Charity Case (Kings of Knightswood Academy Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  “I’m sorry,” I said in a small voice.

  “It’s okay. I just need to survive this place for another two years and I can get away. Lucien can’t follow me to a top science university. It’s one of the reasons I chose the hardest subjects to master.” His gaze fell down me. “What about you? Why aren’t you breezing through by taking some easy subjects?”

  “My mom was a science student at Knightswood,” I said with a smile. “We solved math puzzles for fun. I just happen to like Physics and Math. No compulsion made me choose them.”

  “Lucky you,” he mumbled. “I hate Physics.”

  I chuckled, leaning against his tall frame. It was amazing how comfortable we’d grown with each other.

  The tops of the crumbling crypts came in view soon. The gray stones making up parts of a wall shone dully in the moonlight. Bare trees dotted the area. A few people had got small bonfires burning in the empty spaces between the crypts and graves. Those who gathered around them drank and laughed loudly. Some people were openly smoking joints. It would have looked like a gathering of junkies except everyone was dressed in Halloween costumes.

  “Let’s go that way,” said Lucas, motioning ahead at a cluster of dead ash trees. They blocked the view in the distance, standing a like a tall wall separating this part of the cemetery from the other.

  I nodded, letting him lead the way.

  Walking in the graveyard that probably stood there for over two hundred years sent a chill through me. My grip on Lucas’s hand grew tighter as my senses heightened. I felt shivers crawling up my spine. The feeling of being watched grew within me, making me look all around the shadowy cemetery.

  “Maybe we should get back?” I suggested as the cold eeriness wrapped all around me. I didn’t fear ghosts but could feel the darkness and shadows hiding something sinister.

  Lucas breathed in deeply and looked down at me. “I actually like it here. There’s no one to see me and I can be myself.” By then, we’d walked further away than the grove of ash trees. There were no tombstones or crypts where we stood, just a gently rolling slope of the hill before us. Jack-o-lanterns were strewn around the place, illuminating the spot.

  “It’s sad you don’t feel safe enough to be yourself here,” I said slowly. “You can always be your true self with me.” I gave his hand a tight squeeze. “I might not understand everything you feel but I am here for you.”

  Lucas’s eyes glittered with unshed tears as his hand wrapped around mine. “Thank you, Paris.”

  The sound of clapping broke the silence of the space. Both Lucas and I were startled. Turning around, I saw a group of vampires heading our way. Their special eye lenses made their eyes gleam in the dark, making their costumes even creepier.

  “Let’s get out of here,” said Lucas, grabbing my hand tightly and pulling me away.

  I stumbled after him, not understanding his sudden panic. We barely made it a few feet before getting surrounded by the vampires in long, black cloaks. A shaft of moonlight fell on the figure closest to us. The sneer on his face was disturbingly familiar. It was Lucien, baring his fake fangs at us.

  “You actually dared to dress up as a princess?” Lucien’s cold voice was loud and mocking.

  “It’s none of your business,” I retorted.

  His eerie glowing eyes fell on me. Lucas’s grip on my hand tightened, warning me to be quiet.

  “You’re the bad influence, aren’t you?” he said, slowly strolling towards us. “You like getting dressed as a man. What a fucking waste of good pussy!” He lifted his chin. Next second, Lucas was torn away from me. Before I could do a thing, I felt Lucien’s fingers wrapping around my arm. “I didn’t take you to be like him, Charity girl,” he whispered in my ear. “I thought you liked a good cock in your mouth.”

  “Let go!” I hissed. “I’ll be like whoever I want to be.”

  His strength exceeded mine, making all my struggling useless against him.

  “Let Paris go.” I heard Lucas’s voice from the side. He was being held by four boys as he struggled to free himself.

  Lucien’s cold laughter grated on my nerves.

  Anger rose up in my mind, driving away the panic I’d felt when they grabbed us. With a sudden move, I bit down on Lucien’s hand until he shrieked out and pushed me away from me. Hurtling forward, I ran into the boy closest to Lucas. As he fell backward, Lucas was able to throw away the hands holding him. The moment of surprise was enough for him to run back towards the way we’d come from.

