Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite #3) by Rina Kent

I don’t even think about it. We still have time until the start of class, so I drop my backpack in my seat and take off in the direction of RES’s pool.

Upon arriving, the smell of chlorine clogs my nostrils and my feet falter at the threshold.

I was so excited about seeing Aiden that I forgot how much deep water freaks me out.

Since it’s the early morning, the place is empty. Taking a deep breath, I cross the last few steps on unsteady legs.

“Aiden?” My voice echoes in the large space.

“In here, sweetheart.”

I round the corner and freeze. Aiden stands in front of the deep side of the pool. I would’ve taken a moment to appreciate his built, his black strands falling over his forehead in abandon, but he’s not alone.

Adam is there with him, his eyes bloodshot, puffy, and all wrong. Even his shirt is in disarray like he pulled an all-nighter in a drug cartel.

“What’s going on?” I stare between the two of them.

“Herran came to apologise.” Aiden pats his shoulder, but there isn’t an ounce of camaraderie in it. If anything, he appears on the edge of something sombre and diabolical. “Didn’t you?”

Adam remains quiet, his face reddening by the second.

“She’s waiting.” Aiden grips the rugby team’s captain — former captain — by the shoulder.

He’s broader and buffer than Aiden, but for some reason, Aiden is the one who appears more powerful. All godlike and invincible.

At this moment, he reminds me of a general who never lost a war. A hero through and through.

Thinking of Aiden as a hero is strange, though. He’s not the hero, he’s the villain.

But right now, as he grips Adam, after he kicked him out of the school for hurting me, I can’t help but think of him as a hero.

Just this once.

“I’m sorry,” Adam spits.

“No, no.” Aiden tsks. “Repeat it and mean it this time.”

“I don’t care about his apology,” I say. “He’s nothing.”

“That’s true.” Aiden’s lips curve into a smile. “But he still needs to apologise. You can do it standing or on your knees, Herran. Your choice.”

Adam’s red-rimmed eyes meet mine, but they’re filled with maliciousness more than anything else.

The bastard doesn’t feel guilty about what he’s done.

“I’m sorry.”

“Apology denied.” I glare at him. “I hope you rot in hell, Adam.”

A sadistic spark ignites in Aiden’s eyes. It’s as if he summoned his demons and they’re now taking reign of the situation.

Or maybe I summoned them. After all, he’s doing this for me.

Aiden turns into an unstoppable force for me.

“You heard her. Not that I was going to let you go.” He circles Adam like a predator before the attack. Smooth, silent... terrifying. “You dared not only to look at what’s mine, but you also touched her. Do you know what that means, Herran?”

Adam’s throat works with a swallow. I can see him hold his breath, as do I. The darkness in Aiden’s metal eyes can only mean trouble.

I’m on my toes, waiting for what he’ll say next.

“It means you’re out.”

One moment, Adam stands there, the next, Aiden pushes him. The rugby player loses balance and splashes into the water, flooding the edge.

Aiden isn’t done.

Not even close.

He crouches at the edge of the pool. The moment Adam comes up for air, Aiden grabs his head and thrusts him back down.

No hesitation.

No mercy.

Adam’s limbs flail all around, splashing water everywhere. He struggles for breath and only finds water.

Aiden fists his fingers into the rugby player’s hair and wrenches him out. He gasps for air like a dying man.

“Were you suffocating in there, Herran?”

Aiden shoves him back into the water. His expression is neutral, serene even. “Good. Now you know what it feels like to drown.”

I stand there, my limbs shaking as Aiden holds Adam underwater.

The calmness on his face sends shivers down my spine. I know, I just know, that Aiden would murder Adam and not bat an eye.

He’d do it on school grounds.

He’d endanger his future.

I run up to him, ignoring my fear of the water nearby. “Stop it, Aiden. Let him out.”

“Not yet.” He uses both his hands to keep Adam underneath the surface. “He hurt you. He hurt what’s mine.”

“You’re going to kill him,” I hiss.

“Small price to pay for touching you.”

“I hate him, too, but I’m not ready to lose you this way.” My voice is loud and clear. “He’s not worth it.”

Aiden’s head tilts in my direction. His steel eyes immediately soften when they meet mine.

I fall to my knees beside him, uncaring about the water soaking my skin, and grip his arm. The tight muscles ripple underneath my touch.

“He’s not important, Aiden. You are.”

That must’ve worked.

Slowly, too slowly, Aiden allows me to pull his hands from Adam’s head. The latter surfaces, gasping for air.

Neither of us pay him attention, not even when he climbs out, wet and shaking like a dog.

We’re too lost in each other’s gaze to pay attention to the world surrounding us. We’re barely touching, but I feel him all around me, like a constant.