Page 20 of Cruelly Fated
Ten
KYON
There I was, a fucking grown man, sitting on a bench, and raking fingers through my wild hair, my leg bouncing restlessly, all because agirlwas about to walk by the fucking prison fence…
Not just any girl, though,thegirl.
She was like a gift from the fae gods themselves I knew I didn’t deserve. I was all wrong for her. Too old at my thirty-two, too scarred by my past, too volatile… I ground my teeth, trying to force myself to let go of this obsession. The dragon roared in my head. Convincing the beast that the girl couldn’t be ours was like trying to persuade a wildfire to spare the forest it ravaged—it hungered, and it would not be swayed by reason.
A puff of steam hissed from my nostrils, and the comrades lounging nearby shuffled another three feet away. I smirked. You can exile the family heir and toss him into the pit, but you can’t burn the royal blood out of the castaway. I could’ve ruled Avari Penitentiary with a snap of my fingers—but I didn’t want it. Being my father’s blade, his perfect enforcer and bodyguard…it had bled me dry. A truth that hit hard after a few weeks behind these walls.
Not that I preferred rotting behind bars, shackled by this gods-damned cuff that kept my dragon locked beneath my skin. But once I got out—either my father would realize his mistake and grow a spine, or Valor and Rhylan, the only two I still trusted, would break me out—I’d draw some hard lines around my time. No more playing the dutiful son. Hell, most days I didn’t even know who I was, let alone what the hell I wanted from life. But I knew one thing: I wasn’t going back to being his puppet.
And since everyone—aside from my father’s loyal hounds—knew better than to mess with me, I hadn’t needed to put anyone in their place. Not until the mystery girl blessed me with her presence and those lavender eyes. Petite. Doll-faced. Long, chestnut hair braided down her back—a braid I’d give anything to wrap around my wrist and tug just to see her react.She was young, clearly, but not naïve. Innocent, but clever and gutsy in a way that didn’t match her years.
I parked myself behind the basketball hoop today, the best vantage point to watch the sidewalk beyond the prison fence. Midday visitors trickled in, civilians shuffling toward the check-in booths. My girl drove a beat-up Honda—I’d taken note after her little stunt last week left me hard and cursing. I might’ve memorized her license plate…which, in hindsight, might’ve been a touch obsessive.
Now that I had listened to Pete speak about his lovely granddaughter, I had no doubt she’d be here today. Their familial love ran deep. I’d never experienced it, so I found myself eagerly listening to Pete’s stories. At one point, the old man apologized profusely for boring me with them. He couldn’t have been more wrong.
She eased her car into the same spot as last week, in the shade under a single tree. Her windows were down again. Was her A/C broken?
I ground a fist into my thigh to stop the restless bounce of my leg. My gaze locked on a flash of tanned legs, black Daisy Dukes hugging her hips, and a tight red tee stretched over her chest with some logo stamped just above her left breast. Oversized aviators covered most of her face, but her complexion looked paler than I remembered. And her braid stuck out in messy tufts like she’d rushed to get here.
She moved with purpose along the fence line.Look over… Glance this way… Come on. My brows dipped when she keptwalking, right past without so much as a flick of her gaze toward the yard. What the hell? Last week had happened. Or had I imagined it? I leaned back on the bench, pillowed my head with one arm, and crossed my ankles. The next thirty minutes would be the slowest, most agonizing stretch of time I’d endured since they locked me in this place.
The bell signaling the end of visitation shrieked through the yard, and my eyes snapped open. I rolled my neck toward the corridor. Guards had swung the double metal doors open and latched them in place. I sprang upright, fingers curling around the edge of the bench. A harsh screech grated in my ears—my nails dragging across the metal as I pushed off.
I shot to my feet, jolting the guy sprinting toward the basket in a game of pick-up. The ball ricocheted off the rim and smacked him square in the face. He crumpled at my feet like a swatted fly. I growled low and stepped over his shaking body without pause. Lucky bastard didn’t trip me.
The game ground to a halt. I strode through the fucking middle of the court, unbothered by the silence, and planted both forearms high against the chain-link fence, pressing my nose close like some feral beast trying to scent its prey.
Steam rose from my nostrils, and my breathing quickened.Easy, draekon…
A few visitors stepped out, caught sight of me, and scurried away without looking twice. Then a pair of long, sun-drenched legs angled toward me, advancing with that unbothered grace that stirred something primal under my skin. Each step like a brushstroke on a canvas only I could appreciate.
The frayed edges of her denim shorts teased my restraint, making my chest tighten with frustration and need. And a reckless ache to tear down every inch of space between us and kiss the exposed skin silly until she forgot where she ended and I began.
I grimaced, closed my eyes, and tried to breathe through it. My thoughts were spiraling.
Silly?When did that word enter my vocabulary?
She cleared her throat. “I don’t have much time…” she said in a small, frail voice.
I blinked my eyes open and scanned her face, that too-pale complexion, the barely there tremble in her chin.
“What the fuck—” I roared, but choked the rest down when she flinched at my reaction. “Sorry,” I added quickly.
Her head dipped. I couldn’t see her eyes behind those oversized sunglasses, but her posture screamed retreat.Oh, hell, no…
“Eyes on me,” I said with a growl. She complied.Good girl. “Who hurt you? Give me a name, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t walk straight another day in his miserable life.” Because I’d shatter every fucking bone in his legs, one by one.
“N-no one hurt me.” She shook her head, teeth sinking into that cherry-red lip like she could hide the truth behind a bite. “I just…got some bad news, that’s all. It hit me harder than I thought.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Can we skip today? I promise I’ll make it worth your time next week.”
I regarded her anew. I wasn’t enough of a prick to force a girl to play when she clearly wasn’t okay. And truth be told, I wasn’t in the mood anymore either.
“No,” I said. Maybe Iwasan asshole after all. “We agreed you’d give me full control of my body in your visions today. In exchange for your grandfather’s protection.”
She stiffened, her spine snapping straight. “What would you like me to do?” Her voice came out biting. That fire…still alive under the surface. Even now. Damn.
