Cruel Kings by Skye Knight

40

Noah

I stared at a wild-eyed Milla. She struggled trying to get out of my hold but I tightened my fingers around her wrist.

“What were you doing?” I asked in a deep voice.

“Nothing.”

I didn’t believe her. Dragging her toward the bed in the corner, I threw her on it. A small cry escaped her as she tumbled forward. Before she could sit up, I was on her, pinning her underneath me.

“Get off me!” she shouted, twisting her body under me. “This is not why I came.”

Her body was rubbing against mine, lighting a fire deep within me. I didn’t care why she was here anymore. Now that she was here, I was just going to have her.

Leaning down, I kissed the side of her neck, enjoying the feel of the soft skin against my lips.

“Noah,” she moaned, her body twisting and flailing underneath me. “Stop. Please...”

“Lie still,” I growled, biting a sensitive spot on her neck.

To my surprise, she obeyed, breathing heavily.

“Who were you talking to on the phone?” she asked.

My face hovered over hers. “You were listening?”

“You know something about your dad’s flight,” she said. “You know where they are.”

Anger rose inside me. How could she think about my dad when I was kissing her? I hated the way she resisted me at every turn. Part of me didn’t want to keep hurting her but she was the one who made things difficult for herself. Why couldn’t she simply submit to me?

I climbed off her.

“Noah, wait.” She sat up and jumped off the bed. “Don’t go. Tell me what you know.”

It didn’t take much to guess what she was talking about. Dad’s flight was scheduled to arrive early that morning. The aircraft landed at Silverlake Airport on time.

It was late afternoon now, and he and his new wife were still not home.

After calling him several times on his cellphone and finding it switched off, I decided to call Mr. Jenkins. He was the one I was talking to before feeling Milla’s presence on the other side of the closed door.

“Where’s my mom?” Milla asked, looking anxious. “Have you heard from your dad?”

“I don’t know where your mother is,” I said in a cold tone. “My dad isn’t home yet. Maybe Eva’s the one responsible for his disappearance.”

“Disappearance?” she gasped.

“He isn’t answering his phone and we don’t know where he is,” I said.

“My mom’s missing too!” she shouted.

“I won’t let you off if I find your mother is responsible for this,” I warned her. “Not that I care about my father, but he’s still my dad. He can’t die just yet.”

Her face cracked into a pained expression. “What are you talking about?” she asked, looking terrified.

I turned away, needing to distance myself from her. If not, I’d end up hurting her again. That was something I wanted to avoid doing in a house full of maids and valets.

“Noah! Wait up!” Milla shouted.

Next moment, I felt her fingers tangle into my shirt.

“Let go, Milla,” I growled.

“Not until you tell me the truth,” she urged. She pulled at my shirt hard, making me stumble. “You know something. What’s happened to them? Tell me! Tell me right now!”

“Get off,” I warned her.

“Tell me where my mom is,” she shouted, half-demanding and half-pleading. The sound of tearing fabric followed this. Looking down, I saw she’d torn a piece of my shirt.

“Get away from me!” I bellowed, pushing her away.

Her fingers slipped as her body fell backward.

It was a few seconds before I realized I pushed her too hard.

Milla’s back hit the wall and she stayed stuck to it at an awkward angle. Second by second, her expression changed. First, it was shock. Next, it was pain. Her eyes welled with tears while her mouth fell open in a silent gasp.

I stood rooted to the spot as Milla’s body slowly slid to the floor, leaving behind a large smear of blood on the beige-painted wall.

She stayed still on the ground. The carpet near her head was steadily turning a dark crimson. The sight jolted me from my momentary paralysis and I hurled myself forward, kneeling before her.

“Milla.” Her name was a shaky breath on my lips. I shook her shoulder but she didn’t respond, continuing to lie in that awkward position on the floor.

“Milla, get up,” I shouted.

My finger brushed over the soaked carpet and came up smeared with blood. My heartbeat seemed to slow down as cold spread through my chest. I couldn’t believe what I’d just done.

I reached for her and gently lifted her body on my lap. Her head lolled to the side. I touched her scalp and felt the warm, wet blood soaking through her hair.

“Shit,” I muttered, staring down at her. Her closed eyelashes seemed too dark against her pale skin. I couldn’t believe how much she bled in such a short time.

I need to get her to a hospital, the thought broke through my dazed mind.

Pulling her closer toward me, I picked up her limp body in my arms and hurried out of the room. Fear flowed through my veins like icy water. Milla was too quiet. Too unmoving.

Isn’t this the way I usually liked her though? Still and unmoving like a corpse.

The thought of her dying made my insides freeze. Shit! What was I thinking?

“You’re not going to die,” I whispered, staring down at her.

“Young master,” a familiar voice called out from ahead.

Looking up, I saw Hubert, my mother’s old valet. His gaze fell on the figure in my arms. He hurried toward me at once.

“What happened to Miss Camilla?” he asked, bending over her. “Why is there so much blood on you? Are you hurt? Oh...wait. It’s her?”

“There’s no time to explain,” I said through a panic-choked voice. “Hurry up and bring a car to the front. We need to drive her to the emergency room.”

“Y-yes. Stay with her,” Hubert mumbled. “I’ll get the car.”

Looking down at her, I couldn’t even tell if she was breathing. The sleeves of my shirt felt wet and warm. Milla was still bleeding.

Guilt and fear over what I’d done was starting to overwhelm me.

I forced myself to breathe, to calm down. She’s going to be fine, I told myself. Nurses and doctors will patch her up and she’ll be okay.

However, a part of me couldn’t stop thinking of the consequences of a brutal head injury like this.

“I’ll be responsible for you,” I vowed to her. “No matter what happens, I’ll take care of you.”

With that, I strode forward.

Reaching the doorway of the entrance hall, I spotted a familiar car. Hubert honked and hollered. “Get in the back, Master Noah,” he shouted and threw open the backseat door.

Hurrying toward the car, I cautiously climbed in with Milla in my lap.

I was glad Hubert was around to help. I’d have liked Corey and Caleb to be here but they were both holed up at the Elites’ fraternity house this very moment. The end-of-term parties were always wild with plenty of booze and weed to go around.

“Hurry, Hubert,” I groaned as Milla’s blood steadily stained the front of my shirt.

“Let’s not get into an accident ourselves,” the old valet mumbled.

The traffic on the way downtown was bad. Every time we stopped at a signal, my blood boiled.

Please be okay, I silently prayed.