Page 75 of Royally Tempted

I gritted my teeth, seeing red. How had weeverfallen for this bitch? How had we ever found her attractive, in any way, when this was horrible ugliness that lay beneath the surface?

But I knew why of course. Because she’d been the closest thing to what we wanted, even if we’d known she wasn’t it. We’d settled, and it was now, having found Ilana, that I knew how true that was.

But backstabbing bitch that she was, she’d done us a favor, of sorts. She’d cut herself out of our lives, and while that’d hurt then, I knew now it’d been the best thing that could’ve happened.

Because now, we had Ilana.

“We’re out of here,” I growled, grabbing my brother and jerking my head. “Let’s go.”

“Oh, were you looking for your friend?”

I ignored Emilia, pulling Cade after me. “Just keep walking, bro,” I hissed, my eyes fixed on the door.

“I mean your little princess friend?”

We bothfroze, the breath catching in my throat. Slowly, we turned.

Emilia smiled evil.

“What did you do?”

My voice felt like lead, like the sound was coming from somewhere outside my body.

“Oh, nothing much,” Emilia said casually, glancing at her nails.

Cade bristled, stepping towards her. “Goddamnit, Emilia—”

“I just saved her from you two.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, the pain slicing through me.

“What did you do?”

“I warned her off,” she spat. “You know, since I’ve been there? With you two?”

It felt like something was shattering inside.

No.

Not like this. We’djustfound her, and I wasnotgoing to lose her like this, especially not to goddamn Emilia Astor.

My hands closed into fists as I stormed right into her, the rage about to break its way out like a dam shattering.

“Fuck you, Emilia,” I hissed, my eyes narrowing to slits at her.

“Youbitch,” Cade snarled right next to me. “The fuck did weeverdo to you to turn you into this fuckingmonster?”

She bristled. “Keep talking to me like that and I’ll go tell King Lucian all the filthy things I’m sure you’ve done with his daughter tonight. Under hisroof, no less.”

I wanted to kill her. I wanted to scream at her, and tell her to go fuck herself, and to go roaring through the castle looking for Ilana.

But then, we were in the middle of a ballroom, and a king’s palace.

This wasnotthe place, and we both knew it.

Cade grabbed my arm, yanking me with him as he turned and strode away. The both of us said nothing, the fury just boiling up inside of us until we stormed through a side door and out into a deserted hallway.

Andthat’swhen we broke.

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