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My breath hitched. “What choice did I have? I spent every moment of my life fearing King Frederick would come for me.” I aimed the gun at her. There was no one here to stop me. There were still more bullets in the magazine. I could have ended her life if I wanted to. “Look at me,” I growled, the low tone foreign to me. “I’m not a docile member of the court anymore. I learned how to defend myself so none of you could ever use me again.”
She sat in awe. “You’re glorious, Christine. A perfect match for Augustus. You’ll keep him safe—I know it.” Isabelle stood up. My hand shook, the adrenaline flooding every cell of my body. “Do it,” she urged while stepping up to me. “Kill me, Christine. Prove how bloodthirsty you’ve become.”
I pulled back the safety. “Stop talking,” I yelled.
“But I know the truth, Christine,” she continued while stepping forward. “I know that you’re not a killer. You’re a protector. You’re your mother’s child. And she saved me. I need you to save August.”
I lifted my chin. Blood dripped down my face. Soon, guards would be running here. I’d be arrested on the spot. “Fuck you,” I whispered before dropping my arm to my side.
She tilted her chin up like the royal woman she was, looking down her nose at me with pride. “Look how beautiful you are. Covered in blood. I can almost picture the crown on your head,” Isabelle said softly. It felt like defeat. I should have fled the country last night. “You won’t be leaving Aldrich today. I had a suite prepared for you next to August. See you at dinner, Christine.”
Chapter Seven
AUGUST
I was wearing a hot and stuffy royal suit, the golden crest pinned to my chest glimmering under the chandelier overhead. I’d bathed in my Ambre Topkapi cologne to hide the lingering smell of pot on my skin. As much as I disliked admitting it, I spent the majority of the day sulking in my suite, smoking, and dealing with a huge hangover. Over the course of the day, I consumed one gallon of water and had a greasy breakfast by myself. My thoughts turned to Christine as I lay in bed.
I was a dick. A cocky dick that probably deserved a gigantic kick in the balls for the way I acted, but I’d never admit that out loud. Taking random drugs from a girl I didn’t know didn’t even make the list of top ten stupidest things I’d ever done. Last night was just a blip in a long line of poor decisions. The only difference was, the first girl I ever loved got to see the new me. I liked to fuck random women. I liked to party. Hard. I liked to take little white pills and throw back bottles of expensive liquor.
I didn’t even know what Christine liked anymore. She seemed so different. So closed off and cautious. The girl I knew wasn’t scared of the world. She controlled the earth’s rotation with her nimble index finger. I didn’t fucking understand it. There was a part of me that hated how eager I was to unravel her mystery.
“Are you my new babysitter?” I asked Leo, who was standing stoically at my side, fingers threaded together in front of him as we waited for my mother to arrive. I’d rather fracture my dick than attend this diplomatic dinner with these stuffy council members and my coldhearted mother. However, since I was in town and since my father was dead, I had to step up.
It was like stepping back in time. Expensive costumes. Decorum and unspoken etiquette.
I wanted to be on my yacht. I wanted to be fucking some faceless girl who liked to grind her clit against my tongue, so I could get Christine out of my system. But no. I was here.
“Your mother decided my talents were best used here,” Leo replied. His tone was robotic. Was he always this loyal? This obedient? He wore a dark navy suit. I could see the outline of a gun holstered to his hip. His hair was pulled back into one of those ridiculous man buns that bitches loved. There was no doubt that Leo was taller and stronger than me. My goal was to look good naked, not to win fights. The type of muscle mass he had was only possible through roids or anger.
“Are you sleeping with the queen, Leo? You probably had to pay her in sexual favors to get out of that blasted countryside. Why did she banish you, anyway?” I asked. “Christine disappeared, and then they reassigned you the next day. One might think the two events were related.”
I was pressuring him. I knew damn well they sent him away because of Christine. I just didn’t know why. It was quite the thorn in our friendship. I liked Leo. He was cool. And when we were teens, he let me get away with lots of shit, mostly because he liked saving me. I supposed now that he wasn’t banned anymore, he would have plenty of opportunities to dive in front of rogue bullets aimed at my chest.
A group of men walked by us, heading for the large dining room. It wasn’t until they were out of earshot that Leo spoke up. “You need to tell your mother to send Christine away, August.”
I scoffed. “Christine is already on a plane flying back to Harvington.”
“Are you sure about that?” Leo asked while nudging me. I looked up, then followed his line of sight, frowning when I saw the most beautiful fucking woman I’d ever seen in my goddamn life walking toward me. Christine was a dream. Her hair was curled like loose ribbons and flowed down her back. Her neck and face were red, almost as if she was perpetually blushing or had spent hours scrubbing at her skin. And her dress? God damn alive. Her dress was sinfully tight. The fabric was like water over her body, gracefully moving with every step. The rose color brought out the gold highlights in her blonde hair.
“Send her home,” Leo urged. I barely heard him.
“Why the fuck would I do that?” I asked in a daze while drinking her in. Christine looked like a wet dream. I imagined fucking her out here in the hall where everyone could see.
There was one aspect of her appearance that made me pause, though. Her gaze was distant. Haunted. Despite the smile on her full lips, she seemed off. Selfishly, I couldn’t help but feel elated that she’d stayed. She was here. Did my mother have any say in this?
“Because she isn’t happy here,” Leo replied under his breath. “Because this isn’t her.”
If Christine wasn’t happy, then I supposed I would make it my job to make her happy. Was that why she left?
As I strolled up to her, I felt confident despite the look of annoyance on her face. She held both of her fists tightly at her sides. As she stared over my shoulder and gave Leo fuck me eyes, I felt a burning sense of anger. She batted her lashes and inhaled at the sight of him. Fuck that. I wanted her attention. “You’re still here,” I whispered before wrapping her up in a hug. I probably shouldn’t hug her so tightly. I was sending mixed signals, wasn’t I? Pushing her away and holding her close.
I was such a dick.
I didn’t really care.
She reluctantly melted against me. Fuck, she felt so good. She smelled like vanilla and clean soap. I ran my hands along her spine, and her lips brushed along my neck. My cock twitched in my pants, and I felt like a fucking preteen again, trying to hide the embarrassing hard-on I had growing.
No. Fuck that. I wasn’t embarrassed. I wanted her to feel how much she affected me. “I had no choice,” she whispered. “Your mother flagged my passport. I can’t leave the kingdom.”
