by Mae Doyle
I highly doubt that, but I don’t say anything. She still hasn’t told me what I’m going to be doing down here, and right now, I’m a little afraid to ask.
She walks around the room, removing sheets that are covering some of the tables. They flip up into the air and she drops them down on the floor behind her like someone else is going to clean them up.
Probably me, I realize.
By the time she comes and stands back in front of me, I’m breathing a little easier, although I still don’t know what the hell is going on down here. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing every afternoon after school.
“So,” she says, rubbing her hands together. “Are you ready to learn about what happens in the cave?”
Chapter 12
The devils are hanging on my every word.
“So,” Parker urges, when I lean back on the bed and take a sip of water, “what the hell happens in the cave? You can’t leave us hanging like this, Kiera.”
I’m exhausted after spending a few hours with Ms. Taylor, and although I know that the devils are dying to know exactly what I was up to down there, all I really wanted to do was go to bed so that I could just sleep it off. They weren’t keen on that idea, however, and that’s why I’m still awake, although I did make them wait until I put on my pajamas.
I didn’t think that I could wear jeans for one more minute, and it didn’t hurt that I definitely noticed the way the guys all sat up and paid more attention to me when I came out in my shorts and tank top.
Especially Asher. His eyes keep sliding over my body and I can tell that he’s enjoying himself. I still haven’t had the chance to be with him, and I get the feeling that he’s thinking the same thing.
I could kick the other three out and have him just to myself…
No, I can’t. they have every right to be here and hear what’s going on, even though the thought of getting tangled up in my sheets with Asher is much more appealing than talking about what went on in the cave with Ms. Taylor.
Which is, honestly and surprisingly, not a lot.
She introduced me to the tools and I had to pick them all back up and tell her the names before I was allowed to leave. That’s probably why I’m so tired – it took a long damn time for me to remember what all of the names were and she wasn’t about to let me go until I had them all straight.
But that’s nowhere near the weirdest part of what I ended up doing with her.
“Okay,” I tell my devils, sitting up straight again. Asher has his hand resting lazily on my upper thigh, and it’s quite distracting, even though I’m doing my best to pay attention to what I’m telling them. “So, the cave doesn’t have anything to do with the library, which I think we all figured out from the moment she took me down there, right?”
They all nod, their eyes bright and focused on me. Even though I’ve never wanted to be the center of attention, there’s something addicting about having all of them staring at me. I don’t mind the way they all look at me, and I certainly don’t want to lose their attention.
My harem.
“The cave has a few doors around the outside of it, but they all look locked and Ms. Taylor didn’t explain what they were.” I open my mouth to continue, but Luca cuts me off.
“You didn’t ask? Darling, we don’t want you down there if we don’t know for sure that you’re going to be safe.”
I shake my head and reach over to squeeze his hand before continuing. “I didn’t ask, but mostly because she never stopped talking and explaining things, and I didn’t think that I could just interrupt or walk over to one and pull on it. I’ll ask her tomorrow, okay?”
“And you have to be down there every single afternoon?” Caspian frowns at me.
“Yep. So, the doors are all kinda weird, but that’s not the weirdest part of what goes on down there. She told me that I was going to be making repairs, and that’s what all of the tools were for. That I had to learn to repair certain things that Meyer’s Grove needs for ceremonies and stuff and that since I have a background in set creation and work that I was perfect.”
“Isn’t set creation a bit different than making repairs with major tools?” Asher asks.
“I mean, they’re a little different, sure, but I still know how to handle a lot of the tools down there. I’m not really sure what kind of things I’m going to be working on, but I bet that I find out tomorrow.” Yawning, I stretch, and scoot up on my pillow so that I can stick my legs under the covers. Exhaustion is hitting me full-force, and as much as I love having the devils here, I need to rest.
“I don’t think that you should go back,” Caspian says as the four of them slide off of my bed and he pulls the blanket up under my chin. “I think that you should tell Decker that you want a different work study.”
“We agree.” Asher has his arms crossed. It’s not unlike him to speak for the devils, so I’m not surprised when I glance at Parker and Luca and they’re both nodding. “We just want to keep you safe.”
Even though I know that what they’re saying is coming from a place of love, I can’t help but laugh. “You guys, you are all amazing,” I tell them, sitting back up. “But I wasn’t safe from the moment I came to Meyer’s Grove, and at least in the cave I’m away from all of our other classmates. Nobody else is down there but me and the librarian. It’s probably the best place for me right now.”
“We’ll come with you,” Luca says, reaching out and brushing some hair from my forehead. “We’ll come with you or take turns or something and make sure that you don’t get hurt down there.” He leans over me and kisses me, his soft lips pressing against mine with urgency.
I feel a flame ignite in my core, but I have to push the thought away. As much as I want the devils right now, I need sleep. I need to be able to make it through the next day and the next, and inviting them all to spend the night is the worst possible way for me to get any rest.
Although it would be fun.
“One of you can wait in the library for me and pretend like you’re studying, okay? That’s the concession that I’ll make, but there’s no way that you’re coming down into the cave with me. Ms. Taylor wouldn’t like it and then Decker would get involved, I just know it.”
