Wicked Rule (Heartless Kingdom Book 1)

by K. I. Lynn

  Elizabeth was the only sibling I was close with, and even then, I was closer to Rhys. Then again, Rhys and I were only separated by a year and a half and grew up running down the halls of Stronghold together.

  As the jet rocketed down the runway, my mind returned to the beautiful blonde I was leaving behind. It was only for a few days, but with the progress we’d made, I didn’t want to risk fucking it up.

  Everything changed last night. No longer did we dance around each other, fighting the attraction that constantly overwhelmed the space we occupied.

  I was reminded why I chose her. Every reason I couldn’t get her off my mind for a year was exponentially clear. The taste of her skin, each sound that passed through her lips. Her body was a temple I wanted to worship for the rest of my life.

  I couldn’t answer her last night, because it wasn’t until this moment that I understood.

  I wouldn’t just want her in five years. I knew I would want her at ten and twenty, thirty and forty. Until my last breath, I would want her.

  It’s always been her.

  None other.

  The center of my chest burned. Emotions I’d never experienced bombarded me. What started out as a contract, a way to get closer to her, had morphed into a feeling I couldn’t put into words.

  In my entire life, I’d never felt the overwhelming need to be with someone that I did with Ophelia.

  I wanted to be with her forever.

  My eyes strained against the sunlight, fighting to stay closed and to return to the comfort of sleep. In my half-awake state, memories of the night flooded in, and I smiled. From the words that spilled from his lips, to his hands that excited every inch of my skin and his gaze that possessed my soul.

  The culmination of months burned bright in the night. Forever altered and owned by him. It wasn’t just physical. My whole heart and soul had been captured by the wicked king.

  After months of strife and struggle, my wish from a year ago had become a reality. While those initial dreams were of a man I knew little about, not even his last name, that feeling of possibility had nagged at me relentlessly.

  When he first told me he wanted me to marry him, those dreams came back to me. But dreams and reality were two totally different worlds. The real Atticus was emotionally sealed until he cracked and his affection came spilling out of him unrestrained. That affection was the manifestation of emotions he had difficulty processing and forming words for.

  The depth of blue in his eyes was endless like the ocean with its rough seas, calm waves, and tsunamis. Powerful, alluring, and impossible to control—that was Atticus.

  A smile spread and I reached for him, but as I woke more and comprehended my surroundings, I found myself alone.

  The sheets were cold.

  “Atticus?” I called out and waited, but not a single sound resonated.

  I sat up and took in the room. The view out of the large windows was almost the same as from my own, but the size was stunningly larger. Straining my hearing, I listened for any hint of him, but I was met with nothing but silence.

  He left the room without waking me? It was Sunday. I expected to wake up in his arms with him holding me close before he filled me again. A shower, then food, then again on the island or table, taking our fill of each other after months of resisting.

  Instead, silence surrounded me. Emptiness invaded me.

  My chest clenched, and I swallowed before slipping my feet over the edge of the bed. I ran my hand through my hair, working out some knots.

  Flashes of the night before danced across my mind. I’d forgotten how possessive his touch was, how demanding. His lips were intoxicating as he kissed me like he was trying to devour me, my name a litany that fell from his lips like a prayer.

  Maybe he was in the kitchen?

  I moved to stand and fell back to the bed, my legs giving out on me. It took another try to get my legs under me, but my steps were unsteady.

  My body throbbed in the best way. Atticus wasn’t the only man I’d been with, but none before had ever left me so completely satisfied. A perfect synchronicity as if we’d been together for years instead of one night long ago.

  He read me in ways that never ceased to amaze me. Something I couldn’t ever let my husband-to-be ever know, because he already had a god complex. There was no need to increase his ego further.

  A smile drew up on my face. He really did a number on me.

  I put my hand on the door handle to open it but stopped. Looking down, I was completely naked, and while I would normally walk around my home in whatever state I wanted to, that was because I was always alone. That was not the case in the Tower. There were always people popping in and out without notice, silent and stealthy like ninjas, which was why I couldn’t be sure there wasn’t anyone right outside of the door.

  Our clothes were still strewn about the floor, and I picked up Atticus’s dress shirt, slipping it on, and buttoned it up. It was long enough that it covered everything.

  Tentatively, I opened the door and moved down the hall, paying attention for the slightest sign of life. Each room I encountered was empty. As I passed my bedroom, I grabbed my phone but there were no notifications.

  My brow furrowed, and I made my way back to the kitchen. Nothing was out of place. Not even a coffee cup sat in the sink.

  The clack of shoes echoed in the hall and I turned, the excitement in finding him filling me.

  But it wasn’t a scowling, tall, brooding blond that entered the kitchen.

  Jack stopped as he entered and saw me. “Good morning, Ophelia,” he said with a friendly smile.

  “Jack? Have you seen Atticus?”

  “Atticus is on a plane right now.”

  I blinked at him as I tried to remember him talking about a trip. “A plane?” I asked, completely confused.

  “Yes, he has a meeting in Seoul on Monday.”

  Seoul? He was going to South Korea?

  Why didn’t he tell me? More importantly, why didn’t he say goodbye?