  I ran after him but someone caught me by my waist and lifted me off the ground. I screamed, turning around to see who held me. It was Lucien.

  “Put me down!” I shouted.

  Lucas came to a stop in the distance.

  “Run!” I shouted just as Lucien threw me to the ground. A groan escaped me as my elbow and knee hit the hard, unyielding earth. Lucien grabbed me by my hair and pulled me to my feet.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” he whispered in my ear.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” I fumed, trying to kick him in the leg as he held me by my hair.

  A soft chuckle escaped him. “You’re really naïve, little Charity Girl.”

  I managed to hit his side with my elbow. Just as the hold on my hair loosened, I darted away from him but only to be ganged up by his four friends.

  “Don’t let her run,” said Lucien, massaging his side. His fake eye lenses and fangs made him look even more monstrous as he scowled at me. “She needs to be taught a lesson.”

  At once, four pairs of hands grabbed me by my shoulders and arms. “Let go! If you don’t, I’ll report you,” I shouted.

  “Report us?” said Lucien in a bored voice. “And why would they believe you?” He leaned forward, his face dangerously close to mine. “Words of little charity girls are never taken seriously when they’re about rich heirs like us.”

  There’s only one rule that really runs Knightswood. Nikolai’s voice played through my mind. No matter what you do here, don’t get caught. Don’t leave behind any evidence and you’ll get away with murder.

  Fear snaked its fingers around my throat as I re-evaluated my situation. Lucien Bettencourt was a psychopath and he had me in his grip. He could hurt me if he wanted. After all, there was no one around to witness what he did to me.

  Lucien’s crimson-stained lips curved in a knowing smile. He knew I was scared. Gripping my chin, he forced me to look at him. “You’re pretty,” he whispered with disapproval. “You are innocent. No wonder Brianna hates you.”

  I turned my gaze away from his monstrous face.

  “Look at me!” he commanded, tightening the grip on my chin painfully. A gasp escaped me but I refused to look into those pale, glowing eyes.

  “You fight too hard, little Charity,” he said with laughter in his voice. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you piece by piece.”

  “Let me go and I won’t tell anyone about this,” I said through gritted teeth.

  The boys behind me sniggered. “We haven’t even started with you,” said one of them.

  “Then, let’s get started, shall we?” said Lucien. Leaning down, he forced his mouth on mine.

  I struggled against him but with the four boys holding me from behind and Lucien’s hand gripping my chin, there was nothing I could do. Tears slipped from my closed eyelids as he bit my bottom lip hard, drawing blood. I whimpered and Lucien took the opportunity to shove his tongue inside my mouth.

  I tasted the coppery tang of blood on his tongue as he swirled it around mine. My body shook with fear and revulsion, but no matter how hard I tried, my strength failed against his.

  It was getting harder to breathe as Lucien pressed his body against mine. The feel of his cold, bitter tongue in my mouth sickened me. Bile rose up in my throat and I wished I would throw up, just to make them get away from me.

  In all my life at Kensington High, I’d never been manhandled or abused like this. There were dangerous kids walking down the hallways with knives and guns in
their backpacks but they never hurt innocent bystanders. Their violence was limited to boys from rival gangs.

  “You taste so sweet, Little Charity,” whispered Lucien, sliding a thumb over my bottom lip. “Like blood and chocolate.” He’d finally broken the forced kiss. His fingers snaked through the strands of my hair, drawing me close to him again. However, before he could kiss me again, I sank my teeth into his lips just as they got close enough.

  “Bitch!” he snarled, taking a step back from me. Next second, he sniggered, brushing away a drop of blood from his lips. “You’re going to be so much fun to play with, Little Charity.” A smile stretched his lips as he moved close to me again.

  “Don’t touch her.” A cold, commanding voice rang through the silence.

  Nikolai stood in the corner with Lucas beside him. Nikolai was dressed like a Victorian count with tight breeches, long leather boots, and a flaring overcoat. It was similar to my costume except for the laces and frills that embellished mine. Relief settled in my eyes as I met Lucas’s gaze. He’d brought help.

