“What’s the real reason you’re offering me this?” I asked, raising my chin. “No bullshit. Just the facts. What is it that makes you want me?”
Saint glanced at the other two and Kyan laughed darkly like they’d exchanged some joke.
“The three of us have darkness in us,” Saint breathed, his eyes lighting like he didn’t see that as a bad thing. “We’re all our own specific kinds of monster. And when we look at you, we can see that darkness too. We recognise one of our own. And the legend clearly states that there was always meant to be four Night Keepers-”
“You seriously believe in that Night Keeper shit?” I asked, arching a brow at them.
“You tell me,” Saint said with a shrug. “Do we inspire fear? Are we brutal beasts who thrive in the dark? Did we come and protect our people when they needed us?”
“It’s just some old legend,” I muttered, ignoring the ring of truth his words held.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Blake purred.
“You have to admit, we make the myths seem pretty damn real,” Kyan added with a smirk. “And who gives a shit if it’s magic, legend, a curse or just some assholes telling the world that this is how it is? Point is that we inspire the fear and respect of the Night Keepers, we stick to their oaths and protect our people. We still embody what the people want the Night Keepers to be. So doesn’t that make it the truth even if there is no fate or destiny involved?”
“You seem a little overwhelmed, Nash,” Saint said with a shrug. “How about we leave you to think about it and you let us know tomorrow? But I’m warning you… once you accept, you’re all in. No backing out. You live by the rules of the Night Keepers. You’re one of us for life. Blood in, blood out. That means if you’re ever in need, you have us to back you ‘til death. But we’ll expect the same in return from you. I won’t promise it will be clean, or honest. In fact, I can guarantee that the other night won’t be the only time we get our hands bloody. We’re not nice people, we will never claim to be. But our family is pure and our bond unbreakable. Monsters thrive in the company of their kind and I know that we can help nurture yours.”
He turned and headed away from me before I could respond to that insanity with Blake on his heels. Kyan smiled broadly and clapped me on the back as he leaned close to speak to me.
“There’s no turning back now, brother,” he said. “You’ve made your bed with the devil. Time to come lie in it with us.”
My jaw ticked as they strode away from me and I blew out a breath as the door swung closed behind them. Was I really going to go through with this insanity? Bind myself to those fucked up boys and their cruel existence? It could certainly help me to further my plans. And I didn’t want to admit it, but the idea of having what they had tempted me too. It must have been nice to live a life where nothing you ever did could be seen as wrong, where no one could hold you accountable. At least not yet. But I was determined to make Saint Memphis’s family pay for their crimes. So maybe taking them up on their offer was the right move.
Before I could give it any more thought, the door swung open again and Kyan stuck his head back through, the look in his eyes promising bloodshed as he grinned.
“Do you wanna come on a trial run with us, Nash?” he asked, dangling a key from his finger like I was a horse and it was a carrot.
“What kind of run?” I asked.
“The kind where you get to see how the Night Keepers deal with our enemies.”
“I’m not interested in your stupid bully games,” I replied as I strode towards him. I had a video meeting in an hour with the school governors and I needed to go over a few things before it.
“Not even when the target is Bait?”
“Jeremiah Cocker?” I asked with a frown, realising I hadn’t seen the little asswipe who’d let those fucking looters into the school at assembly. “Where is he anyway?”
“When you were rounding all the students up that night, I escorted him to his own personal quarantine quarters. Now that we know he’s not infected, we’re ready to let him out for his punishment.” Kyan’s eyes were hard and dark, a glimmer of excitement in them as he geared up for a fight. Not that I imagined that kid would pose any kind of challenge to him.
“I’ve got a lot going on,” I began as I tried to move around him, but Kyan stepped into my way.
I could see Saint and Blake waiting for us down the hall, watching with interest to see how this would play out. Whether they could bend me to their bullshit or not.
