Page 19 of Vicious Prince (Violent Kingdom)

I can feel my father approach behind me. “Sometimes we hurt the ones we love,” he offers, and I know he’s referring to himself and his actions as much as mine.

“Did you hurt Mom?” I whisper. “Did she hurt you?”

Daddy puts his hands on my shoulders, turning me gently to face him. I don’t resist. I’d much rather stay in this room forever, even if it means talking about difficult things, than go out there and face the music.

“Your mother and I were very lucky, Avery. We knew each other from childhood. Our parents had decided early on that we would be a good match. We grew up together. We went to the same schools, we moved in the same circles. Your mother was my best friend before she was anything else. We didn’t even go on a date until we were both eighteen, but we were still brought up with the understanding that we would be married one day.”

“How lovely for you to not have to go through this bullshit,” I say, but there’s no conviction behind my words.

“We tried with you and Rome,” Daddy says, a darkness passing over his features momentarily as he looks away. “We didn’t realize things with the Montagues would go … the way they did.”

“Yeah, hindsight’s a real bitch, isn’t it?” I say. Daddy spreads his palms and shrugs as if to say,what do you want me to do?

“Dad.”

“Avery.”

“I want to marry Will.”

“No,” Daddy snaps.

“Dad!” I raise my voice, tossing my hair over my shoulder, forgetting what it’s hiding.

Daddy sees the bruise on my neck,thanks Will, and shakes his head, reaching his fingers out to touch it. “Hedidhurt you.”

I rip his hand away from my neck. “All he did was give me a damn hickey, Father. It didn’t hurt at all.Youhurt me.Youused me. You continue to use me. It’s notfair.”

“Life’s not fair,” he grinds out.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” I say, turning away, headed for the door. I need to find Jennifer before this thing starts.

“Do you trust me?” Daddy asks, still at the window behind me.

My shoulders droop. “Yes. No.I don’t know,” I whisper.

Joshua Grayson takes the opportunity to knock on the open door, entering with the worst timing ever for the second time in one day.

“Augustus. Avery.” He nods to each of us in greeting, a smile stretching over his tanned face, a little dimple in one cheek that I’ve never noticed before. I wonder if our children will inherit that dimple. I wonder how quickly I could find a sharp object to stab into Joshua’s cheek, right into that fucking dimple, so I never have to look at his smug smile again. I tilt my head to the side, taking him in. He looks incredible, actually, in a dark navy suit, tailored impeccably, a pair of cufflinks with the Capulet family crest stamped into them at his wrists. That irritates the hell out of me. It’s like a buy-in of a stock portfolio. An acquisition. Buy the farm, drink all the milk you want for free. And I’m the cow, being fed up for the slaughter.

“Isn’t it bad luck to see the bride before she walks down the aisle?” I snap, ignoring his attempt at cordial conversation. Really, I just want him to go away.

“I think that’s the wedding,” Joshua replies, nonplussed by my snark, looking like he stepped out of a men’s aftershave commercial.

I shrug. It’s all the same to me.

“I just came in to see how you’re holding up, Avery,” Joshua says. Jesus, he’d be the best salesman. If I didn’t loathe him so much, I’d melt into a puddle under his stare. Some people are just born with this charisma that pours off them wherever they go. My father had it, before Mom died, and he can still turn it on when business demands it. Adeline had it, too. She could sell you anything just by batting her eyelids. Me? Not so much. The terms standoffish and Ice Queen have been thrown my way more than once in my life.

“As well as can be expected,” I reply.

“Your dress is stunning,” he adds. “Fit for a queen.”

I smile icily. “Thank you. It belonged to my sister.” A lie, but whatever. I’m not going to let Joshua forget this business arrangement of his used to have a different Capulet sister attached.

“Avery,” Daddy says sharply.

Joshua lets the dead-sister-you-almost-married comment roll off him. I almost feel sorry for him. He’s waited a long time and invested a lot of energy and cash just to be married to a fucking bitch like me.

“I’m sure she’d say the same if she were here,” he says smoothly.

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