  “He asked me to give this to you,” he said as he handed an envelope over.

  My brows scrunched as I took it from him. “What’s this?” I asked.

  “He didn’t say.” He turned to leave. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” I said, watching him leave.

  The envelope was thick, and my brow furrowed deeper as I slipped my finger under the edge. I froze, feeling the familiar edge of a stack of bills. I pulled a few out, noting the denomination—one-hundred dollar bills. There had to be forty or fifty of them.

  “What…is…this?”

  My stomach dropped, and a wave of nausea washed through me.

  Was it a payment? What I’d earned for the night?

  The envelope slipped from my fingers, bills spilling out across the floor as my worst fear seemingly came true.

  I really was just a whore.

  He won. Got what he wanted. He didn’t really want me—just sex.

  Because if he did, he would have stayed, and even if he couldn’t stay, he would have woken me up. But no, he’d just left.

  It didn’t mean anything to him.

  I didn’t mean anything to him. At least not past our contract.

  “So stupid, Ophelia.” My face scrunched up as the pain in my chest threatened to erupt in a sob.

  Every insecurity toppled me and the urge to run screamed inside my head while my heart began to crumble. I promised Atticus I wouldn’t run again, but the urge was growing in intensity. When I made that promise I never thought I would find myself in this position.

  I believed he had feelings for me—convinced myself that maybe we could be a real couple—but it seemed those emotions were completely one-sided. He only considered me a doll to stand prettily next to him and warm his bed. To warm his cock.

  Oh, God. Just as he’d said to me when we met before the contract was signed.

  I’d always been a runner. To protect myself, I ran from that which caused me p
ain. My flight response was strong. That was why I lived in dorms from the first moment I could, to get away from Lou. Months ago, I tried to leave Atticus, and the pain in my chest told me I should have kept going, but he pulled me back in.

  And I fell even harder for the man. So hard it silenced the warnings, subdued my gut instinct, and overrode my fears with empty promises.

  It was time to run again. To save my heart from more of the pain that was overwhelming my system.

  This time I needed help. Things had changed, and I couldn’t just run like I had before.

  I entered my room and slipped on some leggings before grabbing my phone again and getting onto the elevator. After a few floors, the doors opened and I slammed on the door to Genevieve’s condo.

  “Ophelia?” she said, her eyes wide as she stared at me.

  Did I look that pitiful? “I need your help.”

  “What’s going on?” she asked as she let me in.

  I choked on a sob, fresh tears streaming down my cheeks. “I can’t stay here. I can’t stay with him.”

  “Calm down and tell me what happened.”

  It all spilled out as the tears fell, releasing my pain and sharing my struggle. Cathartic at the core, but when I was done, my confidant wasn’t as convinced that I’d been duped.

  I’d never seen Genevieve so contemplative, worried almost. What was she afraid of?

  “Are you sure that was a payment?”

  “What else could he have meant?”

  “It’s just…” She trailed off.

  “What?”

  She gave me a sad smile, an uncommon sight for the notorious party princess. “We’ve all noticed the difference, especially last night. I think Atticus really does care for you. I’m not so sure it means what you think it means. A couple grand is like lunch money to us. Maybe he just wanted to make sure you were taken care of while he was away.”

  “You are defending him?” I asked incredulously.

  “Don’t get me wrong. Atticus is harsh, hard, and cold, but I also know how lonely he’s been.”

  “You do?”

  She gave me a sad smile. “It’s a family trait.”

  Gen had always been so full of life, but as I looked at her, I saw the most surprising thing—the same darkness that often shadowed Atticus’s eyes clouded hers.

  “Why don’t you call him?”

  I shook my head. “He’s on a plane.”

  She made a humming sound as she tapped her finger against her bottom lip. “Okay, I have an idea. Leave him.”

  “Isn’t that what I said?”

  She waved her hand in front of her. “Your flight response is incredibly strong, so use that, but don’t leave him, not really. Just…go on a personal vacation. Don’t contact him. Disappear. His reaction when he gets back will tell you everything you need to know.”

  “And if it’s not the right reaction?”

  “Then I’ll help you get away from him for good.”

  Her words sliced at my chest. Away from him for good? The thought alone brought the tears back.

  “Go get your stuff and meet me back here when you’re done. I’ve got to arrange a ride, and we’ll go.”

  “Go where?”

  “Leave it to me.”

  I nodded before heading toward the elevator. “Thank you. I know we haven’t talked much lately, but…”

  “Atticus. Trust me, I get it.”

  When I returned to the penthouse, I began packing up my bags. Just like last time, I took only my things, because despite what Genevieve said, there was a chance I wasn’t returning.

  Anything de Loughrey purchased was left except for the clothes I was wearing. I didn’t want to tip off the front desk or security. The bags would be enough of a giveaway, but with Genevieve beside me, hopefully they wouldn’t scrutinize me too hard.

  “Don’t leave him again.” Michael had said that, and I was going against it.

  I needed the break to think. To get my emotions in check because they were all over the place. Even with Gen’s assurance, I couldn’t trust it.

  I couldn’t trust him.

  I clenched my jaw to hold back more tears. What was wrong with me?

