King of Corium: Dark Enemies to Lovers Bully Romance (Corium University Book 1)

by J. L. Beck

  “Don’t fuck with me, Matteo.”

  “But that’s what I plan to do.”

  “I swear you won’t like what happens if you don’t leave me alone,” I warn, still trying to come up with a plan in my mind. I attempt to evade him, but he grabs me by the shoulder, fisting the material of my dress. The sound of ripping fabric fills my ears, and I look down at my shoulder to find the dress half clinging to life. It’s in that split second that Matteo invades my space further, his eyes gleam with resentment, and instead of responding, he pulls his fist back and punches me in the eye.

  Pain spears the side of my face, and for half a second, I’m too shocked to even react.

  Then something inside me snaps, and I remember that I have to save myself. Matteo grabs me by the arm and starts tugging me down the hall.

  “If you had just laid down and taken my cock like the slut you are, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten hit.”

  There is no justification for what he just did, and I’m not going to lie down and be stepped on. I’m not a doormat. I’m a fucking queen. I let him drag me down the hall for a few steps before I swing my body around and knee him in his balls as hard as I can. His grip on my arm disappears as he moves to cradle his junk. I don’t wait. I spin around and run away from him as fast as I can.

  “You fucking bitch. I’m gonna kill you for this,” he groans behind me.

  My chest is heaving, and my heart thunders against my ribs as I rush down the hall, wanting to put as much distance between us as I can. In my haste to return to the dorms, with one eye half swollen shut, I fail to notice a looming figure ahead and run headfirst into him. God, no, I do not need any more problems tonight.

  “I’m glad I ran into you. Your date for the evening isn’t over yet.” Xander Rossi’s voice implodes around me, and I take a shuddering step backward. He looks at my face but doesn’t even blink or acknowledge my swelling eye. He doesn’t care. I’m a means to an end for him. The enemy’s daughter.

  But I made the choice tonight to save myself, to fight back, even just a little. The words my father spoke to me the other day enter my mind.

  I put as much conviction as I can muster into my next sentence. “I know it was you, and if you don’t let me go, I’ll tell Q.” I have no idea what I am referring to, but the shocked expression Xander gives me is enough to keep me from admitting that out loud.

  Xander stands a little taller, and I do the same, meeting his gaze head-on. I pray he doesn’t realize I’m bluffing and have no idea what I am talking about.

  “Good evening, Aspen. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

  I shiver at the meaning behind those words, but I don’t say anything. Like a mouse, I scurry past him, only stopping once I reach my room. Once inside, I kick my shoes off, fall to my knees, and start sobbing.

  31

  QUINTON

  Aspen excuses herself, claiming she needs to use the restroom. I know it’s nothing but a shit excuse to escape the party. Matteo leaves a few minutes later, and I have to forcefully restrain myself from going after the fucker. I’m tempted to go back to my dorm and crash for the night, but there’s this niggling in the back of my mind that tells me to check on Aspen first.

  I’m still in my tux, but I’ve made a habit of keeping Aspen’s room key on me at all times, even today. I pull the card out of my pocket and swipe it at her door. It unlocks with a low beep, and I push into her room.

  Aspen is on the bed, curled up in a fetal position, facing away from me. She is still wearing the red dress, her back mostly exposed with her blanket only partly covering her body. Her shoulders are shaking, and quiet sobs meet my ears. She is crying, which has me worried. She hardly ever cries. As a matter of fact, I’ve only seen her cry once.

  Closing the door behind me, I walk into the room and sit down on the edge of her bed. When I reach out to touch her shoulder, I notice that her dress is ripped on the side, like someone tried to tear it off her. Rage spreads through my veins like a wildfire.

  “Aspen.” I place my hand on her back, but she just shrugs away. “Aspen, tell me what happened.”

  “Go away.” She sniffles. “You broke your side of the deal.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You said you would keep Matteo away from me. You didn’t. Our deal is off.”

  “Aspen, look at me,” I order, getting more and more irritated with her. “What do you mean by that? Did he touch you?”

