by Ivy Clyde
“Come on,” he said, opening my side of the door. Before I could move, he’d leaned in to unbuckle my seat belt. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, climbing out of the car.
He marched towards the exit leaving me to hurry after him. I expected him to go in the direction of the student dorms but Liam was walking to the grounds where my cabin stood. Quickening my pace, I fell in step beside him.
Reaching the cabin, he stopped.
“Go inside,” he said. “I’ll wait here.”
Moving past him, I unlocked the door and entered the cabin. After turning on the lights, I went back to Liam, took his hand in my hold and tugged on it to make him move.
“What are you doing?”
“Bringing you inside too. It’s cold.”
Entering the cabin, he looked all around the place. “It’s not too bad.”
“No. Zoya got it fixed for me.” I moved further inside and turned around to face him. “Have a seat,” I said, gesturing at a chair. “And remove your shirt.”
His perfect eyebrows shot up.
I chuckled, going into my tiny bathroom to bring the first aid box that Ruben sent me with his supplies of cookies and other stuff.
“You got hurt,” I said. “Let me at least put some spray on it for you. If you don’t feel better by tomorrow, we’ll get it checked.”
He stared at me with wide, unbelieving eyes like he was seeing me for the first time. “Why do you care?”
“You saved me from those thuggish jocks,” I said, pulling at his hand to make him sit on the chair. “If you and Nikolai didn’t come there in time, my friend would have been badly hurt.” I took a deep breath, struggling to keep the panic at bay. It had been a close call that night. Just thinking of what they could have done to Jonathan made icy fingers squeeze my heart.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Liam hooked a finger under my chin and made me look up into his eyes. “You’re safe now.” He’d removed his jacket by now. Warmth flooded through the fabric of his shirt and seeped into me. I felt so safe in close proximity with him, I almost didn’t want to move away.
“What were you doing there?” I asked.
“I followed you when I saw you running out of Advanced Math. Then, you got into a car with Zoya Ivanov. The whole thing spelled troubled. Why did you go back there?”
“Zoya said my friends missed me. She was right. Jonathan and Debbie genuinely seemed happy to see me.”
“Jonathan was the beat-up wannabe rockstar guy?”
I frowned at the description but nodded.
“Who were the boys that attacked you?”
“They’re jocks from Kensington High. They play varsity soccer.”
Anger burned in those beautiful blue eyes. “Stay away from them.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” I said, smiling. “Now, please take off your shirt. That hit had to hurt.”
Keeping his eyes on me, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. As it fell open, I tried not to stare too long at the defined ab muscles he sported. Liam Davenport was not just a pretty face. He was hot too.
Inching closer, I pulled away the shirt from his left arm. There was an ugly black bruise on his back, just below the shoulder blades.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered. Liam hadn’t said a single mean thing to me yet. Heck! He hadn’t even complained about the injury. It looked horrible. “You didn’t have to get hurt like this.”
“Should’ve thought about that when you went away with your friend,” said Liam. Pushing me away from him gently, he picked up the first aid box from the ground. He opened it and took out a can of pain relief spray.
I snatched it from his hand. “Let me do it.” I shook the canister hard. “This might sting,” I warned before spraying it on the bruise.
A long hiss escaped him.
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s fine,” he said through gritted teeth. He was being amazingly nice and patient despite the pain he was suffering. I couldn’t understand his sudden shift from asshole to charming rescuer.
He pulled his shirt back up again and buttoned it up.
“Why are you being so nice?” I asked, unable to stay quiet. I had to know what changed to make him this good to me.
He hesitated before answering me. “I’m doing this for my mother. Not you.”
“Huh?”
“She made me promise I’d look after you while she was gone. I’m doing just that.” Getting to his feet, he picked up his jacket. Keeping his back turned to me, he said, “This is the reason I didn’t want you here. Charity cases like you are far more trouble than you’re worth.” Without a backward glance, he strode across the room and left the cabin.
I should’ve been grateful to him despite his reasons for helping me. Instead, I felt a deep disappointment settling within me. Liam always made it clear how he felt about me. Even then, a part of me desperately wanted him to think differently.
Tears gathered in my eyes.
“Stop being so stupid,” I said to myself angrily. “You’re nothing but an annoying puppy his mom picked up on the street.” Still, the tears wouldn’t stop falling from my eyes.
13
Paris
I was lucky there were no classes in the first few hours of the day for me. Last night’s events drained me so much it took physical effort to pull myself out of bed.
At least, it’s Friday, I told myself, climbing out of bed to head into the bathroom for a shower.
Even the cold shower couldn’t drive away the blues.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I sat down with my cell phone. Zoya left me a message, saying she would meet me for lunch. Relief spread through me to know she was all right and attending her classes. My gaze went to the clock on my cell phone screen. Breakfast was over already.
After dressing up in my uniform, I took one of the tins of cookies Ruben sent me. Opening it, I let the addictive scent of gingerbread cookies fill my nostrils.
Sunshine shone through the windows near my bed. It was peaceful in my cabin but also very lonely. My first class for the day started at twelve P.M. After that, I planned to eat lunch with Zoya and then spend three hours afterward attending the rest of my classes.
