Ruthless Empire (Royal Elite #6) by Rina Kent

I watch her.

I listen to her.

And one day, I’ll own her.





8





Cole





That night, I don’t sleep.

I can’t.

Not that I usually have a good sleeping cycle. I’m the type who stays up all night, then sleeps one or two hours before I have to wake up.

I’ve always thought sleep is a waste of time. Why sleep when you can read?

But the reason I can’t sleep isn’t because of reading. In fact, I haven’t been able to touch a book since I got home.

I barely had dinner with Mum, and since then, I’ve been staring at my phone — the text Aiden sent right after Silver messaged me.

Aiden: Hey, how do I remove virginal blood from my dick? Should I just wash it?

I called him immediately, but he didn’t pick up.

It’s only a trick. A fucking game of Aiden’s.

Silver wouldn’t let him fuck her, she sure as hell wouldn’t give him her virginity. Silver might act high and mighty, but she believes in all that lady bollocks. She wouldn’t lose her virginity in the back of a car and with someone she’s not even dating.

She wouldn’t.

Unless if she wanted revenge.

I’ll make you regret it.

Her words echo in my mind like a twisted song, the type where I want to smash the CD against the wall.

I keep filling my head with thoughts like, Silver wouldn’t pull herself down or do something out of spite. She’s a snob in a way, and thinks ruining oneself is stupid.

But then again, she started hanging out with those fuckboys after I kissed her and told her she’s not bad compared to the others.

She’s vindictive and refuses to lose, even when she’s down.

Fuck.

I jump out of bed and then storm outside. I stop by the pool and stare at the luminous blue surface. I constantly think it’ll somehow turn red.

The reason I stop and stare at it every time isn’t out of fear, it’s out of my need for chaos.

The only time I go near that pool is when Silver is swimming with Mum in her one-piece suit. Her nipples show through the material and I always come close to have a better view of them. Then, after I get my fill, I tell her about it just to see her eyes widening and her cheeks turning red.

I hop on my bike and head towards Aiden’s house. I’m not one minute in before the sky starts pouring. I’m soaked within seconds but I don’t stop pedalling, not even when the water blurs my vision. It takes me fifteen minutes on full speed. I’m breathing harshly and there’s no one in the streets. It’s almost a scene from a crime thriller novel.

And maybe I should end it with a crime.

As soon as I arrive, I throw the bike down and hit the bell. Their butler lets me in and offers me a towel, pointing out that it’s past midnight. I couldn’t give a damn about that, so fuck him and his towel.

I storm up the stairs to Aiden’s room. It’s dark when I barge inside. It’s only when lightning strikes in the distance that I see his silhouette. He’s sitting on the bed, staring at something in front of him. I hit the light switch and he squints as I interrupt his session with his chessboard. He’s been playing against himself again. In the dark.

“Hey, Nash. You couldn’t sleep either?”

My breathing is choked, chest rising and falling so hard I couldn’t speak even if I wanted to. Droplets of rain fall from me, soaking the carpet.

He tilts his head. “You look like a rat out of the sewer.”

“Silver wouldn’t fuck you in the back of her father’s car.” I pant. “She’s conservative and we both know it.”

“And yet, she did. I already washed the blood off my dick. I wouldn’t have if I’d known you have a virginal blood kink.”

I’m panting like a dying dog. “You’re lying.”

Though I can’t tell for sure, considering his unchanged features. Usually, I’m good at reading people’s expressions and knowing if they’re lying or bluffing. I’ve been slowly trying to seem completely unaffected while I lie myself.

It’s not hard. You need guilt to show those signs in your body language. I lost that ability a long time ago.

Problem is, Aiden lost it too, so you never know when he’s lying or telling the truth.

“What’s in it for you, Nash?” He stands up and stalks towards me. “You don’t want me with her?”

“Why wouldn’t I want you with her?”

“I don’t know. Let me take a wild guess. Hmm.” He feigns a thinking position. “Feel threatened, maybe?”

“You wish.”

“Don’t tell me you rode your bike all the way here in the middle of the pouring rain at midnight just to tell me you don’t care.”

“That’s exactly it. I don’t care. I stopped caring about anything a long time ago.” I pause, continuing to catch my breath. “Still, Silver wouldn’t have done what you’re trying to convince yourself and me of. She believes in things.”

“Like stability, law, and order?”

“Yes.”

“That means she would have done it with her fiancé, don’t you think?”

I stop breathing for long seconds until my lungs burn. “What the fuck are you talking about?”