Page 95 of Unforgiving Queen

Okay, personality aside, he wasn’t terrible looking. Actually scratch that. He was. He looked like his father, and I clearly disliked his father.So much that you killed him, my mind mocked.

I let out a frustrated breath. I hated thinking about it.

My yoga and self-defense classes helped quell my anxiety, panic attacks, and self-harming tendencies, but the key to it all was avoiding certain triggers. Like thinking about the boy who shattered me into a million pieces. Or about the murder that I committed and the revelations that’d emerged that night.

Our heels clicked against the pavement as we made our way to my rehearsal dinner at Bar 228.

We were just about to make our way to the entrance when our path was blocked.

“Your name?” the stuck-up bouncer demanded, giving us all a look that said we didn’t belong here. A comment that we didn’twantto be here was on the tip of my tongue.

“Isla Marchetti.” I still hadn’t gotten used to her new last name. Judging by the looks the rest of the girls gave her, none of us had.

“This is the bride-to-be,” Raven snapped at the bouncer. “So if you want to block our entrance, good luck with your party. And good luck explaining that to the groom.”

I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help a shudder that tracked down my spine. The most joyous moment in a girl’s life was one that I dreaded. “What are you doing, policing a damn rehearsal dinner?”

If I wasn’t convinced that Papà and Dante would seek me out and drag me here by my hair, I wouldn’t have come on my own. As it was, I was playing it safe. The wedding was in a day. Phoenix and I had to pack tonight and disappear.

His eyes flicked behind me. “And these girls?”

“They’re my plus-fours.” I crossed my arms and gave him a sideways look. “Come on, dude. Either let us in or go tell my papà that the wedding is off.”

Now that would be funny. Especially since Isla told me the guest list consisted mostly of noteworthy criminals.

“We had a rough day,” Athena muttered and signed at the same time. “Either let us in or don’t, just decide so we can be on our way.”

“I’m totally ready to leave,” Phoenix agreed.

I didn’t blame her. She didn’t want to be here because she’d have to see the man she loved/hated sitting next to me, and I didn’t want to be here because I didn’t want to see the man I loved/hated sitting next to his brother.

The bouncer must have registered something on our faces because he finally stepped aside.

“That’s too bad,” Athena whispered. “I was ready to go home.”

A round of agreements. “Ditto.”

We did one last hair and makeup check in the hallway mirror before we filed across the long entryway and into the large area where a crowd of people mingled.

The door opened and the room got a few notches quieter. Everyone’s eyes flitted to us, staring like they just saw the Ghosts of Christmas Past. But there was one pair of eyes in particular that seared into me, and they didn’t belong to the groom-to-be.

My heartbeat drummed louder as I slowly stepped into the room, my friends and sister at my back, all of us flashing bright smiles.

I trained my eyes on the spot above the bar, determined not to show my discomfort at this whole situation. They wanted a cheerful bride, they’d get one. Until I become a runaway bride.

“What the fuck is going on here?” someone boomed from my left. I almost tripped over myself, my nose too high up in the air. “What are you all wearing?”

I lowered my eyes and met Papà’s glare. Grandma was on the other side of the room with a smile frozen on her face while her husband patted her hand, probably trying to lower her blood pressure.

Thankfully, I still maintained my smile. I brushed a hand over my ruffles, smoothing them down.

“You like it?”

“No.” A soft snicker came from behind me but I resisted the urge to turn my head. Instead, I feigned distress, knowing it would irk my father even more. “You look like a goddamned rainbow. And not in a good way. Jesus, would you like some pot to smoke with those clothes?”

I tapped a finger against my chin. “Considering this is a freak show, I decided we should dress accordingly.”

“Reina—” His voice shook from anger. “Don’t test my patience today. Go change.” His eyes flickered to Phoenix and our friends. “All of you.”