Cruel King (Royal Elite #0) by Rina Kent

If this is the last smoke he’ll have, then I’ll let him burn me.

We doze off on that kiss, still wrapped around each other.

When it gets cold, Levi pulls a nearby blanket and covers us with it.

A rustle of noises wakes me up from my peaceful sleep.

“Levi…?” I ask.

“Hmm?” He asks sleepily, burying his nose in my hair.

“Is someone there?” I open my eyes to be greeted by a man who looks like the older version of Aiden scowling at us.

My heart falls to the ground when I make out the other man standing beside him.

“Astrid Elizabeth Clifford. Get up from there now.”





38





Astrid





When something goes to hell, everything else does.



* * *



Dad.

Holy shit. It’s my dad.

I curl into Levi’s side, bringing the sheet to my chin.

My face heats so hard and I cease to breathe.

“Levi and trouble,” Aiden’s older version says. “Why am I not surprised at all?”

Levi shields me behind him as he stands in his full naked glory, not caring about the two adults throwing daggers in his face.

He takes his time in pulling his boxer briefs up his legs as I fumble to find the T-shirt and throw it over my head.

My eyes remain bowed, scared to look Dad in the eyes.

I’ll probably never be able to look him in the eyes ever again.

I’ve been a virgin for life and when I finally do have sex, Dad walks in on me.

Worst luck ever.

“What gives, Jonathan?” Levi’s voice is bored, the total opposite of my chaotic insides. “I didn’t know you had voyeurism tendencies.”

“Levi… ” Jonathan warns.

“Even your nephew doesn’t respect you,” Dad speaks under his breath in Jonathan King’s direction.

The Jonathan King. Owner of the King Enterprises and Dad’s archenemy of sorts.

“Get away from my daughter. Now.” I flinch at the authority in Dad’s voice.

“Come here, Levi.” Jonathan is deadly calm with one of his hands in his pockets.

It’s frighteningly similar to Aiden’s lethal, poker face.

Levi tilts his head to the side, “Pass.”

“Come here or everything ends.” Jonathan pauses and some sort of a battle erupts between him and his nephew. “Everything, Levi.”

His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t move. Not an inch. Even though I don’t know what Jonathan’s talking about, something tells me it’s not in Levi’s favour.

“Astrid.” Dad’s sharp voice causes my shoulders to snap upright.

I push my hair back as I stumble to my feet. The T-shirt reaches the middle of my thighs, but I still tug down on it.

Those pale blue eyes clash with mine for a brief second and I offer him an encouraging smile. His fingers brush against my arm before I drop my head and trudge to Dad’s side.

As soon as I’m within touching distance, Dad grips my arm and cages me behind him.

“This is the last time I see a Clifford on my property,” Jonathan glares down at Dad and he glares back.

A more ferocious battle than the one from earlier erupts between them and I swallow at the thick tension in the air.

“Keep your spawn away from my daughter.” Dad drags me away from the house before I can throw one last glance at Levi.

As soon as we’re outside, I stop, trying to pull Dad into a halt. “Are they fighting? Can’t you stop them?”

“We have no place in familial matters.”

“But isn’t those familial matters how you found me?”

“I had a very unpleasant call from Jonathan while I was searching for you. He told me that my daughter could be with his nephew.”

I’m so ashamed, but it’s not what’s pushing me right now. My heartbeat thunders in my ears as I strain to hear what’s going on inside. What if Jonathan beats Levi?

“But Dad, he —”

“It’s Father!” He shouts, drawing me to a halt near his car. “How many times do I tell you to call me Father? I gave you two rules. Two simple rules. Don’t sully the Clifford name and stay away from the King’s surname. You broke both of them in one day. Both. Every time I think I’m getting to you, it spirals out of control all over again. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with you anymore, Astrid.”

Tears fill my eyes and I try to fight them away as I take the onslaught of Dad’s words. It’s like I’m in the presence of a stranger, not someone who’s supposed to be the closest person to me.

“I didn’t ask for this either. I didn’t want to live with you and your stupid family. I didn’t want to be shackled by rules and manners. I didn’t want to sneak out every day so I won’t be forced into a breakfast with your wife who insults me and my mother the entire time. But that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that you always take her side. Mum would’ve never done that, Mum would’ve heard me out. Mum stayed when you abandoned us. I wish it was you who died that day, not her.”

I regret the words as soon as they come out. My lips tremble as Dad’s face turns stone cold.

“I… I—”

He releases me as if I were on fire. “Get in the car.”