Damaged Royals

by Hazel Parker

  He leaned his head and whispered something near her ear, and whatever it was had her smiling in amusement. Her eyes flared, and she shot him a playful look before whispering back. His eyes crinkled, then he grinned—the first open grin I saw from him that I was momentarily stunned at how beautiful it looked on him.

  Were they together? Did they kiss at night?

  Did he touch her?

  Something in my chest ached, tightening until it was almost suffocating. I became out of breath as my head swam, and it took me a while to realize what exactly it was I was feeling.

  It was jealousy.

  “Are you okay, Princess? You look very pale. Is something the matter?”

  I forced myself to smile, turning my attention back to Ana. “Nothing’s wrong. Please, call me Liz. I'd love for us to be friends.”

  Ana beamed, and I thought she looked really pretty. “Okay, Liz. Please call me Ana.”

  The exchange of good gesture painfully reminded me of when a certain prince asked me to call him by name, but I tried to shake it off. With another smile, I gave Ana an innocent but eager look.

  “I don't think I've met all the princesses,” I said. I paused. “Have you?”

  Ana nodded. “Of course. How rude of me. Come on. I'll introduce you to them. Most of them are nice.”

  I didn't miss the most and shot her an amused look. She returned it with a stifled smirk and began to steer me in their direction. Steeling my shoulders, I resisted the urge to look in a certain direction again.

  I had to concentrate on Benjamin. Benjamin, not Lucas.

  It was a mantra stuck in my head.

  Find the impostor and stop thinking about anything else. Or anyone else.

  Then I followed Ana and kept repeating it.

  Chapter 14

  LUCAS

  “So who is this new arrival that everyone seems to be talking about?”

  Delilah Hampton's question was innocent enough, but it was something I wanted to avoid and had been doing so for the past few hours now.

  Yes, everyone did seem to be talking about her, and I couldn't exactly blame them. She was wearing a red gown—the same red gown that I unzipped from her body to get to her corset. I was pretty sure she had a tight corset underneath—the same corset I loosened up and touched with my fingers, even though those same fingers wanted to touch something more—

  “Weren't you the one who escorted her to Prince Benjamin earlier?”

  Because it was an honest question and avoiding it would seem more suspicious, I nodded my head once. “She came alone since her father couldn't make it, so I decided to do the honor. I don't know much about them other than that her father's very wealthy and closely related to their king.”

  “Hmm. She sounds interesting. That's nice of you. I didn't know you had it in you, Your Highness.”

  Her tone was flirtatious, something I was used to as we'd always conversed like this whenever we attended the same events. Delilah loved flirting with men, not just me in particular, and it had only grown more rampant after her husband died and she was free from their arranged marriage. I was pretty sure she did more than flirt with some of the eligible bachelors, and I wasn't going to deny that I did some partaking a few years ago, too. But it was a one-time thing, and we both decided we were better off friends.

  That didn't stop the rumors from circulating, though, as everyone other than Benjamin thought we were secret lovers. We didn't mind the gossip because it provided me some time off without bachelorettes hounding me, and it gave her even more freedom to feast on her men in secret.

  The urge to look at a certain someone was strong, and finally, I gave in to said urge and glanced at where I thought I heard her laughter. She was surrounded by some of the princesses, listening to her as she spoke animatedly and had them laughing a few seconds later. It sounded like a joke, and she just delivered some punchline, and the desire to find out exactly what they were talking about stayed with me for a while. Unlike her earlier nervous expression, she looked pretty relaxed now, her posture perfect and her body looking as light as a feather. It was almost like she was meant to be here.

  Almost like she was meant to live like this.

  “You’ve been staring at her for quite some time now.”

  Not missing a beat, I shot Delilah a look. She wasn’t jealous, just curious, but I still needed to dissuade it. “Like you said, she sounds interesting.”

  “Hmm. She seems like she knows how to have fun, unlike many other boring royal women.”

  She did give out that aura, and I could tell that it drew people around her. That was good because it would allow the chance for the impostor to open up to her.

  The bad thing about it was that women weren’t the only ones noticing.

  A man I knew from a nearby town, a baron, approached her after a while, bowing and introducing himself. He took her hand and kissed it, and I watched as pink stained her cheeks at the gesture before she introduced herself back. She seemed to be nervous again but kept on babbling—which, in turn, seemed to amuse the baron, and I could feel his desire for her practically radiating in the air as he took the back of her waist and drew her to the dance floor.

  Something dark and heady settled in my belly as I watched them on the dance floor, the baron obviously flirting and Liz responding shyly. Outrage came, and I tried to reason out that it was outrage that she was dancing with someone else rather than the crown prince. Belatedly, I looked in Benjamin’s direction and found him staring in amusement at the scene.

  But that wasn’t what had me worrying.

  It was the look of hunger that flashed before he effectively pulled it back in.

  “Delilah, would you be so kind as to excuse me for a moment? I wanted to speak with my brother.”

  Delilah shrugged. “Go on. I’m a social butterfly, and I’ve just spotted a very handsome gentleman I wanted to chat with.”

