Grimmstead Academy: A Villainous Introduction

by Candace Wondrak

  It wasn’t. That wasn’t a typical conversation for me. Maybe him, because everything that was sensual and decadent he had a hand in, but me? I was too high-strung to ever relax, and having sex didn’t seem like something that would help me.

  No. There was no way in hell I would ever go along with Ian’s idea.

  Chapter Thirteen – Koda

  I was too nervous to meet with Felice. I knew I was supposed to go by the schedule Lucien had given us, but I couldn’t sit near her, look at her, without reminding myself what I did that day in the library, even though days had passed since then.

  No. It wasn’t what I did.

  We.

  It was always we, because I was never alone. Never alone in my head, never alone in my body. Bram was always there, nagging me, trying to push me to do things I didn’t want to do. He was the tempter of nightmares, offering riches and anything else your heart desired in exchange for your soul.

  I tried not to give him anything, really. I did my best not to unleash the chain that kept him held back, but sometimes he managed to break out, and when he did…there was no telling what he would do.

  I needed to remain in control. We were not to harm Felice. Lucien would lock me up if he knew what had happened, and the following days I waited for his stern presence, waited to hear him walk into my room and punish me—but it never happened. He never came, which meant Felice had kept the encounter in the library to herself.

  Why?

  The question rang through my head over and over as the days went on. The day that I was supposed to meet with her, I froze up. I managed to get out of bed, but a heavy weight rested on my shoulders.

  Go see her.

  There he was again, whispering things into my head and trying to get me to play his vile, murderous games.

  Felice was nothing to him, I knew, which was why I wanted to keep him locked away. She was prey, and he was the hunter. Bram was the most dangerous thing inside these walls right now, and I hated that I alone had to shoulder the responsibility of keeping him in check.

  I ignored him as the day progressed, keeping myself locked away in my room like a recluse. I started to pace, trying to think of literally anything else but her. Alas, it was much more difficult than I thought. I feared sometimes Bram’s impulses blurred into mine.

  I need to see her again, Bram told my mind, to which I merely shook my head, shook him off.

  It wasn’t like a separate personality that stayed locked away until it came out. Bram was always there. We shared this body, and we were always aware of the other. Two halves that could never be whole. I was both a person and not a person.

  It was complicated.

  The others knew of Bram, and they knew to fear him. They didn’t talk to me much, which hurt, because I didn’t think I was that bad. Bram, yes, he was downright despicable and awful, prone to murder if you looked at him wrong, but I wasn’t him.

  Still, I couldn’t fault the others for trying to steer clear of me most days. When Bram lashed out, things got bloody, and if there was one thing this place enjoyed, it was spilled blood. The others had seen what happened last time. Lucien was…not the forgiving sort. He dealt with me amicably, but if he suspected that Bram was close to the surface, he dealt with me differently.

  There were chains in the basement for me, but those chains I didn’t like to think about.

  Koda, Bram’s voice thundered in my head, sounding like an animal in need of its next meal, I need—

  I stopped pacing, staring at the window in my room, at the gloomy day outside. “I don’t care what you need,” I whispered aloud. More often than not, I simply ignored Bram when he festered his way up, but today he was being extremely pushy.

  Pushy and obsessive, and downright irritating. Most days I was in a decent mood, or I tried to be, but today…today I just wasn’t. Bram refused to sit down and shut up and let me steer the ship we shared.

  That much is obvious, Bram growled into my head. If you cared about what I needed, you’d already have given me control. That little bird could be ours. Ours to cage, ours to play with…ours to kill.

  “Stop it,” I hissed, moving to stand in front of the window. It wasn’t a full window like the ones in the library were, and still my mind was plagued by memories. Bram, grabbing her and pushing her against the glass, grinding his hips on her. Our hips. Touching her side, holding her throat, all the while taunting her.

  Taunting her, and mocking me.

