Page 10 of Regal Queen

Three

Seething rage pulsed through me,the monster growing bigger and bigger ever since the day Rose kissed me, then voluntarily walked away from me and into Dimitri's underworld.

I fed my raging monster as I watched Coulter struggle to take in a breath, his blood pouring from the wounds in his chest, almost dying in my arms.

It grew when I discovered that my own father had sold me out. When I knew I was no longer ‘useful’ to him, when his deal for more power and more money from Dimitri was more of an enticement than his own flesh and blood.

And then the monster raged and beat his chest when my men brought Rose to me, beaten to a pulp, her whole body so destroyed that I hadn’t recognized her at first.

And now, it was pacing, pacing inside me, rabid but, forcibly, composed.

Patience wasn't exactly my strongest suit, but I knew when to keep my cards close to my chest, and now was one of those times. We were hidden, not only from Dimitri but we were also staying out of Nero's sights.

My contacts in the house, the very few men I trusted, reported that Nero was seething. Pacing the rooms, breaking things and yelling at everyone, demanding to know where we were.

My caution and patience had given us an advantage over Dimitri when we attacked his house, even though his security was ten times stronger than we were. And now, I was determined to keep that same carefulness to get what we wanted.

Revenge.

Dimitri’s death was the only thing I craved right now.

No one hurt Rose and lived.

I was going to kill the asshole, going to watch the life drain from his eyes, slowly, painfully.

The motherfucker had gotten away, escaping through underground tunnels the minute our bombs went off, leaving his men behind to destroy his drug lab and anything else we could use against him.

We weren't working with the force of the King name, but fortunately, I'd prepared for Nero’s eventual betrayal.

I made contacts outside of the family and funneled money to offshore accounts that he didn't know about. I also made certain to know everything about his security, who was a company man and who could be swayed to my side.

I also had backup security outside of the contracted company he used, provided by the Hearts out of New York.

Those were the men I'd used to invade Dimitri's house, and they'd been good men.

Dimitri’s soldiers had held us off for a while, but the ex-military men the Heart's provided were used to working in small groups against large armies of men. Slowly and methodically, we'd gotten through their main defenses, able to rescue both Rose and Knight before their counter-attack pushed us to escape.

Now we were at my mother's home, the last piece I had of her, and the least likeliest place Dimitri would come looking for us. I stood in her old room, keeping watch over where both Rose and Coulter recovered.

My chest stifling and aching, I looked on as Coulter held her, himself still weak from the attack because he'd insisted he go in with us. Now his arm was flung around her, pressing her to him tight, and she was clinging to him like he was a lifeline in an ocean of pain.

I'd given them both light sedatives and still, they clung to each other, even though they were both knocked out.

I tried to calm the anger and jealousy billowing in my chest, the need to pull Rose from his arms and kiss her gently, touch her like the precious creature that she was. Then my eyes fell to the missing part of Rose's finger and the monster inside me snarled, wild and enraged, beating at my insides to be let out.

My emotions were all over the place.

I wanted to fuck her, to take out my rage and anger on her body. To make her pay for the agony she put me through. I’d been worried about her. Worried she was abused, raped, … dead.

I wanted to hold her in my arms, tenderly worship every inch of her skin, whispering all the things I’d held back. To show her in every action, every deed, every thought how much she meant to me. How I’d longed for her every minute of every day since she disappeared from my life.

No, ever since she blew into my world like a hurricane.

I wanted to carve my name in Dimitri’s forehead then dig his eyes out with a spoon and shove them down his throat. To light his whole world on fire, and kill every single person associated with his name.

I was so fucked in the head and it wasn’t right for me to be around Rose. She deserved love and kindness, not more pain and suffering.

Coulter could give that to her.

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