Twisted Kingdom (Royal Elite 3)

I even forget that we’re in public and some passing cars might have seen what happened in full detail. Hell, even if they didn’t see, they would’ve noticed the shaking of the car due to Aiden’s rough thrusts.

Truth is, I couldn’t care less about what they saw.

The only thing I care about is the person atop of me, protecting me from the world.

“Now what?” I murmur after a while.

“Now we go back to where it all started.”

27

Elsa

Now we go back where it all started.

It turns out to be here.

My home in Birmingham.

The scent of pine and copper fills the air like a thick fog. The cold, punishing wind whistles in the distance and blows blonde strands in front of my face.

A shiver claws down my spine, causing my limbs to quiver. It’s not due to the wind or the cold.

No.

It’s the fact that I’m standing here with Aiden which hits me with a strange type of terror. The type that bleeds under your skin and forges wires around your bones.

I’m shivering like a leaf in the pounding rain.

This brings back a horrible feeling from a long time ago. I can taste the pungent taste on my tongue. Back then, I stood at the shore, my toes soaked by water as Eli dove into the lake and never surfaced.

One second he was within touching distance, the next he was gone.

Just like that. He was gone.

That sensation burns through me and grips me by the throat, its nails scratching and scraping the skin. That sensation tells me without words that the past will repeat itself. This time, I’ll lose Aiden just like I lost Eli.

“Why are we here?” I ask.

“You said you want to know the truth.” Aiden touches my elbow. “You can do that where it all happened.”

I’m tempted to shake my head, grab Aiden, and tell him to drive me to the nearest hotel.

A part of me wants to run as far away as possible from this place and my dark, fucked up memories.

But then again, what did running ever do for me aside from nightmares and unanswered question?

If I keep being a coward, a large chunk of my life will be missing. I’ll always stare back at my reflection with confusion. I’ll always keep wondering about what-ifs and whys.

Enough is enough.

I’m done running.

I’m done being a coward.

It’s time I unravel my past. The good and the bad.

Aiden stares down at me with a perfectly raised eyebrow. “You said you’re ready.”