Page 18 of Vicious Prince (Violent Kingdom)

Something inside me withers and dies. My father loves me, and he’s still sentencing me to this cruel travesty? It would have been better if he’d just said no.

“How can you do this to me if you love me?” I whisper.

My father steps forward suddenly, his broad arms wrapping around me, pinning my arms to my sides. He rests his head on my shoulder, since I’m taller than him standing on this little podium, and he holds me to him so hard it hurts me. After a moment, I let my head fall heavy to the side, resting atop his head.

“It’s not too late to stop this,” I whisper. “Dad.”

Daddy pulls away from me, wiping his face hastily. He smiles sadly, cupping my face in both of his palms, his eyes burning into mine as I search his gaze for some kind of hope. It’s madness to believe he’ll put a stop to what’s about to happen, but I’m hardly sane anyway.

“When you were a baby,” he says, his chin trembling, “I never knew what to do with you. Neither did your mother. We were spoilt rich kids who’d never held a baby before your sister was born. And she was so calm. She never cried. She slept when she was supposed to sleep, ate when she was supposed to eat, and smiled any time we pointed a camera at her. And then you came along, and we just assumed you would be like her.”

I’m bewildered. My father never speaks about memories, or our childhoods, anything.

“You came into this world screaming bloody murder,” Daddy continues, smiling proudly. “From the minute you drew breath, Avery, you’ve been a fighter. I knew you would be the one to take over the world, and so did you. You took over our world, and you made it very clear that you would always fight for what you wanted. Your mother and I didn’t know what to do with you. The only person who made you happy was your sister. That giant house with all its rooms and you weren’t happy unless she was in your crib, sleeping beside you. And sheadoredyou. She would always say that you weren’t our baby, that you were hers. She was the only one who knew what you needed when you cried, while your mother and I stood by like we were part of the furniture.”

Hearing about Adeline and our mom makes me cry. I look up at the ceiling, trying to preserve my makeup before tears spill over and onto my cheeks.

“You are all I have,” Daddy says emphatically, catching a tear with his thumb before it can touch my cheek. “You mean more to me than anything, even if I’m incapable of showing it. Please trust me. There are things far worse than marrying Joshua, and I can’t protect you if you don’t do this.”

“Things far worse? Come on,” I scoff.

My father’s face loses any trace of the emotion he displayed just a second ago. “Would you prefer to be married to somebody worse? Would you?”

“Who could be worse than a forty-year-old man who was a teenager before I was even born?” I demand. “He’s old enough to be my father. Doesn’t that disgust you?”

Daddy tenses. “Not as much as the thought of you marrying Tyler Capulet. Do you really want to marry your psychotic cousin? Because if you don’t marry Joshua, my darling, who do you think the family has lined up in his place?”

I’m stunned. Tyler is a full-blown psychopath. He’s an efficient hitman, a fabulous family representative to keep the drug cartels in line — because he’s insane. Literally and unequivocally.

“Think about it,” my father mutters. “A headstrong wife like you would be dead inside a year if you were married to that little prick. But Avery, if you want to take your chances on your rapey cokehead of a cousin — by all means, now is the time to speak up.”

Daddy looks at his watch. “I can call my sister now, tell her to bring Tyler’s suit and tie. And her son, of course. Just say the word.”

I swallow thickly, fresh panic rising in my throat. Daddy doesn’t know what Ty did to me when we were younger. Or does he?

“You know what he did to me, don’t you?” I whisper. “The night Addy died?”

My father’s face reddens, as he nods.

“Who told you?”

Daddy lets out a deep breath. “Who do you think?”

“Nathan?”

Daddy raises his eyebrows. “Trying to get Nathan to tell me anything is like trying to get blood out of the cream-leather seats in a Mercedes Benz.”

Realization stabs into me. “Rome.”

“Rome Montague,” Daddy concedes.

I shake my head. “He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone.”

“I’m pretty sure he changed his mind when he saw Tyler sitting beside you at Adeline’s funeral,” Daddy says. “It was the right thing for him to do. Tyler Capulet hasn’t been welcomed into our home or our businesses since I almost killed him at your sisters wake.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Just because you don’t know what I do to keep you safe, doesn’t mean I’m doing nothing. Some things are better left unsaid.”

I step down from the little podium, going to stand by the window. From here, I can see the afternoon sun, dipping low on the horizon. In an hour, it’ll be swallowed up by night. In less than that time, I’ll be swallowed up by my destiny.

“Will was so sad, Daddy,” I murmur, putting my fingers against the window, looking over the city that will soon be mine, even though I don’t want it. “You should have seen him. He was … it was like something broke inside him. I broke it. And I didn’t want to.”

---