge of the building.

"Why do I get the feeling that you fall in love with women every night and then fall out of love in the morning when you wake up?" I ask, my mouth lifting in a smirk.

Marcello chuckles under his breath. "After Lily, I've never loved again."

"I find that hard to believe." He tugs me to a stop.

"I've had my share of women, don't get me wrong. But love is a strong word I wouldn't use so frivolously." His chest heats my back, with no air between us. "I'm going to remove my hands in… three... two... one."

The moment his hands lift from my face I snap my eyes open. My next inhale catches in my throat. There is nothing but gray in the cloud filled sky. But lights twinkle like stars as far as the eye can see. Different shades of yellow, white and occasionally additional colors of red or green flash somewhere on the paved streets.

He steps back, walking calmly to my side as I stare out at the city. The building next to us blocks our view to the left, but that doesn't matter when I can see everything else. The whole world is laid out at our fingertips. Everything I've lived without is within arm’s reach.

"I know you've never seen the city before so I thought I'd give you the chance, before..." he trails off with a sigh.

"Before there is a chance for me to die." I finish for him. On a shaking breath, I finally admit, "I've seen The Oasis before. But not like this."

"I know."

It's hard for me to turn my gaze away as I try my best to memorize the streets and shops surrounding us. My lips press together tightly. "What do you think that you know?"

"I know that you climbed the wall between The Bend and The Oasis. I know you killed a guard and wandered the streets for a few hours before you climbed back over." He lowers to lean against his palms on the stone edge of the building. "My father had sent me to speak with some guards on behalf of the king."

"I don't believe you. You didn't try to stop me? Didn't try to kill me?"

"I was curious."

Grinding my teeth, I gather my hair off my shoulders and push it behind me. I truck the braid behind my ear and close my eyes as the distant sounds of life carry up to us and the evening breeze trails over my skin like a lover’s caress.

Marcello clears his throat and continues, "I took it upon myself to follow you for a while until I knew you were back where you belonged. Then I doubled the guard on the wall, but you never returned. It's not like you did anything other than stare at the houses and peak in some windows."

Even my neck heats as red tints my skin. "How do you know that was me?"

"I didn't, until I saw your face inside of Genovese's bar."

My mind races back to that night over the wall. When had I shown my face? When had I let my guard down? I clasp my hands together, holding impossibly still. The memory comes crashing down on me with a miserable embarrassment. I had removed my hood...

There had been a house on the corner of a block with a swing rocking on its porch. No one had noticed when I'd crawled up on it and sat for a while to think. Whomever had lived there hadn't felt any need to make sure their house was protected. Didn't bother to threaten me if I didn't get off their porch. I sat there to mourn. For what I wasn't exactly sure, but the tears came until they dripped off my chin and onto the collar of my shirt. My cloak had felt suffocating. So I took my hood off.

Fuck.

"I hate that." I grind out.

"You hate that someone saw you and you didn't know you were being watched."

"Yes."

Whatever I'd drank earlier turns in my stomach now. I press a hand to my abdomen, as if that will hold the nausea in. It stains the perfect view of this city with the worst of feelings.

"If I knew you were taking me away from the party to embarrass me," I swallow. "I would have taken my chances with Davison."

"I don't mean for it to be embarrassing, love" He tilts his head, the light shining off his eyes.