Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
FIGHTING BACK
BRIELLE
When we reach my bedroom, I’m pushed through the doorway and into the large space behind. I wanted nothing more than to be alone, hidden away from Judah’s stare. Even though he’s beautiful to look at, I know the devil was an angel too. And no matter how much of an Adonis this man before me is, he’s still a monster under the tailored suits and the chiselled jawbone.
“What the hell is your problem?” I go into the attack.
“When I ask you to do something, Brielle, I expect you to obey. I don’t want to repeat myself, and I don’t need you putting yourself in harm’s way. There are reasons for everything I do, and having you sass me at every turn isn’t helping matters.”
Frustration ebbs through me and flows out between us. There’s no denying the electric current sparking in the room, but I fight my wayward thoughts at every turn. I do not want to feel anything for Judah. I don’t care how much I find him attractive.
“I’m not a child to be sent to my room when you’re in a bad mood,” I throw back as I spin on my heel and walk to the window. I can’t look at him, because if I do, I’ll end up distracted by his perfect lips, or his sharp features, or the way his eyes shimmer when he glares at me.
Even in his anger, he looks like a perfectly created statue.
“I don’t give a shit what you think, or don’t think, you are,” Judah grits through clenched teeth. I watch the tick in his jaw as he closes the distance between us. “This life, this island, is filled with threats.”
“I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself,” I whisper, the heat of my confidence causing my tone to deepen. “I’ve lived—”
“You haven’t lived in my world for very long, Brielle. You don’t understand what could happen to you. I have many enemies, and if they hurt you…” His words falter for a moment, and the silence eats its way between us.
“Do… Do you care about me?” The moment the question falls from my lips, I want to drag it back in. It’s stupid to think he gives a shit about me. There must be more to it than him feeling any sort of affection for me.
“I don’t need innocent blood spilled in my home. There’s enough on my hands,” he says, stepping back suddenly as if I’ve slapped him. “Just obey, and we won’t have any issues.”
“Look at me,” I order him, unable to keep myself from fighting back.
I know I have to be careful because I don’t want to appear too strong while living with the Princes. I want them to underestimate me. Judah’s right, this world is very different to the one I grew up in. I’m not disputing that at all. But I am more than capable of taking care of myself.
Judah spins on his heel, his eyes blazing with fury. “Never,” he says as he takes a step towards me, “ever think I won’t kill you.”
His words have a dark promise to them. There’s no doubt this man would willingly snap my neck if I gave him reason to. It doesn’t matter that I’m meant to marry the bastard. He doesn’t care, which means he can’t ever love me.
Suddenly, without warning, tears sting my eyes when the realisation hits me square in the face. I swallow back the lump in my throat as I look up at him.
“I am exactly the bastard you think I am,” Judah tells me as he grips my cheeks, causing my lips to pout. “I like seeing those tears,” he admits with a glance at my eyes. “And I intend to see them often. You’ll have them streaming down your cheeks on our wedding night when you finally learn the truth. You may have said I do to me, but you belong to all of us—you’re mine, Valen’s, and Kai’s. Every night after we’ll share what we own. And make no mistake, Brielle, you may be a gentle princess right now, but soon you’ll become a cold-hearted queen, just like your kings. Anything that happens between the two of us,” he says as he leans in close, “includes them as well.”
He pushes me away and I stumble backwards into the wall, but he doesn’t cast me another glance as he makes his way out of my room. When the door clicks shut, I half expect him to have locked me in, but when I try the handle, I realise it still opens.
I shut myself in and settle on the bed. Where Judah’s fingers held me, it still tingles from his touch. It’s stupid to even consider a future where we could be happy. I know he’ll never love me. But would he allow me to be with someone else? Valen is handsome and sweet, and he treats me as an equal. The problem is, he’s Judah’s best friend, and I wasn’t given to Valen or Kai. I was gifted to the leader of the pack.