  I grinned. Then I left her to her devices and strode over to where Benjamin was standing, keeping my face relaxed as I watched the scene with him.

  “Liz is adjusting well,” he said.

  I didn’t want to talk about Liz. “You looked hungry for a moment.”

  His relaxed expression tightened. “I am.”

  The look I sent him was sharp. “Since when?”

  “Since this ball started, and it’s getting worse.”

  “Can you last for a few hours longer?”

  “I might end up eating one of the guests. Mother wouldn’t like that.”

  The queen would probably throw a fit and order everyone who witnessed it executed. The thought of such a scene made my head pound, and I stifled the urge to rub it with my fingers.

  “Damn it, Ben. This is why I told you to hold your reserves for nights like this. You wasted your free nights when you ran away.”

  “It’s done, okay? Quit scolding.”

  To anyone who saw us, we might as well be talking about the weather for how pleasant we both looked. But frustration was slowly building up inside me—at Benjamin’s increasing carelessness, at the alarming rate his hunger was building up, at the inconvenience this was going to cause everyone.

  “Will sex fix it?”

  He tilted his head. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?”

  “I don’t know anymore. It’s been getting harder every single day.”

  My gaze strayed sideways, eyeing his side profile. “You seem to keep enjoying it, anyway.”

  Amusement flared in his eyes again, and his gaze fixed on the dance floor. A frown marred his mouth. “I don’t trust that guy.”

  “Who?”

  This time, it was him who shot me a look. “Can you check on her? He’s been known to do shady things with women.”

  “Why are you so concerned?”

  “Because we got her in this situation.”

  “I’m not her damn babysitter.”

  “Fine. If you don’t do it, I will.”

  The thought of Benjamin going over there, then t
aking Liz somewhere, had the darkness rising inside me again, and it took every effort for me not to snarl at him. When I was relatively calm, I did my best to keep my voice even. “No. I’ll do it.”

  “Thank you. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  “What’s it to you, Ben?”

  “It’s called concern, Lucas.”

  It was a jab. I nodded calmly. “Fine. I’ll do it, like I said. Go find someone and do your thing. Then come back here all sated and make sure your hunger’s gone.”

  “The guests...?”

  “I’ll handle them, too. Just go.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. Benjamin shot me a grateful look before slipping out of the hall, and I shot his retreating back a glare. Now that he was gone, I should be mingling once more with the women, seeing to how they were and putting my pleasant expression on. But none of that was appealing at the moment, and I knew I was close to brooding just standing there.

  Anger was also building up—a by-product of the darkness that was rising, along with the irritation at what a certain someone was getting herself into. Without thought, my gaze went in that direction again, where I found the baron leaning in to whisper to her ear. They were dancing, not close, but enough to warrant some stares.

  His hand settled on her back, and he drew her close.

  I was moving before I could think about it—one step, then another, walking towards them without much thought. Someone blocked my path, and I almost roared before I realized it was Delilah, who was giving me a puzzled look.

  “Delilah?”

  “I don’t know what’s going on, but you look like you’re about to kill someone. I don’t think the queen will appreciate it if you make a scene.”

  She was right. The fact that she could read my expression told me someone else could, too, but as if she understood my thoughts, she shook her head.

  “I just know you well enough, and I think the queen would, too.”

  I nodded, feeling assured—but not enough to stop the way my body practically vibrated. I shot Delilah a grave look.

  “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern.”

  She gave my wrist a squeeze, then wandered off. I was pretty sure that movement was going to cause some talk again, but obviously, we both didn’t care. I schooled myself to appear calmer.

  Then I kept walking.

  Liz was laughing at something the baron was telling her, the sound melodious and making my stomach tighten. I fought against it and quickened my strides until I reached their side, effectively stopping their dance. They both looked at me—the baron with wariness, Liz with surprise.

  “I apologize for interrupting,” I forced myself to say, and the baron nodded.

  “It’s no interruption.” He sounded forced, too.

  Not wasting any time, I turned to Liz. “Can I ask for your time for a minute? Your father is on the line and wants to speak with you.”

  Interest gleamed in the baron’s eyes, and I had a feeling they were discussing her imaginary father at one point. She pretended to appear surprised, then delighted, before warmly excusing herself from the baron and coming with me. We stood at a respectable distance, not speaking, and I could feel her shooting me the same puzzled look that Delilah shot me earlier. But I didn’t look at her, not here in public, not when I knew I was beyond the point of being calm.

  I took a quick look around and found that the queen was too busy talking to someone to notice whatever was going on. That was just as well. She hadn’t been introduced to Liz, either—a deliberate move, so that the princesses wouldn’t think Liz was being favored and would open up to her more. That was my only glance back as we kept walking out of the hall, with me walking fast and Liz hurrying to catch up.

  We reached another hall, then one of the empty rooms nearby. It was a small meeting room, with a rectangular oak table and chairs. I closed the door once we entered.

  Then I whirled on her.

  “Is that how you do your job? By flirting with the first guy you see?”

