Page 9 of Wild Fury (Fallen Royals 6)

I press my lips together and just replay it in my head. Hitting him with the glass. Kicking at him. The slow-motion fall backward.

We arrive at my house, and I glance at Theo one more time. He seems about ready to explode. I scramble out of the car and hurry up the walkway. I fumble with my key in the dark but manage to slide it into the lock and twist. The door opens for me.

I step inside and turn to slam it closed, but Theo is there.

He forces me backward, kicking the door shut behind him. I narrow my eyes but allow him to guide me all the way down the hall. He’s herding me, really. We reach the kitchen, and he flicks the light switch.

I cringe in the sudden brightness.

“You’re not the flinching type.” His eyes widen. “What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.”

“Turn around.”

My cheeks heat. “Fuck that. You can’t just order me around.” I step forward and push at his chest.

Mistake.

He captures my wrists and reels me in closer, then manually spins me. We both go still when his finger traces down along the edge of my spine.

I shiver.

“You’re bruised here, too,” he whispers. “You said he led you down a path. At Amelie’s engagement party?”

“The one and only.” I ignore the tremor in my voice.

“And what did you do with him?” His finger still traces back and forth on my skin.

I hate that my body reacts to him. I sway, ignoring the heat between my legs. The way I desperately want to lean back against him. He’s called me obsessed before, and he’s not wrong.

“Once I realized he was dead, I dragged him into the underbrush.”

He chuckles, and his breath touches my neck. He’s a lot closer than I gave him credit for. He inhales and runs his nose up into my hair, just behind my ear, and then he steps back. Away. I’m immediately cold, but… his anger seems to have fled, too.

“I didn’t want to get caught.” My voice is defensive. I face him again. “I don’t know who he is. If he’s a DeSantis, and they find out I killed him, Amelie’s marriage will be in jeopardy. My parents always accuse me of ruining things—I can’t ruin this.”

He watches me without emotion. Well, that’s a lie. There are plenty of emotions going on behind Theo Alistair’s mask, but sometimes I’m not privy to them. Sometimes I don’t want to know.

“Good thing you have an alibi,” he says. “Go shower. If anyone asks, which I highly doubt they will, I picked you up and we came back here. I left just before your parents got home.”

All I can do is nod, but I don’t move until he leaves.

And the only thing I can think is, What the hell just happened?

3

Lux

“Wake up!” Amelie pounces on my bed and crawls over my legs. She flops beside me. “You were already awake, weren’t you?”

I shrug. “I’ve been up for an hour, tossing and turning.” I spent that time trying to convince myself last night didn’t happen, and subsequently reliving every moment of it. From trying on Amelie’s purple dress to getting in the car, drifting around the edge of the party. The man.

She taps my nose. “That’s what you get for leaving early. The party really got good after you left.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Well, don’t leave me in suspense.”

She shifts and drags my comforter up over her shoulders, mirroring my position. “Well, Wilder and I had to dance, which was fine, but after, I think everyone just decided to say fuck it and get drunk.” She giggles behind her hand. “Seriously, I was tempted to join them. Even our parents were on the verge of loosening up. I had to drive us home.”

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