  “What do you want, Ivanov?” said Lucien, turning his gaze upon the newcomer.

  “I want her,” said Nikolai shortly.

  “Little Charity?” Lucien shook his head, glancing at me. “She is oddly yummy. I want her for myself. Once I get tired, you can have her back.”

  “I am not asking, Lucien,” snarled Nikolai. “Tell your dogs to release her.”

  “No.”

  “Well, I gave you a choice.” Nikolai stalked forward towards me. Grabbing one of the boys, he pulled him off me and punched him straight in the face. The guy howled, clutching at his nose. Nikolai curved a finger, beckoning the other boys. I was pushed away as they crowded Nikolai.

  From the incident in my old neighborhood, I knew Nikolai could fight. I hoped he was better than the boys who surrounded him.

  As the kicks and punches started raining down, Nikolai defended himself. From time to time, he found opportunities to assail his attackers, bringing the three remaining boys down to their knees within minutes.

  I stood in my spot, my hands clutched over my chest, watching the fight play out with bated breath.

  “I guess we’re done here,” said Nikolai, glancing at Lucien who stared at him with those vampirish eyes. He remained silent as Nikolai strode towards me and grabbed my arm. “I am taking what’s mine.” He tugged at me, making me stumble after him.

  Lucas took hold of my other hand, leading me away from the scene.

  “Are you hurt, Paris?” he asked, looking down at me with anxiety swirling in his eyes.

  My lips still felt swollen and painful from Lucien’s bruising kiss but I shook my head. “I am fine.”

  Nikolai remained silent, steadily leading the way back to the main campus.

  21

  Nikolai

  Paris’s hand in mine was cold and clammy. She didn’t speak much as Lucan and I led her through the grounds to her cabin by the woods. We were lucky it was Halloween. Our costumes and the dimly-lit campus areas hid us effectively from unwanted attention.

  Reaching the cabin by the woods, I halted.

  “Get her inside,” I said to Lucas, letting go of Paris’s hand. She looked up at me. Her wide green eyes swirled with panic as I stepped away from her. Her lips parted to say something but she swallowed, suppressing her words. Once both Lucas and Paris went inside, I let my gaze look around the shadowy corners of the trees nearby. As expected, my men stood on alert, guarding the area.

  Giving them a nod of acknowledgment, I went inside the cabin and closed the door behind me. The tall, well-built men in black suits were the bodyguards I’d appointed for Paris since the day she arrived at Knightswood Academy.

  From the moment she stepped into the academy, I knew she would attract trouble. Girls like Paris were the exact opposite of the norm here. She was driven and hardworking, not bowing to social conventions even when she was Clara Davenport’s ward. If it had been someone else, they would have taken full advantage of the position. Instead, she quietly accepted this small cabin as her lodging. I knew Liam Davenport thought it would make her go away, but he didn’t know Paris the way I did.

  Paris came into my life since the time Zoya’s mother got involved with my father. Cathleen’s daughter was closest to Paris then, attending the same school. Being curious about the new girl coming into the family, I’d spied on Zoya, which led to spying on Paris.

  I was merely twelve years old back then but the cheerful girl with silvery blond hair won my heart. Back then, it wasn’t dyed to its present shade of indigo.

  As long as Zoya attended Kensington High, I watched them both. It was always fascinating to see the look of pure joy when Paris went back to the bakery and hugged her mother. Zoya often hung around too, and sometimes, they would go out to buy burgers and ice cream in the afternoons.

  Watching them was the only pastime I indulged in.

  My father rarely cared to speak with me, content to stay away from home on most days. The lonely twelve-year-old boy would keep his distance from Zoya and Paris but he loved spying on them while they walked back from school, ate pancakes at a diner and sometimes, hung out in the bakery run by Paris’s mother.

  The only time I saw Paris up close was at my father’s wedding. She’d been beautiful back then, wearing an indigo-blue dress with matching pumps. The shy twelve-year-old me had acted aloof and uninterested but my eyes followed her everywhere. A part of me hoped she would be a regular visitor at our house after Cathleen’s marriage but my father forbade her from entering our residence. His need to keep his business dealings quiet had made him paranoid. He didn’t want any outsiders in our home.

