Page 95 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)

I smile at that last one, the three of us with our faces so close together. They frame me in, their arms looped around me. It’s easy to see why they picked that one to display in high-definition color. We’re so happy.

My first stop is the bathroom, unloading my toiletries and makeup bag, then I push open the door to my room.

It meets some resistance, like it’s caught on something.

I frown, pushing harder, and manage to get it open most of the way.

But my room…

Horror radiates through me. Horror and disbelief.

I can’t help it.

I scream.

24

Unknown

The game is in play, Margo.

There’s no calling this one off.

Ready or not, here I come.

25

Margo

Lenora finds me in the hallway.

On the floor.

She falls to her knees beside me, grabbing at my shoulders. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

I point toward my room with a shaky hand. The door has swung almost all the way closed, leaving just a crack visible. It’s all I can focus on, although I’d rather close my eyes. Scrub them out and forget I ever came back here.

Home. Someone clearly disagrees.

She stands and forces my door open farther, her hand flying to her mouth.

Robert makes it to the top of the stairs then, coming toward me.

“Robert,” Lenora gasps.

He helps me to my feet, and I follow him closer.

My room is a wreck.

Destroyed.

My mattress is off the box spring, ripped to shreds. Bits of foam and feathers from the sliced pillows coat the floor. The box spring is splintered, one leg completely demolished. And my bookshelf… Every book has been thrown off the case, some pages torn out, crumpled.

But the worst part is the red paint, resembling a murder scene. It’s splashed across the walls, the floor, the books. My desk. The window.

And on the wall, a message.

Pretty bird, broken wings. Oh, what a glorious fall.

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