A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep

by Isabella Starling

  We reach the house to find the maids running around. I push past the throngs of people and run up the stairs to the attic. The hallway up there is filled with smoke and I start choking and coughing, grabbing the passing butler by the sleeve.

  “What the hell happened?” I demand.

  “We don’t know,” he says, glancing at Lily Anna. “We need to get you both out of here.”

  “Are my parents in there?” I ask, fearing the answer as Anders’ eyes lock with mine.

  “Master Booth, it’s… I’m afraid…” he stammers, and I know they are.

  “Take Lily Anna away from here and call the fire department,” I demand, pushing my fiancee toward him. “Make sure nothing happens to her. I trust you, Anders. I don’t want a hair out of place on her.”

  Anders’ eyes lock with mine and he gives me a curt nod. He seems to understand there’s no point in arguing with me, because there’s not a chance in hell I’m coming with them. Lily Anna begins to wail, and Anders pulls her after him, down the grand staircase.

  I reach the door of my mother’s atelier through the smoke. It seems to be coming from that room, and so are the screams. The atelier’s door has a small glass window at the top, but my attention isn’t on that. I try the door handle and curse out loud when I burn my hand with the hot metal.

  “Mom?” I cry out. “Mom, are you in there?”

  “Dexter!” she sobs, her voice heavy with emotion. “Dexter, help me, please!”

  “I’m kicking down the door, move out of the way!” I yell.

  The sound of her sobbing tears my heart apart. I attempt to kick down the door, but it’s no use. It’s locked, and it’s not giving in.

  “Mom, it’s locked,” I manage to get out, coughing from all the smoke in the air.

  I can barely see through the thick grey cloud now, but I’m still trying to get through to her.

  “Where’s Dad?” I ask, my heart beating faster than ever.

  But there’s nothing except for the sound of my mom’s soft crying.

  “Mom?” I ask, my voice breaking over the word. “Mom, what happened to Dad?”

  “He’s gone, baby,” she sobs. “He’s gone, he’s gone, he’s gone…”

  “Mom!” I cry out, banging my fists on the door. “I’m breaking in the window on the door. Step back!”

  The sound of her crying lessens, and I smash my fist into the glass. The hole helps some of the smoke escape, but not large enough for either of us to get through. My mother’s hands reach through the opening along with another wave of thick smoke.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay,” she tells me as I begin to cry myself. “You need to get out of here, son. You need to leave right now.”

  “I can’t,” I cry out. “I can’t leave you here, I can’t just go!”

  “You have to,” she sniffles. “Before it’s too late for you too.”

  I start sobbing, not giving a shit who sees of hears me. With our fingers interlocked, Mom and I stare at one another through the small hole.

  “Go, Dex,” she begs me. “Please, just run away from this smoke… Get back!”

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m so sorry, Mom, I’m so sorry.”

  Her fingers tremble in my hands, the sound of her crying getting softer and softer.

  “I love you,” she whispers as her fingers finally slip out of my hand and she’s enveloped by the smoke that has now claimed the rest of the room.

  There’s so much smoke now I can barely see through the dark clouds. The fire is spreading, the room next to my mother’s atelier ablaze as well. I know I have to leave – I don’t have a choice. I also know it’s a decision I’ll regret for the rest of my life.

  I stumble down the hallway, my lungs filling with the smoke as I try to get out. But I’m seeing spots. There’s nothing to hold on to. All there is, is this thick cloud of smoke hanging above me.

  My knees give out. I fall on the floor, stumbling, crying out for my mother who’s been lost to the flames. I can’t breathe. I can’t see. I can’t move. And then everything goes dark.

  ***

  “Dexter? Dexter, please wake up!”

  “Honey, he can’t hear you. Just wait a little while longer. He’s going to be okay; I promise you.”

  “Dexter, please! You have to look at me, Dex, I’m begging, please…”

  My eyes slowly flutter open and I sputter.

  “Dexter!”