  Over the years, I kept a watch over both Zoya and Paris. I was able to get some of my father’s men to watch over them discreetly when they attended Kensington High together. I cared for Zoya as a sister despite my aloofness. All these years, I tried to get my mind away from Paris but my boyhood crush was as strong today as it was five years ago. Hell! It was stronger. I was no longer a kid. Within a few years, I would join my father’s business. And now that Paris was so much closer to me than ever before, I was determined to claim her as mine.

  I’d done all I could to persuade her from leaving the academy.

  She refused.

  The walls I’d kept up between us so long crumbled to dust tonight.

  “He hurt you, didn’t he?” Lucas’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. My gaze traversed around the room until they fell on Paris. She looked badly shaken and her lower lip was bleeding. Rage coursed through my veins at the sight. It didn’t take a genius to know it had been Lucien. He’d been all over her by the time I got to the clearing.

  I rushed forward and got down to my knees so I could be at level with Paris’s gaze. She sat at the edge of her bed and struggled to control her sobs. Lucas may take her head shakes as her telling him she was fine but I knew better. She couldn’t get a word out because her throat was choked with tears. Paris didn’t want to cry in front of us.

  Damn it! Getting to my feet, I turned away from her. Did she have to keep acting strong even when a psychopath like Lucien Bettencourt was bent on devouring her morsel by morsel?

  “Th-thank you,” she managed to blurt out. “For coming to rescue me.”

  “If it weren’t for you, they’d have been beaten me badly,” said Lucas.

  I turned around to look at the pair.

  “Paris helped you get away from Lucien?” I asked him.

  Lucas looked absolutely ridiculous with that sorry expression on a face full of thick makeup. He gave a nod. “She fought off the boys and made them let me go. We were running but they caught up with her. I didn’t know what to do and ran around looking for help. Thanks for coming, Nikolai.”

  Paris gazed up at me, watching my every move. She looked scared and small. Under the lights of the cabin, I could see both her and Lucas’s costumes. They were dressed like Beauty and the Beast.

  “You two look ridiculous,
” I spat out.

  “It was supposed to be funny,” said Paris in a small voice. “A skinny beast and a tall Belle.”

  I shook my head. “Why are you even talking?” My voice sounded stern. She cringed, pressing her body against Lucas. Anger throbbed in my veins, hot and swift. I knew Lucas was gay but he was still a dude. She should be taking comfort in my arms. Not his.

  “Let her rest for the night,” I said, hoping it would make him leave her alone. I was the only one who could protect her. “You need to get back to the dorms too.”

  Lucas glanced between us. “Will you be okay by yourself?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Paris even managed a smile.

  Lucas got to his feet and arranged the absurdly large skirt around his frame. No wonder he ticked off his cousin in that ridiculously large Princess gown. A part of me wanted to pummel him to a pulp for getting Paris involved. Psychos like Lucien wouldn’t give up on someone they thought were their prey. He would bide his time until he could devour his prey completely.

  “Hurry before they catch you again,” I said through gritted teeth. “Get back to the dorms immediately.”

  Panic struck him at the mention of his cousin. “Call me if you need anything,” he told Paris before hurrying out of the door.

  Paris sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes cast downward and her lips trembling. She didn’t even notice me standing before her. In her mind, she was back in the shadowy cemetery with Lucien and his goons.

  I looked around the cabin. While all the students lived in king-size suites, Paris seemed perfectly at home in the tiny hut. Locating the kitchenette in the corner, I headed there to get a bowl. Finding a kettle plugged to the wall, I put some water to boil. Paris was lost in her own thoughts, not even bothering to ask what I was doing tinkering around the place.

  I added drops of antiseptic solution into a bowl of heated water. Taking a fresh towel from a laundry basket, I walked back to Paris.

  Dipping the towel in the water, I began sponging her swollen, cut lips. The sensation made her jump and she stared at me wide-eyed.