Seductive Wicked Royal (Blood and Diamonds Book 3)

by L. A. Sable

  “I am nothing like you.” I glare up into her passive face. “But thanks for the unnecessary warning.”

  But she keeps talking like she can’t hear me at all. “Lukas may seem like such a great guy, but the thing he loves most is putting a girl up on a pedestal so he can worship her. As soon as he realizes that you’re just as human as he is, he’ll be done with you.

  Chloe doesn’t even sound happy about it, instead her voice is heavy with warning. She glances at the back of Lukas’s head, even as he refuses to look at her. The hurt on her face can’t possibly be mistaken for anything else.

  “You don’t want to do this here,” I tell her. “Not with an audience.”

  She looks at the people openly gawking around us and a heavy sigh slips from her lips. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  Chloe turns on her heel and is gone before I can think of a suitable response.

  Lukas turns his head to watch her go, expression relieved. “I hope that’s the end of that.”

  “I feel bad for her,” I tell him, realizing belatedly that I actually mean it. “I can’t imagine being at the top and then ending up on the bottom like this. Has to be hard.”

  “I’m sure she’ll land on her feet. Chloe always does.”

  Later that day, I get more than one notification from the Inner Circle app of people who saw Chloe packing up her stuff and carrying it to a waiting town car. When she isn’t in class the next day, that’s all the confirmation I need that she’s gone with no intention of ever coming back.

  Part of me is relieved that she left Black Lake, but then I remember that we still don’t know who is blackmailing us. Chloe had been at the top of the list. I wanted it to be her, just another move in the game that she and I have been playing since the day I showed up. At the end of the day, Chloe Devlin is just another girl, like me. I can handle her.

  But if she didn’t have anything to do with that video, then someone else is responsible. Someone who wants something more than to just embarrass us or knock us down a rung or two on the social climbing ladder.

  And I don’t have any idea what that might be.

  List of Blackmail Suspects

  1. Chloe Devlin

  2. The Female Diamonds: Maisie Howard, Grace Khan, Ocean Foley

  3. Adult Alumni? - But why?

  4. Dean Felton

  5. Someone else we’re too stupid to consider Liam Cardill

  Chapter 8

  “So what are we doing for your birthday?” Charlie asks as she slides into the seat next to me in English class. It’s the one period that I have with the other guys, but the seats are assigned so we don’t interact much.

  “Probably nothing,” I tell her, distracted by the book in front of me. My dyslexia is usually under control, but the stress of what’s going on makes it difficult to focus. The words swim in front of my gaze as I try to read. “I’m not big on birthdays.”

  “It’s your birthday?” Ocean asks from a few feet away, intruding on our conversation as if she doesn’t understand the concept of rudeness. “How old are you now?”

  “My birthday isn’t until next week,” I inform her. My gaze drifts to the front where our teacher, Ms. Lake types on her computer, clearly in no hurry to start teaching. “And we were just about to talk about something else.”

  But Charlie simply refuses to leave it alone. “C’mon, Lily. It’s not every day that you turn eighteen. You need to have a party?”

  Heads turn at that, some of them in surprise and others with open interest. Oh, the joys of being held back a grade. I doubt most of my classmates realized that I’m almost a year older than some of them. Asher is the only one in our grade who has already turned eighteen because he spent kindergarten gallivanting around Europe with his grandfather instead of attending school.

  I can already hear the murmurs starting to grow as people get excited about the idea of a Diamond party. As much as I hate to burst their bubbles, it just isn’t going to happen.

  Grace scoots her chair closer to mine, the expression on her face full of anticipation. “Is the party going to be at the Bellamy mansion. I’ve heard so many great things about the pool there, like it’s heated year round. And it’s a pass weekend, so I’m dying for a reason to go off campus.”

  I barely spare her a glance. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that I was talking to myself when I said there wasn’t going to be a party.”

  “Are you going to invite everybody,” Grace asks, voice turning bored. “Because I think things will go much smoother if there’s a guest list.”

  Ocean nods emphatically. “Oh, agreed.”

  Deliberately, I turn my back on them to face Charlie again. “Even if I wanted to have a party, which I don’t. I can’t just plan some blowout at the Bellamy house without asking my mom or Carter.”

  “Carter is out of country for at least another month,” Asher says from the other side of the room. Apparently, the entire class is now part of this conversation. “I’m sure he won’t care.”

  I cut my gaze at him, asking without words why he’s trying to make this party happen. Asher knows as well as I do that there are good reasons for us not to be drawing attention to ourselves. “Yeah, well you don’t know what Trish would think of it.”

  “I can text right now and ask her.” He picks up his phone and types out a quick message with his thumbs. Both of our phones ping with an immediate response that I don’t have to check to know is enthusiastic. Trish is desperate for pretty much anyone’s company other than her own. “See, she’s in.”

  Picking up my phone, I whip out a quick message to Asher while Ms. Lake finally gets the class period started with a discussion about the most recent reading.

  What are you doing? The last thing we need to do is throw a party!

