Revenge On Ice

Chapter 3

Lyra

The day before...

Maya spotted me first and her jaw literally dropped.

"Oh my..." she said, grabbing my arm. "Oh my Goddess. Lyra, what the hell happened to you? You look..."

"Hot?" I supplied, turning around for her view.

"Like you're going to destroy someone," she said, shaking her head. "And I'm here for it."

I scanned the room and my eyes landed on Darian seated in the corner. He was surrounded by his friends with his arm slung around Rose's shoulders. Her hand rested on his chest and her fingers played with the collar of his shirt possessively.

My jaw tightened as I remembered her standing over me on the floor, smiling as I bled.

My fingers curled around the strap of my bag. Not yet. Not yet.

"Who's that?" I heard a voice ask from somewhere behind me.

"I have no idea," someone answered. "But damn, is she hot."

I smiled to myself. Everything was perfect, now to get my prey.

I turned to Maya, schooling my expression to an innocent one. "I have to pee."

Maya, who was already ordering drinks for us, turned to me with a frown. "Now? But you just got here."

I pouted, "Yeah, I've been holding it in since I left home."

"Fine. Just be quick and get ready to party!" Maya said, already moving to the beat of the song.

I nodded and quickly found my way to the back. But instead of going to the bathroom, I went to the VIP section where Silas would be.

I knew his VIP room. I knew everything about him, his schedule, his tells, the exact way he took his coffee because in my past life I'd spent years trying to earn a scrap of his attention, playing the dutiful wife he never once looked at twice.

I finally found it and saw that the door slightly open. He was surrounded by his friends, all children of the council, all arrogant and entitled and convinced of their own importance. They were currently laughing about something.

And there was Silas, dressed in grey from head to toe. His hair fell across his forehead in a way that made him look like a fallen angel. He was still handsome. Unfortunately.

But I knew better than to fall for that look. I'd spent a lifetime, literally, being ignored by that handsome face. He may not have killed me with his hands but he killed my family and I couldn't forgive him for that.

As if sensing someone was watching him, he raised his head and met my eyes right before I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

"Prince Silas," I said, my voice cutting through the laughter. "I need to speak with you."

The room went silent. Every head turned to stare at me.

"Who the f**k do you think you are?" one of his friends sneered. Luke. I remembered him. He was one of the people who'd laughed when Silas had pushed me into the school's pool because my father had forced our engagement.

I ignored him and held Silas' stare. "I'm sure you would be interested in knowing what I want to say. It's about the black rose."

Silas straightened immediately. His shadows stirred around him, visible only to me. They are dark tendrils of power that responded to his emotions. The name had gotten his attention. Just as I knew it would.

Luke, annoyed that I'd ignored him, grabbed my hand roughly. "I'm talking to you, you..."

"Let her go, Luke."

The command came low and quiet, yet everyone in the room heard it clearly. Luke released me immediately and stepped back. The look on his face was almost comical, fear mixed with confusion.

"Everyone out."

They all scrambled to leave, their laughter replaced by the nervous energy of not wanting to get on the prince's bad side.

Soon we were alone but before I could say anything, cold fingers wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air. His shadows had turned solid at his command. I'd almost forgotten how easily he could that.

Fear slid up my spine at the thought of what those shadows could do. I'd seen him kill with them. I'd watched them rip men apart in my past lives.

"Who are you? And how do you know that name?" he growled.

I looked him straight in the eye without flinching.

"Let me go," I forced out, "and I'll tell you."

Instead, he squeezed harder until white spots danced at the edges of my vision. But when I didn't fight or beg for my life, he released me abruptly. I stumbled back a step, nearly falling. My hand flew to my throat, rubbing the place where his shadows had gripped me.

"Talk," he demanded. "Now."

I walked past him and sat down in the seat he just vacated, savoring the angry expression on his face. It was almost satisfying to see him show emotion, anything other than that cold indifference that had made me feel invisible.

"Let's begin with an introduction. I'm Lyra Hale, the daughter of Caleb Hale."

I watched as recognition dawned on him.

"So about the black rose... nothing goes without a price, Prince Silas."

Silas slammed his hand down on the table. The glasses rattled as his shadows writhed around him like angry serpents.

"I'm not playing games with you," he gritted.

I crossed my legs. "Neither am I. Which is why I'm going to get straight to the point."

I leaned forward. "I want us to be engaged."

His grip loosened, shadows retreating like they'd been slapped back. For a moment he just looked at me, like I was crazy. "You want what?"

"A fake engagement."

His eyes narrowed. "You came into my private room, threatened me with some secret you shouldn't even know exists, and now you're asking me to pretend to be your fiancé?”

“Yes.”

His shadows curled around his feet. "Find someone else to play your games with.”

I gave him a look. “You haven't heard the rest of the deal.”

“I don't care.”

“You will.”

His eyes narrowed.

I met his stare, "I can bring Sophie back.”

His face hardened and his shadows went still.

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he laughed, "You? The girl who can't even shift, claiming to bring someone who has been gone for years.”

“I don't expect you to believe me but I can prove I can.” I leaned forward. "Tomorrow morning, you will be announced as one of the teams competing in the Annual Wolfpuck Games.”

Silas stared at me. "That's impossible.”

I shrugged, standing up to leave. "We will just have to see tomorrow."

I gave him a smile, "I would be expecting you tomorrow, prince Silas."