Eden Salvatore

This was the story of how I murdered Elian Cobalt Hasting, the breathing dead prince.

I was dumped somewhere between hell and planet earth. I wondered how idiotic could a person be to somehow fuck up the art of murders. Dumbass.

Shivering above the cold marble floor, I cringed as I looked through my blurry sight at the tall ceiling. I took a second to study my surrounding while still laying on the ground. The hideous room was fitted for an old money rich merchant with questionable taste in architecture. I cursed at the shit tons of white statues sculptured to torture the human's eyes and the endless row of ugly paintings on the wall which no doubt costed more than all the fucking kidneys in the universe.

I brought my hand to my face and felt the thick bandage on the crown of my head as I rose to the my feet, causing the ground to sway beneath my body. Fuck me.

The whole damn world was spinning which was fucking stupid because Adalina wasn't even here to do it. My belief in gravity was fading as I tried to steady myself by holding for dear life to the nearest wall. I glared at the moving painting in my hallucination and then cursed the soul altering pain throbbing in my bloody skull. I wouldn't be surprised if the fucker carved out my damn brain and shoved it back in.

Fuck that guy and fuck me because my wife was probably still waiting for the food that she wouldn't be getting anytime soon. Shit, she might even have a higher chance of getting my body delivered to her from yours truly in a box than the damn cheeseburger.

" Welcome back to the land of living, your royal highness. " an irritatingly deep voice drummed through my ears.

My head snapped up from the floor, staring toward the tall figure walking through the white double doors. He stepped out of the shadow with both of his hands tucked into his slacks pocket. I lazily looked at his stupid face. A boyish grin that seemed to be permanently spread across his mouth was still there even all these years later, judging by all his portraits I found hidden between the walls during one of my many late night treks around the palace.

I steadily stepped toward him. His brownish hair pushed back, a shade darker than Adalina's golden brown. My eyesight became clearer as I ignored the pain in head and the million questions rushing through it.

He was a carbon copy of her, the perfect definition of a male version of my wife. Same cheekbones, identical smiles, same eyes color and the same fucking blood running through their veins.

Except no one compared. Her eyes reminded me of expensive chocolate and my beloved Oreos. They sparkled with golden specks every time those sickeningly sweet chuckles escaped her mouth. His on the other hand, while sharing the same color, reminded me of a pile of shit.

And, maybe I was being biased as fuck but I didn't give a shit.

I raised an unamused eyebrow at him when we were head to head in front of each other. His stupid grin grew the same time I lifted my fist and punched it right off.

" Elian fucking Hasting. " I spat out of his name while he spat out blood.

I watched his lips curled up with pure amusement as he stumbled back, holding his jaw with his hand. I stalked forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, slamming him against the wall. He casually leaned his head back, cocking an eyebrow at me.

" No one had said that name in twenty years. " a hoarse chuckle breathed out through his bloodied teeth.

" How long have I been out? " I grunted in his face.

" About a month or so. " he tilted his head to the side, shrugging his shoulders.

I narrowed my eyes at him, unimpressed. My fist collided with his face again a few more times until my knuckles bruised and I heard the satisfying crack of his jaw.

" Jesus, I'm kidding. You were out two hours. England is still in one piece. Chill. " he muttered, wiping the blood off his mouth.

I didn't fucking care about the damn place.

Rubbing my jaw, I frustratedly tore my gaze away from the bastard before I actually killed him myself. " What the fuck do you want? "

My face remained blank but my bloodstream was boiling and threatening to burst. I tried my best to ignore the anger screaming to lash out from inside my chest. Murder ran in my bones. It wasn't everyday that a supposed deceased brother in law came back to life decades after he broke his little sister's heart and was pronounced dead to the whole world during his tour to the state where he was going to attend his chosen boarding school.

I did the fucking research alright.

Prince Elian was nine years old when he mysteriously died in a foreign country. Adalina was three at the time. I assumed she barely remembered she had an older brother let alone having a relationship with him which was why she never talked about him. Or maybe she hated his guts for dooming her with his crown as the kingdom accepted the fact that their former crowned prince was really fucking gone. I didn't blame her and I never asked. She had enough shit to be sad about. I wasn't going to add another one to the list.

The bastard however was still obviously alive. I had my doubts when one of the captured skull gang member muttered out his name in my ears. I couldn't trust anyone here in this place so I did my own shit and tracked him down. He was in another part of the world so I didn't bother about his existence until now.

" Why the fuck are you here? "

" How are you treating my little sister? Can I trust you? " he cleared his throat, face turning a tad serious.

I scoffed with irritation laced between the words. " You handed death to her on a silver platter the moment you decided to be stupid and hypothetically died. I almost died for her and I will do it again. "

" I didn't ask to be murdered. I adore my sister even we barely know each other anymore. " he muttered under his breath, looking at me.

" Then why the fuck didn't you come back all those years ago? Why now? " I glared.

He lifted a tense shoulder as I narrowed my eyes at him. He raised his hands in surrender when his eyes tracked mine behind my back, pulling out the revolver that was surprisingly still there. Glad to know he wasn't planning to kill me or maybe he was just stupid.