“Maybe we misjudged you then,” Kyan growled, rolling his shoulders back like he was willing to go to bat with me over this. “Because I assumed that the man I saw slide a knife into that fucker in the catacombs was standing before me now. The man who was willing to kill for Tatum Rivers. The same girl who only got attacked in the first place because that cowardly shit eater Bait let those motherfuckers into our school. The same girl who was exposed to the Hades Virus during that attack and could have fucking died?”
I wasn’t surprised by the violence in his posture, but the utter rage in his voice as he spoke about what had almost happened to Tatum took me by surprise. I’d known Kyan for a long time and I’d never known him to care about anything enough to get this riled up over it. Sure, he flipped out and attacked people all the time, using them as an outlet for his rage. But he never gave a shit like this.
And to make it worse, he’d landed on the one fucking thing I cared about in this place too. I’d been so busy being pissed at the residents of Murkwell for showing up here and causing all of that destruction that I’d totally forgotten we had a traitor in our midst.
So if the Night Keepers wanted to draw me into one of their cruel games, they’d chosen the perfect fucking one to tempt me with. In fact, he’d landed on my kryptonite. Tatum Rivers. I’d sworn to help her and protect her at all costs in the mission to bring down Saint and the Night Keepers. So if I had the opportunity to take out someone else who had hurt her then I was more than okay with that. In fact, I was quite looking forward to seeing him suffer.
“Lead the way,” I commanded and the smile that lit Kyan’s face was all beast. But I didn’t mind that at all.
Blake grinned like a kid on a Christmas Day as I approached him and even Saint cracked a smile. It was strange to see anything that warm on his ice cold features, especially directed at someone outside of his little boys’ club. Although I guessed if I took him up on his offer of joining them then I’d be privy to more of that kind of thing. He’d be letting me in, offering me friendship, which was really just a step away from trust. And as much as I found it hard to believe that these three heartless men were capable of many real, honest emotions, I did believe in their bond. It was impossible to miss. They’d built a family out of broken misfits who thrived in the torment of others and there was something kind of beautiful in the savagery of that. Not that Saint deserved to have any kind of family after what his father had cost me. But maybe accepting his invitation into this club of broken monsters was the ticket I needed to get close enough to start righting those wrongs. It was my key into Saint’s life, joining his inner circle through a fluke of coincidence and a girl who had cast a spell on all of us.
“Coming to play with the big boys then, Coach?” Blake joked, throwing an arm around my neck like we were old buddies, trying to pin me in a head lock.
I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow and I barked a laugh as he released me with a curse.
“Onwards horsey!” Kyan yelled, leaping onto Saint’s back and shouting. “Yah!”
I couldn’t help but laugh as Saint cursed him colourfully, shoving through the doors which led outside and spinning around several times until Kyan fell off.
The second his ass hit the ground, Blake leapt on him and started whaling on him, punching him in the chest as he tried to pin him down and Kyan called him a shit eating pretty boy.
Saint dove back into the fray too, helping Blake to pin Kyan down and he started yelling at me for help while he laughed. They were
playing but they weren’t going easy on each other, though I noticed they didn’t aim for the face.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I was seriously going to start wrestling in the dirt with a bunch of my students.
“What’s the matter, Monroe?” Saint asked, grunting as Kyan swung a fist into his side. “Are you a pussy?”
No fucking way is a Memphis talking to me like that and getting away with it.
I dipped my shoulder low and sprinted at them, using a football tackle to knock both Blake and Saint off of Kyan in one move.
A triumphant laugh tore from Kyan’s lips as I held out a hand to heave him to his feet and to my surprise, I grinned at him too.
“Alright, fuckwits, let’s save some of that aggression for Bait,” Saint said. He had a wild look in his eyes which said that had barely even been the warm up for whatever cruelty he had planned. I found myself wanting to be on the front row of this shit show for better or worse. I wanted to see him in action. Work out what made him tick and how to use it to my advantage.
“Last one there has to suck my dick!” Blake yelled before tearing away from us with a whoop of laughter.
