Deviant King (Royal Elite #1) by Rina Kent

I just wish he hadn’t lied to me and made me feel like I meant something.

Fucker.

“By the way,” Kim’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “I heard Mum and Dad talk about something super weird yesterday.”

“Yeah?”

Kim’s attention remains on the road as she speaks, “Remember when I told you that Aiden’s mother died of an accident?”

He’s the last thing I want to talk about, but I can’t help the curiosity. “What about her?”

“So Dad was saying that Alicia was suicidal, anyway, so her death wasn’t a surprise. However, Mum said that Dad doesn’t understand. Alicia wasn’t suicidal, she only wanted to save her baby.”

“She wanted to save her baby?” I echo.

“I know! Weird, right? Aiden is an only child and he was at a camp. What baby was she trying to save?” Kim’s voice drops to a whisper-yell because she doesn’t know how to whisper properly. “Unless she had a child outside of marriage. Maybe she was off to meet her lover and Uncle Jonathan sent a PI after her. There was a chase and she crashed.”

“Whoa. You watch too many Korean soap operas, Kim.”

“Most families’ problems are because of secret births. Just saying.”

Soon after we reach the school, Kim switches subject to our upcoming tests.

However, Alicia is all that occupies my thoughts.

I keep thinking about something I read in a psychological thesis the other day.

Most if not all mental issues start at childhood.

I dislike umbrella terms that gather mental health problems, but that one stuck with me. The more I think about it, the more it rings true.

A person is formed of jigsaw pieces and if you want to really know anyone, then start at the pieces that formed his childhood. They’re the base. Everything else is built on that.

Uncle Jaxon, for example, had a healthy childhood. Lawyer parents. Steady income. Football team player. He grew up into a stable, ambitious adult. It’s his parents’ expectations that set him out to be competitive.

Aunt Blair and Mum had a poor background and a violent father when he’s on the liquor. Unlike Mum, Aunt left Birmingham as soon as she was eighteen. She worked hard for a scholarship so she could leave all that rubbish behind. She never returned to Birmingham until the accident that took my parents’ lives. Her poor background pushed her to strive for perfection. Anything less is an insult to her intelligence.

No matter how much of a perfectionist she is, a bit of her childhood seeps into her adult version. She’s hotheaded and results to yelling when she doesn’t get what she wants.

Even subconsciously, she’s replicating the violence her father exerted on her.

It’s an endless vicious cycle.

I’m sure that Aiden’s behaviour has something if not everything to do with his childhood.

Starting with Alicia. She’s beginning to sound more and more like a mystery.

Stop.

I want to bleach my head. Why am I even bothering with him anymore?

Still, as Kim and I walk the hallway, I can’t help searching for the jet black hair and those metallic eyes.

We arrive at our class. Cole and Ronan are in deep conversation. Or more like, Ronan is in a one-man show while Cole reads from a book.

Upon seeing us, Ronan grins. “Bonjour, mes demoiselles.”

Cole nods in acknowledgement.

I smile back as I slide into my seat and bring out my notebook and pencils.

“Wanna party at my place?” Ronan waggles his eyebrows at me, the insinuation of what happened at his last party clear.

“Holy hell.” Kim’s whisper-yell draws my attention.

I follow her field of vision and my heart stops beating.

Aiden walks into the classroom with Silver hanging off his arm.





Chapter Thirty-Two





The world stops spinning.

My grip tightens around my pencil so hard, I’m surprised it doesn’t snap in two.

Silver has her hand around Aiden’s bicep. She’s chatting so happily as if they are in some cliche teen drama. He offers her his dazzling smile that he flashed me forty-eight hours ago.

Something inside me breaks.

I can hear the sound, loud and final.

I can feel the remnants shattering. Piece by piece, they gather at the dark corners of my chest.

Aiden’s silver eyes meet mine, gleaming with mock condescension.

I can almost imagine what he would’ve told me if he spoke.

I took your virginity and now I’m back where I belong.

Silver has a smug expression. I try not to look at her, the shiny blonde hair cascading to her shoulders, or the uniform pressed to perfection.

A king needs a queen, peasant.

Pressure builds behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them see the effects they have on me.

I refuse to let him see me cry again. I was stupid enough to show weakness before. Not anymore.

For once, Ronan is speechless. He keeps staring between Aiden and Silver then me as if he’s in some freak show.

Cole glares at Silver then at Aiden before throwing me a sympathetic look.

“You’re okay?” Kim whispers from behind me.

I smile and for some reason, I think it comes out convincing. “Can I borrow your notebook?”

Kim appears confused for a second.

I plead with her using my eyes.