  You know the answer to that, Ophelia.

  You’re in love with him.

  That was why I had to go. I wouldn’t be a convenient pussy for him.

  I was numb as I set the de Loughrey cards from my wallet onto the kitchen island, also setting The Rock beside them. They were a sign, a symbol, that I wasn’t there and that if he wanted me, he needed to find me.

  I did the one thing I shouldn’t have—I fell in love with him. There was no way I could spend the next five years with him not reciprocating. It would kill my soul to be beside the man I loved, only to be his contract wife.

  At that moment, I really hated our contract.

  It felt wrong to say goodbye as the elevator doors closed, and I felt sick when I knocked on Genevieve’s door.

  Deep in my core, I prayed that it was all a misunderstanding, that Gen was correct, but until he returned, I needed to be away from the Tower.

  When she answered, she was ready to go, her hand held out. “Leave your phone.”

  “Why?” I asked as I handed it to her.

  “He can track you in no time. They’re all linked. In minutes, he’ll find you.”

  I knew that for a fact, but didn’t I want him to once he returned?

  “Make him chase you.”

  “I don’t know,” I said as I chewed on my bottom lip.

  “You want him to prove himself, right? Why not try?”

  “Because I’m scared that every fear is truth.” I didn’t really want to leave him.

  “Use this time to get away from him. A much needed Ophelia break. Time to think with a clear head and no de Loughrey influence, because you’ll never get it here. Even now, I’m influencing you.”

  It was better than just running away entirely, but still, my hands shook as anxiety ran rampant through my system. A breather. An escape from the heavy atmosphere of the Tower and to center myself.

  “Let’s go,” Gen said, grabbing one of my bags and heading to the elevator. “Time to hide you.”

  Four days.

  Eight hours.

  Thirty-six minutes.

  That was how long it had been since I’d left Ophelia in my bed. Since I used every ounce of strength to pull away from her warm, soft skin. Away from the only thing in the world that I had ever wanted to cherish.

  That amount of time was also the last time I had any contact whatsoever with my fiancée.

  By day three, I’d employed Hugo to check in on her, but I had yet to hear any positive news. There was a cold dread that had settled over me with each unanswered text or straight-to-voicemail call.

  “Where is she?” I asked the moment Hugo’s name flashed on my screen.

  “I don’t know.”

  I froze and threw my head back against the headrest. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”

  “We’ve just confirmed a few places she’s not. We’re going to go over and check out the penthouse and talk with the staff.”

  “Keep me informed. We’re still a few hours out.”

  My heart was beating hard in my chest, and my foot wouldn’t stop tapping. The anxiety was to a level I’d never experienced. Every dastardly scenario my brain could come up with swirled around, making me nearly choke at made-up horrors.

  I knew nothing, but that didn’t stop my imagination from running rampant.

  Was she kidnapped? Is someone torturing her? Hurting her?

  I never should have left her. It didn’t feel right, and I should have trusted my gut. Now, I had no idea where she was or if she was all right. Was she hurt? Calling for help and nobody was there? Taken off the street and nobody noticed?

  All the worry confirmed one thing—I was never leaving her again. On any and all future trips, she would be sitting next to me on the plane.

  “Mr. de Loughrey, the c
aptain wanted me to let you know we will be landing in thirty minutes and that there is a helicopter standing by to transport you to Olympus Tower.”

  “Thank you, Brandy.”

  There was no pause. The moment we were on the ground and the door was opened, I was running for the chopper. Seconds later, we were back in the air.

  We’d barely gotten off the ground when a call came through. “Hugo, what do you have?”

  “You’re not going to like it,” he said.

  The cold seeped in deeper, taking over every inch of me. “What?”

  “Everything points to her still being at the Tower, but she’s not there.”

  I clenched my fist to keep my hand from shaking. “She has to be.”

  “I’m sorry, boss, she’s not. Me and three guys and Jack checked every corner. Concierge hasn’t seen her since you got back from the charity dinner.”

  “Was her phone there?” I asked as my mind tried to understand, to process.

  “No. Funny thing is, it shows it in the building, but we haven’t been able to locate it.”

  “Have you checked the common floors?”

  “Inside and out.”

  “I’m in the heli now. I’ll be there in ten.”

  “Want me to meet you?” he asked.

  “No. Keep digging. She has to be somewhere.”

  “Right, boss. Damien’s heading down to the garage to be at the ready at a moment’s notice.”

  “Thank you.”

  Please, Ophelia, where are you?

  The metal steps clanged beneath my feet as I ran to the elevator. Every second I wasn’t moving was another second she was missing.

  “Ophelia!” I called out as soon as I entered. I threw my laptop bag into the office before running around.

  There was nothing but dead silence. A stillness that was familiar, but also foreign. It had only been a few months, but in those months I’d gotten used to having her near, used to not being alone. Used to her warmth and light that radiated off her.

  I ran through the rooms, but nothing. There was no sign of a single thing out of place.

  In her room, a sense of déjà vu took over. Again, nothing was amiss, but there was a lack of Ophelia in the room. Did Hugo notice as well? Or did he even think anything was amiss?