By the time I exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around me, my heart was pounding out a merciless beat. My gaze fell on a black bikini laid out perfectly on the bed with white feathers hanging from the hips of the bottoms and the base of the top. I took a moment to mentally prepare myself for this night. I had to play the part of the Night Bound. I had to ensure they never suspected that Monroe and I had a plan, a pact to bring them to their knees. So I had to behave from now on.
I dropped my towel, letting it pool at my feet as I grabbed the bottoms and pulled them on before tying the bikini top into place. The feathers tickled my flesh and goosebumps rushed across my arms as the cool air kissed my skin. It wasn’t exactly a great time of year to wear a bikini, but I didn’t want to rock the Saint boat again tonight by refusing. I’d be the obedient little servant and play their games, all while secretly slipping Monroe under their defences to join me in battle.
Once I’d done my makeup, I lifted my chin, tossing my long hair over my shoulders as I walked downstairs and concealed the nerves warring through my body as I descended.
The four of them stood waiting for me in the lounge, their hands wet with paint. On top of their heads were simple crowns, dark enough that they looked like iron, the metal twisted and imperfect like they’d been shaped by strength alone. Their eyes ate into my flesh hungrily, even Monroe looked like a starving creature amongst them as they closed in on me.
“Hold your hair up, Barbie,” Saint instructed and I did as he asked, my breathing growing shallow as they formed a ring around me. Standing between them felt intoxicating, their scents combining until their purely deadly concoction nearly overwhelmed me.
Monroe stood in front of me, his chest heaving, his throat moving up and down as he swallowed. There was a question in his eyes that said he needed to know what Saint had done to me, but the rest of his features were a mask that made him look as frightening as the rest of them. If I hadn’t known he was my teacher, I would have assumed he’d been one of them for a long time. And that was kind of terrifying.
As one, they laid their hands on my body, branding me with their palms and I couldn’t help my reaction as I inhaled sharply at the kiss of the cold paint, a chill running down my spine like a shard of ice.
Kyan gripped my right arm, curling his fingers around the crook of my elbow and leaving a red print there. Saint pressed his hands to my shoulder blades, sending a shiver racing through me. His flesh against mine after what he’d done to me felt like something I should reject with all my soul, but my body had other ideas, my back arching into him instinctively. Goddammit, why did I crave my tormentors? What sick part of me was responsible for that? And why couldn’t I smother her with a pillow until she stopped kicking?
My lips parted as Blake dropped down to his knees, pressing his palm against my left thigh while Monroe followed suit, kneeling and wrapping his hand around my right calf. My breaths were coming too heavily and I couldn’t conceal it in the skimpy bikini, my chest heaving as they worked around me, Saint’s music assaulting my ears.
They finally finished and Kyan slapped a hand to my ass with a smirk. “All done.”
I shoved his chest in retaliation and he grinned devilishly like he enjoyed that.
“Now for the finishing touches,” Saint purred from behind me and my skin tingled as he wrapped a silken cloak over my shoulders and Blake moved forward with a silver pin in the shape of an arrow, clasping it in place at my throat. Kyan caught my eye as he spun a silver crown around his finger, the item far more delicate than theirs, encrusted with a line of gemstones that surely couldn’t be diamonds?
Kyan took the spot in front of me, reaching up to place it on my head and a bolt of adrenaline ran deep into my veins.
“No…too perfect,” he said with a frown, running his thumb over my lips and smearing my red lipstick. “Better.”
“For fuck’s sake, Kyan,” Saint growled, but he didn’t make a move to fix it. I imagined him sharing me with the others went entirely against his nature, but he somehow seemed to be managing it.
My jaw tightened and I gazed coolly at Kyan, ignoring the blazing heat travelling down into the pit of my belly as he drank me in. I was dressed up for them tonight, but for once they’d dressed me as a dark queen. And royalty bowed to no one. Not even each other. It made me feel quietly powerful, because when I was through with them, I’d be a true queen and they would be dethroned, cast at my feet and begging for mercy.
“Let’s go,” Blake growled, leading the way out.
Saint had a pair of strappy flat sandals waiting for me by the door and I tugged the cloak tighter around me as I put them on and the cold air swept in from outside.
“I’ll keep you warm, baby,” Kyan said, wrapping his arm around me. I didn’t even care to remove it, happy to take his warmth. It was the least he owed me.
Saint and Blake moved either side of Monroe ahead of us, flanking him possessively, their arms occasionally brushing his like they’d accepted him into the fold already.
The sound of the drums grew louder from the beach and as we drew closer, a huge bonfire caught my eye between the trees. The scent of smoke carried on the breeze and laughter danced in the air.
My heart thumped in time with the building beat of the drums as we veered off of the lamp-lit pathway down the track that led onto Sycamore Beach. The ground softened to sand beneath my feet and I could feel the blazing heat of the flames already, the huge fire roaring at the centre of the beach.
A cheer sounded that echoed right up to the sky and it took me a second to realise the entirety of the school were here, hollering for us. Though maybe it was stupid not to have realised it sooner. The Night Keepers were practically gods around here. And after they’d driven the looters out of the gates, I guessed it seemed like they really were deities. But they weren’t the sweet, forgiving kind of all-powerful beings. They were wrathful, vengeful gods who demanded sacrifices in blood.