Even though it was just 10 A.M., I decided to head up to the school and take a look around the library. It was one of the buildings that had been built with the original academy structure. Every brochure had a snapshot of the incredible Gothic architecture built sometime in the late nineteenth century. Mom often spoke of the times she sneaked around the bookshelves with my dad. Perhaps, being there would get me out of my depressing thoughts.
I took one last look at myself in the mirror. Other than the paleness in my face, nothing looked out of place. My uniform was clean and pressed neatly. The long lengths of my indigo hair tumbled past my shoulders in gentle waves. My black shoes shone. Looking at me, no one would know the scary situation I’d been in last night.
At the heels of that thought, came the image of Liam Davenport standing protectively over me after taking a painful hit. Even though he was determined to seem like an asshole, I was beginning to doubt him. If he was truly evil, he wouldn’t jump in to fight those dangerous thuggish boys and take a blow for me. He even walked me back to my cabin last night. Even if he did it for his mother’s sake, I couldn’t help being grateful.
Stop looking for something that isn’t there, my mind added.
Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I slung my bag over my shoulder and headed out of the door. A bright blue September sky greeted me. Even the shade of that blinding azure reminded me of Liam’s eyes.
A frustrated noise escaped me. I stomped across the grounds to reach the central campus area. The library was located further away from the main academy building, making it a long walk from my cabin.
The campus was quiet and almost deserted at that time of day. Most students were inside for classes while a few lone kids like me wandered around the grounds.
The spires of the old library c
ame in my view but I had to stop in my tracks. I could hear the sound of someone gasping and sobbing with pain nearby. This part of the campus was as isolated as the cabin.
I took a few more steps in the direction of the library but stopped again. A few feet away, I saw a group of boys bullying another student. My instincts told me to get out of there but I’d already noticed the boy being held up by two others. It was Lucas, the pretty effeminate boy I’d met in my Physics class.
Standing there, I stared at the two hulking boys who held him down. Lucas’s face was already bruised. A thin stream of blood dribbled down his chin.
“You’re such a disgrace to the Bettencourt name,” said a cold voice. Shifting my gaze from Lucas, I stared at the newcomer. He was tall with a lean frame. Silver-blond hair fell in thick waves over his pale, handsome face. He would have been utterly beautiful if he didn’t look so cruel and crazed. His eyes were jet-black pits as he focused his attention on Lucas.
“Cut me off from the family, then,” said Lucas through gritted teeth.
The boy with the silver hair moved closer to Lucas and gripped his chin hard. “You want things to get messier than it already is?” Grabbing Lucas’s collar, he forced him to meet his icy gaze. “You need to stop rebelling against grandfather. He is not a patient man. Stop being gay or I will beat it out of you.”
From the very first glance, I could sense Lucas being gay. No straight boy could look that good and perfect with makeup. It wasn’t something that bothered me either way. People, whether men or women, had the right to choose the way they dressed and looked. While I’d easily shrugged it away, these other boys were determined to punish him for it.
“Just leave me alone.” Lucas’s voice was pleading. “I want nothing to do with you or grandfather. No one would even know you’re related to me.”
“I’ll make sure of that.” The silver-haired boy caressed the silver earring dangling from Lucas’s right ear. “I’ll tear the queer right out of you.” With a sudden movement, he pulled at the earring. Lucas screamed, blood bubbling out from the cut in his earlobe.
“Stop!” A scream tore of me.
All four boys turned their heads to look at me.
Fear pounded in my chest but I stood my ground. “Let him go.”
“Paris…” Lucas’s eyes were narrowed in pain but he shook his head, silently telling me not to come nearer. “Just go.”
“Who is she?” asked Lucas’s tormentor. He wiped the blood coating his fingers on a white handkerchief and sauntered over to me. “Why haven’t I seen you around before?” he asked, extending a hand towards me.
I stepped out his reach and rushed towards Lucas. He’d gone pale from blood loss and pain. A sweaty sheen covered his pretty face.
“Please, let him go,” I told the boys holding his arms. “I’ll take him to the medical wing.”
“Tell me who you are first.” The silver-haired guy was directly behind me now. Grabbing my arm, he whirled me around to face him. Towering over me, he stared at me with those abyss-like dark eyes. “You’re pretty.” His hand grabbed a lock of my hair and brought it close to his nose. “Smells nice,” he added, sniffing at the strand.
“Get away from me,” I shouted, struggling to get out of his hold. His arm snaked around my waist, holding me tighter against him. There was something very weird about him. His closeness made the sparse hair on my arm stand erect. Instead of warmth, he filled me with cold dread.
“Stop doing that to the help, Lucien,” said a familiar voice from nearby. Next moment, I was being pulled out of his hold. “Don’t lower your standards to her level.”
Turning around, I found Nikolai standing there with his hands in his pockets. He glanced over at Lucas. “You there, Lucas or Lucius, whatever,” he said with a shrug. “Mrs. Holland is looking for you. She is coming this way, boys,” he added for the benefit of the guys who were holding him down.
Lucien jerked his chin in their direction. They let go off Lucas at once.