  A small body throws itself on me while a female voice tells her to let me breathe. I recognize Lily Anna’s frail body in my hands, and I hold her tightly against me as the last memories I have slowly trickle back in.

  I groan when I remember the house on fire, and Lily Anna climbs on the bed next to me, her eyes wide and red-rimmed. I’m afraid of asking, growing even more scared when I realize the nurse won’t quite meet my eye.

  “My parents,” I finally manage to get out. “Are they… are they okay?”

  “I’m so sorry,” the nurse says gently, coming closer to squeeze my ashen hand. “The paramedics and firemen tried their best, but they were both gone by the time they got there.”

  Pain sears through me like a knife. Just like that, I’m alone. With no other family, I’m now an orphan. I may have money, but I don’t have a family anymore. I’m the last Booth standing.

  I want to cry, but somehow the tears refuse to come. Lily Anna does, curling up on my lap and sobbing against my hospital gown. I hold her close, but my mouth’s set in a thin line, knowing I can’t be weak ever again. It’s as if something shifts deep within me, reminding me I have other people to be strong for now.

  “You were lucky to get out in one piece,” the nurse tells me softly. “If it wasn’t for this little girl’s father, you would’ve still been trapped in those flames.”

  “W-What?” I stutter. “Emilian Oakes?”

  “Yes, he came to pick up Lily Anna and saw what was happening – he rushed in to save you,” the nurse nods with a gentle smile. “He walked into the fire before the firemen arrived and brought you out. Nearly lost his own life in the process. He has severe burns on the right side of his torso.”

  “Why didn’t he save my parents?” I ask, and the nurse falters, giving me a questioning look.

  “He saw you first,” she says, obviously shocked by the question as she clasps a hand to her chest. “He tried his best… He could only carry you…”

  “Lies!” I snarl, and Lily Anna crawls off my lap, softly crying as I jump up, pacing the room. “That door was locked. My mother’s atelier… it was locked. From the outside. There was no way I could get it open or knock it down.”

  “Maybe you were just too weak,” the nurse stammers, giving me a nervous look. “Maybe the handle was too hot…”

  “No,” I shake my head vehemently. “No, that’s not it. You weren’t there, you don’t know. The door was locked, there was no way anyone could have gotten inside – not unless they had something to break down the door.”

  “Dexter,” the nurse says softly. “You’re only fourteen… You couldn’t have brought that door down yourself. It wasn’t locked.”

  “How do you know for sure?” I demand. “Did the firemen check when they arrived?”

  “Well…” She chews her bottom lip nervously.

  “What?” I demand. “Tell me. I command you!”

  She shivers nervously, finally whispering, “There was no door left when the firemen arrived. The roof caved in. It… it was all buried underneath.”

  With those words coming from her mouth, the reality of everything that’s happened finally sinks in, and I drop to my knees on the hard linoleum floor. My parents are gone. My house is fucked. I have nothing. I’m alone.

  Lily Anna’s arms wrap from me behind, and she begins to pepper my skin with sweet, soft kisses.

  “You have me,” she whispers in my ear, as if she can somehow read my mind. “You’ll always have me, Dexter, you don’t need anybody else in your life.”

  F
or all our sakes, I hope she’s fucking right. Because there’s nobody but her now.

  ***

  Present time

  With my hands trembling, I place the bouquet of red roses on my parents’ grave. The grave is well-kept, the moss that grows on the tombstone removed religiously by Anders. Now that he’s been away for a week, I can already see the signs of lichen growing on the marble again.

  I kneel next to the spot where they’re buried, my hands touching the white stones covering their grave. I feel so lost without them. This, right here, is the only time and place I’ll allow myself to be vulnerable. I don’t let anyone else see this part of me. Not even Lily Anna.

  I force my hands out of the cold air and into my pockets, willing them to stop shaking.

  The time for revenge is coming. I can smell it in the crisp autumn air.

  I’ve known for years now why my parents died. The knowledge of the horrible crime that has been committed is stored away safely in the darkest confines of my mind, locked away, festering and rotting with every day that goes by with the murderer going unpunished.

