Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite, #3)

by Rina Kent

“I’ll never leave you again. I promise.”

“Told you she’d recognise you.”

“Pay up the hundred, Agnus.”

“You were always at that coffee shop.”

“Bingo!” Knox smirks, extending his palm. “My one hundred. Any day now.”

“For the record, you made the bet. I never agreed.” Agnus reaches into his pocket and retrieves his wallet. Knox snatches the bill...

“You don’t remember me, Elsa, but I was your favourite uncle when you were younger.”

Agnus’s face turns blank. Knox tenses so visibly, he nearly rips the money with his fingers.

“The Great Birmingham fire.” Knox shoves the money in his pocket. “Like a roasted pig.”

“Nah.” Knox throws his weight on the sofa, flings one of his legs over the other and wraps his hand around the sofa’s back.

“Hey, T. You owe me a fifty. Elsa isn’t a bitch as you predicted she would be.”

A tiny girl saunters inside with earbuds shoved in her ears. She has such petite features, they’re adorable. Her midnight-black hair falls straight to her shoulders; her eyes are huge and black — or are they dark-brown? Her lips remind m...

“Elsa, this is Teal.” Dad squeezes my hand, bringing me out of the staring competition with the new girl. “Teal, Elsa.”

“Is she also...” I trail off. “Foster sister.” Knox snaps his fingers. “Bingo.” “How many more do I have?”

“Just two.” It’s Agnus who speaks. “Welcome back, Elsa.”

“I’m here. And by the way, I don’t want to be here.”

“The King household has an enemy, you little punk.”

“First of all, you’ll stop your idiotic escapades with Steel’s daughter and commit to Silver. Her father and I are friends and go way back. I won’t have you ruin that.”

Queens and I didn’t get together because of what our fathers expect. We got together for a different reason, which will soon be eradicated.

“Pass.” Levi feigns a yawn. “Not interested,” I say at the same time.

“You’re my heir. It’ll put their minds at ease to see the future of the company as diligent as his father.”

However, I’m not in the mood to kiss Jonathan’s friends’ arses.

There’s a ton of things I need to do and they all lead back to Elsa, not my family name.

Knight killed him in a thousand different ways in his mind, then nearly broke his leg in practice. Good times.

Back to Elsa.

Jonathan cuts him a glare so harsh, Levi shakes his head. “Just saying. Jesus.”

“See you both on Friday.” “Wait a minute. I didn’t agree,” Levi protests.

He’ll probably spend the night in his office making the world a bit more horrible.

“Just like you don’t deserve Astrid?”

“At least I changed for her. What did you do for Elsa?”

And no one will take her aw...

“Ethan Steel took her to Birmingham.”

I might not be able to bring her back, but her aunt and uncle will.

“She hit me on the back with a horsewhip.” “She… did?”

“She tortured Aiden,” I blurt.

“He was a child, Dad. He was as old as Eli at that time, and he had red marks all over his skin and was chained to the wall. Did you know that he still has those scars? His back and ankle are a witness to Ma’s abuse.”

No wonder he’s chosen to be a monster. In his warped logic, being a monster is better than being a weak mess.

“I vaguely remember that.”

In my small mind, I used to categorise Ma’s manic episodes as monsters. She wore white, hugged me to death, and took me to the lake. When she was white Ma, she never smiled and always seemed out of this world. She was a monster.

I couldn’t lose Abby, too.” Abby. He still calls her that even after all this time.

Jonathan and Ethan’s ambitions and hunger for power are the reasons behind this entire feud.

Ma is the reason Aiden became a cruel monster.

I’d bet a hundred he’s going through memes.

A scar means I survived.

We have those scars because we survived. We’re survivors.

Everyone should have a teddy bear. Mine is my favourite toy. Daddy gave it to me when I was three and I never leave without him. He’s my sleeping buddy and my friend. We have tea parties together. But Daddy says they need help, so they need Ted more than me.

“Here,” I offer them Ted. “He’ll help you. Take care of him, okay? He doesn’t like to be cold and he doesn’t like swimming.”

The one with lighter eyes takes it from my hand with a sheepish smile. My gaze falls to their knees. They’re all red ...

My gaze bounces between Ted, Knox, and Teal.

My heart nearly stops beating when I squint. Both Knox and Teal have faded horizontal scars on their right knees. Just like the scar Eli had after falling from his bike.