Lawless Kingdom: A Dark Romance (Reign & Ruin Book 1)

by Natalie Bennett

  “Ohh, I love this on you. Makes that ass look even more fantastic.”

  That wasn’t why I’d chosen it. Not really. Okay, maybe it was a little bit. I was a firm believer that if you had it, you should flaunt it. Female body empowerment or whatever.

  “So,” I snatched the mini skirt from her, “where are we going?”

  “I told you already. Some place magical.” She studied my black bodysuit and nodded to herself as if to confirm something before spinning on her heel. She walked across the room and disappeared into her closet.

  “If you’re referring to Virtue, please spare me.”

  Her responding laughter carried through the air. I wasn’t amused. Virtue was a secluded hilltop in the woods. Someone had started calling it that after a dozen girls were taken there to give away their virginity, because apparently risking it all in the back or front seat of a car was romantic. It was a ridiculously stupid concept in my opinion.

  I didn’t think it mattered so much where it went down but how it went down. Unless you were at church or something. That’d probably be a bad idea.

  Anyways, now it was used for nothing more than hooking up. I’d never been there personally. My virtue ship sailed two years ago and nothing about the experience had been sweet. It was brutal. Filthy and exhilarating.

  It’d been the one night I felt free, and at the touch of a stranger. The events that led to us coming together in such an unchangeable way could never be discussed or spoken of if not between the two of us. But I hadn’t seen him since, and I never got his name. If that made me a slut, so be it.

  “Look.” Audrey appeared in the closet doorway just as I was about to take a stroll down memory lane. In her hands was a camisole crop top that matched my skirt.

  “We can color co-ordinate.”

  “Is that thing going to securely hold those bean bags attached to your chest?”

  She flashed me a mischievous smile. “Who says I want them to be secure?”

  “If your dignity could speak, probably her.” I began gathering up my few items so I could get ready.

  “Have you heard from Dax?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Oh, yeah. He asked me what I was doing tonight. Won’t he be there? Wherever there is.”

  She made a sound under her breath that I took as a yes, but suddenly she couldn’t seem to hold my eye.

  “Okay. Spill. What the hell is going on?”

  “We should get ready.” She moved from her closet to the attached bath and shut the door, completely ignoring my question.

  “Audrey?”

  “I’ll tell you in the car!”

  I stared at the sole barrier between us, debating if I wanted to throw a fit and demand she tell me whatever it was that had her acting cagey.

  We didn’t usually keep secrets from one another, especially where boys were concerned.

  The only one I held close to my heart was more for her safety than anything else. Plus, I trusted Dax. For the most part. The way she was behaving made me start to wonder if I’d been wrong in doing so, because this was obviously about him.

  That was ridiculous, though. Wasn’t it? If you trusted someone then it shouldn’t take something this trivial to doubt them.

  Then again, it wasn’t as if the two of us had some epic teen love thing going on. Maybe I was searching for any viable excuse to just be done with this. I tried shaking off the funk that came on the heels of these thoughts, but it was too late.

  A seed had been planted.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Rhiannon

  I waited for Audrey to divulge whatever it was she was so hesitant to tell me. Ten minutes into the ride, I strongly considered prying her lips apart and forcing it out of her. She was spared by our surroundings becoming a temporary distraction.

  I watched the scenery blow past us, noticing the houses were getting more affluent. You know the type: large with perfect lawns and flashy cars sitting in their driveways. I was used to parties being at the wealthier homes in Crudele. As cliché as it was, the rich kids threw the best bangers. But at every place I expected Audrey to turn or slow, she kept going.

  I reached out and cut off the stereo, interrupting whatever Nicki had been about to spit.

  “If you’re not going to tell me what’s going on with you and Dax, can you at least tell me where we’re going?”

  Her nose wrinkled and she shot me a disapproving frown before returning her attention to the road. “I know you didn’t mean it that way, but there is nothing going on with me and Dax. As for where we’re heading, look for the house that sits by itself.”

  Okay, so that wasn’t cryptic or anything. The second part at least. I’d never thought she and Dax were doing anything that would result in both of their demise. Audrey just wasn’t that type of girl. I know they say you can never really know someone, but when it came to my best friend, I knew her as well as I knew myself.

  As for whatever the hell she meant by a house that sat by itself, I was clueless. I had never lived on her side of town.

  My family wasn’t low class or poor, but we sure as shit weren’t whatever these people were classified as either.

  With squinted eyes I surveyed our surroundings more carefully, as if the house I was searching for would make an appearance from that action alone. I sat up a little taller when Audrey passed a No Outlet sign that seemed to be split off from the rest of the neighborhood she was driving through.

  It was like entering another realm altogether. The bushy green lawns were replaced with tall trees secured behind a large iron fence, all neatly trimmed but with an eeriness to them.

  They didn’t seem to have grown here naturally. It was as if someone had purposely planted them to keep prying eyes from seeing whatever was on the other side of them.

  “Are you sure there’s a house…?” I trailed off when my question was answered by a gap in the tree-line.

  A set of rounded gates was wide open, granting access to a winding stretch of tarmac lined with tiny bushes.

