Deviant King (Royal Elite 1)

My heart nearly leaps out of my throat as he stalks towards us with sure, confident steps.

I want to believe that Aiden wouldn’t humiliate me in public now that I’m with Xander, but I can’t put anything past him.

The smirk on Xander’s face isn’t helping. “He’s pissed off.”

“How do you know that?” I whisper back.

He appears completely detached to me.

“The twitch in his left eye.” Xander grins. “He can control anything but that.”

Xander removes my arm from his but just so he’d wrap it around my shoulder.

He smells of sandalwood.

That’s the last thought I have before Aiden slams his fist in Xander’s face.

Chapter Seventeen

I stare in stunned silence as Xander’s body jerks back and slams against a table.

A few girls shriek. Other students gasp.

I’m in the shocked category.

My back hits the edge of a table and I grip the hard wood for balance.

Aiden has never been the violent type. He said it the other day, didn’t he? That he’d rather play smarter, not stronger.

So why is he punching his best friend?

Before Xander can recover, Aiden lunges at him with a slamming punch.

It’s the first time I see him this way.

Violent.

Animalistic.

Out of control.

It’s like a different Aiden altogether.

Xander releases mocking laughter before he shoves Aiden and jabs a punch at his face. Blood explodes from Aiden’s lower lip.

I swallow. Should I interfere? Do something? Say something?

But it’s not like they’re fighting because of me — although I might have played a part.

Aside from the sound of punches, the cafeteria is completely silent. None of the other students utters a word. Hell, I doubt they’re able to breathe properly. It’s understandable.

Aiden and Xander have been close for as long as anyone remembers. No one would’ve imagined that they’d turn against each other.

This fight might as well be the event of the year.

Cole and Ronan are the first — and the only ones — who dare to approach them.

Cole tries to grip Aiden, but he’s like a bull. He shoves him away and lunges back at Xander. At the captain’s sign, the rest of the football team joins. It takes a few of them to stop Aiden and Xander from killing one another.