The others instantly broke into a run and I found myself sprinting too, caught up in the excitement of this game and beyond giving a shit that I was supposed to be their teacher. There was something about these boys. Something that really did put them beyond the rules that everyone else lived by. And though I never would have done something like this with any of my other students, I knew that no one would question anything I did with them. That was true power. The kind that was bought and traded for in ways so much more valuable than money. And sure, they were super rich, totally fucking entitled shitbags, but that wasn’t what set them apart. There was just something more to them which lured everyone in like moths to a flame. But right now I felt like I had wings of steel, and getting close to them didn’t burn one bit. Yet.
I chased after Blake, outstripping Kyan and then Saint before breaking into a sprint as I spotted Aspen Halls up ahead.
Blake cast me a glance from the corner of his eye as I came up on him and pushed into his own burst of speed, pumping his arms as he gave everything to hold me off.
He beat me to the building by an inch and I cursed as he whooped and fist pumped like he’d just won a marathon instead of a fucking sprint up a hill that no one gave a shit about.
I snorted a laugh at him as Saint came to a halt followed by Kyan.
“Where do you want me then?” Kyan asked, dropping to his knees and opening his mouth as Blake strode forward and rolled his fly down.
“You know I don’t care where you are so long as you swallow and tell me it tastes like strawberries when I come,” Blake replied seriously and my brows inched up a moment before the two of them looked at my face and started howling with laughter.
“Did you seriously think he was gonna suck my cock in the middle of the path?” Blake asked, slapping my arm as he continued to laugh.
“We only do brother blowies back at The Temple on Thursdays,” Kyan added with a smirk as he got to his feet again. “It’s at eight sharp so don’t be late or you’ll be last to get sucked off.”
“You guys are a bunch of fucking idiots,” I commented, rolling my eyes at them, though I had to admit that hanging out with them wasn’t actually all awful. So far, anyway.
I looked around to find that Saint had already fixed his uniform so that it hung perfectly on his frame once more and he dusted down his pants again. “Animals, not idiots,” he corrected. “We don’t try and dampen our primal instincts, but I can assure you we execute our prey with cunning and precision.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed.
I fell into step with Saint, trying not to think about how fucking surreal this moment was as he led the way into the building and down the corridor until we reached the door to a janitor’s closet.
There was a rank smell in the air as we closed in on it and I scrunched my face up as I tried to figure out what it was.
“We gave him a bucket to piss and shit in,” Kyan explained with a wild grin.
My lips parted as I realised what he was implying. Bait was in that closet. He’d been in there for more than two days. Christ.
“What about food and water?” I asked, wondering if the poor kid might have already suffered enough before reminding myself of what he’d done to earn his place in there.
“Of course I gave him food and water,” Kyan said with a wicked look in his eyes.
“Yeah, a bucket of warm water, some raw potatoes, a bottle of hot sauce and a bag of frozen peas which would have defrosted before the first night was over,” Blake snorted. “It was a fucking feast.”
“No one hurts my girl and gets away with it,” Kyan shrugged and my skin prickled at his casual claiming of Tatum, but I held my tongue on the subject.
Saint ignored the conversation and moved to unlock the door, sneering as he pulled it open and we all fell silent.
Inside, all was dark but the stench was overwhelming. Bait sobbed as he crawled out of the tiny cupboard and I almost felt bad as I realised he wouldn’t have even been able to lay down flat in there. A half eaten raw potato rolled out after him and I guessed that really had been all Kyan had given him for food.
“Come on,” Saint snapped, striding away at a fast pace. “I’m not standing here with the stench of shit washing over us, we can do this outside.”
“I’m sorry,” Bait murmured, staying on the floor between me, Kyan and Blake and looking up at us like he was searching for a sympathetic face.
