by Mae Doyle
Uncle Levi leans so close to me that I can feel his breath on my cheek. I want to step back and get away from him, but I’m still frozen. I’ve never felt this cold. This alone.
This terrified.
“You’re our heir, Kiera. You’ve fulfilled your duty, but if you flunk out or you leave Meyer’s Grove, then I will come for you. Your aunt and I have too much riding on you, and you’re not going to ruin us. I don’t give a fuck what happens to you, you little white trash piece of shit. My brother was a bastard, and so are you. If they kill you there then someone else, someone more worthy, can take your place. I don’t care.”
I’m sure that he wants his words to be for me only, but Luca hears him and crosses the foyer to me, grabbing my hand. He’s warm and strong, and I feel his heat course through me.
“Kiera, darling, we need to go. Let’s go.” He pulls me, but I can’t seem to move. I’m stuck, completely frozen in place, unable to do anything to save myself.
I’ll never survive Meyer’s Grove and the only two people who I can count as any kind of family don’t care. They got me there, and then they got what they wanted.
Turning, I start to follow Luca to the front door, but something in the corner of the living room catches my eye and I break away from him to rush over to it.
My suitcase. I grunt as I pick it up, and Uncle Levi steps towards me to stop me from taking it, but I brush past him. Luca grabs the suitcase from me and carries out the door, slamming it behind him when we leave.
We don’t say anything on the ride back to Meyer’s Grove. There’s nothing for us to talk about, not now, not when we know that my aunt and uncle have basically signed my death warrant.
Chapter 4
“I’m sorry, but it doesn’t make any sense. Go through it again.” Caspian walks over to where I’m perched on the edge of the sofa in the common room of the dorm and sits down next to me. His weight makes me lean over, and he instinctively puts his arm around my shoulders.
We’ve been through what happened with Luca and me at my aunt and uncle’s a thousand times and it still doesn’t make sense. I can’t wrap my mind around the fact that my family, no matter how distant they are, would want to get rid of me badly enough that they’re okay with me being killed at school.
And don’t even get me started on the way the devils have changed their tune. From wanting me gone so badly that they were willing to dump blood on my door to protecting me from the angry parents who wish me dead so that their heirs can have my spot, I have no protection here.
Well, except for from the devils themselves, and I’m not sure that I want their protection. I’m not really sure that I can trust them to take care of me. Not yet.
According to Sophia, who held me while I cried earlier, other parents offer their children protection when they’re at Meyer’s Grove. Even Lila and Clementine’s parents, who don’t seem to be the most nurturing and maternal people on the earth, still do what they can to protect their heirs.
But not me. I’m not protected. If I’m going to stay safe at Meyer’s Grove, then I’m going to have to figure out how I can do it by myself.
Or with my devils.
The thought makes my stomach shift and I sit up, regretfully pulling my head from Caspian’s shoulder. He’s the one who’s been the most quiet through all of this, listening while the others raged and holding my hand while I cried, and although I want to snuggle with him, I need to figure out exactly what I need to do.
How I can get out of here in one piece.
“None of it makes sense, but if you break it down, it really does.” Asher’s voice cuts through my thoughts. I was going to say something similar, but he beat me to it. Striding across the room, he reaches down for my hands and pulls me to his chest.
He smells hot and sweaty, like he’s been playing lacrosse all day, but I know better. I know that while Luca and I were dealing with my aunt and uncle, he, Parker, and Caspian were trying to figure out exactly how they could protect me from the families who wanted me gone.
“Think about it this way. We all know that having an heir at Meyer’s Grove is the most important thing to our families, right?” The other devils nod. Caspian is still on the sofa where I was sitting with him, but Parker and Luca are standing by the two doors to the room.
Their job is to make sure that nobody bursts in on us while we’re talking. The last thing that we need is for a student or faculty member to come in here and hear what we have to say. If I’m going to make it out alive, then we need to keep things secret.
I didn’t even invite Sophia to join us, and I feel a pang of regret about that, but I have to remind myself that this is for the better. I need to keep her safe. I may be marked and have people turned against me, but there’s no reason why she has to be in the same boat as I am.
Asher continues, his arm still slung around me. “Once Kiera’s aunt and uncle got her here, they secured their position in the community. They made their contacts. They have money flowing in and out and nothing is going to ruin that, unless Kiera leaves here. And I think that we all know what will happen to her if she leaves or flunks her classes and is kicked out, right?”
We all nod. We all know what probably happened to my parents, and none of us, especially me, want that to happen to me.
I still can’t believe that Aunt Serafina and Uncle Levi are killers, but the evidence points to that. I know that I should have asked them, should have pushed the issue with them, but I couldn’t.
I don’t know if I’m ever going to be strong enough to look them in the eyes and ask if they killed my parents.
“I have to stay here.” Taking a step forward, I draw the attention from the other devils. “I have to be here so that my aunt and uncle can maintain their status and connections in town. If I leave, then all of that goes away for them. But there’s one way that they can keep their status and not have to deal with me.”