  Grabbing her by the hips, I roll her toward me. She struggles, trying to push me away, but I don’t budge until her face is turned toward me, and I see how swollen and bruised her eye is. Motherfucker.

  “What else did he do?” I ask through clenched teeth. If he raped her, I’ll kill him no matter the fucking rules.

  “I got away before he could do more. I protected myself since you didn’t hold up your end of the bargain. Now, please leave.” She turns away from me again, and this time, I’ll let her. Mostly because I can’t stand seeing her this weak and vulnerable. The darkest part of me calls out to hurt her, exploit her weakness and use that vulnerability against her. I know if I don’t walk away now, I will do just that. I will hurt her when she is already down, and that would probably break her.

  Getting up, I head for the door, ready to get far away from her before I change my mind.

  “Quinton…” she says so softly I almost miss it. My hand freezes inches before the doorknob.

  “Yes.” I look at her over my shoulder.

  “Are you really the only person who has a key to my room?” Her voice is shaky and raw with emotions. She’s scared, and though part of me likes her scared, I want to be the one who controls her fears. If she is going to be afraid of a monster, it will be me, and only me.

  “I promise, no one is going to come into your room besides me. I’m the only one with a key, and I have it on me at all times.”

  “Okay…” She curls deeper into herself, and the urge to curl up next to her is tugging on my chest, pulling me toward her like an invisible force. I know if I get into that bed right now, I won’t leave until the morning, and I can’t stay here another night, but I also don’t want to leave right this second.

  I shrug out of my tux jacket and hang it over the desk chair. Rolling up my sleeves and unbuttoning the top of my shirt, I try to get a bit more comfortable as I sit down on the ground next to her bed. I lean my back against the side and tip my head back against the mattress.

  She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t have to. I know she is glad I’m staying, no matter what she says out loud. I know she wants me to protect her. I know she is scared, and she turns to me for comfort. I also know that she shouldn’t, just like I shouldn’t feel the need to defend her.

  Yet, here we are, needing each other in some weird fucked-up way that should have never happened. One thing is clear. This… whatever this is, it’s not going to end well.

  It’s the only thing I can think about while I sit here staring off into space. Time ticks by, and I feel my own eyes growing heavy. It’s tempting to stay here, but I can’t.

  I need to be back at my apartment. Scarlet is there, and every minute I’m here is time I’m wasting not spending with her. It doesn’t take long for Aspen to fall asleep, not with the comfort of my protection surrounding her. I hate seeing her eye black and blue. It makes me feel things I shouldn’t, a rage that has nothing to do with anger but with the need to claim, and that’s terrifying.

  Once I’m sure Aspen isn’t going to wake up, I push off the floor and grab my jacket. I give her one last parting glance before I leave the room, shutting the door quietly behind me.

  The corridor is deserted, and thankfully so. I don’t need to have a run-in with anyone right now. My temper is already on edge, and to start a fight with my father here is asking to get my ass beat.

  The apartment is quiet when I walk inside. I’m not surprised everyone went to bed after the excitement of the ball. There’s no Scarlet on the couch, so I assume she’s in
my bedroom. As soon as I step inside the room and flick on the light, I see her squirming on the bed. She’s pretending to be asleep, I’m sure of it, but who sleeps with their legs moving on the mattress.

  “I know you’re awake, and I know you’re going to ask me a million and one questions, so get to it, so we can go to bed before the sun starts to rise.”

  Not even a second after I’ve started to speak does the blanket get tossed to the floor, and Scarlet sits up on the bed, her legs crossed, her eyes filled with wonder.

  “Who is she? How long have you been friends with her? Why didn’t you take her on a date since you clearly like her?” The questions all come out at once like word vomit.

  “Aspen is a friend,” I lie. I’m not about to tell her what she really is to me. “And I wouldn’t say I like her. I tolerate her, more or less.”

  Scarlet gives me a look, the kind that says: I know more than you think. “You don’t have to lie to me, brother. I know you like her.”

