Wicked Vows (Ruthless Legacy #3)

Prologue

The Answer

Monique

Stunned, I lay snuggled in Lei’s comforting embrace, the whole time I tried to grasp at an answer. The possibility that Lei had presented to me—moving into the palace with my sisters after the battle—was a ray of hope but it also brought along shadows of uncertainty and anxiety.

No. Like. . .did he really just ask me that?

I looked up at the serene blue ceiling above us, it dawned on me that whatever choice I was about to make would not only impact my own future but also that of my sisters.

With that being said, should I rush into the unknown with Lei? Or take the time to carefully plan and prepare for what could lie ahead, both for myself and my sisters?

The palace, with its ancient walls and sprawling gardens, was not just a residence. It represented Lei’s entire world—a world that was vastly different from the life I knew.

How the fuck would I even fit in the East?

One day here, I was already freaked out and overwhelmed.

But. . .I wanted to be with him, so much that I probably could move into this big ass palace and deal with all the shit that could come, just to keep on loving him.

However, a small voice inside me cautioned against impulsiveness and reminded me to approach this with careful deliberation. It wasn’t just my own future at stake but also that of my sisters. The transition to life in the East, at the very center of Lei’s kingdom, was filled with unknowns and obstacles.

Would love be enough to deal with all of that?

Lei’s voice broke the silence. “Did you hear my question?”

I turned my view from the ceiling and placed it back on him. “Will I move into your palace?”

“Yes. Your sisters and you.”

That was the last thing I thought Lei would have said after sex. But here we were, traveling through uncharted territory yet again.

“You’re not serious.” The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.

“Yes, very much so.”

My mind whirled. “But... the palace? Your palace? That’s moving crazy fast. . .and—”

“It’s been a short time but you’ve become an important part of my life.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart. “We’re not ready to move in together—”

“Speak for yourself. I’m ready to move you in tonight. Fuck. I’m ready to make you my Mountain Mistress tomorrow morning if you accept.”

I blinked.

Lei’s voice softened. “I don’t know what it means to truly fall in love, but. . .I’m falling in love with you. That I know.”

His confession hung in the air between us.

My head spun.

“Lei,” I began hesitantly. “We haven’t known each other long enough.”

His gaze was steady on me. “Does time define how deep a connection can be?”

“No, but. . .we’re complicated.”

“So we’ll work it out together.”

“It’s not that simple.” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a rush. “There are other factors to consider—”

“What factors?”

“My sisters.”

“I want to move them in too.”

“Moving my sisters from Glory to Paradise City was already going to be a lot for them. Forget about the fact that they’re going to have to adjust to the East which is frankly. . .going to take them and me a lot to get used to.”

“That’s fair.”

“Then. . .Lotus Blossom is huge compared to what we are used to. . .the Palace is fifty times the size of anything I’ve ever lived in. The staff. The paparazzi. That’s just. . .too much for us, for this year, especially with us having to bury our father.”

Lei frowned. “Did you just say a year?”

“What?”

“It sounds like you’re saying no.”

“I am.”

“But you mentioned a year.”

“Well. . .” I shrugged. “Surely, we would need to just. . .be a true couple for a good year before I even considered moving in.”

A sneer hit his face, and then he wiped it away fast, turning his expression to neutral. “A year? That’s too long.”

“Lei. . .”

Then to my surprise, he cupped my face with his hand. “I’m not waiting a year to have you walking these halls, lying in my bed every night, sitting at my table to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with me.”

“We can do those things sometimes without my needing to move in—”

“I’m not fucking waiting a year.”

I pursed my lips.

“Is it so hard to believe that I’ve fallen for you? That I want you and your sisters happy and safe with me?”

“We’re both. . .falling in love.” It was terrifying to even say it. I had to swallow down more fear to just keep talking. “However. . .this love. . .is new. We’re new. . .and. . .there’s other things.”

“What other things?”

I pointed to the wall that was empty, yet showed obvious signs of huge paintings being recently removed. “What was there?”

