Savage Prince: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Royal Falls Elite Book 1)

by Kristin Buoni

  Once again, I found myself marveling at my new surroundings. It wasn’t like the grimy gym back at Silvercreek High—it was a full athletic complex with two Olympic-sized swimming pools, indoor tennis courts, basketball courts, weight rooms, and Pilates studios. Royal blue and gold banners hung from the walls, trumpeting RFA’s many championships. Out the back, there were multiple fields and courts for outdoor sports.

  “When we were in the library, you said something about joining crew, right?” Trina asked, tilting her head to one side.

  “Yup.”

  “Most of that happens at the lake, for obvious reasons. But the coach will probably still make you do warm-ups or strength training here anyway. So it’s good to know your way around.”

  “Yeah, that makes sense.”

  She slapped a palm against her forehead. “Oh, shit. I totally forgot to show you the quad while we were in Royal Hall! Let’s go,” she said, tugging on my arm. “You’ll love it.”

  We hurried back to Royal Hall, and she led me to a large courtyard in the center of the building. The perimeter was dotted with wrought iron lampposts, and the ground was covered in perfectly-trimmed lawn. In the center, there was a huge marble fountain, surrounded with matching seats.

  “Nice, huh?” Trina said. “When it’s warmer, we’ll sit out here for lunch. Way better than sitting inside.” She paused and rolled her eyes in the direction of a group of guys standing on the other side of the quad. “Oh, look. It’s the Princes, minus Chris Hewittson. Just wait for the other girls to notice and come running.…”

  She pointed out each one in turn. “That’s Jake Sinclair, Asher Lockwood, Justin Grey, Elijah Schoenfeld, Kairo Belmont, and their esteemed leader—”

  “Hunter Connery,” I cut in stiffly as I recognized the tall boy in the middle.

  Trina looked at me, brows rising. “You know Hunter?”

  “Sort of. My mom works for his parents, and I filled in for her once as a waitress at one of their parties. I met him there.”

  My cheeks turned hot as the memories came back to me.

  It was around three months ago. I was standing by a drinks table at the party when suddenly the hottest guy I’d ever seen in my life approached me. He was tall and dark-haired with bright blue eyes, features that could’ve been chiseled by Michelangelo, and a body that could’ve graced any A-list red carpet or catwalk.

  I was surprised when he spoke to me and openly flirted with me, and then I was surprised all over again when he suddenly turned cold and hostile and stalked away, never to speak to me again. It was weird as hell.

  That whole night had been weird, come to think of it. While delivering drinks to some party guests upstairs, I’d accidentally come across a secret stairway behind a swinging bookshelf. It was like something out of a movie.

  I ventured up that mysterious spiral staircase, like any other curious person would, and I ended up finding a wild sex party in a hidden room at the very top.

  I assumed it was some sort of swingers event, but the whole thing gave me a weird vibe. Nearly everyone was masked, and there were some odd symbols around the place, including a gold staff held by a nearly-nude dancing girl in the center of the room. It was designed to look like a long-stemmed rose with a snake coiling around it.

  I ended up running back downstairs, totally creeped out by the cult-like vibe I got from the place, and in the months since then, I’d tried to put it out of my mind, along with any thoughts of Hunter’s shitty attitude toward me.

  Now that he was right here in the quad, at the very same school as me, every one of those memories was flooding back.

  “Why don’t we go and say hi?” Trina suggested. “The Princes are kinda douchey, but it’s always good to be on their good side.”

  “Okay.” I forced a smile and lifted my chin. Surely Hunter would be civil to me today. Nice, even. That night at the party was probably just some sort of misunderstanding.

  We headed over to the Princes. “Hey, guys,” Trina said with a wave. “I just wanted to introduce you to one of the new students. This is Laney Collins. Hunter, I think you already know her from—”

  Hunter cut her off, handsome features twisted into a scowl. “Yeah, I know her, and you should probably think twice before you decide to hang out with her,” he told her. He cut his eyes at me. “Now fuck off. We’re in the middle of something.”