  I almost laugh. If Scarlet knew the things I’ve done to Aspen, she would change her mind. “You think I like her?”

  Scarlet nods her head, a smile on her lips. “Yes, and I think she likes you too. I don’t know why you and Matteo didn’t just switch dates. Neither of you seemed happy with your selections.” Sometimes, I forget how intuitive she is to her surroundings.

  “Even if I wanted to, I can’t like her. Aspen is Clyde Mather’s daughter. The same guy who snitched on Dad and caused our house to be raided,” I explain.

  “Oh.” Scarlet’s smile falters, and sadness flickers through her eyes as she remembers that day.

  A spark of curiosity ignites in my brain. “You wouldn’t be mad if I liked Aspen?”

  “What happened wasn’t her fault, and I can’t blame her for something her parents did.” She looks away for a long moment, and sadness creeps onto her face. I toss my jacket onto the desk and cross the room, ready to console her, when she lifts a hand and looks back at me.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s just, I haven’t seen you interested in anything as much as it seems you’re interested in her, not since Adela’s death.”

  Suddenly, the air feels heavier, and every breath I take is weighted. “What she and I share. It’s not like that…”

  “No, stop. I’m happy to see you like this, and believe it or not, I like her too. She’s sweet and pretty.” A smile lights up her face once more, and my heart starts to beat normally again. Scarlet is all I have left, and to hurt her in any way would wound me beyond repair.

  “I’m glad you like her, and I agree, she’s very pretty.” I smile.

  Scarlet’s smile becomes a fully-fledged grin. “I knew you liked her. You can’t lie to me, Q. I know you better than you think!” She punches the air with her fist like she won some unknown victory, and I roll my eyes, gathering up my pajamas for bed.

  “Sure, you do. When I get back in here, you better be ready to go to sleep.”

  “What are you talking about? I was already sleeping, but then you came in and rudely woke me up.”

  “Right, sure you were, with snakes for legs.”

  “Shut up!” She laughs and tosses a pillow at me.

  These are the things I miss. I need these moments because without them, without the little glimpses of light, I’m afraid I might be eaten by the darkness that continually grows like a cancer that can’t be beat. Aspen helps keep the monsters at bay, but what happens when that’s not enough? What happens when the need for control overpowers me? I don’t allow myself to dwell on the thought longer, not when it hits me that if Scarlet realized I showed an interest in Aspen, then our parents definitely did as well.

  32

  ASPEN

  The next morning, my head is pounding, and before I even head to the cafeteria for breakfast, I pop some Advil into my mouth and swallow it down with some bottled water. I give the medicine a few minutes to work and get dressed.

  Things go from bad to worse when I build up the courage to look in the mirror and discover that my black eye has gotten blacker and even more swollen.

  “Just my luck!” I growl to no one but myself.

  The black eye forces me to go through my clothing once more, and I find a hoodie in the mess of clothes. Staring at my reflection, I try to conjure up some type of plan. If I leave my hair down and put the hood up, I should be able to hide the black eye, that’s if I don’t have to look at anyone. Doubt starts to flicker in my mind. The idea is going to backfire on me. I just know it, but it’s the only option I have. I can’t stay in my room and not eat.

  Once my stomach starts to growl angrily, I know I can’t hide any longer and slip out of my room and into the hall. I was exhausted last night and ended up sleeping a little longer than usual, so the corridor is congested with people.

  Things are no better once I get to the cafeteria. I’m not looking forward to my smoothie, but it’s better than eating nothing. Normally, I’m the only person waiting for food, but there is already a line of students, so I get in line with everyone else.

  I try to ignore the looks I’m getting or at least the looks I think I’m getting. I’m doing my best to keep my head down and my face shielded by my hair, so I don’t have to explain the black eye, or better yet, be mocked and told I deserved it.

  The line is moving slowly, and the tiny hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end as if to warn me of something coming. Looking over my shoulder, I spot Q, Ren, Luna, and Scarlet walking into the cafeteria.

