Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2) by Rina Kent

I open the first pages and read. It talks about someone who’s trying to find his way after chronic depression. I read a few pages and I notice some words underlined in red like in the dedication page.

Lost.

Help.

Live.

Alive.

Dead.

It goes on until the end of the book.

I retrieve another one. Nothing is underlined in the dedication, but inside the book, similar words are underlined.

Save.

Kill.

Love.

I pull another book then another and another. It’s almost the same in all books. Then I find something different.

The dedication in another book says,

To J, Thank you for saving my life.

It’s crossed in red and under it is written in elegant writing.

‘You shouldn’t have saved my life.’

My breathing catches. Is this Alicia?

I retrieve about ten books and sit on the table, going through them.

I find a dedication that says,

To the fighters. Stay alive.

Under it, there’s that same elegant handwriting.

‘The worst thing you can tell a person who wants to die is to stay alive.’

I gulp.

So she was suicidal.

Did Aiden know that?

My heart squeezes at the thought of a little boy witnessing his mother’s suicidal tendencies. Did she do something traumatising in front of him?

A wave of nausea hits me at the thought.

I go through the pages some more.

I find another dedication.

To my son, you gave purpose to my life.

There’s a line under it and then a smiling face. My heart warms until I read the writing beneath it.

‘But I wish you were never born.’

I blink, reading it again.

Did she say that about her own son? What the hell?

The book is old and dusty and doesn’t seem like it’s been touched since Alicia’s death. With one last look to my surroundings, I stuff the book in my backpack.

Aiden might be a bastard and I hate him sometimes, but I would never want to scar him this way. He shouldn’t see what Alicia wrote about him.

I know she must’ve had deep-rooted mental issues, but that doesn’t give her the right to wish that her son was never born. She read all these psychological books, how come she didn’t know words like that from his own mother could scar him for life?

I check my watch. Shit. It’s almost time for the horsemen to return. I easily wasted an entire hour digging through the pieces Alicia left behind, but I need to go.

I don’t want Aiden to catch me in his library.

I put the books where they belong, take my backpack, and go back to Margo.

The moment I sit on the stool, sipping the cold hot chocolate, Ronan comes breezing through the door.

“I’m here, bitches!” He yells in his signature enthusiastic tone. When he meets my eyes, his grin widens. “Oh. Hey there, Ellie.”

I smile as Xander and a solemn-looking Cole follow him inside. They’re all wearing Elites’ jackets which means they came straight from practice.

Xander searches beside me and all around me, for Kim, I assume.

“Kim has to babysit Kir so she won’t be coming over,” I tell him.

“I didn’t ask.” He flops on a stool and steals one of Margo’s chips.

Yeah, right. Sure thing, Xander.

I seriously don’t know what the hell is going on between him and Kim. Or if there’s even anything going on.

“Where’s Aiden?” I ask when he doesn’t follow.

“Oh, that…” Ronan rubs the back of his head.

“He’ll be here.” Xander smiles forcing the dimples out as he snatches another chip.

I stare between them and a needle-like sensation prickles at the back of my head.

Something doesn’t seem right.

“Where did he go?” I ask.

“Come on, Ellie.” Ronan places an arm around my shoulder. “Let’s stuff ourselves with chips.”

“He’s outside with Silver,” Cole says with a complete poker face.

“Fuck, Captain!” Ronan all but shouts.

Xander pokes Cole in the ribs. “You better be ready for King’s wrath, dickhead.”

I stare between the three of them. “He’s really outside with Silver?”

“You see, Ellie.” Ronan offers an awkward smile — which isn’t like him at all. “She invited herself over. It’s not that King wanted her here. Not at all.”

“He didn’t stop her either.” Cole appears eerily calm, it’s kind of scary. “You should see for yourself.”

Xander kicks him. “Do you have a fucking death wish, Captain?”

I’m not listening to them.

I’m storming down the hall, muscles tense and nostrils flaring.

He brought her here.

Silver is here.

I told her to stay away from what’s mine, didn’t I?

It’s time she pays the fucking price.





22





Aiden





Queens wouldn’t go home.

Nash has been acting like a little bitch and refused to deal with her.

His exact words were ‘Clean your own mess, King.’

So here I am standing with Queens in front of her car.

The rain soaks us both.

So be it, because there’s no way she’s going inside.