The Royalty

Chapter 2: Part 2

No way. No way in hell was this actually happening.

America's ex- boyfriend was standing in front of me. The man who'd hurt her physically and emotionally. The man who'd forced himself on her, who'd made her scream.

I felt my blood begin to boil with the fury I was feeling towards him. My body seemed to be out of my control as I lunged at him. "You bastard!" I shouted, mid-lunge.

Strong hands kept me from reaching him. Gabriel had followed him in and had grabbed me, pulling me away. "Relax, kid," Gabriel hissed so softly the other man couldn't hear. "He may not look like much, but he could kill you before you even had the chance to blink."

I grunted and pulled away harshly. I glared at the man. I couldn't seem to remember his name even though I was sure America had told me at least once.

The man was smirking at me smugly. "Now, now. There's no need for name calling," he sneered.

"I'm sorry," I replied, equally smug. "I couldn't seem to remember your name and that word seemed fitting."

He grinned maniacally. "Oh, you're a feisty one, aren't you? I can see why she likes you."

"I can't say the same for you."

He pursed his lips, unable to think of how to respond. I congratulated myself silently for leaving him speechless. I stared him right in the eyes, unwavering under his cold glare. His eyes showed me that he seemed to be on the brink of insanity, driven mad by the loss of love and gaining of hatred.

The man seemed to regain his composure. He ran a hand through his dark hair before saying, "My name's Aspen. Aspen Leger. The men here address me by my last name and I expect you to do the same. I also expect you to show me a little respect. If you cause any trouble, I'll be forced to punish you. Severely."

He was probably going to be searching for any reason to "punish me", which probably meant to beat the crap out of me until I was begging for mercy.

"Great. Sounds like a blast," I said with mock enthusiasm.

Leger sighed and rolled his eyes, as if he was bored with my snarky replies, but I could see he was pleased to have a reason to beat me. "That comment was exactly what I was talking about. It was quite rude."

I found that he was stronger and quicker than I'd thought, when he suddenly thrust me up against the cell's wall. I'd been working on my strength for years, but somehow Leger kept me pinned to the wall and my struggles were hardly anything compared to his hold on me.

It was no use, so I stopped fighting. He was extremely close and his breath was hot on my face. I held back a gag as I turned my face away and prepared myself for the pain he was going to make me endure.

Apparently, I was right about him torturing me. But I was wrong about how.

Leger came in even closer. He whispered into my ear quietly, but not so quietly that Gabriel couldn't hear. "You were probably think I was going to hit you, didn't you? Oh no, I have something much worse planned for you."

I didn't like the tone in his voice. Fear started trickling through my veins. What was he going to do?

"Your fiancée, America? I bet you think she loves you. She tells you all the time and you believe her. Mer used to say she loved me, too. But as soon as she found something better, she left. It's what she does and she'll do the same thing to you. I'd just try and enjoy your time together while you've still got her. I know I did."

I gulped. I didn't like the direction his words were going.

"Mer would whisper things in my ear. If you'd heard what she said, I'm pretty sure you'd realize that the love you think she has for you, is nothing compared what she felt for me. What do feel when she kisses you? Do you see fireworks or feel like electricity is flowing through your veins? Those feelings- they're just child's play. She will always love me, not you. I was her first love and guess what? Love doesn't die. No matter how long you two are together, America will never truly be yours. Once she remembers who she really loves, it'll be time for you to say goodbye and for me to finally get back what's mine. There will be nothing you can do to stop it."

I forced myself not to tremble from the vulnerability he'd made me feel. He'd cut to the core of the doubts I'd had since the Selection. I'd known she'd had strong feelings for Leger and every day I'd wondered if she had ever really gotten over him. I'd tried for months to bury those feelings and only recently accomplished just that.

His type of torture was worse than a beating. It brought back all of those agonizing feelings that used to claw at my heart. My breathing was labored as I tried to assure myself that he was lying to me; that I was the one America wanted and that she wouldn't leave me for Leger.

He smirked, proud of his ability to break me. Leger moved away and stood over me as I slid to the floor, my knees weak. Arrogance practically oozed off of him. I felt a twinge of anger and a desire to shake his confidence.

I got back to my feet, to his surprise. It seemed not many people recovered from the kind of emotional hell he'd put me through. His eyes widened as I said smoothly, "Really? You think she loved you? I didn't know that when a girl loves someone, she screams in terror when that person tries to kiss her."

Leger's face grew stormy as he looked at me. He gave me one last glare, before turning on his heel and slamming the door behind him, leaving me alone with Gabriel.

The man looked utterly confused. Who wouldn't be? Few people knew about all of this drama with America, Leger, and I.

Gabriel looked at me questioningly. Care to explain to me what the hell that was all about?"

"Sit down," I said, sliding back to the floor and patting a spot next to me. "It's a long story."