Chapter 1 Avory who

February 14, 2020

(Velora, Stormhold)

KEIRA

Once a future crown prince, now a fallen bastard without purpose. If anyone understood failure, it was him.

Second prince of Caspira, Aiden Condron AKA The Casanova of Caspira.

The only person who might have him beat was me, still wallowing over a dead ex fiancé who left me for another woman.

Pretty princes were nothing new to me. And yet, this one made my chest tighten. There was something about the pain in his ocean blues that had me spellbound.

I had been watching him from afar all night. Now I found myself fantasising about being normal. No battle scars. Not someone he'd hate on sight.

Misery doesn't love the company of a woman who'd almost killed your brother, does it, Denny boy?

"Avory sends her regards," Lady Elena Moore said, intruding on my date by taking the seat across from the Casanova of Caspira. "She asked me to return this to you."

Elena placed the ring box down on the table before the subject of my newly acquired obsession.

Twice now, Aiden's mother's engagement ring had failed to get him married.

I knew that look. I'd seen it on soldiers when they came back from missions they couldn't talk about.

He looked at the box like it spelled defeat and Avory was leaving him at the altar to chase down Theron all over again.

"Avory really wanted to come, Aid, but Theron—" Elena muttered.

"Since when are you two such besties?" Aiden asked, draining the glass of champagne in front of him in one go.

"We are cousins, you know. We were close once. Things are better now that she's with Theron and not you. I'm even allowed to attend the royal Stormhold wedding now," said Elena, flinching at the end, clearly regretting bringing up the impending nuptials.

"Well, whoop-de-doo for you," Aiden scoffed, like Elena's attempt at compassion hurt more than Avory being a no show.

Aiden pocketed the ring and stood, but Elena caught his wrist.

The tension between the unwitting would-be lovers was palpable. Ten years of will they won't they clung to the air.

I'd drifted a table closer to listen in.

I just couldn't seem to help myself. Was it wrong to be eye fucking a man primed to at least hate fuck another tonight?

"You shouldn't have bothered. Don't touch me. What part of 'we're not friends anymore' did you not get?" he snapped at her, looking down at her fingers around his wrist with unbridled bitterness and contempt.

You're not exactly pulling away though, are you Denny boy?

"I'm not sorry about keeping you and Avory apart," Elena forged on, right on cue. "You were never going to marry her, Aid. We both know you'll always love me too much to be another woman's husband."

She didn't flinch this time. She looked at him like he was a forgotten trinket that has always been hers. One she was finally ready to toy with again.

Her piercing greys begged him to stay. With a reluctant sigh, he sat back down.

Habit, I guessed. One he loathed himself for, but just couldn't break.

It took everything in me not to go over and drag him away from her.

Stay put, Keira. What the fuck would you even say? Spread my legs while your dream girl watches, pretty please Denny?

"Is that why you do the fucked up shit you do? To get me to look your way? I don't fucking get it. You don't want me! Why can't you just let me be happy?" he asked through gritted teeth.

You already know the answers to your questions, don't you Denny boy?

Fucking Moores, am I right?

"Because I'm in love with you. She can't have you. No one can. No one but me. I know it isn't fair to be saying this now, but I don't care. You belong with me. Be happy with me," she said, like his world revolved around Moore Industries' heiress.

She had some fucking nerve.

The worst part? She had him on the ropes.

Shock. Desire. Even a sliver of joy flashed through his eyes.

But it was over all too quickly. A split second later, reason intervened and his face crumpled in despair, like she'd just bitch slapped him without the fun part.

"There's nothing between us but pain and resentment, Elena," Aiden said, his jaw hardening, impassioned blues turning dull and cold.

My heart leapt.

His eyes said he yearned to say the opposite, but just couldn't.

Suddenly he looked older. Exhausted. Whatever he felt for her, it had its claws in him. Anyone could see it.

But just because she made his blood pressure rise, didn't mean he wanted her.

And God help me, that was when I marked him for the claiming.

"I know," Elena said, her voice breaking with emotion as she got up and went over to cup his jaw.

I swallowed a surprising stab of envy.

My attraction to him was as frustrating as his to her.

Unholy.

Wrong.

Bad for me.

All things Keira Dormer didn't do.

And yet, here we were.

"When you're ready, come and find me. I want to make the pain stop for both of us. Take all the time you need. I'll be here, like I've always been. Ready to be yours," I somehow allowed her to finish with, just barely not reaching for her and gouging her eyes out.

There was no malice in her possessive claim and yet it was evil just the same.

This woman did love this man. Enough to rip his heart to shreds, just so she could put the pieces back together.

For some unknown reason, knowing how she had hurt him pissed me the fuck off.

She walked away, head held high, like she hadn't just fucked with an already heartbroken man.

He just sat there, eyes pained and hollow, frozen in place as he watched her go.

I wasn't naive. Two broken people couldn't fix each other, but I fucking couldn't take it anymore.

We'd probably fuck brutally hard enough to drown out the melancholy, at least for a night.

Shall I deal with your Aiden Condron problem, Theron? Just between us friends, Your Majesty?

One night with me, and Aiden Condron would be saying Avory who.