“Don’t make a scene.”
I looked behind me, ready to snarl at her to let go.
“Let him go,” my mother said. “You’re only indulging him by letting him fight with you. Swallow it and move in.”
“Like a little bitch?” I asked. “I’m not a pushover, mother.”
“No,” she replied, smoothing down the lapels of my jackets. “You’re a prince. And sometimes, it means walking away from trouble when you see it.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t share the same opinion on that matter,” I managed to get out. “Now if you’ll excuse me.”
I strode to the center of the room where Amber had been standing, but when I got closer, neither my girl or my brother were to be seen.
Once again, I grit my teeth in anger, but soon enough, I was amidst the crowd of the other girls, finding it hard to focus on anything but the rage deep down inside me.
I let it bubble. Let it simmer. I let it grow.
I spent the night with the other girls, watching out for Amber and Bruno’s return closely.
Once the clock struck midnight, I decided I’d had enough. It was time to face my brother, and take my property away from him before he fucking got his claws in her, too.
Chapter Thirteen
Amber
“Do you have a moment?”
I raised my eyes to his, letting panic wash over me for a second.
“No,” I finally replied, finding Zara’s hand beside mine and holding onto it tightly. She squeezed me in response and glared at the man who had approached us. “I don’t, in fact.”
“Please, Amber.” He raised those soulful grey eyes to mine and I fought back the revulsion mixing with a strange burst of need in my belly. “I just need a few minutes of your time.”
“She doesn’t want to be alone with you,” Zara cut in with an icy glare. “I’m sure you can understand why.”
“I do,” he nodded, his face somber. “But I want to make it up to your friend. I just want a few minutes to say how truly sorry I am for what happened.”
“For what happened?” I asked with my eyebrows knitting together. “You mean what you did.”
“Yes,” he admitted. “For what I did. Please, Amber. Come with me.”
I looked across the room to find Olivier and found him in the middle of a conversation with the twins who’d just been eliminated. Anger surged deep inside me and I found myself giving Bruno a nod before I could really think things through.
A relieved smile lit up his face and he told me to meet him outside in a few minutes. Once he was gone, Zara turned to face me with a worried expression.
“Amber, are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked, worried. “I don’t think you should be alone with him. He’s already proved you can’t trust him, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “I promise. Don’t worry about me.”
“But…” Zara stared at me, biting her lip. “Don’t you remember what he… did to you?”
I did. I remembered all too well. I’d spoken to all the other girls after the challenge and found out Bruno hadn’t touched any of the others inappropriately. It only served to confuse me more. Why had he touched me, if it wasn’t part of the challenge? He’d scared me so much, and for what? Just to get back at his brother?
Zara was the only one I’d told about our time together in the library, too worried about the gossip and repercussions to share it with anybody else. She was understanding and vowed not to leave my side whenever Bruno was around. And here I was, already running after him like a stupid lamb following the wolf…
“I’ll be right back,” I told Zara, smiling at her and patting her hand. “Please try not to worry. I promise I’ll be fine. Wait for me here, okay? Don’t follow us.”
“Okay,” she nodded with a worried glance at Olivier. “Won’t the Prince… you know, freak the hell out?”
“Not my problem,” I shrugged. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
I left Zara standing in the ballroom where she was joined by the other girls while I left the room. I descended the grand staircase until I reached the front doors, where two servants opened them for me and I stepped out into the winter chill of the night.
“There you are.”
I turned to face him, my breath escaping in white puffs of smoke.
“Hi,” I said, feeling more timid than I had since my arrival in Luxuria. “Where are we going?”
“Nowhere far.” He stepped out of the shadows, his sharp features overshadowed by those eyes, stormy as ever. “Take my hand.”
I stared up at him. He towered over me. His scent was thick in the air, clean, sexy masculinity. My legs are trembling, I noticed absent-mindedly. My cunt is wet.
I blushed at my own thoughts and took the hand he had offered me. He helped me down the stairs, and I watched my step in the high strappy heels I was wearing. I struggled on the pebbled driveway and he grinned at me, stepping in front of me. His presence wasn’t menacing for once. I couldn’t look away from his eyes.
“Need some help?” he asked gruffly. Before I could answer, he grabbed me and held me in his arms, smirking down at me. “Come on, little girl.”
He carried me to a small pavilion in the gardens, lit up with fairy lights that gave it a magical feeling. As he set me down on the marble ground, I couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
What’s wrong with me? I thought. He’s a fucking freak. He tried to feel me up!
Yet the warm, tingling sensation in my stomach wouldn’t go away.
“I wanted to apologize you about what happened with the last challenge,” he said, gripping the rail on the pavilion fence. He was turned away from me, but I could see how his knuckles tightened against the wood. “I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
He turned around and sauntered closer to me, his eyes on mine.
“Sometimes I have to obey orders,” he said. “Even though I don’t want to. I’m a royal subject here. I don’t have the same rights as Olivier. Do you understand, Amber?”
I stared up at him, asking, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He sighed, looking away. “She’s not all that bad, little girl. She used to be just like you.”
“She’s a royal bitch,” I spat out.
“Careful,” Bruno chuckled. “She is still the Queen, and she has eyes and ears everywhere.”
I rolled my eyes just as he took a step closer. Dangerously closer. My breath hitched in my throat and I stared up at him through thick black lashes.
“So, she made you do it?” I asked in a low whisper.
“You could say that,” he growled out. “But you know, you can’t just blame her. I was more than happy to be a part of her devious plans.”
“Why?” I blurted.
“Why?” he scratched his chiseled jaw and my eyes followed the movement of his fingers. “I suppose I want her approval.”
“Why?” I asked again.