Vicious Prince (Royal Elite #5) by Rina Kent

I angle her head and kiss it. I taste the metal of her blood as I power into her with all my might.

Someone appears in my peripheral vision. I’m sideways to the door while she’s facing away, still coming down from her high.

Cole.

He stands by the door, holding a book. He leans against the doorframe, crossing his feet at the ankles. Usually, if he’s in one of his voyeurism phases, I’ll tell him to fuck off. I don’t. Instead, I let Teal fall to the sofa and throw the jacket over her back and arse to hide her nudity.

There’s no way in fuck I’ll let him see her naked, but that doesn’t mean he won’t see who she belongs to.

I grab her hip under the jacket and thrust into her a few more times, long and hard, and then empty inside her like I’ve never done before.

And it’s not only because of the lack of a condom. I lied — I have condoms, plural. I never go out without them and I shove them in my fucker friends’ lockers to prevent any teen pregnancy drama, but the idea of putting a barrier between me and Teal again sounded like a tragedy.

Off you go, condoms. This is our official goodbye.

“Nice show.” Cole raises an eyebrow.

Teal gasps as she shrinks into herself, pulling the jacket all around her.

I remain completely naked as I stand up and glare at him. Cole always had a voyeurism kink — amongst others.

“Carry on.” He pauses. “Or should I have applauded first?”

From behind me, I can make out Teal pulling on her clothes and haphazardly putting them on.

Fuck. Did she figure out I did it on purpose? Not that I should care. Both she and Cole need to know their places.

As in, no one will take her away from me anymore.

A few seconds later, she emerges from behind me in her skirt and closed jacket and carries the rest of her clothes in a ball.

“I’ll drive you,” I say.

She cuts me a glare so harsh it’s like a knife. “Screw you.”

And with that, she grabs her bag and doesn’t spare Cole a glance as she storms out of the Meet Up.

I remain standing there, ignoring Cole’s smirk and my state of nakedness. All I can think about is the last look she gave me: anger mingled with disappointment.

Merde.





23





Teal





Later that day, I join Elsa and Kim for a girls’ time.

In the past, I didn’t know what girls’ time meant. After all, Knox and Agnus and Dad have always been my entourage. Now that Elsa joined us, it’s become more…well, interesting.

My foster sister isn’t exactly the girly type, not like her best friend Kim who’s sporting killer green hair that matches the colour of her eyes. Whenever they gather, they talk a little about their lives and a lot about Aiden and Xander and sex. Usually, those conversations don’t bother me. I used to watch their blushing faces and wonder what they’re being so embarrassed about.

After Ronan, I kind of figured it out. The mere thought of what he did to my body rises heat up my cheeks. I still feel him inside me with every step I take, and I hate that my only thought is how much I want to repeat it all over again.

If he didn’t bloody ruin it.

As soon as we get into the small coffee shop and order, I excuse myself to the bathroom as Kim shows Elsa pictures of her little brother, Kirian, and they both swoon over him. If Aiden were here, he would’ve been jealous of that kid. No kidding. Hell, if Xander didn’t already consider Kirian a little brother, he might have been jealous, too.

After finishing in the bathroom, I come out, staring at my phone. No texts.

I told myself I won’t check for them, but I’m like a junkie. I can’t stop waiting for something from him. Not that I would forgive him that easily for what he did, but still. Ronan not sending anything is suspicious as hell.

My feet come to a halt in front of the bathroom. Silver stands there, staring at her phone and touching a dainty butterfly necklace surrounding her pale throat. A soft smile grazes her lips. It’s almost innocent – which is the last adjective I would’ve used to describe Silver. It’s true that she’s some sort of a bombshell, but she always came with an edge.

She has the most beautiful smile that she showcases on social media, usually with her powerhouse parents or stepmom or her father’s PR team. Even Ronan used to post many pictures with her, half-hugging her or both smiling at the camera. He usually captioned it with: Beautiful People. The arrogant prick.

When I was stalking his Instagram, which goes back to years, I noticed that when he was around fifteen, he often posted pictures with the other three horsemen, Levi King – Aiden’s older cousin – and Silver. She was the only girl amongst the five of them.

Then, little by little, she started to disappear from their pictures. Especially this year.

Upon noticing me, Silver drops her hand from her necklace and just like that, her expression hardens. All smiles and innocence vanish into thin air.

She stares at my shirt on which is written, Nerd? I prefer the term ‘more intelligent than you.’

Her icy stare slides back to my face. “Teal.”

“Silver.”

She waltzes closer until she can stare down at me. Stupid tall people and their legs that go for miles. “I still haven’t forgiven you for the other day.”

“Neither have I.”