Cruel King (Royal Elite #0) by Rina Kent

“Trouble getting a ride?”

She jerks, wide eyes straying my way before she releases a breath. “You scared me.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t stand in isolated places like a prey begging to be eaten.”

She lifts her chin. “What you did won’t dictate my life.”

I snatch her wrist and pull her into me. “Stop putting yourself in danger.”

“You’re the worst danger that can happen to me.”

“Worst danger, huh?”

“Duh. Have you seen yourself?”

“Why don’t you tell me, princess?”

She purses her lips for a second too long and I’m tempted to eat her mouth all over again.

Kissing Astrid isn’t a pleasure, it’s slowly becoming a need like air and food.

“You’re like the night,” she finally says.

“The night,” I repeat.

“Uh-huh. And not just any night. You’re like those dark, silent nights where no one knows what will happens.”

“Would you like to know what will happen now?”

Her breath hitches. “Now?”

My hand wraps around her throat, and her pulse quickens under my thumb. “When you’re being this bloody stubborn, I’m tempted to do…”

“To do what?” her voice drops, but her gleaming eyes never leave mine.

I run my tongue over the shell of her ear, loving the shiver that takes over her. “Wicked things, princess.”

“You’re…” She trails off, clearing her throat. “Whatever. Not that it matters. How did you know I had trouble getting a ride?”

“You’re standing on your own at eight in the evening.”

“Dan has a meet out with the team.” She narrows her eyes. “Is it normal that the captain doesn’t attend?”

“They can fend for themselves.”

“That’s not very captain-ey of you.”

“That’s not a word.” I smile. “Besides, I don’t feel like being a captain tonight.”

“What do you feel like being?”

“Just me.”

My lips find hers.

Usually, I’d tear past her defences. This time, I don’t. I let her have her little rebellion. I let her fight.

Fight me.

Fight us.

If fighting will give her the illusion that she has a chance at winning, then by all means, let her fight.

She seals her lips shut, but her body leans closer into me. Then, slowly, too slowly, her mouth parts open. It’s only the slightest bit, but it’s more than enough.

She gave up that inch on her own.

But she should know by now that an inch isn’t enough. I take the whole damn pitch.

My tongue finds hers and I devour her until there’s nothing left of her. Until she’s entirely sagging against me.

Astrid’s fate is sealed.





27





Astrid





Is this the dance of the predator or the prey?



* * *



Weeks pass and my life doesn’t feel like mine anymore.

Not that it did since the summer.

Levi wouldn’t leave me alone no matter how much I refuse him. If anything, the harder I push him away, the more he’s prone to kidnapping me into a dark corner and kissing me until there’s no breath in my lungs.

The harder I resist the kiss, the longer he makes it.

It’s a game to him.

A push and pull.

Levi is a conquerer. He spends his time plotting his battles and studying his opponent’s every move so when he strikes, it’s direct and straight to the point.

He’s not interested in half-victories. When Levi wins, he eradicates his conquest.

He barely lets me hide this twisted thing we have from the rest of the school.

And by letting me, I mean I kind of threatened him that I’ll paint the windshield of his car and stuff.

It’s not real, okay? This whole thing with Levi will blow over sometime soon, and I don’t want to be labelled as his majesty’s latest conquest.

Nope. I’m totally not going to be that girl.

Well, I might have been paying the price for forcing Levi’s hand. On behalf of keeping contact at school to a minimum, he came up with his own conditions.

Double emphasis on the plural.

He’s there in the mornings for the stupid morning runs — that started to somehow grow in on me. And I have to kiss him good morning — a kiss that he always deepens and leaves me breathless in the aftermath.

In the evening, he drives me home. It’s a miracle I convince him to drop me around the corner so Dad doesn’t see him.

Dan — the traitor — isn’t even putting up a fight to take back his position as my driver.

You’ll thank me for it later. his words, not mine.

And you guessed it, I have to kiss the manipulator Levi good night, too. That’s the most troublesome one because it usually leaves me hot and bothered all night — that’s if he doesn’t yank my legs apart and goes down on me in his damn car.

Despite all the time I spend with Levi, I’m still clueless as shit about him.

Some days, he’s the devil, all complete with that black look in his eyes. Other days, he’s laughing and teasing and making my life hell.

While the first version scares me, a part of me wants to exploit it and figure out why he acts the way he does.