Charity Case (Kings of Knightswood Academy Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  “Yeah,” said a black-haired guy. His gaze was drinking in my curves. Licking his bottom lip, he met my stare. “I bet you taste sweet.”

  Lucien sauntered forward, his eyes lit up with mirth.

  “My teacher will be here any second,” I warned.

  He only laughed.

  “No one’s coming to save you today, charity whore,” he said, coming to stand before me. Towering over me, he relished the look of panic in my face. “You’re actually pretty,” he said, extending a hand to caress my cheek.

  I slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Is that how you got Romano and Davenport wrapped around your pinkie?” he asked with genuine curiosity. “Playing hard is your thing?”

  “What?”

  He stepped forward, invading my personal space and forced me to move backward. My heart pounded with fear in my chest. It was becoming apparent that Dr. Lincoln wouldn’t be coming there. They pranked me into coming to the lab. The place was too quiet. Did they make the janitors and cleaning crew leave already?

  “The girls here hate you,” said Lucien, coming closer. “Did you know that?”

  “I know some girls hate me,” I replied, stopping when my back hit the solid wall behind me. “But why do you care?”

  His hand reached out to touch a lock of my indigo-hued hair. “I care about the social hierarchy that’s been in place at the academy since the time of its inception. This school was built to groom the future leaders of the world. People like me and the Davenports control the school as well as the students who come here. We dictate and they follow our commands. The hierarchy is maintained even when we go out into the world after graduation.”

  “Wow, how middle-aged are you?” I said with a scoff.

  He tugged hard at the lock of my hair, making me gasp out in pain. “People like you don’t belong in my world. You may have dyed your hair blue but can you do the same to your blood?”

  “Get away from me,” I said through gritted teeth.

  He ignored my protest, staring at me intently like he was trying to read my thoughts. “There’s a fire inside you. I can feel it.” He pressed a hand over my left breast.

  “Get away from me,” I shouted, pushing at his chest. He didn’t budge, proceeding to squeeze my breast painfully over my shirt. My struggle attracted the other five boys to move closer. They all had hungry looks on their faces. My fingers clawed at Lucien’s hand, earning me a slap in the face.

  “You’re fun to play with,” he said with a smile as I blinked up at him. The slap had been hard enough to disorient me for a few seconds. “Romano and Davenport may enjoy playing with your pussy but you know what? It’s making the rest of the girls feel bad. They can’t imagine why a stinking whorish pussy is more attractive than a well-bred one. So, I and my friends will try it out today and see what the difference is.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked. I hated how shaky my voice sounded.

  “We’re going to play with you, Paris,” said Lucien, gripping my chin hard. His nails dug into my skin but I refused to show any pain. I glared back at him. “We’ll make sure to break you today…so broken that none of them can play with you again. They’ll have to toss you out of Knightswood and into the gutter you came from.”

  My gaze went past Lucien and the boys surrounding him. They’d all followed me inside the lab, leaving the doorway wide open. If I could just break away from them, I could be fast enough to escape.

  Lucien Bettencourt lured me into a trap to hurt and break me. There was no doubt in my mind what they planned to do. They would take turns to rape me and probably leave me to die while the school remained closed all weekend. No one would know what happened until next Monday but by then I would already be dead. Even if I remained alive, the only evidence against them would be my word. I could bet what little I had that it wouldn’t be enough to charge them.

  Part of me hoped that Lucas and Zoya would come up here to see what was taking me so long. My phone buzzed continuously in my bag. I was sure it was them who were calling me. They might come to check up here eventually but I had to get away from Lucien first. The six boys before me were tall and well-built. I would never be able to match their strengths if they came at me together.

  I had to be fast enough to create a diversion to break away from them.

  Taking a deep breath, I balled my hands into tight fists, urging my body to prepare running soon.

  My gaze went down, determining the position of Lucien’s legs. I looked back at him, making sure he was distracted enough to not know what I planned to do. Mustering all my strength, I kicked him hard in the shin.