He didn’t even look that way, probably already knowing where I was going with the new topic.

“Did you hear my question, Lei?”

“Yes. I heard you.”

“So, what was there?”

“Paintings.”

“Of whom?”

“Moni, don’t go there.”

“Chanel?”

He sneered and then calmed himself again. “Yesterday morning, I removed them.”

“Because you knew I was coming?”

“They won’t be going back on that wall. I plan to deliver them to the West once I have her body again.”

“You still didn’t answer the question.”

“Yes. . .I removed the paintings of Chanel because I knew you were coming and although I have fucked up a lot with our growing relationship, I wasn’t stupid enough to keep her paintings in my bedroom while you were here.”

Still. . .I was jealous and looked away from him, hating the hot, prickly vines of envy twisting and tangling in my stomach, threating to choke me.

It was bitterness.

A relentless ache.

Gnawing and clawing at me.

Lei placed his hand back on my chin and lifted his view to me. “I told you that my feelings for her. . .I don’t think they were even real.”

I did my best to not show any emotion.

I hoped to God none of it displayed on my face.

I never wanted to be the chick that worried so much about the other woman, especially one that wasn’t even alive anymore.

But, still. . .I was jealous.

Worry filled Lei’s eyes. “Talk to me, Moni.”

My bottom lip quivered. “Let’s just leave this alone for now and—”

“No. What’s going on in your mind?”

Sadness hit me. “I would feel stupid admitting it.”

“You’re never going to be stupid to me, especially when you’re telling me things that are on your mind.” He let out a long breath. “Talk to me. I want that for us.”

“You want what?”

“For us to be able to just lay out all our cards on the table and not be terrified about what the other would say.”

“I’m not comfortable being this person.”

“What does that mean?”

“Lei. . .” My voice trembled. “It’s not just about the painting. It’s about you. . .and Chanel. . .and whatever shadows of her that still linger in your heart.”

A silence fell between us, so thick I could carve it with a knife.

“I’m not her and. . .” My eyes watered. It was so unexpected it made me realize how much I had truly been holding back from not just Lei, but myself. “I don’t want to be Chanel’s replacement. I’m absolutely not going to do it. I am worthy. I am. . .deserving. . .I’m just. . .I’m not her replacement.”

God. . .do I sound crazy? Fuck it. I don’t care. This is how I feel.

He sighed deeply, cradling my face gently in his hands. “Moni, you’re not anyone’s replacement.”

“Then why have I felt like that sometimes? Why have I felt like I was living in some sort of twisted Cinderella story where I’ve got to wear the dead princess’ shoes?”

Lei frowned, seeming to search for the right words. “It’s true, Chanel was important to me once. But that was then.”

His hand trailed down my arm and gripped mine tightly. “You are my now . You are my present. You are my future.”

“You can’t just quickly get over the woman that you have been obsessed with for years.”

“I can.”

“We were at the feast on Mount Utopia and your hands were all over me. Soon as Chanel’s body went missing, you jumped up and headed off without saying shit—”

“That will never happen again.”

“It won’t because I won’t be there when you come back.”

This time that sneer hit his face again and he didn’t even try to get rid of it. “Careful.”

“You be careful.”

“I am being careful, Moni. I’m being more careful than you could possibly imagine.”

“Actions speak louder than words.”

“Oh, you’ll see action. Don’t worry about that.”

I swallowed.

Then, that sneer left him and he sighed. “I promise you this. You are not living in anyone else’s shadow.”

That should have been enough.

But doubts were stubborn things.

I frowned. “All I’m saying is that. . .I will try with us, but I’m also not going to let you use me to get over her—”

“That’s not what this is—”

“I’m just telling you my energy. Get over her on your own time. I will wait for you but I’m not going to be a band-aid to cover the pain.”

He studied me. “I also understand that more than you know.”

“Good.”

“Now understand this.”

I tensed.