  I wait for a response that takes forever to come, as Asher pretends to be thoroughly engrossed in the discussion about a book I’m pretty sure he never got around to actually reading. Finally, he picks up his phone and glances down at it before typing out a quick response with one hand.

  Have to keep up appearances.

  Keep up appearances? I have no idea what in the hell he means by that. Throwing a lavish party to celebrate birthdays isn’t a requirement of being Diamond, as far as I know. But before I can come up with a response explaining precisely why this is such a bad idea, my phone pings with a new message. And then it does it again. And again.

  All of them are from Trish, who tells me she’s already hired a caterer and an event planner. She asks me for a theme, and then one minute later let’s me know that they’ve already come up with something that you will just luv, baby! OMG!

  I clench my teeth as the realization settles over me that I can’t cancel this thing unless I want to disappoint her. Trish is starving for attention and interaction after being cooped up in that house by herself for so long. Even hanging out with a bunch of hormone-fueled teenagers is more preferable than drinking Chardonnay by yourself and questioning all your life choices, apparently.

  I glare at the back of Asher’s head while he makes a point of ignoring me. This party is going to be a clusterfuck of epic proportions and it’s his fault that I have to go through with it now.

  Charlie leans over in her chair and whispers to me. “I’m getting an invite to the party, right?”

  It’s a comment on how much things have changed that she feels the need to ask. I let this place change me more than I’m comfortable with, but there are some things that I won’t ever be okay with. I glance to the back of the room where Chloe used to sit by herself. Her attention would focus on the window of the classroom as she stared outside, expression blank as if she didn’t even care about trying to learn anything.

  Her empty seat is a warning of my possible future.

  I turn back to Charlie with a sigh. “Of course, everyone is invited. The whole guest list thing is so 90s high school movie. I don’t have the time for that.”

  “Good,” she murmurs with a nod. “I’m
glad to hear you say that.”

  “You really think I wouldn’t invite you?”

  She shrugs, but the answer is written on her face. “You’re one of the Diamonds now.”

  For some reason, that makes me inexplicably annoyed. Not so much with Charlie, but the entire situation. Why do things have to be this way? “I’m still me.”

  “That’s enough side chatter, Ms. Chaplin.” Ms. Lake calls from the front of the room. “Any more talking out of turn and you’ll be serving detention.”

  “Yes, Ms. Lake. Sorry,” Charlie says, immediately subdued.

  It doesn’t escape my notice that both of us were talking, but Charlie is the only one threatened with detention. The unfairness of it makes me uncomfortable. Losing social status has very real consequences at Black Lake.

  And what goes up must inevitably come down.

  The week flies by way too quickly. It’s as if I blinked and the next thing I know it’s Friday and I’m heading home for the weekend to throw a birthday party that I never wanted. I don’t offer anyone a ride to the house except Charlie. I need a little more time without a crowd and I feel bad that she’s never been in my car before, even though I know she doesn’t have another way off campus.

  With the top down, we have to yell to be heard over the wind. It’s a little chilly out for it because spring hasn’t officially sprung, but I don’t mind it. And if Charlie is too cold, she doesn’t say anything about it.

  “I’m so glad we’re friends again,” she shouts.

  I glance over at her before looking back at the road. “We have always been friends.”

  “Things were different after the vote. I mean, it’s not your fault, but you had all these different things to deal with.” The shrug is audible in her voice, although I don’t hear any jealously or blame. “I wouldn’t expect you to make time for me now, so I’m just happy we’re hanging out.”

  “Trust me, you are far better company than any of the other girls at this school. Most of them scurry away when they see me coming and I don’t trust the other Diamond girls as far as I can throw them.”

  “That’s probably smart.” Charlie plays with the dials on the radio because she doesn’t seem to know that I have my phone hooked up to it via Bluetooth. “Grace looks at you like she’s a shark scenting blood in the water.”

  “She does have a slightly fishy vibe going on, doesn’t she?” I unlock my phone and hand it to her so she can play something through my music app. “They’ve all been perfectly nice, but I’m not just going to forget how quickly they dropped Chloe like yesterday’s trash.”

  Charlie makes a scoffing sound in her throat. “Chloe got exactly what she deserves. I can’t tell you how much I regret letting her convince me to help her.”

  “But the other Diamonds were supposedly her friends, and they turned their backs on her like the friendship never meant anything at all. Doesn’t exactly encourage me to want to make nice.”

  “True.” Charlie loads up a playlist and the sharp beats of Lizzo blare from the stereo. “This song makes me want to twerk on my ex-boyfriends car while his house burns down.”

  I laugh. “Wow.”

  “Saw that in a YouTube comment, funny right?”

  “Definitely not wrong, like at all.”

  Like anyone with a pulse, she can’t help but sing along. “I just took a DNA test…”

  We let the music play and for the first time all week, I feel ready to tackle whatever the hell might be waiting for me at the Bellamy mansion. I took down Chloe almost single-handedly and turned the biggest bullies in the school into a practical barbershop quartet. This blackmailer, whoever they are, is next on my list.

  Because as it turns out, I am 100% that bitch.