Luca frowns at me, but I can tell that he knows I’m right. “Fine. I’m coming with you tomorrow.”
The other three devils lean over me and kiss me, Asher saying goodnight last. His lips linger on mine with the promise of what could happen if I were just to invite him to stay, but I have to force the thought from my mind and the words from my lips.
As much as my body wants him, I need to rest. I need to mentally prepare for tomorrow. And I need to try to think up what kind of repairs Meyer’s Grove would want me to do in a cave rather than having a professional come in to complete them for them.
It just doesn’t make any sense.
***
Something during the night wakes me up, but not enough to make me actually get out of bed. I hear scratching noises, like mice, and I just roll over. I’m used to sounds like that, especially because Rufus was always walking around in the house while we were sleeping.
These noises aren’t the same as his toenails clicking on the floor, but there’s something familiar about them.
I don’t mind them.
The next thing I know, though, there’s something on my arm. I’ve thrown the covers back a bit because I was getting hot, and there’s something moving on my bed. Little spikes of pain burst through me when I try to push it away, and I scream, throwing my arm around and trying to shake it off.
Whatever it is.
I can’t see. My room is pitch black and I throw myself out of bed. What I thought was just one thing moving in the room suddenly turns into multiple things, and I hear them skitter away as I thrash about in my space.
“Help!” I scream, even though I know that nobody’s going to come. Meyer’s Grove made it almost impossible to hear what’s going on in another room when they built the dorms. Nobody is
going to help me.
I sweep my arms out, reaching for my lamp, and accidentally knock a stack of books from my side table to the floor. They fall with a thump and I hear multiple things scatter across the floor away from the noise.
What the hell?
Still screaming, I manage to click on the lamp. It’s not strong enough to illuminate my entire room, but it puts off enough light for me to see what’s clinging to my arm.
A rat. A huge rat, with eyes that shine in the low light and claws that are dug into my skin for purchase. Screaming again, I swipe at it with my free hand, sending it to the floor. It hits with a thud and immediately runs under the bed.
My skin is clammy and I stand still for just a moment, trying to think. I swear, I heard more noises than from just one ran in my room. Turning slowly around, I look for where they may have gone, but there’s really only one option.
They’re all under my bed.
The realization sends horror shooting through me and I throw myself onto my bed, trying my best to keep my feet from going anywhere near the edge. Panting hard, I scoot myself to the exact middle of my mattress, my knees tucked up to my chest.
My heart is pounding.
Rats.
How the hell did rats get into my room?
As soon as I have the thought, I push it aside. I know the answer to that. The real question is who put them in my room?
I have to call the devils. My phone is usually on my bedside table, but when I look for it, my heart sinks.
“Fuck.” It fell off with the pile of books that I accidentally pushed to the floor. When I scoot to the foot of the bed, I can see it there, the end of it peeking out from behind my chair.
There’s no way that I can reach it from here, and I realize with horror that I’m going to have to get off of my bed to grab it. First, though, I look down at my arm. There are tons of scratches where the rat was crawling on me and then hanging on me when I jumped out of bed.
Most of them aren’t deep, but there are a few that are oozing blood. I don’t know whether or not these rats are diseased, but I’m already sure that I’m going to have to go back to the nurse and get them looked at.
Taking a deep breath, I throw myself off of the bed, jumping as far away from it as I possibly can so that my bare feet aren’t anywhere near the rodents. As soon as I grab my phone I turn and jump back, immediately scooting back to the middle of the bed so that I can make the call.
Honestly, I’m not sure which devil I should call first. My finger hovers over their names as I debate.
Finally, I push send.
Chapter 13
“They’re all out, okay?” Parker looks exhausted when he stands up from peeking under my bed. “I promise you, Kiera, we got them all.”
I nod at him, but I want him to look back under there. I need to know for sure if he really got them out or if there’s one that’s still hiding and waiting for an opportunity to come out and crawl on me. The thought gives me chills and I shiver.
“Any idea who did it?” Asher’s eyes are dark as he looks around my room. I shake my head when he glances at me, but I have the distinct feeling that his question is more for the other devils than me.
“Barry? Does he have the balls to do something like this?” Caspian is sitting on the edge of the bed holding my hand. He somehow found a medical kit and took care of my wounds, talking me through what he was doing while I hissed in pain.
Asher shakes his head. “He’d probably love to do something like this, but he’s not smart enough. He’s the kind of guy to pull the shit he already has. I don’t know who would be able to come up with the idea of the rats.”
“It’s pretty fucked-up,” Parker adds. He’s been pacing around my room ever since we got the rats out. I’m sure that Meyer’s Grove isn’t going to be thrilled with feral rats running around the dorm, but the devils didn’t care about that. They just wanted to get them out of my room so that I could sleep without them crawling on me.
“What about Lila and Clementine?” Caspian’s voice is quiet, but we all immediately turn to look at him. “I don’t know where they would get the rats, but we all know that they want to keep their spots at the school. There’s two of them, so it’s a bigger risk if another family wants to try to buy someone out.”
