Here Lies a Saint: A Dark Bully Academy Romance

by C. L. Matthews

  "Guess it's a good thing I'm only one of them by blood and not choice."

  We trail into a shallower area, our waists down the only covered places. She uses her hand as an extension, covering my back in bubbles, and my dick pokes her the closer she gets.

  "Hard, huh? Guess it's been a while," she teases.

  "Yeah," I rasp, not wanting to lie to her but knowing Noah isn't in the know and could easily have me killed off just by opening her mouth. That scares the fuck out of me.

  Colt abandons the loufa, squirting soap on her palm and digging under the water. She cups my balls harshly, her hand massaging the soap but probably not doing much when we're completely submerged that far down.

  She grips my shaft, stroking up and down, biting her lip lasciviously.

  "Don't break the rules, Colt. We've got a show to put on," I taunt.

  "Can't come twice, Lux?"

  I can't help but laugh at that. I'm lucky if I can orgasm one more time, let alone two more times. I've got stamina, but fuck, I've never felt more satisfied.

  She reaches behind me, reapplying soap and spreading my cheeks. Her chest presses against mine, and I breathe heavily.

  "I forgot how much I've wanted to do this."

  "What's that?" I husk, loving the way she kneads my sore ass.

  She widens my cheeks, her finger dancing across the tight ring of muscle that isn't super tight after what happened.

  As if realizing that, her eyes widen. I nod at her non-question.

  Her fucking cheeks redden. "When?"

  "An hour ago," I mutter.

  "Wow," she whispers. "I'm not sure why, but that makes me wetter."

  "Of course it does," I mock.

  Her lips tilt into a smirk, and everyone seems to fade as she enters me with her dainty little finger. Leaning into her neck, I bite and groan when she presses down on my prostate.

  "This, Lux. This is what I've wanted to do."

  I'm not sure how, but the fact that she doesn't think this makes me less of a man makes her so much more attractive. She wants me still. She wants this, and she isn't afraid of my sexuality.

  After she thrusts several times, I feel my balls tighten, and I grab her wrist to stop her. "When I come next, it's going to be in your silky cunt, Corpse."

  "I missed your dirty mouth," she whispers, "especially between my thighs."

  "Okay, this is getting too hot and even for me," Noah mentions. “Lux, you need to wash her, and we need to send you both to be cleansed with oils.”

  Noah takes her leave as Colt and I wade out of the water. Both Ten and Jordan are staring at us. When I peer down, they're rock hard.

  "You are dangerous for our lives," Jordan lets out, staring at our naked forms.

  Ten hasn't looked from Colt's eyes, his intentions obvious.

  "I'm sorry I couldn't save you," Jordan apologizes, "but I swear to fuck I'll make it up to you."

  And I believe him entirely.

  They give us towels, and we head toward the purifying room. Inside, Tasha stands, her face a myriad of emotions I don't quite understand. When did she become expressive?

  "I can't do this," she explains.

  Colt stares at her, mouth agape. "If I don't get a choice, you don't either, Mom."

  "I can do it," Jordan pops in, and I realize he never intended to stay far away. He must be as sus of this entire situation as I am.

  "Do you know how to?" Tasha asks.

  "Yup, I know each oil, their placement, and the words to say."

  She nods, handing him a chest of items, and then walks away.

  When she's gone, he sets it down and laughs. "Them and their ceremonial bullshit."

  Colt

  "So, no massage?" I ask, not opposed to the comfort. Hell, it would be distracting since my nerves are shot. It's not that I'm scared to get married. It's more that I'm terrified to die.

  "Definitely a massage," Jordan reassures. "If they don't smell these stank-ass oils, they'll be too suspicious." He leaves a kiss on my forehead. It's soft, caring, a stark contrast to weeks ago when he said horrible shit to me to keep me away. "Lay back for me."

  He points to the massage bed. I drop my towel, and both of them gawk at me.

  "Fuck, you're stunning, Corpse," Lux rasps.