  Someone locked the door of my mother’s atelier. And he’s not going to get away with it.

  Anders will be back home tomorrow, and I’m ready to go back to Prep and show Pandora who the boss is. That Brantley kid won’t know what fucking hit him. I cannot wait to smack that goddamn smirk off his face. If he thinks he has any influence on the girl I’m going to marry, he’s going to get that thought knocked right out of his head.

  I’ll never forgive Easton for what he did. He may think I’m over it, but I never will be.

  My name is Dexter Booth.

  Four years ago, my parents died in an awful house fire.

  I’m one of the only three people in the world who knows it wasn’t an accident – it was arson.

  And I’ve dedicated my entire life to punishing the person who took my family from me.

  Emilian Booth, I’m fucking coming for you.

  The only way I can hurt the son of a bitch is through his daughter. I was starting to have doubts about taking it out on Pandora, but her father needs to pay. There’s no way around it.

  And if it means my pretty little toy must go down along with him… Well, I’ll just have to hope she can get over what I’m about to do to her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Pandora

  Another school day without Dexter.

  I’ve been in a bad mood all day. I should be ecstatic – I spoke to my sister, I have a new ally, and things are finally going well for me. But I can’t seem to stop the frown that’s permanently on my face.

  I want Dexter to come back to Prep.

  The thought is sickening. I hate him. Why do I want him back? It’s like he’s put a spell on me – some kind of messed up black magic that makes me crave him despite all the horrible things he’s done to me. I hate that I miss his touch.

  As I navigate the hallways of our prestigious school, I realize how fucking lost I feel in the maze of white and grey marble, ornate gold accents and expensive artwork. I don’t belong here. I never fucking did.

  “Pandora. Over here.”

  I raise my eyes to find Lai standing before me, huddling in a group with some Secondborns. He smirks at me, and I shift my weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

  “Is Dexter back?” I ask him.

  He shakes his head, furrowing his brows. “Come here.”

  “No,” I hiss, moving past him to keep walking.

  He catches up with me, falling into step beside me without a worry in the world. The hallways get emptier and emptier, but I’m still five doors away from my next classroom. Another pair of legs joins us, the footsteps echoing in the marble hall. I shift my focus to the other boy, recognizing Julian, who gives me a knowing smile.

  With one of them on either side of me, I’m afraid I have nowhere to run.

  “Room 302 is empty,” Julian tells Lai.

  The other boy gives him a nod, and before I can make a sound, Julian’s got his palm over my mouth, muffling my screams of desperation. They drag me into the empty classroom. Julian pushes me inside while Lai locks up the doors.

  “You’re such an easy target,” Julian smirks at me. “Almost too fucking easy.”

  I stay stubbornly quiet as they advance on me, refusing to dignify them with an answer.

  “Heard you made friends with the Brantley boy. Kissed him in front of the whole country club, even.”

  Lai’s words sound like an accusation, so I lift my chin up in defiance as I say, “Yeah. So what?”

  “So,” Julian hisses in response. “Dexter doesn’t appreciate his toys consorting with the enemy.”

  “The enemy?” I repeat, rolling my eyes. “He’s hardly a fucking villain. Besides, you’re all Firstborns. Aren’t you supposed to have a gang of some sort? Why would Easton be an outsider? And I’m no longer engaged to Dexter, in case you forgot. I don’t owe him anything.”

  The two boys exchange knowing looks, but neither of them explains the mystery to me.

  “Look, I need to get to my next class,” I mutter, pushing my bag higher up on my shoulder. “Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, or are you going to let me go now?”

  A noise outside disturbs us, and the boys glance toward the small window pane in the door.

  “I’ll go check,” Lai offers. “Keep an eye on her.”

  He leaves us alone in the room, sending shivers down my spine. Julian scares me. There’s something about him that feels almost sinister. Calculating. He makes me afraid.

  But what he doesn’t know is that I have something on him now, and maybe this is the perfect time to remind him that I have some power after all.