  A gasp escaped him as his hand fell away from my breast. Next, I head-butted him in the chest, making him stumble backward at the boys behind him. Ducking down, I slid through the gap between their legs and ran for the doorway.

  “Get her!” Lucien’s scream followed me.

  I ran as fast as my legs would allow, skidding through the open doors to reach the corridor outside. Footsteps sounded right behind me. Heart pounding with dread and adrenaline, I dashed towards the staircase on the far side of the hallway.

  A hand clutched at my shirt, pulling me backward with such force I stumbled and lost my footing, coming down to land on my ass on the hard marble floor.

  Hands wrapped around each of my wrists and ankles, forcing me to lie back on the floor in a spread-eagle position.

  “Let go!” I shouted, struggling against the boys holding me. Four of them held me down, promising blood and pain if I didn’t calm down.

  “You’re far more daring than I could’ve imagined,” said Lucien, slowly coming into my view. His blue eyes were lit up with amusement. “I’m already hard for you, you dirty gutter whore.”

  I struggled and screamed but only earned backhanded slaps.

  “You won’t get away with this!” I shrieked as the fifth boy knelt down on the ground beside me. He made a quick job of taking my tie off and then proceeding to unbutton my shirt. “Stop!” I shouted, feeling tears of rage pouring out of my eyes. “Stop it now!”

  “Nice tits,” said the boy.

  “Hands off her!” said Lucien in a cold tone. “I get to be the first to touch her. Hold her shoulders down. I want to sink my cock in her mouth first.”

  My mind churned, throwing me warnings and urging me to fight or flee. I struggled, trying to wrap my mind around what was happening to me. Even in my nightmares, I couldn’t have imagined being raped in one of Knightswood’s corridors.

  Lucien moved forward as a pair of hands forced my shoulders to stay still.

  “Please, stop!” I begged. Tears ran down my cheeks. I was crying out of sheer panic.

  “Open your mouth,” commanded Lucien.

  “Please…”

  He slapped me once again. The coppery tang of blood filled my mouth as my inner cheek cut against my teeth. Blood dripped from the corner of my lips.

  “I’ll bite your cock off!” I warned as Lucien lowered his body onto mine.

  “Do that and I’ll break your teeth,” he replied, his hand at his zipper. “Be the good, nerdy kid you are, Paris.” His voice softened suddenly. “If I like you, I will keep you for myself, okay? I won’t break you so badly that you can’t be put together.”

  “You’re insane!”

  Sobs wracked through my chest. This was not how I imagined things to be. It was only a few more months till I would graduate eleventh grade. My dream of a future couldn’t end like this. “Mom,” I sobbed harder than ever. “Help me!” My eyes were closed were now. I couldn’t bear to look at my attackers anymore. The sound of a zipper being pulled down sounded close to my ears.

  “One girl and six dudes,” said an oddly familiar voice in a cold tone. “And you call yourselves men?”

  My eyes flew open to the sight of Lucien’s crotch before my face.

  “You.” The happy look in his eyes soured as he stared ahead.

  “Let the girl go.” Even though
I was held down strongly I could recognize the voice. It was Nik.

  Lucien got to his feet and pulled up his zipper. “Just what is it about her that guys from the best families are going crazy over her?” asked Lucien in a curious tone. “First Davenport and Romano. And now, you. Let me get a taste of her so I can see how good she feels. Come on, guy to guy. Let me have her too.”

  “You let her go and I won’t kick your ass,” said Nik. “Refuse and the consequences won’t be limited to school alone.”

  Lucien’s face reddened. “You dare threaten me, Ivanov?”

  “Yeah.” I heard Nik’s footsteps getting closer. “It won’t be long until I take my father’s position. A man has to protect what’s his. It doesn’t matter who stands in my way.”

  “She’s yours? Did you know she sucks Liam and Gabrielle’s cocks too? She’s a filthy little whore.”