“They wouldn’t.” I shake my head firmly, fully believing what I’m saying. “Sure, they’ve been a little cold recently, but there’s no way that they would do something like this. It’s beyond mean, and they’re not like that.”
“Are you sure?” Asher crosses the room to my bed in three large steps and sits down on the other side of me, taking my free hand and giving it a squeeze. “Are you absolutely sure that they wouldn’t do this?”
“It has to be someone else,” I tell him. “They’re my friends, even if we’re not really close right now.”
Right? There’s no way that my old friends would do this to me, no matter how scared they were. It’s just inconceivable to me to think that someone who once cared about me could fill my room with rats and then sit back and wait for me to get hurt.
“Maybe you’re right, darling” Luca adds from the corner of the room. “It may have been someone else, and we’ll figure out who it is, okay?”
I have the distinct feeling that he’s placating me, but I just nod at him. Even if he is trying to calm me down and is lying to my face, I’ll take it right now. I’m so tired that I think I could fall asleep sitting up between Asher and Caspian.
“I’m going to sleep here tonight, okay?” Parker sounds firm in what he’s saying, and I’m honestly a little surprised that the other three devils nod. “I know that you’re worried you won’t get any sleep with someone here, but I think we’ll all feel a lot better knowing that there’s someone with you who can protect you, okay? And I promise to be a gentleman.”
I don’t want him to be a gentleman, and my face flames with what he says. “Okay,” I tell him, nodding. “Yeah, I just want to get some rest. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”
“Today,” Luca corrects, gesturing at my clock. “It’s already a long day.”
Shit. The bright face on my clock reads 2:56 am. There’s no way that I’m going to be able to get enough rest to make it through the rest of the day, especially now that I have to work in the cave after classes.
The thought makes me burst into tears. There’s no way that I can handle my classes and homework, complete my work study in the cave, and handle the fact that someone – or some people – are trying their hardest to make me so miserable that I leave Meyer’s Grove.
“No, no, Kiera, it’s going to be okay.” Both Asher and Caspian wrap their arms around me, and Caspian whispers in my ear. “I promise you, Kiera, that we’re going to do everything we possibly can to keep you safe. You don’t need to worry, okay?”
I nod into his chest, tears still streaming down my face.
It’s been a while since I’ve cried like this. I have a lot of things to cry about, and while I’m glad that the devils are going to try to protect me, part of me worries about what will happen if they can’t do it.
What if someone comes for them?
I don’t know that I can protect them, and I have a terrible feeling that they’re not going to be able to take care of me and themselves.
That’s why I’m crying, but I can’t tell any of them that. Not right now. Not when we all need to get some sleep if we’re going to be able to make it through the rest of the night.
***
“I brought you breakfast.” Parker’s voice works its way into my dream and I smile, imagining him with a towel slung low around his waist as he brings me something to eat in bed. I know what I’ll do – I’ll push the food away and pull the towel off.
My mouth waters, but I’m sure that it’s not for my dream food. It’s to have his cock in my mouth. He calls my name, but I squint my eyes shut tighter.
If I don’t open them and acknowledge that he’s here then I can keep living in my drea
m with naked Parker.
He sits down next to me on the bed and leans over to kiss me. Without thinking, I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck to hold in him place. This is what I’m talking about. Forget school. Forget the cave. Forget the rats. I just want to be in bed with my devils.
“Kiera, you gotta wake up.” Parker pulls back from me and I sigh before opening my eyes.
“I was having the most incredible dream,” I tell him, and he grins.
“Please tell me that I was in it, because I’m gonna need something good to think about during the day.”
“Oh, you were definitely in it,’ I tell him, pushing myself up so that I can pull the tray onto my lap. “But we weren’t going to be eating breakfast in bed. We were going to be enjoying something else.”
I wink at him and he laughs, leaning over me to grab a croissant from the tray. “Well, maybe later, when you actually have a little free time and some energy. Unfortunately, though, I let you sleep in as late as possible so that you wouldn’t be exhausted, but that does mean that you need to hurry up.”
Sighing, I pop a grape into my mouth. “Don’t you think we can all just skip today and spend it hanging out?”
He laughs and starts to undo the bandages on my arm to see how my scratches are healing. “If you really think that it’s a good idea to draw more attention from Decker, then we can talk about it. But I imagine that if skip classes or working with Ms. Taylor today that you’ll have more work study chores to have to try to squeeze in.
I know that he’s right, so I stop talking and eat while he examines my arm. Caspian did a great job last night cleaning the scratches, and none of them look puffy and red, which would tell me that they were infected.
“I think you’ll survive,” Parker says, kissing my fingers. “Now, you eat up and change. I’m going to go put on some clothes for class and then I’ll be back to get you, okay?”
“Sounds good.” I lean up and give him a kiss before he leaves, then hurry to finish my food. Parker loaded the plate down with more breakfast than I’d normally eat, but after yesterday and last night I’m feeling drained and I need the energy.
