Dangerous. Stupid. A big fucking mistake.
I was a loaded weapon in her face, and she had the nerve to glare. As she stood in front of me—no flinch, no fear—just a snarl of defiance in a pretty little frame, it took all my strength not to bury that Etheridge pride under five feet of regret.
That sharp mouth of hers, glossy with sauce, is made for ruin.
I had never kissed a girl before. It’s too personal. As intimate as sharing a secret with a stranger. That kiss was more strategy than desire. But one that’s begging for an encore.
The girls rise from their seats, clearing the white boxes from the counter. She grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, scrolling on her phone, before they head to their rooms. I wait until her lights are out before I dismount my bike, put my hood on, and zip the leather jacket up to my neck. Then, I head to the Charlton House service entrance, checking the access code on my phone, sent to me by Luka, my cousin. He has access to all the Fort security codes and cameras at his fingertips. Her guards may have built her a fortress, but there is no wall in this town I can’t breach.
Eva Etheridge stepped into the lion’s den, thinking she could bare her teeth. Now she’ll learn what happens when you lock eyes with the king—and don’t fucking blink.
8
EVA
“Eva!”Two familiar voices echo.
“Oh my God, is she okay? Do we call someone?” Penny’s shrill panic spikes my ears.
“Just give her a second,” Thea’s small, warm hands, carrying the familiar chamomile scent, cradle my cheeks. “Eva, are you alright?”
My eyes flutter open to my bedroom, swaying, the harsh morning light burning my pupils.
“Um… yeah,” I groan,
I struggle to lift my head. It spins and crashes back down to…
Wait, am I…?
My eyes blink rapidly to clear the haze and look around. Yep, I’m on my bedroom floor, tangled in my duvet as if I were a moth trapped in its cocoon.
“What happened?” I ask, my voice raw.
“You scared us, babe.” Penny pushes past Thea and throws herself at me, choking me in a hug, and nearly knocking me back over.
Jesus Christ! What exactly did they see?
I gawk at Thea, my heart racing, desperate for a hint.
“Think you just had a nightmare,” Thea reassures, gently peeling Penny off me.
“You were screaming,” Penny adds.
Did she say screaming?
They grab one arm each and pull me up. I’m so out of it, I forget I’m wearing my short, strappy nightdress, my armsbare. Swiftly, I grab my white silk dressing gown, crumpled up near the bottom of the bed, and pull the sleeves on.
“I heard some noises last night,” Thea says with knitted brows. “I was going to check on you, but… I wasn’t sure what I would be walking into.”
“What do you mean?” I tie the band of my gown at my waist.
“I don’t know what you’re into?” Thea motions toward my bed.
Only then do I see it.
The carnage.
My small double bed, the nightstand, the duvet, everything is covered in duck feathers from one of my pillows—the remnants of which lie wrinkled by the headboard.