But there wasn’t an ounce of pity being directed his way. Blake was looking at him like he was something unpleasant on the bottom of his shoe and Kyan seemed half inclined to rip him limb from limb. My upper lip peeled back as his focus fixed on me and I backed up a few steps as he scrambled forward, reaching for my legs with filthy fingers.
“Sir, you have to help me,” Bait begged and some part of me knew that was the way this was supposed to go. But all I could see as I looked down at him was the person responsible for sending all of those students to hospital after they contracted the Hades Virus. For putting the lives of everyone here in danger. For letting that fucking animal into our home so that he could attack Tatum. For making sure my hands were stained red with blood and that I was bound to these ruthless creatures I now stood with.
“Why should I help you after what you did?” I snarled.
“Come on!” Saint shouted from the door at the end of the corridor. “If I’m waiting more than five seconds out here, I’ll get Kyan to cut your fucking nipple off!”
Kyan casually drew a hunting knife from the inside pocket of his blazer and unsheathed it with a calm look in his eyes like a psychopath.
Bait scrambled to his feet and ran after Saint in his black boxers and stained white T-shirt. I was guessing it had been hot as fuck in that little cupboard for two days straight which explained his missing pants.
As I followed him towards the exit, Blake and Kyan flanked me, the three of us prowling forward like hungry wolves intent on a kill and my blood rose in anticipation of doling out some justice.
When we made it outside, we found Bait standing before Saint in the centre of the courtyard beneath the tall flagpole which held a forest green flag flitting in the wind above us with the academy crest stamped on it.
“This is very simple,” Saint said lazily as the rest of us moved to create a circle surrounding our prey. “You do exactly what I ask when I ask it, or Kyan here will punch you every time you hesitate.”
“Can I kick him instead?” Kyan asked, tossing me the hunting knife so suddenly that I barely had time to catch it before he shrugged out of his blazer and dumped it on the ground behind him. “He’s fucking filthy and I’m willing to bet at least some of that mess on him is shit.”
“Good point,” Saint conceded as Blake chuckled. “Kyan will kick you every time you hesitate. Is that clear?”
Bait stared around at the fou
r of us as a tremble of fear shuddered through his body, his butchered copper hair lank and sweaty on his scalp.
Kyan swung his foot straight into the side of his knee and he screamed as he crumpled to the floor.
“Is. That. Clear?” Saint asked, enunciating each word as if Bait was failing to understand him.
“Yes,” Bait gasped as Kyan swung his foot back again.
“Good,” Saint replied, his eyes lighting. “Now, strip.”
“What?” Bait asked in a panic and Kyan kicked him again, catching him in the ribs this time and sending him sprawling to the bricks as Blake leapt aside so he didn’t touch him.
“The longer it takes you to remove your clothes, the more times Kyan will kick you,” Saint said lazily, like this was boring him, but the hunger in his gaze revealed that lie.
Kyan strode forward once more and Bait ripped his T-shirt off, the material getting caught on his head and one arm as he scrambled to yank it off and dark laughter poured from the lips of the Night Keepers surrounding me. I almost didn’t realise I was laughing too.
These boys bring out the darkness in me.
Bait finally managed to wrench his T-shirt off, tossing it away haphazardly so that the filthy material fell on Saint’s pristine shoes.
He sneered as he kicked it away and Kyan booted Bait again as he hesitated in fear.
“All of your clothes,” Saint snapped as Bait whimpered from his wounds.
“I’m sorry,” Bait begged as he scrambled upright again, backing away from Kyan towards me. “I only wanted to escape this place. I just wanted to leave. Why wouldn’t you let me leave?”
“Have you forgotten why we made you an Unspeakable in the first place?” Blake taunted. “We own you now, and you don’t just get to run away from your punishment.”
Bait almost backed into me so I shoved him forward, right into the centre of the circle again as Kyan smirked with glee.
“You got our girl hurt,” Kyan snarled. “Do you really think we’d just allow that to go unpunished?”
Kings of Lockdown: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep Book 2) Page 7