Page 156 of Sinful Lord

My chin dips again as black spots fill up my line of sight. A new wave of nausea threatens to drown me. Blood trickles down my neck as the cold steel of an unfriendly gun brushes against my jaw.

When I come to again, I’m staring directly into Rian Kilpatrick’s hate-filled green eyes.

“Why the hell would that bastard use MY sister to punish YOU?” he growls. His gun digs deep into my clenched jaw.

Before he can do anything stupid, though, Maksim places a strong hand on the young king’s shoulder.

“Easy now,” he grumbles. “Let him speak. We need answers first…”

Cranking his neck, Rian seems to seriously consider ending me right here and now. His anger is so intense that I’m actually slightly surprised when he pushes himself away.

Still, his gun remains trained on me.

“Answer me,” he orders. “Why the hell would Krol Cieni use my sister to punish you?”

“Because I…”

Shit.

Love is on the tip of my bloody tongue, but I don’t dare let it pass my lips.

“Because you what?” Rian roars, all of his pent-up frustration pouring out.

“Because I care for her,” I stubbornly bite back.

“Bullshit.” Reaching into his pocket, Rian pulls out his cell phone. “If you cared for my sister, why are you keeping her captive?”

He turns his phone around, showing me the screen. But my vision is still too unfocused to read anything. Still, I can tell I’m supposed to be looking at an email.

“What… what is that?” I ask, desperately trying to blink away the blurriness.

“It’s an email. From Melina. Explaining everything.”

My stomach drops.

No. It can’t be. She wouldn’t.

Then, I remember how we left each other. My confidence falters. My chin dips again. A broken breath leaves my lungs.

“… What does it say?” I ask, expecting the worse.

“It says that you’ve been using her. Hiding her from me. From her family.”

My heart twists into a knot.

“You’re lying.”

“If only you could fucking read,” he huffs, pulling the phone away.

“I was just giving her want she wanted,” I mumble. The scent of blood fills my mouth, but somehow, I can still taste her.

What has she done?

What have I made her do?

“How fucking dare you.”

Rian’s fist swipes across my cheek and my head is snapped aside. But the pain is nothing compared to the thought of what led me here.