Page 55 of Heartless Sinner

Iwas soaked, freezing, and shivering like crazy when Cory helped me out of the ocean.

My knees buckled the second my feet hit the dock. He caught me before I collapsed, shrugging off his jacket and wrapping it around my shoulders.

“Here,” he said softly, rubbing his hands over my arms to warm me. “Let’s get you back to the castle.”

I refused to look back at the party, but I could feel the stares on my back.

Just wonderful.

I contemplated jumping back into the water and letting the tide carry me away.

If my grandparents heard about tonight—and I knew they would—I was in deep shit. Elodie had been right. One of us was destined to drown the other.

Tonight, Brooks had won.

Water dripped from us as I bundled myself tighter in Cory’s jacket and followed him toward the castle. It did almost nothing against the cold, but at least I wasn’t walking around naked.

I glanced over at him. His wet shirt clung to his chest, and what remained of his blue face paint had bled down one cheek. He looked like a drowned member of the Blue Man Group.

Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Why’d you jump in after me?” I asked him.

Cory stopped and shoved a hand through his damp hair. “I’m loyal to my country.” He looked straight at me. “Loyal to my princess.”

Cory confused the hell out of me.

One minute, he was leaving me alone with a psychopath holding rat poison. The next, he was jumping into the ocean to save me. I couldn’t figure out which Cory was real.

He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted you as my Fawn. Maybe next year, when Brooks is gone, we can make that happen.”

I smiled. “I’d like that.”

We walked the rest of the way in silence. The castle was quiet except for staff strolling down the corridor. No one seemed surprised seeing us together. I was sure that would feed the rumors about us one day marrying.

When we reached my bedroom, I stopped and slipped his jacket from my shoulders.

“Goodnight. And thanks again for jumping in after me.” I handed it back and motioned toward his soaked clothes. “Sorry you got dragged into the Brooks and Daphne shitshow.”

He smirked. “It was worth it, Princess.” He leaned in and brushed a kiss against my cheek. “Goodnight.”

I pushed open my bedroom door.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

Brooks sat lounged against my headboard like he owned not only my bed but the entire damn castle.

Vittoria stood in front of him, fumbling with her corset. She froze when she saw me. All the color drained from her face when she spotted Cory behind me.

Brooks followed her stare to the doorway, straight to Cory. His lazy slouch vanished. For a second, he didn’t move at all.

Then he slid off my bed, slow and deadly, like a snake getting ready to strike.

“Cory, do me a favor and show this half-wit twit back to her quarters.” He hooked his thumb toward a horrified Vittoria.

Poor thing.

She’d walked right into Brooks’s trap and should consider this a good lesson.