  My cheeks burned as a wildfire of humiliation raged through my body. What the hell was that?

  Trina didn’t seem fazed. She simply rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she practically spat before turning on her heel and stomping away. “C’mon, Laney,” she called over her shoulder.

  When we were back on the other side of the quad, she whirled around to look at me with wide eyes. “What is his problem with you?” she asked.

  “I have no idea,” I said. “Didn’t you say those Prince guys are kinda douchey?”

  “Yeah, but they’re usually only total asses to people who’ve done something to deserve it. In their eyes, at least.” She shook her head slowly. “Can you think of anything you might’ve done to piss him off?”

  I frowned and shook my head. “I only met him once. I didn’t do anything to him.”

  “Hm.” Trina’s face softened, and she rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually… it might not be you. He’s been a bit weird ever since his sister Lindsay died.” She let out a short sigh. “It hit him pretty hard.”

  My forehead wrinkled. I knew Hunter Connery had at least one sibling, because I remembered my mom occasionally mentioning the Connery kids, but I had no idea that he had a sister who’d died.

  “Oh. That’s really sad,” I said, glancing over at Hunter again. Suddenly I saw him in a whole new light. That strange dark look in his eyes… it was grief. “Was she sick?”

  Trina’s lips tightened, and she lowered her voice. “No. She committed suicide.”

  My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my god. That’s horrible.”

  “Yeah. She jumped off the top of their mansion. She was kinda messed up, I guess, but still… none of us saw that coming.”

  “How long has it been?”

  “It happened last year, near the start of the fall term. So nearly a whole year ago now.”

  “Not that long in the grand scheme of things,” I said, nodding slowly. “I guess I can’t blame Hunter for being—”

  Trina suddenly cut me off, wild-eyed, dragging one finger across her throat. I stopped midsentence and turned around.

  A tall blond student was approaching us with a bright smile on his face. “Hey, Trina! Who’s the new girl?” he called out.

  “Sorry,” Trina whispered to me. “That’s my best friend—Lindsay’s other brother. I didn’t want him to hear us talking about her, for obvious reasons.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer to him, pasting on a bright smile. “Hey, Adam! This is Laney Collins!”

  He extended a hand to me. “Nice to meet you, Laney. I’m Adam Connery.”

  “Nice to meet you, too.”

  “Are you a senior like Trina?”

  “Yes.”

  “Nice. I’m just a baby junior, but Trina still allows me to hang out with her.” He paused to chuckle as Trina playfully slapped him on the arm. “Has she tortured you much yet?”

  “Yes, I have,” Trina replied before I could say a word. “I played a horrible prank on her, and I feel terrible, so now we have to be extra nice to her for the rest of eternity.”

  Adam grinned. “Got it. So where are you from, Laney?”

  “Silvercreek. But my mom actually works for your parents in Royal Falls three days a week,” I said shyly.

  His forehead puckered into a frown. “Who’s your mom?”

  “Ava Collins. She’s on the maid staff.”

  “Oh!” His face brightened again. “I love Ava! She’s the best.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, she is. She really likes working at your house, too,” I said. “I’ve actually been there before, you know. I waitressed at a party there a
few months ago.”

  “That must be why you look so familiar to me,” Adam said with a slow nod. “I was wondering about that. Anyway, are you boarding here, or just a day student?”

  “I’m boarding. I got a scholarship.”

  “Wow. Impressive.”

  “She is, right?” Trina cut in. “I love her already, and we have most of the same classes, so I’m basically adopting her.”

  “Nice. I’m always down for new besties,” Adam said, flashing me another friendly grin. His expression faded when he spotted the Princes across the quad. “I see my brother and his goon squad are here already.”

  Trina rolled her eyes. “He was so fucking rude to Laney earlier. You should’ve seen it.”

  Adam’s forehead wrinkled. “Why? Just Hunter being Hunter, or something else?”

  “No idea,” she replied.

