Chapter 8 Riven
The Heirs’ Wing is quiet today. I step out of my bedroom and walk into our joint office. Kaelen and Emrys are already there.
Kaelen sits at his desk, staring at a bunch of papers while Emrys romances a paintbrush in his hands. I sigh. Emrys and his paintbrushes.
I take a seat at my table, addressing neither of them.
“You are here early,” Kaelen says as he looks up at me.
“You’re not the only one with responsibilities,” I reply smugly. Kaelen seemed to think since he was the Crown Prince the rest of us were useless and jobless.
“Apologies. I wasn’t aware.” He smirks. The bastard. Before I can reply, he speaks again. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m not smiling,” I reply.
“Not you. Emrys.” I look at Emrys. Truly, he has a soft grin plastered on his face. He looks… love-whipped.
“Emrys!” That gets his attention, his head whips up.
“What?”
“What the fuck is making to blush like an idiot?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“I’m not blushing like an idiot,” he denies immediately.
“You should have seen yourself,” I reply.
“Whatever.”
“Spill,” Kaelen says.
“Nothing to spill.”
“Lies. Try again,” I say, watching him sigh. He pauses for a moment, as though trying to decide whether we were worthy of his honesty.
“I think… I think I’ve found my mate.”
“What?!” Kaelen and I both shout at once, surprise hitting us like a train.
“I know. Surprised me too.”
“Who’s she?”
“A first year.” I stilled.
“Emrys,” Kaelen said.
“I know. I know,” he replied.
“No. You don’t. You can’t fucking mate with a first year. It’s against the rules. You know that,” I point out. He sighs.
“She doesn’t know we are mates yet. So there are no issues. I’m not telling her anything yet. I’m not stupid. I know the rules too.”
“The issue is you keep saying yet. Emrys, you can’t tell her. Not yet. Not ever,” Kaelen says.
“Yeah. Even if she gets to the second year, she can’t be your mate. You are a prince. Father would never miss out on an opportunity to score some alliance with your marriage. Then you go ahead and say a student is your mate?”
“This is exactly why I hate being a royal. Our lives aren’t even ours.”
“Makes two of us,” I sigh.
“He who wants to wear the crown, must bear the crown,” Kaelen comments. Emrys huffs.
“I don’t even want the fucking crown.”
I feel bad for him. But it’s the truth. He can’t choose his mate. Father would, fate be damned.
“What’s her name?”
“Vesper.”
Well, Vesper must be pretty for her to have you this smitten.”
“She is.” He smiled, the boy was far gone.
“Ah. That reminds me,” Kaelen says. “Someone broke into the Heirs' wing last night.”
“What?” Emrys’ head shoots up.
“How?” I ask. “That’s practically impossible.”
“I thought so too. Especially since it was after curfew.” After curfew? Crazy. “But Roan caught her so it wasn’t an imagination.”
“A her?” Emrys asked. “Why would a girl break into the Heirs’ Wing?”
“That’s a beautiful question actually. Very beautiful. Given the fact that she claimed to have come to return your paintbrush.” Kaelen threw an object towards Emrys. He caught it effortlessly.
Resemblance flashed across his features. “It’s mine.”
“It is. She said you forgot it with her.” Emrys paused for a second, his features contorted with some emotion.
“Vesper,” he said softly.
“Wait. Vesper? As in you newly found she-has-me-wrapped-around-her-fingers mate?” Emrys shoots me a glare. Kaelen hums.
“So Vesper is the perpetrator? But she’s also your mate.”
“She just wanted to return my paintbrush.”
“I don’t believe that for a second actually. She had the whole fucking day to return the paintbrush. Why after curfew, at night? She’s up to something. And Roan is going to find out what,” Kaelen said.
“How did she even get your paintbrush? You gave it to her?” I ask.
He paused, hesitation written on his features. “Yes,” he said finally. Suspicious. Very suspicious.
“So what do we do about the mate that is also a suspect?”
“I guess we’ll wait and see what Roan finds,” Kaelen says. Emrys swallows. I nod.
♦♦♦
Lunch was uneventful. There wasn’t a particular hot chick who insulted me so non-chalantly, and the rest of the girls just swooned like programmed dolls.
I hadn’t forgotten the first year girl since that day. For some reason, hearing her insult made me feel somewhat… refreshed.
I thought about her soft sultry voice from that day, how her words went straight to my dick. I felt my cock get hard in my trousers. Fuck.
‘You like her,’ my dragon teased in my head.
‘I’m attracted to her,’ I correct.
‘Same thing.’
‘Whatever, Dae. Get out of my head.’ I shut him off.
Kaelen says something about having a meeting and we all march out of the cafeteria. As we walk out, I see Diane.
“Hey, look at your wife.” I tease Kaelen. He ignores me and I press on.” Did you know she failed the Magic History exam? She so dumb I can’t fucking believe it.”
Kaelen and Diane had been betrothed from birth, another one of our father’s incessant power plays. And an example of why Emrys couldn’t be with his mate.
The first year girl comes into sight as she turns a corner. Another girl is beside her, talking on and on. The girl points at us and her eyes fall over us four.
Emrys approaches her.
“Hey. I heard you found my paint brush,” He says. My blood turns to sludge. This was Vesper? The girl I’d been fantasizing about for days was Emrys' mate? Fuck.
“Yes. Sorry I didn’t return it to you immediately. I wanted to try painting something with it,” she replied.
“It’s fine. So? Did you succeed in painting anything?”
She sighed. “Yes. I painted trash.” Emrys laughed.
“How ‘bout I teach you a few techniques? Something to get you started on your painting journey. What do you think?”
“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll meet you at the art room. You can come when you are done with your lunch.”
“Okay, Emrys.”
Emrys walks back to us and I swoon teasingly because what else was I supposed to do? Get angry that the first girl I actually had interest in was his mate? Yeah, exactly.
“Ouu someone’s in loveeeee.”
“Shut the fuck up, Riven,” he says.
“It’s okay to love,” I press on.
“I’m not in love.”
“You offered to teach her how to paint. You invited her into the art room. YOUR art room. You never allow anyone in there.”
“So?
“Face it, Emrys.”
“Whatever.”
“I’m not surprised though. She’s so fucking sexy. And that sharp mouth of hers makes me want to fill it with my cock. All seven inches of it.” The words, or rather sentences, come out before I can stop it. I turn to see Emrys shooting daggers at me.
“Riven. Shut up.”
