Black Knight (Royal Elite #4) by Rina Kent

I’m about to do that when he smirks as if he’s been reading my thoughts all along. “For the record, biting me is the hard, not the easy one.”

I dart out my tongue and lick the chocolate off his thumb. It’s quick and I finish soon after I start.

My tongue itches for more. I’m like a newbie getting her first hit of drugs, her first high, and needing so much more of that madness.

Xander doesn’t remove his finger, even after I’m done. He stares at me with a weird type of intensity.

He always has this frown whenever he looks at me, a fucked up type of interest, which I’ve always known is because he hates me.

But right now, it’s not hate that’s staring back at me. It’s anger, raw and unhinged. A shudder goes through me, even though he hasn’t directed it at me yet.

His thumb leaves my lips and I exhale, thinking it’s finally over.

“The right green eyes,” he slurs.

“W-what?”

My breathing cuts off when he cradles my cheeks with both his hands and brushes his lips against mine. Once. Twice.

It’s soft, so soft, I think I’m going to die from the feeling of it. I never thought Xander’s lips would be this soft. Not once have I imagined our first kiss would be this gentle, heartbreaking even.

First kiss, if we don’t count the smooches we had as kids.

He groans deep in his throat as he possesses my lips and turns me around, slamming me against something hard, a tree.

Tingles erupt down my spine as I open my mouth with a moan. Xander loses all softness then. His tongue finds mine and he kisses me with a ferocity that leaves me soundless, breathless, and boneless.

I wrap my hands around his nape, letting them get lost in his thick hair as he grabs my face tighter, kissing me harder and faster, like it’s the first and the last time, like he has to run right after this.

From the outside looking in, it must seem like he’s sucking my soul out of my mouth, and that’s probably what he’s doing.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think he’d kiss me, or that he’d be this passionate about it, as if I was the only kiss that matters in his life and –

As fast as he starts, he wrenches away from me with a deep, pained growl.

My back is still against the tree, my legs shaking, and I couldn’t move if I wanted to.

He glares down at me like I’m his worst enemy before he runs a hand through his hair. “Fuck!”

He kicks a pebble, facing away from me as if my mere view repulses him. “Fucking fuck.”

“What the hell?” I murmur out loud, although I mean to say it internally.

He’s at my face again, his eyes glimmering with deep-seated rage, and this time, he looks about ready to unleash it on me. “Don’t you ever, and I mean ever tempt me again.”

“What?”

“Get the fuck out of my sight. Your face disgusts me.”

A sob catches in my throat as his same words from that day years ago cut me open all over again.

He started to mend those wounds only so he could rip them open.

I hate him.

I hate him.

I hate him so fucking much.

“Now!” he growls and I don’t have to be told twice as I turn on my heels and run out of the garden.

My lips are swollen, heart slaughtered, and head swimming with that memory from seven years ago.





11





Kimberly





Age eleven





“Over there?” Xan points at the path between the trees.

“Yeah,” I say without smiling, even though I want to. Badly. “Go fetch her.”

“Luna!” he calls for our cat as he disappears behind the trees. “Come out!”

His voice slowly fades, and I huff, throwing green M&M’s into my mouth. I’ll leave all the other colours for Xan.

Luna isn’t there. She’s at home sleeping by the fireplace – his, not mine. Mum would kill me before allowing me to have any pet.

But Uncle Lewis let Xan have Luna and after that, she became our cat.

She’s not missing, but I told Xan to come look for her because he was being a meanie. Since he hates the cold, I brought him out when it’s about to snow.

I sit at the rock at the entrance to the forest and grab a stick, then twirl it on the ground as I wait.

Earlier, I told Xander how much I hate being Mum’s daughter and that she’s stopping me from eating my favourite food.

“Ignore her; you’re beautiful,” he said while he was watching Kirian sleeping.

“I am?” I asked, staring at him with wide eyes.

His cheeks turned red before he nodded. “You’re the most beautiful girl I know.”

“Even more than Silver?”

“More than anyone.” He clutched Kir’s finger and my baby brother curled his fist around it.

That couldn’t be true; he was lying to me. Everyone says Silver is a Barbie doll with her golden blonde hair and pale blue eyes. She’s always elegant and majestic, while I’m just…me.

Fat and ungraceful. And I have some blemishes that won’t go away.

“You’re lying.” I pouted.

“Why would I lie to you, Green?”

My face heated and I twirled a strand of my hair. “You don’t think I’m fat?”