Sharing Beauty (Possessing Beauty 3)

“Fine, be like that,” she pouted back. “You’re terrible.” She sighed. “Hey, have you seen Isla? Or Adele for that matter?”

I shook my head. “No I was—”

We both stopped, looked at each other, and blushed.

“Yeah, guess we lost track of them,” she said quietly.

“You don’t think she’s still dancing with Prince Logan, do you?”

Imogen made a face. “God I can’t imagine she is. He scares me.”

“He’s also crazy hot.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Oh, he is, Im. In that dark tortured way. God I bet Isla is eating that up.”

We glanced at each other and grinned.

“She’s totally still dancing with him, isn’t she,” my sister laughed.

“Oh, totally. Hey we should get back in there.” I’d been gone for way too long, and I knew it.

“I need to go— uh.” Imogen looked away. “I’m just going to freshen up in my room.”

“Imogen! No, I need you to help hide me when we’re back in the ballroom!”

Her brow went up, a smirk on her lips. “What, embarrassed about whatever you just did that you won’t tell me about?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

I wasn’t so much embarrassed about what I’d done so much as I was about how I’d look all red-faced and hair down coming back into that ball. I glanced back up at her, ready to beg her to come with me, when I heard footsteps. I looked up, and caught just a brief glimpse of Cade and Caspian coming down the hall, their heads down as they talked to each other.

“I have to go, now,” I said quickly. And I did. Not because I didn’t want to see them, but because I knew I’d completely lose my cool if they came up while I was talking to Imogen. I knew she’d totally see what was happening if that happened.

“Please come back to the ball soon,” I quickly added, before running off, my heart racing and my body already yearning for them again.

“Oh, honey.”

I gasped at the voice right behind me the second I stepped into the ballroom. I jumped, turning around to come face-to-face with a stern-faced girl with dark black hair, sharp eyes, and lips thinned as she glared at me.

“You’re just their type, now aren’t you?”

My blood chilled. “Excuse me?”

Those red lips pulled into a tight smile as she narrowed her eyes at me.

“Don’t play games with me, honey,” she hissed. “Caspian and Cade.”

My heart jumped a little in my chest. How the hell did she know?

“Oh, please,” she barked out a laugh, as if reading my thoughts. “For one, I saw them chatting you up earlier, for two, I’m sure a goody-two-shoes angel like you wouldn’t ever see a pair like that coming, and for three, it’s written all over your pretty little face.”

I swallowed, straightening my shoulders back and eyeing her sharply.

“Do you know who I am?”

Hon? ‘Goody-two-shoes’? Did she even know who she was talking to? I’d never been one to lord my station over anyone, ever. But I wasn’t afraid to use it when I had to, especially with someone like whoever this girl was.

She just smiled wickedly though. “Of course I know who you are, Princess,” she spat before looking away and running a hand through her black hair.

“You know they’re just in it for the sex, right?”

I froze, my heart turning to ice in my chest as she turned back and grinned at me.

“Like I said, I can read it all over your face. All the pretty things I’m sure they said to you to get you off alone? You know,” she winked at me, making me shiver horribly. “Off wherever it is you just were with them? Well, they’re all lies.”

“Excuse me,” I said tightly, moving to push past her. But I gasped as she suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling me back before I shook myself free.

“Take your hands off—”

“You’re just a notch on the bedpost, honey,” the girl hissed, her eyes narrowing at me as she smiled that horrible icy smile. “Take it from me.”

“I don’t know you,” I spat back. “But I’m going to have to ask you to leave the ball at once—”

“Emilia Astor, first Duchess of Ames,” she said, her voice dripping in venom as she stuck a hand out. I didn’t take it.

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

Her smiled curdled, something sharp flaring in her eyes.

“Maybe not to you, honey, but it does to those two princes of yours.”

I could feel my blood boiling, my hands clenching at my sides.

“I’m going to have to ask you to lea—”

“Ask them about me if you don’t believe me. They know who I am.”

I rolled my eyes at the crazy bitch trying to get under my skin for whatever weird reason.

“I doubt that,” I spat back.

Her smile only sharpened.

“Well, they should.” She winked. “You should too, actually.”

“Because?”

She laughed quietly, looking away and shaking her head before she turned back, her eyes full of fire.