  “Shit!” I mutter under my breath.

  The line moves, and I go along with it. At least a few people are behind me, which means they probably won’t even see me. When I get to the front, I scan my card like I always do.

  “Your shake is not ready yet. You’ll have to wait.”

  “Ugh, can’t you just give me some eggs or something? Please, I don’t want to wait.”

  “Too bad, princess. Wait, or you’ll get nothing.”

  “I’ll take nothing then.” I’m already halfway spun around and ready to walk back to my room, no matter how hungry I am, when the guy behind the counter stops me.

  “Wait! You already scanned your card.”

  “So? Just hit cancel, or let it go through. I don’t care if it comes off my account.” I shrug.

  “You scanned, so you’ll have to get your food.”

  “I don’t want it anymore. Hit cancel,” I repeat. I know damn well this guy is only trying to make things difficult for me, so I cross my arms in front of my chest and stare him down.

  “Are you trying to tell me how to do my job now? I told you to fucking wait. It shouldn’t be that hard to understand, even for you.”

  “God, who pissed in your cereal this morning?” The staff here has been less than friendly to me, but they never treated me this badly.

  “Can you go anywhere without causing trouble?” Ren’s voice cuts in.

  I want to give him a snide response, but I’ll keep the ‘Don’t you go anywhere without being a dick’ to myself. Turning away from everyone, I lean against the wall and look away from them, but of course, even that is not enough for Ren.

  “Come on, Luna. We’ll eat up at the castle with Mom and Dad. I don’t want you around her. Q, are you coming?”

  “I really want to eat here,” Scarlet whines, and I’m a little shocked by her speaking up at all. “I want the full school experience.”

  “You do what you want; we’re leaving.”

  I watch them go out of the corner of my eye but don’t turn back around, not until someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around carefully, half expecting someone to mess with me. Instead, I find Scarlet’s smiling face. “Here, you can have this. I’m a vegetarian,” she lies and gives me her plate. I know she is lying because I watched her eat last night, and that steak she ate wasn’t very vegetarian-like.

  I glance over at Q, whose facial expression doesn’t give anything away. It’s like he is just watching his sister and me from the outside bu
t not wanting to interfere or react.

  “Thank you,” I say honestly and take the plate from her.

  “What happened to your eye?” Her eyebrows draw together in concern.

  “Oh… I fell. Not used to walking in those heels.”

  She clearly doesn’t buy it but doesn’t ask any more questions either. She turns back to the guy behind the counter. “I need another plate, veggie omelet, please.”

  While she is momentarily distracted, I use the opportunity to slip away. I find a seat in the corner of the cafeteria, where no one else is sitting, and start eating my food. I clear my plate in record time and return my tray to the kitchen before heading for the door.

  I almost make it out the door when my eyes catch on Quinton’s table. It’s only him and Scarlet sitting and eating breakfast. His sister is laughing at something he says, and for some reason, that makes me smile. I’m happy for them, truly I am, but beneath that happiness lies jealousy.

  I don’t want to be jealous, but I can’t help how I feel about it. I am jealous, yearning for that same sense of happiness only family can give you. I’m jealous that they can sit out here and don’t have to worry about someone attacking them, and I’m sad that Quinton would never publicly eat a meal with me.

  Those thoughts stay with me as I rush back to my room. Even when I’m closing the door behind me and turning the lock, I don’t feel safe anymore. Not that I ever really felt safe in my dorm room, but now even less so. As long as Xander Rossi is here, no room in the school will be safe for me.

  Slipping out of my shoes, I fall into my bed and curl up in a ball. The events of last night and this morning keep replaying in my mind. I still don’t know what Xander did, but it must be bad if he doesn’t want Quinton to know. I play with the idea of telling him the whole thing, but that’ll probably backfire. Like Quinton always says, my mouth is going to get me in trouble.

  I decide to take my mind off reality and grab a book off my nightstand. I’ll try to get lost in the pages, but after two chapters, my eyes keep falling shut, and I finally give in and put the book aside.