Broken: A New Adult Paranormal Bully Romance (Hellfire Academy Book 2)

by Alice Wilde

  Rhys and Fenn slip into seats near me just before class starts.

  “Hey, Eden,” Fenn says breathlessly. “Have you seen Thorne?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “You must have really done a number on him.”

  “What do you mean,” I whisper back.

  “He wasn’t in his room this morning,” Rhys says flatly, “and he’s supposed to be in this class.”

  I stare ahead, trying not to think about what this might mean.

  “Oh,” Fenn whispers loudly, “you might want to stay out of Nyx’s way, too.”

  “You didn’t really tell her, did you?” I ask, turning to look back at him.

  Fenn answers with a noncommittal shrug.

  “Your attention please, Eden,” Thoth says, and I blush deeply for the second time today.

  I can barely focus on the lesson, my thoughts centered around Thorne’s absence and whether or not Fenn really spoken to Nyx. I wait until I see Nyx leave the class before I pack my things and leave as well, but it’s not enough. She’s waiting for me just outside the door.

  “I thought I told you to stay away from Thorne,” Nyx says in a voice that’s far too calm.

  I don’t know how to respond to this, but I see Fenn out of the corner of my eye trying not to laugh.

  “Hey, I’m talking to you,” Nyx says, snapping her fingers in my face. “Did I not tell you to stay away from Thorne?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “But nothing,” she snaps. “Thorne is my fiancé; you’ve crossed way over the line this time. Just you wait. By the time I’m through with you, you’re going to wish you were dead.”

  “I told you to stay out of her way,” Fenn says with a mischievous grin as he walks by. “You should have listened.”

  “Maybe none of this would have happened if you hadn’t said anything,” I call after him.

  Fenn turns a corner and then pops his head back around.

  “Oh, you might want to watch out for Rhys too.”

  “What—”

  Before I have a chance to ask him what he means, I can feel Rhys already standing behind me.

  “Why the hell did you write about me in your red book?” Rhys asks.

  “What… How do you know I wrote anything about you?” I ask, turning to face him.

  Rhys is glaring down at me, and then he pulls up the sleeve on his left arm. There, scrawled across his arm are the exact same words I wrote in the red notebook earlier.

  “Seeing how I know neither Fenn nor Thorne wrote that about me, I can only assume it was you.”

  “I didn’t know that would happen,” I say.

  “Yeah, right. Of course,” Rhys scoffs before pushing past me down the hall.

  It doesn’t take long for me to realize that it’s Nyx who has instructed the other students to ignore me in my entirety. Perhaps it would bother me more if I hadn’t already felt like a complete outcast before.

  The real problem is, I’m sure this is only a minor part of her ultimate revenge, and I have no idea what she might do…or when. As each day passes without her acting out, I grow more and more anxious.

  By the end of the week, Thorne still hasn’t shown up to any of our classes, and I am starting to worry what Nyx might do if he never comes back. Even Fenn and Rhys are on edge which is particularly unfortunate for me seeing as we’re paired up in nearly every single class.

  With the classes over for the week, I head back to Nightfall Tower. At least there was one positive about Thorne being gone, I have one less thing to worry about when it comes to serving detention.

  “At least one of you remembered,” Formido says as soon as he sees me.

  The room is otherwise empty besides the two of us, which I find rather odd.

  “Wait here,” Professor Formido says, pointing to a hard stool. “Don’t move until I come back.”

  I do as he says. An hour passes by and then two. Had he forgotten about me? My body is starting to grow numb from sitting in one place for too long and I fidget. I want nothing more right now than to stand and walk around the room, but I’m too afraid to get up. Disobedience does not sit well with Formido, and I was already in enough trouble.

  Yet another hour passes by, and I am so tired and frustrated that I want to cry. Surely, Formido hadn’t meant for me to just sit here for hours on end. He must have forgotten he’d left me here.

  Just as I’m about to stand, I hear footsteps echoing down the stairwell and force myself to remain seated a little longer.

  It’s Formido and with him is Rhys.

  “Ah, good. You’ve done exactly as I instructed for once,” Formido says as he looks my way. “At least one of you seems to be learning a lesson. You may stand now.”

  I get up from the stool gratefully only to find that I’ve stood up too fast. My knees buckle beneath me and I collapse onto the floor.

  “How long has she been sitting?” Rhys can’t keep from asking.

  “Hours and hours,” Formido answers, “and it’s all thanks to you. I had another method of detention planned for the two of you, but seeing as you chose not to come on time...I think it’s only fitting that Eden gets to participate in your punishment.”

  Rhys scowls at this, but he doesn’t argue.

  “So, what? You’re going to make me sit for twice as long and force her to watch?”

  “No, no, no,” Formido says. “I am thinking more along the lines of something with a bit more of a…long lasting impression. Seeing how eager the three of you were to bring Eden to her knees, perhaps it’s only fair she’s given the chance to do the same to you.”

  Rhys scoffs at this, “As if she’d ever be able to do that.”

  “Kneel,” Professor Formido commands, but Rhys makes no move to do so. “Fine, you’re only making things harder for yourself.”

