Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“K-K-Kai Errani,” he mumbles.
“That’s me.” I smile when I feel him attempt to swallow. His Adam’s apple moving against my palm. I want to choke him, to see him struggle, but instead of being a total arsehole, I release him. “Now, I trust you and your friends won’t forget that this girl is off limits,” I inform him only to receive a nod before he rushes past Valen who’s staring at me confused.
“What the fuck was that?” he asks as he glances over his shoulder at the group of kids walking out of the restaurant.
“Arseholes,” I say as I slip back into my seat.
If Brielle’s glare was angry earlier, I would say right now she’s livid.
“You don’t own me, yet,” she says. “If I want to—”
“What you want is no longer your choice. We will make sure you’re safe. Don’t for one second think about dating any of these kids on this island. You are owned, princess. You’re ours. It doesn’t matter if you want to be or not.”
She pushes to her feet, but Valen is beside her in seconds.
“You don’t want to fight us,” he warns.
It’s the first time I’ve seen him like this with her. Usually, he’s the sweet caring one, but right now, the killer has appeared, the man who first captured my attention when I watched him torture a traitor. I knew that day I would want him in my life forever. There was something visceral about how he delved into the darkness.
He’s different to Judah and me in the way he handles himself, but he’s also very much like us in the way he enjoys the part of our job where rules don’t matter. The three of us have a hunger for violence and a need to kill. We don’t take shit from anyone, and when we do exact revenge, it’s never forgotten. Which is why the Lawless Princes rule.
Valen releases Brielle’s arm, and shockingly, she doesn’t run, she doesn’t slap him, she merely stares.
“I will make this very fucking clear to both of you, I’m here because my father wanted me to be, not because you, or you,” she points at Valen then me before she continues, “or Judah have said so.”
“Try to leave, and I’ll find you,” Judah’s voice comes from behind us, causing Brielle’s eyes to widen. “And you don’t want to see me when I have to give chase.”
It’s a warning. Judah is well-equipped as a hunter, and I wouldn’t want to be his prey.
Valen escorts Brielle out of the restaurant, and I ask for the pizzas to be packaged to take away. She hasn’t eaten and she needs to. Perhaps it was a mistake to come out tonight, but I won’t sit back and let a kid hit on the woman who belongs to us.
“What happened?”
I look at Judah as we wait for the food. “Some bastard thinks he can have what belongs to the Princes.”
“Name?” Judah’s voice is like ice as he speaks.
He’s angry, I can read the emotion written all over his face—the fire dances in his eyes.
“Morrone, I think,” I tell him, but I’m not entirely sure.
He’s a new student, and I’ve only seen him a couple of times. He’s not advanced enough to be in my classes.
Judah nods before he leaves me staring at his back. He disappears through the doors, and I know that come tomorrow, the young bastard who tried his luck will be in the dungeon. It’s an underground tunnelling system that runs the length of the island. There are small rooms every couple of miles, and that’s where we take those who don’t follow our rules.
As I make my way to the SUV, I can’t help but wonder what the coming week will bring.
THE WAY YOU HATE
BRIELLE
I’m still reeling from the weekend. I’ve discovered secrets I never expected to learn. They probably regret what they’ve shared with me, but they didn’t have a choice. I had to know the truth, sooner or later.
That’s the thing about keeping things hidden, they always come to light. But now I need to think about the way forward. Even though I’m bound by a contract, deep down, I realise I’ve come to care for the Princes, even Judah. Now I know the truth, I can see why he’s so distrusting of strangers, and I can’t blame him. They’ve allowed me into their world, and confessed something I’m not sure many people know about.
Even though I’m going to become a Venier, I’m still not sure why they chose that particular moment to confess their innermost desires. In private, they’re three beautiful men in an unconventional erotic relationship, but in public, they’re nothing more than best friends, loyal acquaintances. It just goes to show that what you see on the outside isn’t always the truth.
Black Hollow may look like paradise, but in a world filled with powerful criminals, trained in the art of deception, there are dangers lurking everywhere. And I have to remember that. All the students are the same. There’s a reason they attend the university—they came here to learn how to lie and double-cross, to become the best before stepping up to their thrones.