  I thought I had control over the beast inside, but time and time again Bram proved me wrong. It almost made me wonder just whether he was ever caged, or if he simply bided his time, allowing me to believe I had him under control. If it was all a lie I so willingly believed, because the last thing I ever wanted to be was the bad guy.

  I wasn’t a bad guy. I didn’t like hurting people. Bram did. It was…impossible sometimes to not let his devious glee seep into my thoughts, though. Sometimes the lines were blurry and we bled into each other. Things weren’t so clear-cut here.

  She clearly liked it. She hardly fought me when I had her in my hands. Come on, Bram tried to egg me on, let’s do it again and see if we can make her scream. I bet she sounds spectacular.

  “No,” I muttered, frowning at my own reflection. I would not imagine her screams, not her pain-filled ones, and not her pleasure-filled ones. A screaming Felice was not what should occupy my mind.

  If you let me take control, I’ll do all the heavy lifting. All you’ll have to do is sit back and watch as we make her ours—a knock on the door caused Bram’s voice to halt momentarily, and then he hissed out, Who the fuck could it be now? Our tempting Felice? Answer the door, and if it’s her, grab her by the wrist and throw her to the bed—

  I would most definitely not be doing that, especially if it was Felice out there.

  My hands curled into fists at my sides, my teeth grinding as I slowly made my way to the door. If it was Felice, I’d…I didn’t know. I’d just slam the door in her face and throw the lock or something. Anything to keep Bram away from her.

  Thank whatever God I believed in at this particular time in my life, it wasn’t Felice. It was Payne.

  As I met Payne’s grey-eyed stare, Bram muttered, Payne. Tell him to get lost, or let me take control and I’ll make him leave.

  Payne’s face was serene, though I could tell something was wrong. He wouldn’t be here otherwise. He held a towel in his hands, and it looked like he was currently wiping his fingers with it. The fabric was dark, so I couldn’t tell if he was wiping off blood or not. Considering it was him, it was probably blood.

  “I just came from downstairs,” Payne spoke, studying me as if he thought I was some experiment put on display, an anomaly for him to examine. I supposed I was, me and Bram. Most people didn’t have two sides to themselves like we did. “Felice is searching for you, I think.”

  Ooh, Bram immediately hummed into my mind, she’s looking for you. Me, probably, but you as well, seeing as how you haven’t told her about me yet. I think you should. I’d love to see her reaction. Maybe after that we can further discuss how we can make her scream.

  “Thanks,” I said, faking a smile to get Payne to leave.

  In my mind, Bram was busy saying, Take a knife to her pretty little throat and make her bleed. We could always give Payne a little gift, since that fucker likes it so much. What do you say, Koda?

  Payne said nothing, simply nodding once before scurrying off, back to his room, where he did God knew what with his free time.

  I let out a long sigh. I could bicker with Bram all day; he and I would never see eye to eye, hence the issue with us. He was the heads to my tails and the darkness to my light. He was the other half of me, and yet separate completely. I couldn’t even remember a day when I didn’t have Bram whispering in the back of my mind.

  Other people were lucky. They didn’t have to be at constant war with themselves, share a body with another mind. I didn’t know what I’d done to be on the receiving end of such a s
hort stick, but by now I knew it was useless to wish for something else. A normal life would never be mine.

  I ran a hand through my hair, knowing I should find Felice before she decided to go to Lucien. If I never stepped foot in that basement again…it would still be too soon.

  No, I’d push Bram from my thoughts and act like a civil, sane human being, not someone with a psycho split personality.

  Keep telling yourself that, Bram mused.

  “Fuck off,” I muttered under my breath, heading into the hall in search of her.

  I found her mere moments before she was set to walk into Lucien’s office, presumably to talk about me and my no-show to our session. She froze when she spotted me, fixing her posture before tossing a glance inside the room, still debating on going to Lucien.

  Doesn’t she look amazing in that dress? I bet tearing it off her would be fun.

  Felice did look otherworldly in that grey dress. It suited her, somehow, fitting her curves and her personality alike. It made her skin take on a warmer tone, the blonde highlights in her brown length pop. She was a type of beautiful I could never get used to.