“If you die.” Parker’s voice is low and I almost miss what he says, but of course I hear him. He’s right, and we all know it. If I die on campus at Meyer’s Grove then my spot opens up for another heir, but my aunt and uncle still maintain their relationships and their status.
It’s a win-win for them, really. And since they don’t love me and don’t want me to be a part of their lives, they have absolutely no reason to try to protect me while I’m here.
Unlike the other parents, who will do anything to protect their flesh and blood.
I shiver. It’s not cold in here, but it’s hard for me to feel warm when I’m all alone. I have Sophia, and I think that Lila and Clementine would pull through for me if I really needed them, but that’s it.
Caspian reads my mind. Of course it’s him, the sensitive devil, the one who can somehow see straight through me. “Kiera, you’re not alone. I know that this feels helpless and like you don’t have a way out right now, but I promise you, we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”
I want to believe him. God, I want to trust the devils, but how can I? Asher reaches out and touches my arm, but I yank away from him.
“Why? Why would you help me now?” My voice is tight and I turn to Asher. “I got you kicked off of the lacrosse team.” He blinks and takes a deep breath but doesn’t say anything.
“And you guys,” I say, talking to the other devils, “the itching powder? The roadkill on Asher’s head?” I shake my head and back away from them, even though the doors are both blocked. “No, there’s no way that you four want to help me out. There’s no way that I can trust you.”
Luca sighs. “We went through this in the woods, darling, don’t you remember? We’re on your side.”
Asher grabs my arm and spins me to him. I gasp, forced to look up into his bright blue eyes.
“You need to listen, Kiera, and listen hard. Of course we didn’t want you here. My cousin, Eric, loved it here and we loved having him here. But nobody should be put through what you’re going through.”
I can’t believe it. it seems too go
od to be true that they would want to help me, that they would band together to protect me, and that we’d all suddenly be friends.
“What, you want to hold hands and sing kumbaya now?” I was cold a minute ago, but now I feel hot with anger. “After how you treated me and what I did in return? There’s no way that I can trust you, and no way that you can trust me. Forget it.”
I take a step towards the door, but it’s impossible for me to easily sneak past Parker or Luca. They both have their arms crossed across their chests and are watching me, just waiting for me to do something stupid.
“Why won’t you listen, Kiera?” Parker drops his hands to his side and moves out of the way of the door. “We want to help you. If you’ll let us, or you can go. The door’s here.”
I hesitate, trying to decide if I should make a run for it.
“We wanted you out.” Asher’s voice makes me turn around. My heart is beating wildly in my chest, but I want to hear what he has to say. “We wanted you out and we were willing to do anything to make it happen.”
“What changed?” I have to know. I feel like I’m going to be sick, but I have to know the truth. “Why in the hell would you suddenly stop? What changed?”
I want to believe them. Fuck, there’s something wrong with me for that, but I want to forgive them and pretend that none of this is happening. If they really don’t hate me and really do want me to stay then I need to hear them out, even though I don’t know if I can trust them.
There’s a very good chance that this is just another game to them. There’s a good chance that it’s just a great way for them to make me let my guard down so that they can hurt me more. I don’t want that to happen.
Luca sighs. “You’re different, Kiera. We’ve never met anyone like you.”
In the silence that follows, I try to fill in the gap so that I can really understand what he means. They’ve never met anyone like me? An orphan? Someone poorer than them?
Caspian must be able to see the twisted look on my face, because he pipes up. “We’ve never met anyone with as much heart as you, Kiera. You’re different than any girl we’ve ever met and you have a light in you that we’ve never seen before.”
The others nod, and he continues.
“When you first came here, our goal was to get you out as quickly as possible, and we started doing everything that we could to make that happen. But it didn’t work, and what’s more, you didn’t let us ruin you. Not only did you fight back, but you did it without letting that light in you die, and that’s something that’s rare.” Caspian finishes and stares at me, obviously waiting for me to say something.
But I don’t know what to say.
“I think that I need to go to bed.” It’s not the response that they want, which is obvious by their faces, and it’s not what I want to do right now, but it’s the best thing for me to do. If I stay here and try to understand them, I know that I’m only going to get more and more confused.
“Let me walk you to your room.” Asher’s at my side in an instant, and he wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me so that I’m leaning against him. “I know that this is a lot for you to take in and that you don’t know what to think or believe, but please trust us, Kiera. We’re here for you and we want you more than we’ve ever wanted anything or anyone.”
The other devils are silent as we leave the common area, and Asher doesn’t say another word as he walks me upstairs. My mind races, but I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself. Trying to focus. Trying to figure out whether or not they’re really telling the truth.
When we get to my door I turn to say something to Asher, but the words feel stuck inside and nothing comes out. Instead of trying to fill the silence, he leans forward and kisses my forehead, then turns and walks away.
At the end of the hall he looks back and gives me a wave. “We’ll be waiting tomorrow to walk you to breakfast. You need to understand, Kiera, that from now on, everything changes.”
With that, he’s gone, and I collapse into bed, my mind racing.
What does he mean everything changes? And how in the world am I ever going to be able to trust the four of them?