“I am in love with you .” The intensity in his gaze began to pierce through my defenses. “Hopelessly in love with you. Not falling but already crashed to the ground. Already entangled in your web.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“And I won’t wait a year for you to be living in my palace and I damn sure won’t wait a year for you to hold the title of Mountain Mistress. Especially, when it’s already yours.”

My bottom lip quivered.

“Your sisters need to get used to Lotus Blossom and the East. Okay.” He nodded. “That’s fair. I’ll be patient.”

“Thank you.”

“And you want my actions to match my words and show you that Chanel is no longer in my heart.”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

“I will do that every day.” In his eyes was a pledge of commitment so deep that my heart thrummed. “But you need to get used to the East and being at my side.”

I parted my lips.

“What happened today. Things have changed between us yet again. Your mind, heart, soul and pussy were already mine, but I need you to understand—”

“Okay. Hold on.” I tried to get out of his arms so I could sit up and talk.

He wouldn’t let me.

Instead, he rolled me to my back and hovered over me. “I’m still talking.”

I couldn’t help but smile as I placed my hands on his chest. “It’s just that you’re being that guy again, and we talked about this—”

“The sort of guy that gets some pussy and thinks he owns it?”

“Yes.”

“I thought we already established that I was that guy and that I did own your pussy.”

I blinked. “No. We didn’t establish that—”

“You don’t leave the East without my knowing it.”

I widened my eyes. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Your safety is my priority—”

“Bullshit. You’re being possessive and controlling—”

“Also, your position as a Friend of the Four Aces makes things difficult.”

“It doesn’t.”

“Be careful with having any man around you—”

“Lei, it will be my job to talk to men sometimes—”

“I’m just telling you how to properly move in these next days so that I don’t kill anyone.”

“And due to my position, you better take that bass out of your tone and talk to me nicely.”

“Yes, Mountain Mistress.” A cruel smile twisted his lips as he lowered down and crushed our mouths together with a ferocity that stole my breath away.

Fuck.

In that moment, I forgot everything but the heat of his kiss and the way his touch ignited a fire within me.

His hands moved down my sides, further pressing me into the mattress.

I let out a sigh against his lips.

It was quite amazing how he managed to do that—erase all worries with just one touch and make everything else irrelevant.

Damn, Lei.

He broke the kiss and slipped his gaze over me. “Don’t get too comfortable with your present title.”

I shivered.

“You’re going to need to get used to being called Mountain Mistress.”

My hands moved to his hair, tangling within the dark strands. “Are you always going to be like this?”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest as he slid a hand up my arm, tracing goosebumps in its wake. “Possessive? Controlling? Obsessively in love with you?”

I swallowed hard. “Yes.”

He leaned closer, his breath fanning against my neck. “I think so.”

“Promise me that you’ll respect my decisions as I get comfortable here. No bulldozing and Mountain Mastering me.”

He stilled above me, pulling back slightly to study my face. “You’re in the East.”

“I am.”

He smirked. “That means that I am your Mountain Master.”

“Then, maybe I should move to the South.”

“If only things were that simple for you.” He licked his lips. “But, they are not. You consider moving to the South and there will be no South the next day.”

I shivered. “No bulldozing. No Mountain Mastering.”

“And what about when we’re in bed?”

“Well. . .” I grinned. “That’s different.”

His gaze softened in understanding. “I promise to treat you with respect and not bulldoze.”

Relief washed over me like warm water and I closed my eyes as he kissed me with so much passion my toes curled, my heart warmed, and my mind cleared all those earlier doubts away.

His intoxicating lips were hot and insistent.

His touch was gentle yet unhinged.

And soon with his gaze locked on mine, he was thrusting inside of me again, spreading my pussy open with his cock.

Making me his.

Delicious chills ran down my spine.

The rhythm of our bodies moving together became a song that would forever hold my mind hostage.

Yet. . .I wondered. . .even as we both crashed together in thundering orgasms that made us moan and groan. . .

Did I truly have Lei’s heart?

And would I truly survive the East?