  “I can’t believe you two are related,” I interjected. “You don’t look anything alike.”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, it’s crazy. We always used to joke that Lindsay and I were the pizza delivery guy’s twins, because Hunter has Dad’s dark hair and blue eyes, but we came out with light hair and dark eyes.”

  He swallowed audibly when he finished speaking. Even though he sounded light-hearted, I could tell it was difficult for him to bring up his sister. It was obvious in the way his jaw had tightened, in the slight tug of his lips, in the haunted expression in his eyes.

  Just like Hunter.

  “So why aren’t you one of the Princes?” I asked, figuring I needed to change the subject. “You’re cool and good-looking. Plus Hunter is your older brother. I would’ve thought that’d be a golden ticket to get into the group.”

  “I know, right?” Trina added with a snicker. She adopted a dramatic, joking tone and held a hand over her heart. “Instead he lowers himself to the mere peasants like us.”

  Adam shrugged and looked over at them. “Most of them are okay, but I don’t really fit in with them,” he said, scrubbing a hand over his chin. “I mean, they’re your typical ‘locker room talk’ guys. You know, pussy, tits, ass, blah blah blah, all the time. Constantly going on about which girl they fucked, and how and when. I don’t exactly share their tastes, so I don’t hang out with them. They just wouldn’t get me.”

  I noticed he was focusing on the guy Trina had pointed out as Kairo Belmont with a slight look of what appeared to be yearning in his eyes.

  “Ah. Got it,” I said, nodding slowly, realizing he was probably gay, or maybe bisexual.

  I guess it wasn’t much of a surprise, because he was so handsome and cool, yet he was over here being nice to me and offering his friendship instead of joining in with the smug Princes, even though he totally could join them if he wanted to. High school was basically one big popularity contest, so most young guys would jump at the chance to be part of a crew like that.

  But Adam obviously didn’t care. He didn’t want to sit around talking about tits all day, so he rejected that automatic popularity and hung around with whoever the hell he wanted instead. I liked that about him already.

  Trina glanced at her watch. “Shit. Only fifteen minutes until the bell, and you still don’t have your textbooks yet.” She looked up at me. “Let’s go and get them.”

  “Okay.” I smiled nervously.

  She raised a brow. “Are you ready for your first class?” she asked. “We can probably skip it if you want. We can say we needed extra time to show you around.”

  “No, I’ll be fine. Better to take the plunge right away.”

  “Great.” Adam grinned and patted me on the back. “Welcome to RFA, Laney. You’re gonna love it here.”

  2

  Hunter

  She’s here.

  I couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believe she actually showed up.

  Not only that, she dared to come over and try to speak to me, as if we were old buddies. Smug fucking bitch.

  I watched her chatting with Katrina Seaborne, and my chest constricted as she casually flipped her shiny dark hair over one shoulder. She might come from nothing compared to the other kids around here, which would usually land someone on the bottom rung of the social ladder, but she was an undeniable stunner. Those looks would earn her a lot of popularity at RFA, and a lot of drooling admirers too.

  Unless I could help it.

  I kept staring at her, unable to tear my eyes away as a twisted memory started to play out in my mind like a movie. One dark event from the past; an event that changed everything about my life and my future, unfolding again and again and again.

  My hands curled into fists by my side, and my lungs burned as I dragged in the air I needed. No matter how hard I willed myself to drop my gaze and focus on something else, I couldn’t. It probably wouldn’t help, anyway. No matter where I went today, the image of Laney would be seared into my mind.

  Kairo’s hand landed on my left shoulder. “What the fuck was that?”

  I snapped my eyes to his face. Laney and Katrina were still visible over his shoulder, and I could see my younger brother approaching them.

  I’d have to warn him to stay away from Laney, though it probably wouldn’t achieve anything. We weren’t exactly close anymore—he only spoke to me when he needed something, and vice versa.