  Trish greets me like I’m returning home from a war. She rushes down the stone steps and is at the door of my car before I even have a chance to throw the thing into park. When I climb out and she wraps her arms around me, I almost forget that we’re not back in the Bronx and all of the events of the last year actually happened.

  But when I open my eyes and stare at the elegantly cold exterior of Bellamy mansion, it’s impossible to forget that my mother’s arms can’t keep all the worst parts of the world at bay.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” she gushes, waving at Charlie who is still sitting in the passenger seat. “I was worried you wouldn’t be able to make it home until spring break.”

  This isn’t home, I want to remind her. But saying it would just hurt her feelings and she knows the truth of things as well as I do. Even if she pretends otherwise for the sake of her sanity. “Thanks for letting us throw this party. It’s apparently a big deal.”

  “Well, it’s not every day that my baby turns eighteen. Come inside and see the decorations.”

  Charlie gets out of the car slowly. She’s been to the house before, but that visit apparently wasn’t enough for her to be used to the opulent surroundings. If I’m being honest, I’ve never really gotten used to it, either, but I’ve learned to ignore the things that seem too over-the-top to be real.

  Until we step inside and I see exactly what my mother has done.

  “Jesus, Trish.” I stop so suddenly in the entryway that Charlie almost crashes into me. “This is a lot.”

  Crystal lights hang from the walls and at least a thousand gold balloons are floating on the ceiling, making it seem like we’re trapped inside of a crystal ball. Silver and gold tablecloths cover every available surface, including a table stacked with a pyramid of rounded champagne glasses.

  “Don’t you love it,” Trish gushes, as she stops at my side. “All the common areas have been decorated. I’m going for a starry night theme. There’s even a giant backdrop of the Van Gogh painting for pictures. It will look amazing on Instagram.”

  I want to ask Trish what the hell she knows about Instagram, but then I remember that she probably spends most of her day lounging around the house which leaves lots of time for surfing the internet. And I have to admit, the decorations will probably be even more impressive in the dark.

  “This looks great, Mrs. Bellamy.” Charlie hefts her beat-up overnight bag over her shoulder as she surveys the room. “It sort of looks like that ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast.”

  “I know, right.” Trish laughs, but the lines of strain don’t disappear from around her lips. She doesn’t want us to know how hard she’s working to appear happy.

  “How long has it been since Carter was last home?” I ask as we move through the house.

  Trish makes a show of thinking about it, even though I know she probably has a running countdown in her head down ti the minutes and seconds. “About two weeks, I think. He was supposed to be back this weekend, but got delayed. You know how the business world is.”

  “I don’t, really,” I reply with a shrug. And neither does Trish. She was a hospice nurse before she became Carter’s trophy wife.

  I hate to even call it that, but it’s hard not to see her that way. This house is like a beautiful glass case with her trapped inside, like a pretty doll that’s perfectly posed on a stand and never comes out to play because it’s a collector’s item.

  “Do you need any more help setting up?” Charlie asks.

  “Oh no, everything is done. You girls should probably go up and get ready. Your friends will be here soon.”

  “Friends isn’t really the word for it,” I mumble.

  “Don’t be silly, honey. I bet they all can’t wait to celebrate your birthday with you.” Trish hustles us up the stairs. “I’m going to make sure the pool cleaner got out all the leaves in case anyone wants to swim. Let me know if you girls need anything.”

  Trish is definitely more excited about this than anyone rightfully should be.

  “I don’t know how you get used to living in a place like this,” Charlie says as she follows me up the stairs. “That chandelier in the entryway probably costs more than my dad makes in an entire year.”

  “If there’s one thing rich
people like, it’s spending tons of money on things that nobody actually needs.”

  “I mean, you’re rich now too,” Charlie points out.

  “Carter is rich and my mother married him, but it doesn’t exactly follow that I have the same privileges.” I push open the door of my room, feeling inexplicably annoyed. “It’s not like I have any real protections here. All it would take is for Carter to decide that he’s done with Trish and the bottom falls out of all this. And then it’s back to the Bronx like none of this ever happened.”

  She eyes me with a curious gaze that seems entirely too piercing. “You almost sound like that’s what you expect to happen.”

  Do I? I have to admit, at least to myself, that all of this has always felt temporary like a game I get to play for a little while before it’s time to get back to the real world. I’m not a real rich girl, even if I get to dress like one and drive a fancy car. “Maybe I am.”

  “That’s ridiculous, and you know it. Carter fell in love with your mom and he’s paying for your education because he wants the best for you. There is no reason to worry.” Charlie sets her bag down on the bed and surveys the room, gaze lingering on the expensive furnishings but complete lack of personalization. This room could be a hotel room for as much as it looks like no one actually lives here. “You should focus on all the good things that have happened, not all the ways it could go wrong. You’re a Diamond, after all.”

  For a crazed moment, I think about telling her about the video and our mystery blackmailer, if just to have someone to confide in who isn’t swimming in testosterone. But I can’t bring anyone else into this, especially someone who isn’t exactly in her element with just the everyday shit happening at Black Lake.

  “You’re right.” I say with a nod, but I can’t resist one more sarcastic rejoinder. “And I’m sure this party will go totally smoothly with absolutely no problems.”