Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2) by Rina Kent

No other sound comes. I slowly open my eyes and search around me.

Movement catches at the top floor of our house.

Ma stands at the window of her room, staring at the distance and putting red lipstick on.

My mouth parts to call her name, but I close it again. Them monsters will find me before she does.

They always do.

I breathe as quietly as possible while hiding behind the tree. There are wires in the distance, surrounding the entire garden.

Daddy’s friends who wear black and don’t talk to us put those so no animals or people come inside.

But even the wires can’t stop them monsters.

“I told you to back off.”

My spine stiffens at the voice coming from around the corner.

Daddy?

With snail movements, I place a hand on the stone and peek. Daddy sits at the garden table, his back facing me.

He’s wearing his black suit. His chestnut hair is short at his nape but is long at the top.

The view of his back alone makes him appear far like I can’t reach him anymore.

Maybe them monsters come after Daddy, too.

Uncle Reginald sits opposite Daddy and facing me. He has scrawny looks and bulging blue eyes that used to scare me when I was younger.

But not anymore.

Monsters escape when Uncle Reg is here.

He’s like a superhero.

Ma and Dad don’t like it when I speak like him and say ‘them’ instead of ‘the’. They say that’s not how educated people speak, but I like saying ‘them’. I just have to not say it in front of Ma and Dad.

Now, Uncle Reg appears angry like Daddy when I don’t stay in my room at night.

“It’s your last chance, Steel.” Uncle Reg spits on the ground — eww, gross. “If you don’t give me what I want, I’ll find someone who will.”

Daddy stands to his full height and my heart shrinks. Daddy is scary when he speaks with so much calm. “You think a cockroach like you can cross me?”

Uncle Reg stands, too. “Try me, boss, and you’ll see what a cockroach is capable of.”

“Get off my property,” Daddy grinds out. “Now.”

I flinch at the tone, my nails digging into the rose.

Uncle Reg smiles and comes in my direction. I hide back against the tree, holding the rose close to my chest.

I’m so going to give Uncle Reg a scare.

“What do we have here?” Uncle Reg speaks from in front of the tree. “I can see your hair, princess.”

Uh-Oh.

I step out, pouting. “Not fair, Uncle Reg. I was about to scare you!”

He places a hand at his heart. “Oh, I’m terrified, princess.”

“It’s okay, you can stop being scared now.”

“Thank you, my lady.” He straightens and points at the rose. “Where are you taking that?”

I grin, showing him my missing tooth. “To Ma! She said she’ll read me a story today.”

He lowers himself so he’s crouching. “Your ma has been good, yeah?”

“Yeah! She’s putting red lipstick.”

Uncle Reg’s expression falls.

But why?

Ma is totally cool when she’s putting red lipstick and wearing red dresses. It means she’ll read me stories and put me to sleep. She’ll be there for me when them monsters voices start coming from the basement.

Ma is bad when she has no lipstick on and wears that white dress. That’s when she makes me sit on her lap and sings me that haunting song. That’s when them monsters come to take me away.

Uncle Reg motions at my rose. “Is that for her?”

“Yes!” I grin. “Ma loves red.”

A heavy sigh leaves his lips as he stands to his full height and pats my head. “Careful, princess. Red also means blood.”

Uncle Reg morphs into a shadow.

My heartbeat picks up.

No, no…

I shake my head.

It isn’t real.

Not real.

I need to take the red rose to Ma. She’ll read for me. She’ll put me to bed when them monster voices come.

The rose’s sharp thorn pierces my finger.

Ow.

The first droplet of blood hits the ground. Another follows.

Then another.

Before I know it, a pool of red surrounds me, its surface is like a mirror.

My breathing turns shallow when I look down.

Hollow black eyes stare back at me.

I shriek.



* * *



Present,

I startle awake, screaming and frantically studying my hands.

No blood.

There’s no blood.

There are no dark hollow eyes gaping up at me.

No monsters.

“Hey… hey…”

A hand clutches my arm. I claw and hit them.

The monsters won’t take me away again.

I escaped them. They can’t find me anymore.

“Elsa!”

My breathing catches at the sound of my name. I blink twice and realise I’m in a bed in a familiar room.

Aiden is trying to hold me to his chest. A scratch mark runs down his left pectoral muscle.

My eyes widen.

Did… did I cause that?

Aiden grabs both my hands in his. The same hands that I just used to smack him with.

A deep frown etches between his eyebrows as he watches me intently as if preparing himself in case I have another episode.