  Our eyes connect, and I see the pure lust dripping from his expression.

  "You guys are taking too fucking long," Ten surmises, coming into the room. Then his attention is directed at me too.

  "We really need to get the show on the road," Jordan states, but still, his cheeks are flushed, and his dick is tenting his slacks.

  "Please," I beg. "The sexual tension here is too much."

  "I'll do it," Ten vocalizes.

  I lay on my stomach, waiting for them to do something. The scent of lavender and eucalyptus hit my nose. While neither are unpleasant, I still wonder why the fuck they chose these.

  Hands cover my skin, and I would think it was Ten, but I feel several at once. When I chance to peer back, they're all rubbing the oil into me, loosening up my muscles.

  Once my skin is covered, I notice Lux laying on the table opposite of me. Ten goes to him while Jordan continues to knead my skin. This moment makes everything feel less tragic.

  With them, we can conquer.

  With them we can rise.

  With them we can fight.

  "By the way," Ten interrupts my head fog, seeming to read my mind. "We're fighting back."

  I stare at them for a long time, wondering if they're saying what I think they're saying. "What?"

  "We're going to finish what Cass was trying to finish all along."

  At Lux's words, I get up entirely. I can't help but point at each of them with absolute anger.

  "All this time..." I can't even form sentences, and tears clog my eyes. It doesn't help that the emotional detriment from this conversation pushes me over the edge. "You didn't come to his funeral." I sob at my own words.

  I grieved alone.

  I cried alone.

  I fought alone.

  Lux stands, coming to me. He cradles my face, his palms gritty, his face full of care. "I know, babe. I fucking know. We abandoned you, betrayed your trust, and honestly, we fucked up."

  "We told ourselves that what we were doing was the right thing to keep us all alive," Ten cuts in. Then Jordan is towering us all. "They didn't trust me."

  "Or each other," Lux adds.

  "Someone killed Cassidy, Corpse. Someone pushed him off that fucking building."

  These are all the words I wanted to hear, but somehow, it's too late. It's not good enough. It's the damning and worst things they could ever admit to.

  They knew.

  They covered it up.

  They lied.

  I was right. I was fucking right.

  "You lied."

  I pick up my towel and run out of the room. I can hear their footsteps. There's nowhere for me to go. There's no happiness here. There's no way this will end well.

  Not just me marrying the guy I fell for, not being saved by my guys, and being ghosted by the twins.

  Realization dawns on me when I come face to face with my mother. "Save me."

  It's a whispered thought that somehow made it into air.

  But as the tears stream her face, she shakes her head. "It's too late for that."

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Lux

  My father stands at the altar, and while this is a wedding, it's definitely more of a ceremony. It's less than grandeur, and usually years later, the people will have a ceremony for the outsiders to see.

  That's how it works.

  "Took you long enough. I'm assuming there was no sexual provocation?" My father directs the question at Jordan.

  "No, sir. Colt got a little dizzy. She had to sit a moment."

  It's not untrue. She got out of sorts.

  Guess we kinda threw a lot on her all at once.

  She stands as far from me as the tiny room allows. We're now in transparent
white silken robes. Tasha holds Colt's shoulders. I'm sure the gesture is more so she doesn't run rather than because Tasha wants to care for her.

  Colt doesn't look at me or the guys but instead looks at the onlookers.

  Much like at a prison execution, there are chairs. Each male heir from the founding families shows up, watching to confirm the validity of the marriage. This way it can’t be questioned.

  The typist sits to the far left, typing every word spoken.

  Behind us is Ross and his father, Bridger and his father, and seeing her expression, to Colt's surprise, Justice, Prudence, and their father.

  Her eyes fade. Much like when Cass died, she numbs herself to the moment.

  "Tonight, we join two families, a merge that was meant to occur seventeen years ago."

  I don't feel the shock. I'd known Tasha was meant to marry my father, to bear his heirs, but she fucked up and fell for Elijah. Then when their parents approved, Tasha and Elijah were supposed to marry, and once again, she ran away.