  With that, Formido kicks the back of Rhys’ knee, forcing him to drop to the ground beside me. Formido reaches down and lifts me to my feet and then walks over to a nearby chest. Taking a key from around his neck, he unlocks the chest and pulls out a set of thin, opalescent chains.

  “Here,” he says, handing them over to me, “bind him.”

  I do as he says.

  “You expect these to hold me?” Rhys asks with a laugh.

  Formido doesn’t answer but walks over to the other side of the room to pick up an all too familiar riding crop. Handing the crop over to me, Formido grabs Rhys and drags him over to a low table, bending him forward over it.

  “I’ll be back in an hour,” Formido says. “Eden, I expect you to punish him as he deserves.”

  I look down at the crop in my hand and then watch as Formido disappears back up the staircase and out of sight.

  As soon as he’s gone, Rhys sits up.

  “Yeah, I’m not about to just sit around and wait for him to come back…and I’m damn sure not going to let you punish me,” he growls.

  Taking a step back, I watch as Rhys strains against the chains holding him, but they barely move.

  “What the hell?”

  Rhys tries to break free once again, his muscles tense and straining against his bonds, but nothing happens. He continues to struggle against the chains but to no avail, finally giving up after he’s begun to sweat through his shirt.

  I walk forward and drag the riding crop lightly across the width of his shoulders.

  “What are you going to do now?” Rhys asks breathlessly. “Exact your revenge?”

  “I haven’t decided.”

  “Well you better decide soon or you’re going to miss your chance,” he sneers up at me.

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” I snap, surprised at my own forcefulness.

  Rhys closes his mouth and leans forward once again onto the table in front of him.

  I stand over him for a minute before placing the riding crop down on the table beside him and walking over to the other side of the room.

  “Already given up,” Rhys calls out to me, but I ignore him

  I
nstead, I look over the items lain out on one of the large tables and select a pair of shears. Rhys’ eyes grow wide as I turn back.

  “What do you think you’re going to do with those?”

  Again, I don’t answer him. Taking the collar of his shirt in one hand, I dip one of the blades beneath it and drag the shears slowly downward, cutting open the fabric to reveal his back to me. I cut several more slits in the shirt and then tear the remainder of the fabric from his torso.

  “Eden?”

  Tossing the shears to the side, I pick up my riding crop and once again drag it over his back, this time even more slowly. Rhys’ back is beautiful, well formed and utterly perfect. His skin gleams in the dim light of the dungeon, and I can’t help but admire it.

  Momentarily.

  Abruptly, I flick the riding crop, letting it strike his back. It’s not a hard hit, but it’s enough to make Rhys flinch. I walk around him several times and then hit him again, this time hard enough to leave a patch of reddening skin.

  “Why?” I ask as I circle him once again.

  “Why what?” Rhys asks darkly.

  “Why me? What did I do to deserve the way you’ve all been treating me?”

  “You don’t belong here.”

  “And you do?” I ask, striking him across the back once again, harder still.

  “Yes.”

  “Wrong answer,” I say, the crop cracking over him.

  “Damn it, Eden,” Rhys says through clenched teeth. “What the hell do you want me to say? You don’t belong here.”

  “Who are you to decide?”

  The crop whistles as it strikes him again, but this time he lets out a groan which makes me pause. I hit him hard enough that a thin line of blood is trickling down his back. My heart freezes in my chest, and I drop the crop to the floor as I back away.

  What have I done? How could I have stooped so low as to draw blood?

  I’d never wanted anyone to experience what I had gone through that fateful day, and yet here I was doing just that.

  “Eden—”

  Before Rhys can say another word, I race out of the dungeon and back across grounds. Never again will I allow myself to stoop so low as to strike a defenseless person in anger.

  I can hardly look Rhys in the eye as I slip into one of the spaces beside him after the weekend. Fortunately, we don’t sit in silence for long before Freya enters the room.

  “Where’s Thorne?” Freya asks as soon as she looks over at us.

  “No idea,” Fenn says.

  Freya looks disapprovingly at each of us in turn.

  “I don’t appreciate students trying to get out of their assignments,” she says. “As such, I’m delaying your demonstration until he returns.”

  I can’t help the joy that rises in me at this, but it’s dashed almost immediately.

  “However,” Freya continues, “for each lesson that he’s absent from, I will require you to add that it in as part of your final demonstration whenever he happens to return.”

  For someone whose main subject is lust and the art of seduction, Freya is just as good at building apprehension.

  I never thought I’d be wishing for Thorne to come back, but I suppose there really is a first time for everything.

  17

  Eden

  The days turn into weeks and soon a month has passed, but there’s still no sign of Thorne. As strange as it is, things fall into a routine. Ever since the day in detention, Rhys hasn’t said a word to me, but I can feel him watching me whenever we’re in the same room.

  Between him and Nyx, I’m not sure how I’ll be able to stay sane for the rest of the year. I just wish they’d come out and say or do whatever it is that they’re thinking so I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

  Fenn on the other hand has barely given me a moment’s peace, and I’ve hardly slept in weeks. He hasn’t slept in his own room since the first day I stumbled over him outside my door, and he’s taken to singing and pounding on my door long after I’ve gone to bed. I feel drained and worse for the wear, my thoughts mixing together in an unfortunate mess.

