Royal

© 2023 Aria Ray All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author’s imagination.Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters represented are 18 and above.Kindle EditionIf you'd like to be notified of updates, teasers, and promotions, subscribe to Aria’s newsletter or follow her on Facebook. Table of ContentsAbout the BookChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20EpilogueAlso by Aria RayConnect with Aria Ray:About the Author About the BookWhen my past catches up with me, will Royal agree to protect me and the son I kept hidden from him? My life changed the night my abusive boyfriend traded me to a biker to pay off his gambling debt. But it wasn't all terrible because Royal, the biker, turned out to be nothing like the outlaw who had been mistreating me for years. He refused to keep me against my will and even gave me a bundle of cash so I could be free to leave. And I did, but not before experiencing a night of pure pleasure with my rescuer. His rough yet soothing voice and irresistibly muscular body made me consider staying, but Royal had made it clear that he wasn't the relationship type. Also, my ex wasn't going to leave me alone, and those close to me were also in danger. So, I decided to flee. Only later did I realize that I had left with more than a broken body and shattered spirit—but with a secret in my womb. For five years, I managed to keep my son safe, but my ex had not stopped hunting me. He grew more menacing and powerful, and he eventually tracked me down. Now, there is only one person I can turn to for protection: Royal. But can he forgive me for leaving and save me once more? Or will the truth about the child I kept from him ruin any chance of reconciliation? "Royal" is the 16th book in the "Dark Slayers MC” hot and alluring romance series featuring bikers who will remind you why you like the bad boys so much. They’re protective, rough, and running on pure diesel and adrenaline.Each book in the series is a standalone with a guaranteed happily ever after for the couple, though it is recommended to read them in order for maximum enjoyment. “Dark Slayers MC” series: Storm (Dark Slayers MC Book 1) Breaker (Dark Slayers MC Book 2) Grit (Dark Slayers MC Book 3) Celt (Dark Slayers MC Book 4) Razor (Dark Slayers MC Book 5) Renegade (Dark Slayers MC Book 6) Teeny (Dark Slayers MC Book 7) Thor (Dark Slayers MC Book 8) Blade (Dark Slayers MC Book 9) Surge (Dark Slayers MC Book 10) Mack (Dark Slayers MC Book 11) Hash ( Dark Slayers MC Book 12) Bones ( Dark Slayers MC Book 13) Rust (Dark Slayers MC Book 14) Ace (Dark Slayers MC Book 15) Royal (Dark Slayers MC Book 16) Jav (Dark Slayers MC Book 17) Chapter 1JessicaI tried to jerk the door open and discovered it was locked from the outside. The sliding lock was new, another in a long line of controlling moves by a boyfriend who was too used to getting his own way. I had only noticed it when he threw me back into our apartment a few minutes ago. Outraged, I banged on the door with my open hand, screaming for him to let me out. It’s not that I was naive enough to think he would. My thought was that if I raised a ruckus someone might hear and come to my rescue. Even that was a pipe dream. We lived above his bar and no one who knew him, much less worked for Ritchie was stupid enough to cross him.My right cheek was throbbing because he’d lost his mind during a disagreement over him cheating again earlier in the evening. That had been the final straw for me, so I left. In his mind, I ran so I deserved being locked up like a petty criminal. In my mind, he was a piece of shit I needed to get as far away from as possible.I stalked to the kitchen, opened the freezer and pulled out a bag of peas to hold against my cheek. I had too much pent-up anger to calm down, so paced a furrow into the living room carpet as I frantically tried to figure out my next move. It was nearly two in the morning, and I needed to come up with a way to get the hell out of here.The music being played down below shook the walls of the antiquated building we’d called home for the last several years. It was distracting and making the headache that had been grinding in my head all day far worse.After getting hit one too many times, I’d run away this afternoon. Being the gigantic controlling asshole that he was, Ritchie had tracked me down at a local coffee shop where I was waiting for a ride and hustled me into his SUV. He was acting strangely aloof and was not his usual surly self. Normally he was mad when I tried to get away from him and resented having to take time out of his busy schedule to chase me down. Tonight, he didn’t scream at or berate me for wasting his time. Not that I wanted him to mentally abuse me, it’s just that he acted differently this time. Instead of telling me in no uncertain terms that I belonged to him and there was no