  Somehow, she became pregnant. No father. Unmarked kids. She's an enigma. After all she pulled, she shouldn't be alive, and it still bothers me that I don't know why she lives.

  Elijah takes the center with a book much like the one at the cabin. My father takes my left hand and Colt's right. He intertwines our fingers as if we're holding hands, binding them with black ribbon. My eyes stay stuck on Colt's expression, which is deader than her nickname.

  Elijah begins to dictate our vows in Latin. The words don’t entirely click with me. I hear blood, bond, united, evermore, and... death.

  Colt recites them verbatim, her voice void of emotion. When it comes to me, I repeat the words with false strength, knowing this is what's right for us, even if Colt hates me for the rest of our lives.

  My father untwines our fingers, forcing the back of our hands together. He slices my palm first and then Colt's. When they're dripping profusely, he flips our hands back together, tightening the sash over our newly bound hands.

  The blood drips down the black fabric, and Colt doesn't look at me once.

  "The ceremony is complete. To all those who aren't witnesses, you can leave out the east door. To those who have been chosen, stay seated."

  Everyone begins to file outward.

  Ten and Jordan stay, the two I chose. Along with them sits Ross, Bridger, Justice, and Prudence. I turn my head at them all. The seven of us.

  Why are they staying? We cannot trust them.

  Elijah comes around and kisses my forehead, something he hasn't done since I was little, and to be honest, it bothers me. His father and mine have the worst rivalry, and they've always used their animosity on us both.

  "I'm proud of you for doing what Jordan couldn't, Lux. Congratulations."

  Without another word, he unties our hands and retreats. The blood has already coagulated, dried down mine and Colt's arms.

  Jordan comes up to us, and all that's left are the seven people who are entwined with lies, blood, and secrets they seem to want to keep.

  Turning to everyone, I feel speechless. "Why are you all here?" The words come out a hiss, but at this point, the only people I trust are Ten, Jordan, and Colt.

  Even Just, who I spent time inside, isn't worthy of my trust. How did he find me? Why has he been gone? He had the opportunity to stop the assembly and Colt showing up, but he didn't. He may be hot, and we may have a connection, but there's not a single ounce of trust for him.

  Bridger speaks first. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't be here."

  Of course, he goes with the nuanced response, just like him.

  Prudence walks toward Colt, raising a palm to her face. She flinches immediately, and he pulls back. "I'm here because Just is here, and he's here because he was asked to be here. Apparently, this ceremony is a big fucking deal."

  "I'm here because I'm the only heir left," Ross grumbles. He may be upset, but I can tell he's worried about Colt.

  He knows her.

  We all do.

  Even if only in pieces.

  "Anyone going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Ridge inserts himself again. "You've got to fuck Colt, and we all have to watch."

  Someone punches him before I get to see, but he deserved it. Colt might be someone I bullied out of hating myself, but I've never simply fucked her. Every time we spent together meant something. It brought us closer.

  "Did you really have to fucking deck me, Pru?"

  "Yeah, actually. Don't talk about her like that, B."

  "B?" Colt questions with disparaging words. "Fucking B!" Her voice rises, and for the first time in the last half hour, she's animated. Her feet move as she comes toward the twins. "Was all of this a joke to you? Fucking me in Tennessee, coming here, fucking me again, and knowing all along who I was?"

  Prudence, at least, has the respect to look ashamed. Just on the other hand doesn't show an ounce of remorse. It's just like him to take no responsibility.

  "How long have all of you known each other?" she hisses. It's just another thing to add on the list of shit she's dealt with tonight. "Were you going to tell me the next time we fucked? Or maybe when I finally fell for you both?"

  Pru reaches out, his hands smacked away just as quickly.

  "Answer me!"

  Just says nothing.

  "We all grew up together, Corpse," I finally let out, saving everyone from lying. The twins look at me as if I've grown a second head. "Everyone in this room knows each other. We always have."

  "Yeah, they fucked up when they decided your pussy was more important than the Vestige," Ridge bites out, his voice venomous.