  If I’m not able to get some sleep soon, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to cope.

  “Eden?” a girl asks.

  I keep walking. Great, I’m starting to hallucinate.

  “Eden.”

  I stop but keep my eyes trained on the ground in front of me, unsure if I’m really hearing things or not. No one, besides the professors, Rhys and Fenn, has spoken to me for nearly a month now, and the sound of my name in a new voice is surprisingly unnerving.

  Slowly, I lift my head to look around and find Kate standing several feet away.

  “Kate?”

  “Yeah, um. I know you probably don’t want to talk to me, but we only have a couple days before the end of the month.”

  “What? Of course, I want to talk to you,” I say in surprise.

  “I mean,” Kate starts nervously, “we need to do our homework assignment for Cerridwen before the month is over. That’s all.”

  “Oh, right,” I say, trying to keep the disappointment from creeping into my voice.

  “So, can we meet after our classes are done for the day?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Great, see you then.”

  Kate spins around and hurries off before I can say another word to her. As short and generally pointless as the overall conversation was, I feel a surge of energy course through me. It may not be much, but I was going to meet with Kate later…finally something to look forward to.

  The rest of the day seems to drag by, and I barely manage to shadow walk the length of a small car before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. Fortunately, it’s not enough to send me to the hospital, but Portunes makes it clear he’s disappointed in my performance.

  Kate and I share our last class of the day with Professor Hecate. After failing miserably over and over to summon enough energy to cast a spell, Hecate snaps at me and demands I stand against the wall for the remainder of the lesson. It takes every remaining ounce of energy in me to remain standing as I wait for the day to end so Kate and I can finally meet.

  “Ready?”

  I open my eyes, surprised to find I’d somehow managed to doze off while standing.

  “Yes,” I answer, still dazed from my unexpected nap.

  Together we head off across grounds toward the statues in the garden.

  “Would you prefer to use your phone to check our horoscopes I ask,” breaking the silence between us.

  “Yeah, but we can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “I no longer have a phone.”

  “Oh.”

  We continue on in silence.

  “What happened Kate?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I thought we were friends, and I know I wasn’t always there for you…” I trail off, unsure of what to say.

  “It’s just better if we don’t talk, okay,” Kate says, turning to look off away from me.

  “Can you at least tell me what happened over the summer?” I ask.

  “Look, Eden. It’s none of your business. Nyx helped me deal with it, and that’s all you need to know.”

  “Please, Kate,” I plead. “I want to be there for you if only you’ll let me.”

  “But you can’t!” Kate snaps in obvious frustration.

  I shut my mouth tight at this.

  “Look, I just need to get this assignment done, and then we can both go back to our separate lives,” Kate says with a deep sigh. “Trust me, it’s just better this way.”

  We walk the rest of the way to the statues in awkward silence.

  “How do you think this is going to work with the two of us?” I ask as we stand together in front of Astria.

  “Maybe we kneel at the same time?” Kate suggests.

  “Okay.”

  Together, Kate and I get down on our knees and close our eyes.

  Electricity shoots through me and I suddenly feel
like I’m floating through space and time.

  “What’s happening?” I hear Kate’s voice echo through my mind.

  “I don’t know,” my own voice echoes back.

  “Welcome, children.”

  Kate and I both go quiet.

  “You’re an interesting pair,” Astria continues after a long pause. “I see there’s a darkness between you. A separation and a reunion. A life and a death. A resurrection and a rebirth. Your paths depend upon each other, whether you choose to accept that or not. You—”

  Astria’s voice is suddenly cut off as I find myself dropping forward onto my hands.

  Sitting back up, I look around to see Kate is no longer beside me but walking back toward the dorms.

  “Kate?” I call after her, but she doesn’t turn to look back.

  Getting to my feet, I try to chase after her, but I soon give up. I barely make it back to my own room in time to sink onto the bed and pass out.

  For the first time in weeks, I sleep through the night.

  When I wake the next morning, I’m surprised to find Fenn isn’t sleeping outside my door. Not that I mind, but I’d grown so used to having to step over him, that it’s pretty much become a habit.

  I take my seat in Professor Cerridwen’s class and don’t realize until about halfway through that neither Rhys nor Fenn ever show up.

  Maybe they went out together while everyone was still sleeping, although for what reason I don’t know. When neither of them shows up for the next class either, I start to grow suspicious. First Thorne and now the other two?

  I need to find out what’s going on.

  18

  Thorne

  “Where the hell have you been?” Fenn asks, slapping me hard on the back. “

  “Busy.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Rhys asks. “You could have at least let us know where you were going.”

  “It wasn’t possible,” I say. “I was sworn to secrecy.”

  Rhys and Fenn roll their eyes at this, and I can’t blame them.

  It feels strange to be back, and I’d be lying if I said that I feel like the same person I was when I left. But then again, why should I? The past month had been far more difficult than I’d imagined, but I’d succeeded despite the obstacles.