Otherwise I cocked the revolver in my hand and let it hang on my side. Elian sighed loudly.

" I stayed to solve my own murder. " he said, raking a hand through his hair.

" For a boy who used to believe he was smarter and better than everyone else, you really took your sweet fucking time. "

He grinned lazily at that, looking almost impressed. " You did your homework. "

I scowled. Of course I did. I was in love with his bloody sister before I even knew it that I made it my life mission to learn about every possible threats to her. Including her not so dead brother.

" I solved the case when I turned fifteen. It took me almost a decade. " he stated with displeasure at himself.

" I looked at it all wrong. Turned out blood wasn't that thicker than water. " he huffed like everything was a joke. His family was a fucking joke.

I crossed my arms over my chest, getting slightly bored. I could just kill him and walk out if I didn't thought about how my wife would lose the chance to meet the last connection to her parents. I wondered how she would feel about him.

" What did you do with the other decade? Stay for a fucking vacation while your sister is living in trauma? " I grumbled.

He looked slightly offended by the accusation but nonetheless Elian didn't show his anger. The reports were correct. He was a complex guy, everything was a chess game for him. He thought thoroughly about every moves and life choices for the next fifty years.

" Relaxing is for the sane. I fucked a princess and stole her kingdom. " he said, smiling.

Truth be told, everyone with the Hasting's blood running in them had to be a little fucked up in the head. They were potential sociopaths hidden underneath their golden silk. He was a standing evidence and I learned all this the hard way.

" If you're here to claim back your throne, fuck off. It's hers and I will kill anything standing in her way. " I said in a bored tone.

He watched me for a moment. Delights and relief flashed across his eyes. I knew he let his guard down for me to catch that. His chest rose as he let out a long overdue breath. " I knew I made the right decision suggesting this marriage deal to grandpa. " he chuckled quietly to himself.

What the fuck? I barely had time to process the information when he continued again.

" I adore my sister with my life. I watched her transform from the princess into this amazing woman. She has every rights to that throne. I'm here to help you protect her. We need to talk. "

" I need to be drunk to listen to your story and not kill you. " I ran a hand down my face in frustration.

By this point I had murdered him about three hundred and twenty two times over in my head with very creative methods.

With a shit eating grin on face, he motioned me to follow him with his head. We walked out of the room and through a very long and empty white corridor. I studied every doors and windows all the way into a drawing room that led to the outside garden. Bright sunlight almost blinded me as I stepped behind him inside the huge room. It was already fucking noon.

I silently grumbled to myself and took a seat on the white velvet couch with gold trims on the edge, in the middle of the lively room. Elian walked to the small fancy mini bar and took out a hundred year old scotch whiskey. He set two glasses on the glass table and sat down on the matching couch across from me. I grabbed the half filled glass and gulped down the liquor a second after he poured it.

I was a little relaxed but even more murderous as he started by telling me how the sweet best friend story Steven Salvatore had taken credits for was utter bullshit and then the tale of him secretly approaching his grandfather and mine years after the world mourned his death. He told them about how he had no intention in taking back his crown or his birthright title. He wanted his little sister to have it so they could run the world together years later into the future and be unstoppable after he made his own kingdom to run along her. Fucking psychopath.

While traitors were increasing, inside war was brewing like wild fire and people in the palace were taking sides in who they believed as the rightful heir, Elian expected the master mind behind his murder to strike again the same way with Adalina who was the new direct heiress to the throne. She needed the best protection out there so why not a lifelong protector who was a mafia prince more familiar with death than anyone else. His grandfather was already conveniently friend with a mafia family and Steven Salvatore happened to love being the fucking cupid.

It was fucking genius and the said protector falling head over heels in love with her was a bonus.

The fucker was fucking psycho for that part and the two old fools were sick for joining hands with him for their own amusement. Although one lived to see it and the other didn't.

" Fuck. " I cursed, tightened my grip on the bourbon glass.

" Color me I unbothered and done if you're about to tell me that you're actually run the pathetic skull gang and this is all a plot for mine and Adalina's tragic fairytale. " I muttered.

" Then I will kill you and I won't fail like those fuckers did. " I added.

He looked rather amused by my frustration as he sipped on the alcohol, still grinning. " I can see why she adores you so much. "

" Don't fucking mention her. You are the reason she's in all this and you probably starved her to death. " I grunted, aggressively pouring another glass.

" I sent the cheeseburgers on your behalf. I texted her from your phone saying you're needed at the hospital. " he smirked.

Now, I could calm the fuck down. At least she got her food and at least one of us wasn't in misery.

" You really thought this through. " I scoffed, leaning my back into the couch, spinning the loaded revolver with the tip of my fingers.

" I thought everything through. I've been watching you and this is how we're going to checkmate the villain in your story. " he grinned, leaning forward with a plan and a name.

It was safe to say that I did see that one coming, we all did or at least I thought so. Fuck.

" I don't fucking trust you. " I muttered, running my fingers through my hair.

Elian chuckled humorlessly, swirling his scotch whiskey. " You shouldn't. "

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A/N: did you see this one coming?