  “Uh. Do you know where this goes? I’m not partial to random car rides through the woods.”

  “No. I thought I’d just drive this way for the fun of it,” she replied, her tone flat. “And this isn’t even close to being considered the woods.”

  “Oh, well in that case…” I rolled my hand to indicate she could continue. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see who lived back here.

  She turned off and slowly drove up the driveway. As we got closer, XXXTentacion’s ‘Royalty’ resounded through the air, a heavy bass pounding beneath it.

  With my gaze trained straight ahead, I spotted one pair of taillights right behind another. I’m sure they were all nice cars, but my full focus was on the gloriously large house sitting a few yards away. It didn’t have a shape I could easily put into words. The roof was slanted this way and that to fit the odd architecture of the home’s design.

  “Before we go inside…The thing is,” Audrey began, pulling her car up beside a sleek BMW, “Dax didn’t want you or me here tonight. When I told you he would meet up with us it was to see if we showed or not.”

  “What? Why wouldn’t he want us to come?”

  “I don’t know, but that’s why we did. I would have rather gone bowling or something.”

  I rubbed my brow, contemplating why he’d want to keep me and Audrey away. “Why are you just now telling me this?”

  “Because he didn’t know I was coming for sure or that I was bringing you with me.”

  “And now?”

  “Now I’m hoping we have the element of surprise, since you didn’t call and cuss him out.”

  She had me there. If there was one thing about me, it was that I tended to charge into things guns-blazing when I was pissed off. It was a terrible personality trait for the most part, although occasionally it came in handy. Sadly, logic would always win out over rash, though. Always.

  I tuned back into what Audrey was saying, since she apparently wasn’t done
yet.

  “I think Dax adores you. But on the off chance he’s in here doing fuck boy things, I’ll hold him down while you rip his balls off.”

  I wouldn’t be going for his balls. I’d be tearing his head off his goddamn shoulders. I’d give him the benefit of the doubt first, though.

  He deserved that, even if the logical side of my brain and the tightening in my gut were screaming at me that something wasn’t right. I needed to stop this line of thinking before I made a mountain out of what could be a mole hill, which called for a change of topic.

  “So, whose house is this?”

  Audrey hit the button on her dash to cut the engine and unclipped her seatbelt.

  “The Barrons’.”

  I did a double take, looking from the monstrous stone structure to her. She’d said that so causally. I was immediately suspicious because she wasn’t freaking out like she should’ve been, but then a giant fucking grin spread across her face.

  “That’s the real reason you wanted to come,” I laughed.

  “Well, it is a bonus. They’re only the most prominent, most talked about people in Crudele.’”

  “Ah, yes. The saintly, all-American golden family who can do no wrong.” I rolled my eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t pop out of their sockets.

  You couldn’t live in this town and not know about the Barron family. Hell, they owned half of it. I was in the minority of people who didn’t idolize them. And why should I? Their existence had no bearing on my life.

  Which made me wonder…

  “How the hell did you get invited to this? To their actual house?”

  She checked her appearance in the visor and then opened her door with a scoff. “Geez, I’m not that far down the totem pole.”

  I followed her, pulling my skirt down once my booted feet were on solid ground.

  “You’re not this high up, either. You’ve gone to school with these people for how long?”

  Her silence proved my point.

  She’d been on the rim of their social circle for four years and was just now being allowed to witness, for lack of a better word, its ‘perks.’

  “One of those acquaintances I was telling you about invited me. She’s all the way in with them. Super cool chick too.”

  “Fabulous,” I muttered, walking alongside her.

  The music seemed to have gotten even louder in the time it took us to park and get our asses out of the car. There were only a few people lingering in front of the house, and as we got closer it was apparent as to why. The smell of weed mixed with the aroma of meats on a grill. I would’ve happily accepted both.

  We paid them no mind, going right to the glossy front door and entering the house without knocking. From the cars in the driveway, the number of people inside added up perfectly.

  There were bodies everywhere. Audrey turned her head slowly from left to right, awe reflecting in her eyes.

  “This is amazing.”

  I nodded in agreement. I wouldn’t turn my nose up at living here. My eyes followed the pattern in the radiant teak flooring to where it switched and formed a massive, darker hued ‘B’ within a shaded circle.

  B for Barron. How original.

  To the immediate right was a large living room with an octagon shaped sectional loaded with a few drunken couples. To my left was a dining room meant to hold more than an average sized family. All the interior was done in warm tones with a splash of cool here and there.

  Audrey took hold of my wrist and pulled me gently to the side as I continued to look around.

  She opened her mouth, but whatever she was saying was too quiet to be heard over the music pounding the air around us.

  My gaze drifted upward, scaling the vaulted ceilings until it landed on a broad-shouldered boy who had his upper half resting on the balcony railing. Well, ‘boy’ was subjective. He didn’t look too much older than me, but at the same time he was completely different to any other guy I’d ever seen, which said a lot.

  Tattoos were on both his arms, shaded sleeves on alabaster skin. He was oddly familiar and extremely attractive. His jawline was so well-defined it could cut titanium. The hair on his head was styled in a faded undercut, and so dark it had deep blue undertones. He was wearing all black, a fitted V neck and jeans, off-set with a gleaming watch.

