Vicious Prince (Royal Elite #5) by Rina Kent

I mark the text as read but don’t reply.

Ronan: This is your final warning. End the engagement before I do it. Mmmkay?

My shoulders stiffen as I exit the chat. He’s been threatening me for so long now; it’s time he knows I am not to be threatened.

“Agnus?”

“Yes.”

“Can you drop me somewhere?”

I hit the number on my contacts list and smile for the second time today.

Ronan should not have messed with me. If he bites, I’ll always bite back.





11





Ronan





“What does it mean when a girl cockblocks you?”

Cole doesn’t lift his head from the book; it’s one he’s been reading a lot lately, titled The Anatomy of Evil. He has phases where he spends a long time reading a certain book until he memorises the whole thing.

“You mean something similar to how you’re now blocking me from reading?”

“It’s not the same, you can’t fuck books.” He raises an eyebrow, and I hold out a hand. “Don’t even voice that thought, Captain. Now, back to my question: why?”

“Why are you asking me? Why not ask the others?”

“Because Aiden is shagging Elsa — not that he shares wisdom — and Xander is at rehab, so you’re all I’ve got.” I pause, grinning. “Besides, you’re the smartest.”

“Nice save.”

“What am I if not a good sport? Isn’t that right, Captain?”

He flips a page, momentarily ignoring me. I tagged along with him and we’re now at his house, or rather his stepfather’s house, Sebastian Queens. The future prime minister of the United Kingdom and one of Dad’s allies. He likes to keep everyone who matters near – like Teal’s foster father, Ethan Steel.

Cole’s room is impersonal with a bed and a desk and nearly nothing memorable. He does an impressive job of keeping it boring and filled with books.

Unlike me, Xander, or even Aiden, Cole doesn’t like having people over.

Told you, he’s kind on the outside, but a dick on the inside.

“If I answer your question,” he says, “are you going to leave?”

“Depends on whether or not you’ll bluff me.” I need to get that out there because the fucker has a tendency of telling you what you want to hear just so you’ll disappear, kind of like how I throw out smiles to maintain peace.

Still sitting on his bed, he leans on a fist but doesn’t release the book. “Give me details.”

Fuck yes.

I drag his desk chair over, flip it around, and sit down so my arms are on the top. “So here’s the thing: my friend was about to get a blowjob, and this girl interrupts me — I mean him, not me. As you know, I have no problem getting sex. He’s a loser.”

“What other friends do you have aside from us?”

“Just someone. Also, I have Lars.”

“Lars is thirty years older than you. Are you sure you want to consider him a friend?”

“I do, and you’re so fucked, Captain. I’m telling Lars, and he’s a snob who holds grudges and writes about them in his little black book, so no tea for you, and he won’t lend you novels from Father’s library.”

“Then maybe I shouldn’t be helping with your…I mean, your friend’s problem.”

“I’m kidding, Captain. Just kidding.” I give him my best smile. “So where were we? Right, my friend and the girl who cockblocked him.”

His expression doesn’t change. “Did your loser friend let her cockblock him?”

“Why are we calling him a loser?”

“You did — I’m just playing along.” His lips twitch in a smirk. “He’s your friend, after all, right?”

Dick.

“Yeah, he let her.”

“Did he at least use her mouth instead?”

“No.” And not because I didn’t want to; it was because she ran. Why the fuck did I let her run?

“We should call your friend a pussy instead of a loser.”

I feign a grin. “Is that all the advice you have?”

“She was probably jealous.”

“Right? I knew it.”

“Or she’s playing a game.”

Damn. “How do you know which is which?”

“That’s the question all philosophers ask.”

“And the answer?”

“There’s no answer, Ronan. You have to live with the fact that you won’t understand how women’s brains work.”

“So how should he react?”

He raises an eyebrow. “By not being a pussy. If you get a chance, seize it. I mean, your loser friend should seize it.”

I grab a pen from the table behind me and throw it at him to wash away his smirk, but he catches it above his head. His smirk turns into a full-blown grin.

“My information helped after all.” He twirls the pen between his index and middle finger. “Don’t you think you owe me?”

It’s my turn to smirk. “Don’t you think you owe me more? Imagine if I didn’t tell you about how she acted in front of your secret admirer.”

“Next time, when you tell me something, don’t do it when Aiden is around.”