  He doesn’t seem to notice the thoughts racing through my head, approaching me and lazily grabbing a tendril of my hair that’s escaped the bun I piled on top of my head this morning.

  “I like you better with your hair down,” he tells me.

  “All the more reason to keep it up,” I mutter.

  He laughs, then tugs on the hair until more and more strands escape the pins holding them in place. He starts tugging them out, and I stand there, waiting for the perfect moment to tell him all the things I know.

  “You remember the party at your place, Julian?” I ask him, and he nods absent-mindedly, wrapping his fingers around my hair.

  He starts tugging on them, more and more painfully. He doesn’t seem satisfied until I wince in pain.

  “That hurts,” I remind him, but he merely shrugs in response with a wicked grin playing on his face.

  “I know. I like hurting you.”

  “Seems kinda unhealthy,” I say, my heart hammering in my chest because I know I’m about to spill the first secret I found out from Lily Anna’s diary. “I wonder where you learned all those bad habits. Maybe from your parents?”

  His eyes darken, and he hisses at me, “What the fuck do you know about my parents?”

  “Oh, not much,” I purr with innocence. “I do know that they haven’t always treated you the way they should though.”

  He narrows his eyes at me when I make a comical sad face.

  “Poor little Julian. I bet you were so cute as a little kid, too. I can hardly imagine how anyone could hurt you the way your parents did.”

  “Fuck you, little girl,” he suddenly snarls at me. “You don’t know shit, don’t pretend like you do.”

  “Oh, I do,” I say. “Or at least, the girl before me did.”

  He pales at this, and I take my chance, striding forward and smirking in his ridiculously handsome face.

  “Poor baby,” I mutter, allowing my fingertips to wander over his chiseled face. “How scared were you when they just left you in the family crypt? Did anyone come to you when you cried out? How old were you when they did that to you, Julian?”

  His bottom lip juts out, but he doesn’t answer. I can tell I’ve struck a nerve though. His body is straining with the effort to hold it all together. I do
n’t give a shit how badly I’m hurting him. It’s nothing compared to everything the boy has put me through.

  “You must’ve been really tiny,” I sigh dramatically. “They must be sick, sick people to do that to a little boy, Julian.”

  He lets out a sigh, and the sound is so heartfelt it almost breaks my heart. Almost.

  “Maybe that’s why you still can’t sleep anywhere but in that crypt,” I finish sweetly. “Maybe that’s why you’re so fucking broken on the inside, Julian. You know, no matter how pretty your face is, I can see the rotten person you are beneath. And I’m not the only one. Everyone can fucking see.”

  He flinches when I touch his lips, seemingly frozen to the spot. I can tell I’ve hurt him, and while it should please me make impact, I find myself regretting my words.

  His parents are sick. Nobody treats a child the way Lily Anna described the Foxes treating Julian. I hope he knows how wrong they were to do that to him. But I still hate him for everything he did to me. And I’m willing to spread this story to make him leave me alone.

  Just then, Lai walks back into the room, making a face at Julian.

  “It’s some fucking problem with Tianna,” he mutters, giving me a dirty look, as if it’s somehow my fault my little sister is getting in trouble – a-fucking-gain. “Two guys fighting over her. Can you please sort it out? I’ll keep her here until you’re done.”

  Julian nods, seemingly relieved to be getting away from me. He shoots me a pleading look before leaving the classroom, making me wonder whether I’m the only one who knows how his parents mistreated him. I make a mental note of it. Maybe I can use it to my advantage. Knowing people’s dirty little secrets is everything in Eden Falls.

  Lai approaches me slowly, taking his time to torture me. But I’m armed with the knowledge inside Lily Anna’s diary, and I’m ready to strike back the moment he tries to hurt me.

  “Do you ever wonder if you turned up so fucked up because of who your parents are?”

  My voice is loud and booming in the room, and it stops Lai in his tracks. He gives me an inquisitive look, seemingly amused by my question.