  It wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t a bad guy. It was just that everything changed at our house after Lindsay died. We all shut ourselves off from the rest of the family. Adam and I stopped hanging out. Dad started working even more than he used to. Mom threw herself into prescription meds and wound up in rehab.

  “What did you say?” I asked, looking back at Kairo.

  “Why did you tell the new girl to fuck off?” he asked. “She’s hot.”

  “Hey, if he’s not interested, I’m happy to tap that,” Justin cut in, making ass-slapping gestures with one hand.

  I turned to him, narrowing my eyes. “Stay the fuck away from her,” I bit out, anger brewing in my guts at the thought of him or any of my other friends laying their hands on Laney.

  She didn’t exist for their pleasure. She existed for mine. But not the sexual kind—the thrilling, victorious kind that would come after I degraded her, defiled her, and destroyed her.

  Another set of images flashed in front of my mind. These ones were imaginary; a fantasy I’d conjured up so many times over the last few months that it seemed like a real memory now.

  If only.

  In my mind, Laney was under my control. A mere possession of mine. Ankles and wrists bound with rope. Bare skin mottled with angry bruises. Face stained with the tracks of old tears and streaks of mascara. Eyelids forced open so she could see the trouble and carnage she caused.

  Picturing her trembling body and treacherously-beautiful face all twisted with panic made excitement and adrenaline rush through my veins like a potent drug. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I actually wanted the little bitch on my cock, writhing and moaning with passion as I slammed myself into her.

  It was funny how easily hatred could be confused with lust on a purely physical level, especially when the object of that hatred was as gorgeous and tempting as Laney Collins. But I didn’t want her. Not like that. All I wanted was to leave her life in ruins, and I intended to do just that.

  The thought of her screams and cries sent a thrilling rush down my spine. I knew she would beg me, over and over. Plead for mercy. But she didn’t deserve it. Not even a shred. Especially when she made the stupid choice to show up here at RFA and parade her tight little body around in front of me. Mocking me. Tormenting me.

  Kairo’s forehead creased. “Why don’t you want us around her? You two got some sort of history?”

  Yeah, you could say that, I thought bitterly.

  I could tell him exactly why I wanted him and the others to stay the hell away from her, but I had no intention of sharing the true story with anyone. Not even my family. It was between me and Laney.

  I knew what she did. She definitely knew what she did.

  And she wa
s going to pay.

  “She’s fucking trash, trust me. Unless you want your dick to fall off, don’t stick it anywhere near her,” I said.

  “She can’t be that bad.”

  I snorted. “If you’re that desperate, you might as well pick up some sorry-ass truck-stop hooker in Silvercreek. At least they put in some effort.”

  The guys all hooted and laughed. Justin jostled my arm. “You’ve got a new fan,” he said with a wry grin, nodding over my shoulder.

  I turned to see a new student—freshman, by the size of him—staring in our direction with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

  His parents hadn’t heard any of our shit-talking, judging by their starry-eyed gazes and the way their fingers were still pointing up at all the glories of Royal Hall—gargoyles, diamonds of lead on the windows, dark stone passageways.

  Even if they did hear and tried to report us, nothing would happen. The teachers and other school staff couldn’t do jack-shit, because our families paid for their lifestyles. Lifestyles that were far more lavish than the average teacher or office administrator in this country.

  We could take it all away with the mere click of a finger if they crossed us, and they knew it. They knew their place in the hierarchy that was Royal Falls. As long as they stayed in that place and didn’t try to make any waves, there wouldn’t be any problems.

  A rival school a few counties over once published a hit piece on RFA and our town in general, calling it ‘a grotesque display of entrenched elitism, like a modern monarchy’. They weren’t wrong, and I couldn’t even begrudge them for saying it, but slinging insults at Royal Falls wasn’t going to change the way things worked around here. Money equaled power.

  Always had, always would.

  “Where’s Chris?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.

  “He messaged the group chat earlier. Didn’t you see?” Elijah replied.

  “Nope.”

  “He’s not coming in till lunch. Emergency with his mom.”

  I frowned. “Is she okay?”