Page 72 of Twisted Elites

Sebastian and Leopold strode toward us from the wall where they’d been quietly eavesdropping. Cormac’s face hardened. With the kings around, he was unlikely to want to speak further on any subject.

“What’s this about Corrine’s diary?” asked Leopold.

“If you have information that could free Kash, you have to share it,” said Sebastian.

They crowded around Cormac’s slighter frame, reminding me of the first time I’d seen him in conflict with the kings. This time, it was Sebastian and Leopold and not Leopold and Prakash. Pushing aside the pang of loss, I straightened and readied myself to intervene if things became messy.

Cormac pulled back his shoulders and raised his chin. “The police wouldn’t have kept Kashaayah for so long without overwhelming evidence.”

Sebastian snarled. “They tried to blame him for what happened to Ashley, and look how that turned out.”

I stepped between them and placed a palm on both Leopold and Sebastian’s chests. “Give us a bit of time to go through the diary, and I’ll update you as soon as I can, alright?”

Sebastian’s hard, green eyes snapped back to me and softened. “This information could make a huge difference for Kash.”

“That’s why I don’t want us to waste time arguing,” I murmured. “How about we meet up later?”

His gaze turned back to Cormac and hardened. “Text us when you’ve finished, and we’ll come and get you.”

I kissed him on the cheek then turned to Leopold, who also glared at Cormac with hate-filled eyes, and I kissed his cheek, too. Neither of them moved from their spot, so I turned back to Cormac and smiled. “Let’s go to your room.”

He gave me a sharp nod and spun on his heel. Leopold and Sebastian followed us all the way to the fourth floor.

* * *

Thankfully, Cormac was too anxious about the contents of Corrine’s diary to make any comments about my relationship with the kings, but when we entered his pristine bedroom, he pursed his lips and swept his gaze down my rumpled dress. There wasn’t much I could do about creased linen, but I smoothed down my hair, hoping I didn’t look like I’d been fucked in the back of someone’s car.

Cormac slid open his desk drawer. “Corrine incorporated Romanji into the diary around the time the police released Kashaayah in the summer term.”

“Right.” I sat on his armchair, wondering if Corrine had added a layer of complication in her diary to obscure her next set of plans.

He withdrew a memory stick balanced on a stack of papers. “I took the liberty of printing out the section I couldn’t bring myself to read.”

My mouth dried, and a thrill of anticipation shot through my chest. I reached out and placed the papers on my lap. “Does the stick contain the fully translated diary?”

Cormac nodded and sat at the edge of his bed. The defiant posture he’d displayed in front of the kings now sagged into one of defeat, and he lowered his gaze to his lap.

“I read the first page,” he said in a trembling voice. “It’s all about how Kashaayah. wouldn’t acknowledge her after his release from custody.”

“Okay…” I slipped the memory stick into my purse and stared at the page of text. If a whole bunch of male relatives came down from India to admonish him for not offering Corrine marriage, I could understand why Prakash would want to ignore her for lying to the police. “I’ll read ahead and let you know when I find anything interesting, alright?”

Do you know what it feels like to be invisible to the sun? It’s like having that seasonal affective disorder. Remembering the kiss of sunshine on your skin and having it cruelly snatched away.

El Sol never smiles these days and doesn’t even laugh with el Rubio and el Moreno. I probably went too far when I tried to get him into trouble for giving me what I asked for.

We’re both linked through our mirrored pain, but he’s too stubborn to come to me for solace. The royals have closed ranks around him and told me to stay away. Even Cormac says I should stop looking at them, but I would give anything to see him smile.

My brows furrowed, and I glanced up at Cormac, who sat on the edge of the mattress, staring at me with unblinking eyes.

“Have you found anything?”

“She hasn’t acknowledged doing anything wrong.”

Cormac stared into his lap. “See why I didn’t want to read it? The passages are already tarnishing my memory of her.”

“I’ll skip ahead and see who she encounters.”

“Thanks,” he whispered.