Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite #3) by Rina Kent

Ma wanted to kill me and Dad.

Ma stopped being my mother the moment Eli died. She drowned with him in that lake and since then, she tried everything to bring us all down to her hell.

The fact I wanted her to live isn’t only an insult to Dad and I, but it’s also an insult to the three children she traumatised; Knox, Teal, and Aiden.

It’s an insult to the promise I made to Aiden ten years ago.

I had hoped to have everything, but it was impossible.

One way or another, Ma would’ve ended our family just like her family ended.

“If you think you’re so righteous,” I ask Agnus. “Why didn’t you tell Dad about what you’d done?”

“Like you, he has irrational feelings towards Abigail. He would’ve wanted her to live even after she shot you both.” He pauses speaking, still twirling the cigarette. “I’ve been by Ethan’s side since we were ten years old. I know from experience that if he stops trusting someone, he’ll cut them completely out of his life. I can’t afford that.”

“What if I tell him?” I try to keep the challenge out of my voice.

“You won’t, Elsa. Ethan lost so much. First Eli then Abigail and then ten years of his life. He finally thinks he can start anew with you, Knox, and Teal. If you tell him unnecessary things, he’ll cut me from his life, but he won’t cope well with it. If you want to be the reason behind that, then by all means, go right ahead.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m simply stating facts.”

I narrow my eyes. “Sounds like a threat to me.”

He smiles without humour. “Believe me, this isn’t how I issue threats. You’re lucky to be amongst the few people I’ll never threaten.”

We maintain a war of gazes for what seems like an hour. Agnus doesn’t flinch or even blink.

A stone. He’s a damn stone.

“He’s right.” Aiden faces me. “Steel Corporation remained standing because of Agnus. If he leaves, it’ll backfire on your father badly, especially with the competition between him and Jonathan.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side.” I glare at him.

“I am, sweetheart. That’s why I’m telling you to disregard your emotions and give free reign to your brain.” He strokes my cheek. “Deep down, you know this is the best thing to do.”

“I’ll give you time to think about it.” Agnus places the cigarette to his lips. “It won’t be long before Ethan finds out you’re missing. I disabled the ability to open the door from the inside. Stay here and process everything carefully, Elsa.”

The door clicks shut behind him.

Aiden runs to the entrance and up the stairs, but it’s too late. The metal door is already blinking red.

I stand by his side and press my finger on the screen. It continues blinking in red.

“Fuck,” Aiden curses.

“Did he just lock us in?” I murmur in astonishment.

“The phones are outside,” Aiden curses again.

“I can’t believe he did that. Dad will never forgive him.”

“He wants you to think carefully about what to say to your father.” Aiden glances at me. “He probably doesn’t want to hurt you. If you give him what he wants, he’ll let us out.”

“How? He locked us in.” I contain a frustrated yell.

The psycho.

I can’t believe I’ve never seen the signs before. I thought his quiet nature was because he preferred helping Dad from the background, and while he did, he also plotted chaos.

Even back then, Agnus didn’t seem sad about Uncle Reg’s death, his twin brother and only family.

He only cared about the fact that Uncle Reg betrayed Dad by siding up with Jonathan and helping Ma.

A scary thought whirls into my brain.

“What if he…” I gulp, the idea hitting me like a hurricane. “What if he hurts Dad?”

“He didn’t save him to hurt him,” Aiden says. “Besides, think about it. All of Agnus’ motives lead back to Ethan. I say he’d never hurt him.”

“How do you know that?”

He grins, a sadism so deep ignites in his cloudy eyes. “I know my kind when I meet one.”

“Your… kind?”

“Agnus and I are the same. We don’t mind creating anarchy if it gets us what we want.”

“So he’s planning anarchy?”

“He already did with that fire.”

“This only means he’s unstoppable.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Am I unstoppable, sweetheart?”

“You are.”

“How about when it comes to you?”

“You still are… sometimes. I mean, I know you care about me, but that doesn’t mean you’re politically correct.”

“And I’ll never be.” He dismisses ever so casually. “In your mind, do I want to hurt or protect you?”

“Protect me.” I don’t even think about it.

Aiden might’ve wanted to hurt me at the beginning, but that’s changed. He doesn’t want to inflict pain on me anymore — except during sex sometimes, but that’s part of our foreplay.

Aiden is my number one protector now, and I can admit it out loud.

“Agnus is like me,” he emphasises every word. “He’s just like me.”