Page 212 of Lethal King

The armed goon steps forward, wedding gown in hand. When he’s halfway between Leander and me, he stops.

“You still need to get dressed,” Leander explains.

With that, the guard throws the wedding gown at my feet. I let it fall onto the ground.

“I’d rather not,” I spit, unable to hold back my disdain.

“I’m afraid there’s no choice,” Leander says. “It’s tradition.”

His guard retreats, and I quickly realize the real reason Leander called Drago to his side.

To act as a human shield.

Fuck.

I should have seen that coming. But I underestimated the Greek billionaire. Does he know what’s coming? Does he know what we have planned for him?

If he does, we might already be fucked.

“We’ll start a new tradition,” I say, hand sliding down my thigh. A knife won’t do much good in a gunfight, but it’s all I’ve got.

“I’d rather stick with the old ways,” Leander smirks.

“She’s not wearing the dress,” Drago growls. He must realize what’s happening. I can hear the frustration in his voice.

Shit’s about to unravel, and fast.

Out of the corner of my eye, I give Tytus a quick glance. His back is already arched.

“Like I said, I’m not giving her the choice,” Leander grumbles, clearly fed up. “If you want this deal to happen, if you want your life’s work to be fulfilled, you’ll tell your daughter to be a good girl. You’ll tell her to strip down right here and now. You’ll tell her to change in front of her new king. You’ll tell her to forsake that beastly Irish devil she’s clearly fallen for, and you’ll order her to do as I say, forever.”

My heart drops.

Leander isn’t even trying to hide his hate anymore. He’s talking like a man who’s in complete control. And suddenly, I can’t tell if it’s because he’s just naive, or if he actually has something else up his sleeve.

“Never,” Drago growls. His pale face turns a deep red as he shakes with anger.

Easy, I mouth to him.

But Drago just shakes his head.

I can tell he’s getting ready to do something stupid.

My fallen heart disappears into a black abyss. I haven’t completely forgiven Drago yet. But I know it’s just because I need more time.

Neither of us is allowed to die yet.

“Well, then what good are you?” Leander huffs. With a resentful eye roll, he reaches into his breast pocket and pulls out a knife.

He doesn’t give Drago a chance to turn around. Without another word, Leander plunges his blade into Drago’s back.

“Dad!” I scream.

It’s like the air is sucked out of the room. Blood rushes into my ears. Drago’s dark eyes go wide as he falls to his knees.

I reach for my knife.

But before I can grab it, Leander gestures to one of his guards. The man presses the barrel of his AK-47 against Drago’s temple.