Page 23 of Vicious Kingdom (Dynasty of Queens #3)

T hat was too much—too cruel. It was the last-ditch effort to purge her from my system. It almost worked. My hands tightened on the steering wheel. I tried to cut the cord that tethered us.

But…that look in her eye.

Mio dio, that look!

She was beautiful. Perfect. Mine. And I couldn’t push her away. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t.

I smacked the heel of my palm into the wheel. The engine roared, and the car shot forward. It careened around the curve, nearly running into the back of a minivan.

I jerked hard to the right, stopping abruptly on the shoulder.

I should never have left her. I should go back.

But….

No.

Not right now. I was a mess. There was no telling what I was capable of right now.

The other night, at the godforsaken society event, I realized something. Tonight, I gave the feelings a name. I admitted to myself that she was bound to me. Letting Annaliese walk away—driving her out of the city—would never work. She would only find another lover.

Someone to have a happily ever after with.

While I would remain alone, ruling from atop my ivory tower.

My gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. No, the best way to punish her would be to trap her. Bring her close. Never let her escape to find a happily ever after with some knight on a valiant steed. I couldn’t send her away to the arms of another.

“So I’ll make her mine,” I whispered. Only then would my revenge be complete.

I might not be able to tear her from my mind—if only it were that simple! But to reach into my brain and claw every memory, each trace of her, all the feelings…. That wasn’t possible. But this way? At least I could make sure she paid for her sins.

It was a dark trail of thoughts. The kind only someone with a soul as black as mine could have.

Breathing hard, I debated once more going back for her. Was she still at the beach? Had she destroyed the picnic and left? I hadn’t seen her car pass, but there were other ways back to the city, and I’d been speeding.

She’ll never have me now. Not after the brutal display of dominance at the lake.

Fuck — the way she’d given in to me. Her eyes shimmered, that blue gaze hauntingly bright as she looked up at me.

I scrubbed a hand through my hair. What was my next move in this game? I couldn’t go to her.

But I could go around her.

A wicked picture began to unfold. The anonymous tip sheets held the answer. Blackmail was practically second nature to our kind. One series of well-timed moves, and Annaliese wouldn’t see it coming until it was too late.

I slammed my foot on the gas and tore off. What happened next would leave a foul taste in my mouth, but it was only temporary. A few conversations with her father wouldn’t kill me.

And in the end, Annaliese would be mine.