  “Yeah, you’re the expert on whores,” said Nik in a bored voice. “No other girl will suck you off until they’re paid to do so. Or be held down by five guys and threatened until they open their mouth. Have you no shame at all, Lucien? Even your cousin is more of a man than you.”

  Lucien’s face was a mask of fury. “That faggot doesn’t belong in our family.”

  “And yet, you keep trying to beat the gay out of him so you can return him to your grandfather.” He exhaled a long breath. “It’s been a long day and we all want to get out of here. Make it easier and let Paris go. You have five seconds.”

  The grip on my wrists and ankles loosened as the boys looked toward Lucien.

  “Guess I’ll have to kick ass to build up an appetite for a family dinner tonight.” Next second, the guy holding down on my shoulders was kicked away. The other four let go off me immediately now that the fight had started. I scrambled to my feet and quickly buttoned up my shirt before allowing myself to look at Nik.

  It had been so long since I’d spoken to him. After the phone conversation a month back, I thought he would never speak to me again. Now, he was here, willing to fight against six boys to rescue me. Sobs choked my throat as I met his gaze. He looked furious as he stared back at Lucien.

  Lucien stepped behind the five boys as Nik ran forward to attack them. He punched and kicked at them, getting two of the boys but the other three spread behind him and tried to get a hold of him. He struggled against them and when it looked like he couldn’t get out, he punched one of them in the face without even turning around. As the dude stumbled back, holding a broken, bleeding nose, Nik freed himself.

  Within minutes, the five cronies were on the floor, writhing and moaning in pain. Lucien was nowhere to be seen. He’d escaped while his friends held Nik back.

  Nik’s shirt had come untucked from the fight.

  His eyes sought me.

  Reaching me, he hooked a finger under my chin and forced me to look up at him. Tears of pure relief ran down my cheeks as I looked into those familiar silver-gray eyes.

  “You’re hurt,” he said.

  I shook my head. “You came just in time.” My body shook with suppressed adrenaline.

  He brought me against him in a gentle hug while I struggled not to break down completely and bawl all over him. I’d been too close to getting raped minutes ago.

  “Come on. Zoya and Lucas are waiting for you.”

  “They called you?”

  “No,” he said, taking my bag from me. He carried it for me as we walked down the stairs. “I came to meet you with Zoya. She insisted on making me come out with you guys today. Then, Lucas said you got called in by one of your teachers. We called you when it started getting late and when you wouldn’t pick up, I started getting worried.” He exhaled a long breath out. “I can’t believe I let you get hurt again.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” I said slowly. It hurt to speak. Now that the danger was gone, I felt the sting and pain from every slap I’d taken that day. The inside of my mouth felt sore and bloody.

  Lucas and Zoya ran towards us when they saw me and Nik coming out of the science wing.

  “Oh god! What happened?” shouted Lucas, standing before me and taking in my state.

  “Your cousin,” said Nik.

  “What do we do?” moaned Zoya. “Should we take her home first or get her to a hospital?”

  “I don’t need the hospital,” I said at once. “I’m okay.”

  “Okay?” cried Lucas. “Have you looked at yourself?”

  “That bad, huh?” Now, I began worrying about what excuse to give Clara and Charles when they saw me that evening. I’d promised to have dinner with them that night. With the state of my mouth, I doubted I could eat anything tonight.

  “Drive me to the Davenports,” I said, looking at Zoya. “They are waiting for me to come home tonight and I don’t want to worry them.”

  “When they see you, they’ll think you were mugged and robbed,” said Zoya.

  “That’s a good excuse to give than explaining what actually happened.”

  “You have to report him,” said Zoya. “He can’t get away with trying to hurt you.”

  “He’ll get away,” said Lucas. “He always does.”

  I knew exactly what he meant. Nik had explained it to me a long time ago. The only proof against Lucien would be my testimony. Nothing else.

  “How can you say that?” shouted Zoya, rounding on Lucas. “Look what he did to her. It’s assault. We should call the cops on him.”

  “Calm down,” said Nik in a cold but clear voice. “We’ll drive Paris home for now. You can’t make decisions at a time when your emotions are controlling you. Let’s give it time until we figure out what to do.”