  The puzzled expression disappeared, to be replaced by shock. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “I wasn’t flirting,” she voiced out, looking confused. “He asked me to dance.”

  “And you’re supposed to be dancing with the prince.”

  “Not when I’m supposed to make the princesses believe I’m not that interested in him.”

  “Did you enjoy the baron’s attention, then?”

  She took a step forward. “What’s it to you?”

  The bold, almost aggressive question took me by surprise and had me stepping forward, too. The hunger was back, bigger and stronger and pulling at my body in different directions. It wasn’t hunger to feed—rather, it was hunger for her, an accumulation of our days together when I wanted to touch her but couldn’t.

  And now, someone else was touching her.

  The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

  “Maybe I just don’t like seeing you whore yourself out.”

  I wanted to take it back, wanted to tell her I didn’t mean it. But it was too late. A stricken expression enveloped her before she paled, then took a step back.

  And I knew I’d just made the biggest mistake as I watched her hand come up.

  Chapter 15

  LIZ

  My hand came up before I could even realize it was moving, and I knew it was instinct more than anything. It connected, and I heard the loud sound of my palm connecting on Lucas’ cheek before I could comprehend that I had indeed slapped him with all of my force. My hand felt pain after, and I could only imagine how worse it was for him.

  Regret filled me immediately.

  “I’m sorr—”

  “Don’t be sorry for something you obviously mean.”

  The words were like an electric shock through my system, but the shock lasted for only a few seconds as it was instantly replaced by anger. What he called me remained in my mind, repeating itself over and over until it had my temper coming out.

  “Maybe I did mean it,” I said, my voice firm. “Maybe you did deserve to be slapped like that. How dare you call me that?”

  Whatever soft look he had left hardened immediately, and I was faced with the cold, unforgiving Lucas that I remembered—the Lucas that I first met who had judgment in his eyes and derision in his voice.

  “But isn’t it the truth? I saw you with him. You were clearly enjoying yourself.”

  “He said something funny. Maybe I laughed. What’s wrong with that?”

  He took a step forward, but I refused to take a step back. “It’s wrong because I know your motive.”

  “What is my motive?”

  “Isn’t it the same thing you did with my brother?”

  “What the hell did I do with your brother?”

  “You tried to ensnare him. Just like you’re trying to do with the baron now. Am I wrong?”

  I didn’t answer because it was the most outrageous claim in the world. The hurt that came at his accusation was so intense, threatening to stop me from breathing if I let it. So I retaliated the best way I could—by lifting my hand up again to deliver another slap.

  His hand wrapped around my wrist before I could hit him this time, and he glared daggers as he kept it there. I glared back.

  “Let me go.”

  “No.”

  “Let. Me. Go,” I hissed.

  “No.”

  I managed to get my hand away. Then I turned around, prepared to stalk out of there and leave him be. But before I could even reach the door, hands dragged me back and turned me back around, and suddenly I was facing a fury that I’d never seen before. Lucas’ blue eyes snapped, and for a moment I actually feared for my life.

  But instinct came through again, telling me he would never do anything to hurt me. So I snapped.

  “Get your hands off me!”

  “No,” he growled. There was nothing cold about his gaze now because it was molten hot and threatening to melt me. Tin
gles started up my spine, and a startled gasp came out of me as he dragged me closer. My heart thundered, and the reaction was no longer fear but something else.

  Something more dangerous.

  I tried to ignore it. I lifted my chin up to show him I was never going to back away from him. “Don’t dictate what I do with my life.”

  “Don’t flirt with him.”

  “I’ll flirt with whomever I want to. You can’t make me stop.”

  “He’s dangerous,” he hissed.

  “I can handle him. Didn’t you just say I wanted to ensnare him?”

  “That was uncalled for. I shouldn’t have said that. He’s the dangerous one.”

  “Like I said, I can handle him,” I snapped. Then I gasped again when he dragged me even closer until my body slammed against his. I felt the wall on my back and realized that we were both moving backward. “Lucas, what are you doing?”

  It was the first time I said his name—just his name—and his eyes flared. Then something hotter slid there, and my knees grew weak.

  “I’m teaching you a lesson not to play with dangerous men,” he grumbled.

  Then he was closing his mouth over mine.

  It was a hard kiss—a punishing kiss, except there was nothing punishing about it because it wasn’t painful at all. My mouth opened automatically to take him in, and in that kiss, I felt too many things that were hidden from me in our argument: passion simmering, hunger roiling, and something hot and heavy that settled in the air between us.

  Desire.

  I kissed him back. I wanted to believe I fought him, but even I couldn’t be lying to myself like that. My hands came up to his chest, and I went closer, savoring the kiss and giving as good as I got.

  A growl came out of his throat, but it was a growl of hunger as he kept kissing me. His mouth moved, sliding to the side as he angled his head so he could kiss me deeper. A low moan sounded from me, which he swallowed in his kiss before his tongue came out and slid in between my lips, touching everything he could and making my belly tighten before the heat traveled down between my legs. It throbbed. It pulsed with need, making me want to mold my body against his and feel his restless energy.