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356 pages, Paperback
First published January 22, 2020
鈥淎 moment later, he strides in our direction. He smiles at me so wide, I鈥檓 tempted to cut his face open. The only reason I don鈥檛 is because Elsa would hate me even more.
Knight can still do it, though. With the right encouragement.
I tuck that idea for later.鈥�
喹� 鈥р倞藲鈹�let's burn together in a perfectly imperfect harmony
喹� 鈥р倞藲鈹�since we were kids, and even now, aiden lights up only when i'm around.
喹� 鈥р倞藲鈹�aiden and i are not the darkness and the light; we both have stained minds and souls, but we are not soulmates. we are lost souls who complete each other in a perfectly imperfect harmony.
"What I feel for you isn鈥檛 only love, obsession, or addiction. It鈥檚 all of those and more."
#0: cruel king 鈫� 4.5 stars
#1: deviant king 鈫� 4 stars
#2: steel princess 鈫� 3.5 stars
#3: twisted kingdom 鈫� 3.5 stars
"Aiden and I aren't the darkness and the light. We both have tarnished minds and souls. But we're not soulmates. We're lost souls that fit in perfectly imperfect harmony."
鈥漌hat I feel for you isn鈥檛 only love, obsession, or addiction. It鈥檚 all of those and more.鈥�
鈥淎s long as you have this spark in your eyes, I鈥檒l always recognise you as my Elsa.鈥�
鈥淭here hasn鈥檛 been a day where I haven鈥檛 thought about you. Every time I manage to sleep, I dream of you. You were my obsession since we were kids, but now it鈥檚 way fucking worse. I don鈥檛 know how I managed to spend eight years without you in my life when now I suffocate if I don鈥檛 see you for hours.鈥�
"The thought that Dad trusts him burns at the back of my throat like acid."
...
鈥淵ou killed my mother,鈥� I breathe, my face going up in flames.
鈥淪hut up, Elsa,鈥� Aiden whispers harshly, but only I can hear him. 鈥淒on鈥檛 provoke him when we have no exit plan.鈥�
...
"He鈥檚 a psychopath, isn鈥檛 he?
If he鈥檚 so detached after killing someone, he must be some sort of a psycho."
...
鈥淚鈥檝e been by Ethan鈥檚 side since we were ten years old. I know from experience that if he stops trusting someone, he鈥檒l cut them completely out of his life. I can鈥檛 afford that.鈥�
鈥淲hat if I tell him?鈥� I try to keep the challenge out of my voice.
鈥淓than lost so much...He finally thinks he can start anew with you, Knox, and Teal. If you tell him unnecessary things, he鈥檒l cut me from his life, but he won鈥檛 cope well with it. If you want to be the reason behind that, then by all means, go right ahead.鈥�
鈥淎re you threatening me?鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 simply stating facts.鈥�
...鈥淪ounds like a threat to me.鈥�
He smiles without humour. 鈥淏elieve me, this isn鈥檛 how I issue threats. You鈥檙e lucky to be amongst the few people I鈥檒l never threaten.鈥�
We maintain a war of gazes for what seems like an hour. Agnus doesn鈥檛 flinch or even blink.
A stone. He鈥檚 a damn stone.
鈥淗e鈥檚 right.鈥� Aiden faces me. 鈥淪teel Corporation remained standing because of Agnus. If he leaves, it鈥檒l backfire on your father badly, especially with the competition between him and Jonathan.鈥�
鈥淵ou鈥檙e supposed to be on my side.鈥� I glare at him.
鈥淚 am, sweetheart. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 telling you to disregard your emotions and give free reign to your brain.鈥� ...鈥淒eep down, you know this is the best thing to do.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檒l give you time to think about it.鈥� Agnus places the cigarette to his lips. 鈥淚t won鈥檛 be long before Ethan finds out you鈥檙e missing. I disabled the ability to open the door from the inside. Stay here and process everything carefully, Elsa.鈥�
鈥淒id he just lock us in?鈥� I murmur in astonishment.
鈥淭he phones are outside,鈥� Aiden curses again.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe he did that. Dad will never forgive him.鈥�
鈥淗e wants you to think carefully about what to say to your father.鈥� Aiden glances at me. 鈥淗e probably doesn鈥檛 want to hurt you. If you give him what he wants, he鈥檒l let us out.鈥�
鈥淗ow? He locked us in.鈥� I contain a frustrated yell.
The psycho."
"All his actions lead back to my father鈥檚 well-being.
Well, all except for locking me in a basement with no way out.
That reality of things hits me hard when Aiden pulls and pushes the door with no result.
We鈥檙e trapped."
"I might not have accomplished much, but I at least saved her and Knox. They鈥檙e the best thing that happened to my life after Elsa.
And Agnus."
鈥淲here鈥檚 your dog?鈥� I poke Ethan. 鈥淗ave you lost the leash?鈥�
鈥淲atch it, Jonathan. I won鈥檛 allow you to disrespect Agnus.
鈥淭ouchy, aren鈥檛 we?鈥�
鈥淗e saved Aiden that day,鈥� he says with an edge of smugness. 鈥淚f it weren鈥檛 for Agnus, you would鈥檝e lost your only son.鈥�
鈥淎gnus the saviour,鈥� I mock.
...But do you know what鈥檚 the difference between you and me? I consider Elsa鈥檚 well-being before my own.鈥�
鈥淲ait,鈥� I say against his mouth. 鈥淲hat were you and Agnus talking about earlier?鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e planning something. It鈥檚 going to be fun.鈥�
Aiden and Agnus are planning something.
鈥淪ometimes the king is a woman.鈥�
鈥淲hat I feel for you isn鈥檛 only love, obsession, or addiction. It鈥檚 all of those and more. Do you know what that means, sweetheart? It means I can鈥檛 live without you, so don鈥檛 you fucking dare leave me.鈥