  Zoya frowned at him.

  “Let’s go,” I said, grasping Zoya’s hand. “And really, I’m all right.”

  She didn’t look convinced but allowed me to steer her in the direction of the main school building. My heart still pounded in my chest and I struggled to keep the jittery shivers down. While my mind knew the danger was over, my body was still reacting to it.

  34

  Paris

  Nik drove me and Zoya to the Davenport Mansion. We sat in the backseat, trying to come up with a plausible explanation for the state I was in. Zoya had already taken a snap of my face and showed it to me. Dark bruises marred my pale skin and part of my face was swollen. I sported a split bottom lip and the corner of my mouth looked bloody. It definitely looked like someone had used my face as a punching bag.

  “Say you fell on your face down the stairs and kept hitting your face until you landed,” suggested Nik from the front. “If you say it was a mugging, the Davenports might involve the cops.”

  “Why can’t we tell the truth and say it was Lucien?” demanded Zoya. She kept asking the same question, enraged by what he’d done to me. She cursed and vowed vengeance on him.

  “What proof does Paris have that it was him?” said Nik, navigating through the loud city traffic. “She could’ve asked me to hit her and placed the blame on Lucien. The asshole will say something like she came onto him and he rejected her advances. There will never be enough concrete proof to indict Charlie Bettencourt’s grandson and Paris will have to take the blame and extra shame.”

  “So, we just let it go?” she shouted with frustration.

  “For now,” I said in a cool tone. “He will pay someday soon and before we graduate.”

  Nik met my gaze in the rear-view mirror.

  “I am going to have evidence against him,” I said, vowing to myself to get Lucien punished for all his assaults on both Lucas and me. He talked a lot about going out in the world and controlling it. People like him should never be allowed to hold positions of power and I was going to make sure the world knew exactly the kind of monster he was.

  A cold shudder went through me as the memory of what was about to happen to me that evening crossed my mind. Bile rose in my throat and I swallowed the feeling of throwing up.

  “You don’t look so good, Paris,” said Zoya in a small voice.

  Cold sweat b
eaded my forehead as I tried to reassure myself that I was really okay, that I was in a car with my best friend and her brother.

  “Drop me before reaching the main gate,” I said as the car drove through a private lane that led to the Davenport Mansion. “I don’t want Clara and Charles to bombard you with questions. Let me handle it on my own.”

  Nik stopped the car just as the large illuminated building came in sight. Turning around, he fixed me with an anxious look. “Keep your phone with you at all times. Call me if you get scared any time. What happened today…” He shook his head and looked away from me. His teeth sank into his bottom lip as he restrained himself from cursing out in Russian.

  “Was it that bad?” asked Zoya from beside me. Her soft brown eyes were wide as she stared at me. “Did Lucien do something to you other than hit your face?”

  Neither Nik nor I told her about the position I was in before Nik came onto the scene. Every time I closed my eyes, the scene of me spread-eagled on the cold floor with five strong boys holding me down surfaced up. Lucien had been so close to really force me to gag on his cock. I might tell her about it some other day but it wouldn’t be tonight. There was no way I could talk about it tonight.

  “Go now,” said Nik, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Call me if you need someone to talk to.”

  “Thanks,” I said about to open my side of the door. Halting, I looked back at him. “Thanks for everything.”

  He gave a nod and pressed his lips together. Nik was angry but he was keeping it together for my sake. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the main front gates which were manned by security. As soon as I got near, they opened them for me. Keeping my head down, I walked down the lane that led to the house.

  When the house came closer, I looked up and to my dismay, I found a female figure standing in the doorway. Even though I couldn’t make out her features, I knew it to be Clara. A low groan escaped me, knowing she would make a fuss as soon as she saw me. I was planning to get to my room without being spotted and staying in bed and complain about a headache and miss out on dinner.

  “There you are, Paris!” squealed Clara, rushing up to me. “I missed you so much!”