  If you know Ridge, you know he does this to evade something, and I really fucking want to know what he's using this hatred as a cover for. Ridge is a sociopath. It's apparent in each one of his moves. We're all just chess pieces to his chessboard.

  "Why?" she begs, her voice frail. "Why me?"

  "Don't you see, princess?" Pru starts, cradling her face in the next moment. "You're unique." I’m not sure why she lets him touch her but I want to smack his palms away.

  "I hate you all," she admits, her tears coming in waves.

  "How the fuck are you going to consummate your marriage when your wife can't even look at you?" Ridge mocks, digging the knife even deeper.

  She looks directly at him, dropping her robe. "I'll do it because then you'll have to watch me fuck someone who isn't you," she hisses. "How does it feel, Ridge, knowing I've fucked every guy in this room but you?"

  Ten's eyes widen, and the rest of the guys make various faces, but it's Ridge who seems to be in shock.

  "I don't give a fuck," he finally states, the lie obvious to everyone but Colt.

  "Good, then I want you front in center, to make sure you see his cock inside me, and when he comes inside me, like I know he will, I want you to watch it drip from my pussy."

  As much as I hate the degrading way she's speaking of herself like she doesn't matter more than her anatomy, my dick hardens at the visual.

  "Guess we should head to the suite then," Jordan eventually says, clearing his throat.

  "Never thought I'd be having a voyeur orgy with seven dudes, but here we are," Ross jokes, but the pain in his eyes is apparent. Is his pain because he wants Colt to himself or that he wants more and can't have it? I’ll never know.

  Either way, we follow Jordan to the suite, and Colt strides as if she's a goddess, and she is. It’s the way she doesn’t falter. Something my girl has over everything is the desire for revenge.

  She taps the bed after spreading herself out. "Fuck me, Lux."

  I saunter over to her.

  She props herself on her elbows, peering at Ridge. "Ridge, darling, make sure you're at a side view. Don't want you to miss what you'll never get to touch."

  "Fuck," Ross curses.

  I turn to him and see his slacks tented, but what surprises me most is he's not alone. Every fucking guy in this room is sporting wood, and they're about to see how I fuck my girl, and that
's unnerving as shit.

  To bury those who pity you is a reward.

  To save those who hate you is a curse.

  What does that make saving the one you love?

  Colt

  I have no fucking clue what I'm doing.

  Bridger pissed me off to the point that I'm literally spread eagle on the bed, waiting for Lux to thrust inside me.

  It's not even having all them watch and be with me at the same time. If I'm honest, that's what I've been hoping for.

  The issue is I don't trust a single one of them.

  Yeah, all I wanted was for them to finally validate everything for me.

  Cass's death.

  The cover up.

  Their lies.

  But they did me one worse. They admitted they knew he was pushed. He lost his life, and for what? Why did he die and not them?

  They admitted they were involved with Cassidy's plan. While they said it had everything to do with running the Vestige as a whole, it had to be more. Why else was Yang murdered on the night she found the evidence too? She was murdered, and I have no clue where her files were.

  What about the ones I found with Mel? Where are they? What is her involvement?

  My stomach churns as Lux stalks to the bed. His fake confidence would be cute if not for what I've concluded about him.

  He needs control in the bedroom.

  He needs to dominate.

  He needs trust.

  Much like me, he doesn't trust these guys, and it's obvious by the way he stares at them with caution. He's been scorned before. Not just by his own father but, from what I can tell, he's been targeted by Ashton.

  She may believe she hides her animosity with the doting stepmom routine, but jealousy is an ugly and atrocious trait she carts like her ten-thousand-dollar Penn & Co bag.

  Lux always made me feel like he dominated because he was anything but vanilla, which might be a part of it, but I also think it's to protect himself.

  When he makes it to me, all eyes zone in on us. I see several sets stare at Lux's ass, and I don't blame them. He has a nice one.

  He lowers on top of me, his body slightly trembling.