  She really didn’t belong here.

  She must’ve decided to forgo meeting with Lucien, heading straight to me, a purpose behind each step she took. Looking me up and down, she said, “You didn’t show up, Koda.” She held her nose high, as if putting on a front, trying to act tough.

  Right. Because of what happened before.

  Because of what will happen again, Bram growled to my brain, and a chill swept over my spine.

  “I didn’t want to,” I told her honestly. “I…there’s something you should know, about me.” Lucien would have a fit if I told her the truth, but maybe there was a way to warn her about Bram without sounding absolutely nuts. “Can we talk somewhere private?”

  Yes, get her alone. Push her against the wall and claim her, Koda.

  No. There would be none of that.

  It was a short while before she spoke, “I suppose.” Hesitance laced in her tone, and I knew it was because of what happened the last time we were alone. I would not let Bram get the better of me today. I wouldn’t. And if, somehow, he managed to crawl his way to the forefront and push me aside for control, I would warn her, tell her to run.

  Then again, when Bram was really worked up, the chase only turned him on more. He was an animal of animals, a master of beasts, a reveler of the darkness and the depraved. Bram adored chaos and mayhem; Grimmstead was a fine home for him. But me? I didn’t want to be here, shackled to him.

  If I could leave both Grimmstead and Bram behind, I would. It wasn’t so easy, though.

  I ended up leading her outside. It was an overcast day, the sky a dark grey. No rain yet, though the air was cool; it would come. It would come and drench the entire property. We stuck close to the front doors, standing on the straight paved path that led to the gate.

  That gate. If it was as simple as pulling it open and walking out, I would’ve done it a long, long time ago. I was not as young as I looked. None of us were.

  Felice stood away from me, her arms folded across her chest, trying to act tough. “What is it you want to tell me, Koda?” she asked, cocking a single dark eyebrow, her lips remaining parted as she waited for my response.

  Those lips do look so luscious and full, don’t they? Bram questioned, causing my gut to burn with the answer: yes. Yes, they did. Lips like those would be so easy to kiss—but it wouldn’t be Bram kissing them, it’d be me. Our first kiss, not the embrace that happened in the library.

  It’d been so long since I wanted to kiss someone, to let myself feel the blossoming of pleasure and let it overtake me. So long I couldn’t even remember what it felt like. Strange as it was, I felt like an old soul, stuck in this place, at constant war with myself as I struggled to maintain control. I tried to be nice when I could, but sometimes it was impossible to keep Bram at bay.

  As much as I hated to admit, his suggestion of throwing her onto my bed did seem like a good one, albeit we were not in my room, and there was no bed to be seen.

  Have her on the ground, then, Bram purred, tempting in his words. Toss her down and drown her, Koda. I know you want to. I want to. If it’s something we both want, why bother fighting it?

  “Because it’s wrong,” I muttered under my breath, freezing the moment I realized I stood before Felice.

  Shit.

  “Because what’s wrong?” Felice asked. Her head tilted, some of her brown hair swaying in the gentle breeze. “I’m not following. If you’re talking about what happened in the library the other day, then yes, it was wrong. What you did, I…” She trailed off, and maybe it was my imagination, but I could’ve sworn I spotted a bit of pink on her cheeks.

  “I can explain,” I said, almost too overzealous. I sounded like a cliched guy, trying to woo the girl of his dreams and failing miserably at every attempt he made. The feeling of her soft, tender neck in my grasp, digging my hips into hers…

  No. I couldn’t let my mind go there. If I did, then Bram was one step closer to reemerging.

  Felice heaved a sigh. “I’m not sure how you can explain. What you did…it was inappropriate. I don’t know what caused the switch in you, but—”

  Tell her about me, Bram spoke, egging me on like he always did. Tell her how much we enjoyed the feeling of her submitting.