Devils. All of them.
But can devils change?
Chapter 5
True to his word, all of the devils are downstairs and waiting on me when I come down for breakfast. Instead of wearing the typical skirt, heels, and tight top that my aunt had bought me, though, I’m dressed in a ratty t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The jeans have splotches of paint on them from building sets back home, and my sneakers are easily the most comfortable things that I’ve worn since my parents died.
“That is a bold fashion choice.” Parker greets me first and walks up to me to give me a hug. “But it’s nice to see you look comfortable for once, Kiera. You’ve never looked like you’re a really big fan of being ready for the catwalk.”
“This is me.” I step back from him and gesture at my clothes. “This is who I really am, not some perfect little doll from Hawaii, so you guys need to decide if you are okay with that or not.”
I expect a long silence from all of them as they think about whether or not they made a huge mistake in trying to save me, but Luca immediately starts to laugh.
“Oh, darling, when we said yesterday that you were different than anyone we’d ever met, we didn’t mean that we wanted you to stay dressed like everyone else. If this is you, and it seems like it is, then we welcome it and we love it. You’re special, Kiera, and this only proves it more.”
Asher and Caspian grin at me and nod. Caspian comes over and reaches for my hand. When I take his, he links our fingers together and leads the way to the door.
“Think of this as your coming out party to the school,” he says, as we step out into the quad. “Everyone here only knows you as Kiera Lampley, heir to Levi and Serafina, dressed in the finest of all jewelry and clothing, but this is you chance to show them who you really are. How does it feel?”
It feels kinda like I’m going to throw up, but I don’t want to admit that to him, especially when he’s looking at me like he admires me for being so brave. When I got dressed this morning, even though in knew it was the right thing for me to do, I was still nervous.
What if this only made my time here at Meyer’s Grove worse? Just because the devils are now on my side doesn’t mean that everyone else is going to be cool with me bringing a little West Virginia with me to class.
But it feels right to be dressed like this and to be comfortable in my own skin again. I can’t worry about whether or not other people are going to like it, especially when I’m just now figuring out how to live my life.
Taking a deep breath, I slow a bit to talk to him. The light hits his hair just right, giving him the appearance of a halo, and I have to chuckle first. This devil, this man who wanted me gone, doesn’t deserve a halo, but maybe people can change.
He’s certainly more sensitive and well-read than any of the guys I went to high school with back home.
“I think,” I said, trying to choose my words carefully, “that it’s honestly one of the scariest things that I’ve done, but I’m glad that you’re here for it and that the four of you are going to go with me so that I don’t have to face everyone in class on my own.
Caspian nods. “Well said, Kiera. And I’m glad to hear you say that you finally understand that we’re with you and that we’re going to support you. What’s happened to you isn’t right, and the four of us want to help you get the justice that you deserve, not only for how you were treated here, but also for your parents.”
Every single time I think about my parents, a huge pit opens in my stomach and threatens to swallow me up. I take a deep breath and nod, trying to cling to their memories. Unpacking my suitcase and pulling out family pictures was therapeutic, and now I have things in my room to help me remember my family.
And my locket. Gently, I reach up and touch it. It had been a gift to me from my mom when I was younger and has pictures of my parents in it
from when they were dating. At the time, I’d thought that it was stupid and I’d never worn it, but now I never want to take it off.
It feels good to have something to remind me of them so close to me at all times. I never want to be without it, even though it’s not dripping with diamonds and sapphires like the other pieces my aunt had bought me.
“We’re here.” Luca has slipped up next to me on my other side and takes a deep breath before turning to me. “Listen, Kiera, we told you that we’re going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe, right? I just want to hear you say that you trust us. You have to, or I don’t know that we’ll be able to really help you.”
The four devils are all around me now. A week ago, I would have been terrified to have them so close to me, especially knowing how badly they all wanted me to leave their school. Now, though, I feel safer. Stronger. I feel like I can face whatever is waiting on me through those doors, even though I have no idea what we may be walking into.
I nod. “I trust you all. I can’t leave Meyer’s Grove, my uncle made that clear, and I need your help to be able to stay alive here. I think we can do it. I think, with all of us on the same team for once, we can make this work.”
Parker grins at me. “We’ll do anything we have to do to protect you, okay? You just have to remember that we’re looking out for you, even when you’re scared. Even when things don’t seem to be going your way, okay? Trust us.”
“I do.” I nod again and give them each a smile.
Asher’s the first to break the spell of all of us talking and coming together like this, and he turns to the door, wiping his hands on his pants. “Okay, guys. Let’s see what we’re walking into this morning. The only problem is that the entire school had a chance yesterday and last night to figure out how they’re going to get you out. But we’ve got your back, Kiera. You don’t have to worry.”
That’s easier said than done, and I take a huge breath as the five of us enter the cafeteria.
We can easily hear the buzz from everyone already at breakfast as soon as we walk through the door, but it falls silent at the sound of our feet. My shoes don’t click and clack as I walk any longer, but the silence of my sneakers draws even more attention.