“You always create such a mess, Lucien,” said Nikolai, stepping before him. “Look at him…dripping blood everywhere.” Nikolai’s beautiful face crumpled in an expression of disgust. “At least don’t leave a trail behind for others to clean up.”
Lucien smirked, watching Lucas rush out of there. “Fucking fagtard. Just because his father left the family home, Lucas thinks he can act the way he wants.”
“I don’t care about your family’s problems either way,” said Nikolai. “I was just strolling by.” Glancing at me, he signaled for me to follow him.
With one last look at the silvery-haired boy, I hurried after Nikolai.
He didn’t stop until we reached the library building. All this while, he didn’t glance at me even once.
I followed him inside the cool interiors of the library. After the bright sunshine outside, it felt especially darker there. Instead of walking into the main lobby, he veered off to a sideways corridor. Opening a door, he gestured for me to go inside.
I obeyed him so far only because I wanted to thank him for coming to our rescue last night. Both Liam and Nikolai had stepped in to tackle Greg and his gang of thugs.
Nikolai closed the door shut after him. The windowless room was small and lit up with a single bulb on the ceiling. It looked like a storage room with cardboard boxes stacked in the corners.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“Do you have a death wish?”
“What?”
Nikolai moved to stand before me. His silvery-gray eyes were grim as he stared down at me. “Someone like Lucien Bettencourt will chew you up and spit away your remains. Why did you have to go up against him?”
“He was hurting Lucas. I had to stop him.”
He took another step towards me, his chest brushing my breasts. “That’s their business. You don’t need to butt in.”
“So I should have stood there and watched him tear Lucas’s ear out?” I asked, anger rising inside me. “If it were me in his place, I’d want someone to help me too. Like you did last night,” I added.
“No one would have helped you if you were in Lucas’s place.” Nikolai’s eyes were like chips of ice and his voice was like a cold trail of water sliding down my back. I shivered. “Those boys we beat up last night were nothing. Even if I killed them and buried them somewhere, no one would bat an eye, but Lucien Bettencourt is a different matter.”
“Why?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“He is from a powerful family. Even the Davenports would think twice before going up against him or his family. Among all the students here at Knightswood, you’re the most disposable one. You need to be more careful if you want to stick around despite my warnings.”
“So he gets to do whatever he likes?”
“Pretty much,” said Nikolai. A frown marred the beauty of his face as his gaze shifted away from me for a moment. “You’re new here, so you’re not aware. There’s only one rule that really runs Knightswood. No matter what you do here, don’t get caught. Don’t leave behind any evidence and you’ll get away with murder.”
His words made an icy shiver shudder down my back. Nikolai moved closer, leaving me to step backward, only to feel the unmoving hardness of the wall behind me. He leaned over me, his nose barely an inch away from mine. Staring into his eyes was like staring into bright headlights. I felt like an open book before him as he silently tried to pry every thought from my mind.
“You protected my sister last night,” he said in a low voice. “You would have gotten hurt if Liam didn’t step in the way in time.”
“I know,” I said in a small voice. “He’s hurt because of me.”
A single tear streamed down my cheek. Nikolai brushed it away with the back of his hand. Surprisingly, his touch was warm and feather-light.
“You’re crying for him. Even after the way he treated you in front of others.”
“He doesn’t want me here either,” I said, tearing my gaze from him. Pressed against the wall, there was no e
scaping him. Swallowing the choke in my throat, I looked back at him. “He doesn’t want his mother’s charity case to go to the same school as him. What about you? Why don’t you want me here? I am practically a stranger to you.”
“You’re not a stranger.”
I stared at him confusedly. This was probably the longest conversation we’d ever had.
“You’ve been Zoya’s best friend since the time her mother got married to my father. I’ve watched over both of you since then.” A tired look overcame his features as he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, there was a raw vulnerability there. The cold, hard mask had fallen away. “Knightswood Academy isn’t a safe place for either of you. That’s the reason I want you to get out of here.”
“And Kensington High is safe?” I asked with a scoff. “There are kids running around peddling drugs and hiding knives and guns in their backpacks.”
“You don’t understand, Paris.” The sound of my name on his lips made my heart race. Pressed against him, I was soaking up the warmth he offered. His hand still gently caressed my cheek. “I can have people protect you and my sister from them. They’re nothing but here in Knightswood, things are more complicated. Every student who goes here is related to the top tycoons and politicians of the country.”
“So try harder.”
“What?”
“I am not leaving Knightswood just because some rich kids think it’s easy to pick on me. Liam tried. And you did too,” I said, shoving my body against his to get him off me. Slamming a hand on the wall behind me, he crowded me, keeping our bodies pressed together. My breasts were pressed against his hard chest. Ignoring the way my body was reacting to his closeness, I said, “I am going to get top grades, get into a top school with scholarship and forget about my life here. You guys think I’m having fun being the charity case? I’ll make sure I never have to depend on any of you assholes again!”
“You’re going to make everything so difficult,” he whispered, stepping away from me.
My chest rose and fell rapidly. I didn’t even realize how hard it had become to breathe with him so close to me. It was a while before my heart slowed down and I felt my body relax.
