Vicious Prince (Royal Elite 5)

“Never mind her. She’s always like that.” Knox grabs an apple from the bowl on the table and crunches loudly.

“Has she always been like that?” I grab an apple myself and toss it in the air, pretending to be nonchalant.

Knox and I have been getting close over the weeks, but he’s been distant lately, even during football practice. He also doesn’t like talking about his sister, which I understand considering the sibling relationship.

But something tells me he’s trying to hide something else.

Holding a secret for so long gives me certain perks; the most important of all is that I get to sense when someone is hiding something.

Knox, for instance.

“Why are you asking?” He takes another huge bite. “You want me to tell you her deepest, darkest secret so you can use it against her?”

I lift a hand in the air, pretending to wave a white flag. “I just want to end an engagement neither of us wants.”

Or at least, I didn’t want it. I’m not so sure anymore. The thought that she could be with someone else as soon as we’re over makes me want to grab her by the throat and fuck her until she no longer thinks about anyone else.

I’ve never had those thoughts about a girl before or even viewed sex that way.

For me, shagging was another way to keep people close, to never spend nights alone. Even when some fucked-up ideas barged in, I usually shooed them away without a problem.

Not with Teal.

It’s almost as if she brings them to the forefront of my messed-up brain.

Knox chews slowly. “She does want to be engaged.”

“Why would she?”

He lifts a shoulder. “I wish I knew. You think I want my sister with a womaniser like you, mate?”

“Then we can help each other.”

He raises a brow. “Or you can do right by my sister.”

Fuck that.

“We’re not in the middle ages anymore, Van Doren.”

“Apparently, your father thinks otherwise.”

I sigh, pausing before I throw the apple. “At least give me something about her so I can treat her right.”

Or rather, learn her better. Even after seeing her in her most intimate moments, she’s still a puzzle. It’s the way she shuts down, immediately building up fortresses and walls.

Knox chews, looking me up and down. “Don’t startle her.”

“What?”

“Don’t come out of nowhere and surprise her. Don’t touch her when she’s not aware of your presence. She has a bad reaction to that.”

A few things click into place — the way she jumps slightly then instantly hides it, the way she was breathing heavily as she sought refuge in that closet.

She has some sort of attacks.

But she didn’t have them when I pinned her to the wall. Was it because she was already aware of me?

I fully face Knox. “What’s the reason?”