Page 1 of Hostile King

PROLOGUE

CARINA

My heart is like the night sky.

In the past, it hid beneath a veil of unforgiving clouds that kept the secrets of the universe at bay. And when the day dawned, inky darkness switched to a facade of happy sunshine.

That was before.

Lately, the constellations shine brighter, and the incandescent moon lights up every uncharted corner of my thriving heart. The once deprived organ has grown and matured. Hated and lusted. Wished and surrendered.

Because Tomás owns the stars in my universe.

Heisthe moonlight.

An anomaly of supreme power, presence, and dominance.

Unfortunately for me, I’ve suddenly found myself on the cusp of twilight, alone in the notion of his betrayal and slipping back into obscurity.

Evil words mask the airglow, keeping Tomás out of reach while I’m lost in the mayhem of humiliation.

He had lied to me.

Or did he?

We had an agreement, nothing more than a handwritten pledge burned to ashes. I thought it would be an easy arrangement to survive. Be willing and available to him for four days and then seek refuge in my freedom thereafter. Except something had changed within me. It wasn’t just my body that had forfeited its principles—my tortured heart did too.

I had started to fall.

Stepped out of my comfort zone and embraced the woman I desperately longed to be.

For the first time, I proudly wore my own skin with his ownership branded over the blushing flesh. It felt good.

I felt fucking alive.

The darkness living in me matched the darkness seeping from him. Or so I’d thought.

Except I’m just a fool—a hapless girl who romanticized a villain. Tangled in a web of deceit where the Souzas and their new king have underestimated me.

Now a storm brews under my new skin. The clouds suffocate the moon and the far-off stars no longer fit in my cosmos.

So, which one of us will snuff out the light first…

1

TOMÁS

Shane turns his attention to the door, his eyes drilling into the solid wood. His laced boots scuff the tiles before he yanks the handle and peers into the hallway.

“Thought I heard someone.” He shrugs and swivels back around to face my father’s desk, inhaling smoke from a freshly lit cigarette.

I push up from the armchair, remove my jacket, and twist my cufflinks clockwise until they sit just how I like them. “There’s an army of vetted serving staff walking the halls this evening.” My sigh escapes with a slow shake of my head.

Swiping two short glasses from the belly of a globe drinks cabinet, I fill them to the throat and hand one to my best friend. The one guy who’s been tight to my side for years. He knows this mania is out of character for me.

“Here.” I nod at him when he stops in front of me. “Salud.”

“Salud.” He mirrors me.

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