  “I’m not like the others here,” I said, a shaky breath leaving me. Mostly I was struggling to keep Bram in check, but the longer I stood there staring at her, the harder it grew. Keeping him quiet while in her presence was obscenely difficult.

  I didn’t know if I was strong enough.

  “I know,” Felice said, meeting my eyes with a defiance that riled Bram inside. “I thought you were better.” A jab, a dig at me—or rather, at Bram. Well-deserved because of what happened, but it hurt me to hear her say it all the same.

  If there was one thing I didn’t want to do, it was disappoint her. Even though she’d just arrived here not too long ago, I felt as if she’d been here longer, like I’d known her longer. Maybe I was just as crazy as Bram, but in a different way.

  With an ache in my heart, I whispered, “I try to be, but it’s hard. I don’t…I have things I have to fight. The others don’t.” Now it sounded like I was making vague, general excuses. I should just tell her the truth, that I wasn’t alone in this body, but I didn’t want to sound like a nutcase. I didn’t want her to think that I was just some crazy person who’d gotten out of his straightjacket and come straight to Grimmstead.

  Felice shook her head, the wind whipping her hair around. The sky overhead darkened; a storm was on its way. We didn’t have much time before rain graced the land. “Everyone has things they have to deal with,” she said. “Everyone has their own demons. You can’t blame them for what you did or how you acted. You were in control, Koda.”

  “But I wasn’t,” I whispered, taking a step toward her, watching as she tensed up. She was no longer comfortable around me after what happened.

  Or, Bram mused, maybe she liked it a bit too much. Maybe she wants a hand around her throat again. Let’s try it and see.

  Felice gave me a weird look.

  “It wasn’t me—” I was seconds from confessing it all to her, but lightning lit up the area, loud, raucous thunder not even a second behind. The lightning must’ve hit somewhere on the property, for the sound was deafening, and I knew right then and there that I had to shut up.

  Grimmstead did not want her to know the truth, not yet.

  Rain came down in sheets, drowning out anything else I would’ve said, anything she could’ve heard. We were instantly drenched, and we both moved to the front door. Felice yanked on the handle, but the door didn’t budge. It was locked.

  Bram laughed a dark chuckle in the back of my mind. Maybe Grimmstead is setting up a playground for me. Run, little thing, run. That last part was to Felice, and I felt my heart speeding up as the water from the sky drenched me from head to toe in a matter of s
econds.

  “It’s locked,” Felice shouted over the rain, pounding on the door. She must’ve thought whoever locked it was right inside, and that they’d done it by mistake. The poor woman had no idea that sometimes things just happened here. The unexplainable was a daily occurrence. When her pounding got nowhere, she tried the handle again.

  Nothing.

  She turned to me, the rain pelting her hair, sticking its long lengths to her face and her shoulders. The dark grey dress on her was black from the dampness of the rain, and it clung to her figure. I did my best not to stare.

  As I wrestled with Bram trying to break through yet again, she asked, “Is there another door?”

  I nodded, saying nothing as I turned and hurried through the rain. There was nothing to say. Nothing at all. Grimmstead didn’t want me telling her the truth; it wanted me to tear her apart. Felice deserved better than that.

  There was a side door on the house that was probably locked as well, but it was a regular door. If I tapped into Bram’s strength, I might be able to pull it open regardless of whether it was locked or not. As long as she got inside, she’d be able to find help. One of the others could maybe stop me.

  Then again…no one had ever been able to stop me before.

  Chapter Fourteen – Felice

  The storm came upon us quickly, and we hardly had time to react. Someone had locked the front door after we walked out—if I had to bet, I’d say it was the prankster who stole all of my clothes on my first day here—leaving us to run around the side of the stone building in the pouring rain.

  A huge building like this had to have multiple entrances anyway, and no way they were all locked.

  I kept up pace with Koda, staring at his back as I jogged through the slushy grass behind him. He looked tense, anxious. And what he was saying about not being like anyone else here…I wasn’t sure what he was trying to say, but I knew it wasn’t good.