  Our eyes met, or rather, my eyes met his. He’d already been staring down at me. My skin prickled beneath the weight of his gaze.

  The expression on his face remained unreadable until someone stepped up beside him. A brief hint of a smile touched his lips when he glanced away to speak to them. I looked over at Audrey, the silent bystander to our mini stare down. “Who is—?”

  “Rhia?”

  At the sound of Dax’s voice, I turned towards the living room just in time to see the irritation written all over his face be wiped away by a frown.

  “Surprise?” I held my hands out in front of me. He reached out and took hold of them, tugging me forward so that I was pressed against his chest.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I imagine the same thing you are. I came to enjoy a party. Why are you here?” I leaned back so I could see his features.

  “Yeah. An informant let it be known you didn’t want her here. Can’t possibly figure out why.” Audrey feigned indifference.

  Dax’s green eyes cut to her in a narrow glare.

  “Stop the bullshit, Audrey. I’m pretty sure I didn’t want you here either.”

  Oh, Dax cursing meant he was more than a little irritated. Now I was sure something was off. I cupped the side of his face, forcing his attention away from my best friend and back to me.

  “But we don’t know why you didn’t want us here. And we’re both curious.”

  I let my tone carry my true implication. If he didn’t start talking, I would flip shit right here and now without giving a single fuck. I may have been unsure of things between us, but I wouldn’t be made a fool of, either.

  “Rhia,” he sighed, running his hands up my arms. “Can we just...?”

  As if someone had called his name, he turned and looked straight up at the balcony. I followed his stare and saw my mystery guy watching the two of us with what I dared say was interest and something…darker.

  And he wasn’t the only one staring.

  Quite a few party goers had their eyes trained on us. Or rather me, which was understandable. These people would know Audrey and Dax from their school. I on the other hand was someone foreign, new, and so unlike them.

  “Let’s go talk,” Dax said. He didn’t give me a chance to object. Taking hold of my hand, he led me away from the front door. “You too,” he called over his shoulder to Audrey.

  It was much quieter beneath the gazebo.

  Of course, that was due to it being so far from the house that all I could see were the upper windows. The music and conversation were considerably less here too, since not another soul was around.

  “This is creepy, Dax. Why did you bring us all the way out here?” Audrey questioned.

  “If it was that bad you could have stayed back at the party.”

  “You told me to come, dumbass. And do you think I’d let you bring her out here alone?” She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest, which lifted her tits even higher. I was surprised they even fit in the crop top she had on, but she still looked amazing, as per usual.

  “I’d never hurt Rhia. Or you, even though you piss me off more than anyone else ever has in my life.”

  “That’s very touching, but can you tell me what’s going on?” I interjected before they could start going back and forth.

  He sighed and ran a hand through his tight curls. “Before I tell you this, just know I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

  I shared a look with Audrey. This wasn’t starting off too well.

  “Find what out?”

  “That’s just it, bae. I can’t even tell you all the details, only that you two didn’t end up here randomly.”

&n
bsp; I internally cringed at his poor choice of words He knew the use of ‘bae’ irked the hell out of me.

  “What do you mean?” Audrey laughed lightly, shaking her head. “Brianna came running up to me at the gas station and told me to come tonight. That’s not random? The two of us aren’t exactly hitting up the mall together when they have a sale.”

  I had no idea who this Brianna girl was, so I remained silent, waiting for one of them to explain.

  “If you’d taken a second to think about it, no. This was nothing more than a ruse to lure you two out. Everyone knows Rhia’s your best friend. It was a given you’d show up with her.”

  “Lure us out?” I interrupted.

  That made zero sense, seeing as we were never hidden away.

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “You’re both fresh meat in Crudele.”

  I would have laughed if he didn’t look so serious. The ‘fresh meat’ comment was somewhat offensive, but the way he said it had me more concerned than angry.

  “What the fuck does any of that mean, Dax?” Audrey snapped. “Stop being so vague.”

  “The Barrons, the Knights, the Rooks. They’re not who anyone thinks they are,” he stressed. “They’re not good people.”

  I could tell he felt strongly about this.

  He sounded as if he were on the verge of a breakdown. I couldn’t validate or debunk anything he was saying. I didn’t know any of the aristocratic families well enough to deem his words true or not. I didn’t know them at all, actually. He and Audrey were the ones who went to the same school as the younger generations.

  “How would you know any of this?” she asked him, stealing my next thought right from my brain.

  “I’m, here aren’t I? And unlike you two, I wasn’t invited. I’m supposed to be here, since I’m family.”

  Um. What? “Since when?” I asked at the same time Audrey repeated, “Family?”

  He reached for my hand, threading his fingers through mine. With another heavy sigh, he exhaled the truth in a breath of words. “The Barrons and I are cousins by marriage.”

  “I—what?”

  That was all I could manage to say. We’d been together for six months and I hadn’t so much as heard a whisper about this from anyone. I didn’t involve myself in gossip, wasn’t a fan of participating or spreading it around, but I was certainly a different kind of whore for it, always eager to receive the best parts.