I spotted Mila amongst the crowd in a cute red dress, waving to me with a slight look of concern on her face as she took in my attire. I gave her a smile which told her I was okay and she offered me one in return that said fuck those pricks. Danny caught her attention from behind, wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss on her cheek. She leaned back into him with a laugh as he whispered in her ear and my heart tugged as I wondered what it would be like to have a normal relationship like that. With a normal boy. Probably very different to being bound to three assholes and my headmaster in what could only be described as a five-way relationshit. Although, if I was being completely honest, I didn’t want to be treated like a princess. I wanted to be treated like a fearsome queen from a barbaric land who enjoyed being roughed up a bit. Like, just a bit.
Beyond Mila, the football team were crowing and pumping their fists. Toby Rosner - formerly Punch – was amongst them, grinning from ear to ear as he was accepted back into the fold, though a bunch of the footballers were clearly still ignoring him. It made me kind of sad for him. He’d been through enough. But I guessed at least he wasn’t an outcast anymore.
Several of the Unspeakables rushed forward wearing black clothes which singled them out from the party, their foreheads marked with a white U. Squits and Freeloader hurried to plant drinks in our hands and I was surprised when I was given a dark and stormy, my favourite. I opened my mouth to thank them but Kyan yanked me closer to his side, glaring at them as they scurried away to the shadows at the back of the beach. Asshole.
My lungs constricted as I spotted Bait there wearing a faceless white mask. The Night Keepers had demanded he wear it at all times, not allowing him to speak with anyone after what he’d done by letting the looters into the school. Some of the footballers spotted him and Chad McCormack led a group of them over to him with Toby in their ranks. They lined up in front of Bait then turned to give him their backs, bending down and throwing sand at him between their legs. He yelped as they half buried him and my heart hardened at the sight. I couldn’t find it in
me to forgive him for what he’d done. People had caught the Hades Virus from the looters. Students we rubbed shoulders with every day were now in hospital because of him. They might die. How dare he endanger us all like that?
“Chug your drink,” Kyan dared and I glanced at him as he tossed his own Jack Daniels down his throat with a smirk.
The atmosphere was infectious and I needed the buzz to get through this night anyway so I swallowed my drink in a few gulps and Kyan snatched my glass, tossing it into the sand with his own for the Unspeakables to pick up. I didn’t like being waited on by my friends, but it wasn’t like I had much of a choice. And raising a petition for the Unspeakables’ rights wasn’t exactly possible. Especially when they wouldn’t even vouch for themselves.
“Time to shine, Cinders.” Blake turned back and Saint rested a hand on Monroe’s shoulder, glancing at us with a wicked glint in his eyes that made my heart jolt.
Blake moved to my other side and he and Kyan suddenly bent down, grabbing one of my legs each and launching me up into the air. I cried out in surprise as their shoulders locked together and they sat me between them, their hands remaining tight around my ankles. I braced myself on the backs of their necks as they walked forward and another wild cheer filled the air, making my toes curl with nerves.
Blake painted circles on my ankle bone with his finger and a carnal heat spread between my thighs. I shifted my hands and knotted them in their hair instead, pulling tight enough that I knew it would hurt. If they were going to carry me like royalty, then royalty I would be.
They followed Monroe and Saint over to the fire and the crowd parted to make a path for us, the students crying out in excitement and pumping their fists in the air. The drums stopped beating and someone started playing Monsters by Ruelle, my heart ticking as the music fell over me.
The Sacred Stone was illuminated in the glow of the fire on the verge of the water, the paintings on it seeming to move and ripple in the light. Though I knew it held no real power, seeing it again made my skin feel too tight. It was a solid reminder of the invisible chains which bound me to the Night Keepers. And I didn’t want to look at it for too long.
The crowd quietened down as Freeloader rushed forward and planted an overturned apple crate in front of Saint. He stepped up onto it, ushering her away before straightening his crown, his mouth twisting down at the corners. His cloak billowed around him in the breeze and my heart beat wildly at the sight of him, framed by the fire, looking like a creature of purest sin.
“Tonight, Nash Monroe will take the place of the fourth Night Keeper!” Saint called out and everyone started screaming and clapping. “It’s time to initiate your new king!”
Monroe glanced at me, his eyes glittering with darkness, determination and if I wasn’t mistaken….devotion. I didn’t know what I’d done to earn this secret guardian angel. But if he was my protector, I’d be his in return. We were entangled so deeply with the Night Keepers now, there was no going back. Either we’d fail and pay dearly, or we’d win and destroy these three beasts. It was clear we were both willing to offer up whatever price was necessary. But I wasn’t going to let him lose himself in the destruction of these monsters. When it came down to it, I was willing to bleed for our victory so he didn’t have to.
Because Saint was an overachiever and a perfectionist, he’d planned out the entire coronation ritual down to every fucking detail and he took the lead as he drew Monroe to stand before the Sacred Stone.
With a strike of his hand, the drums and the crowd fell deathly silent and the silence was only broken by the crackle of the bonfire and the lapping of the waves against the shore.
Tatum was still balanced on mine and Blake’s shoulders, watching the show with her hands fisted in our hair and I didn’t mind being beneath her like that one bit. There were eyes on all of us as the rest of the school looked on in reverent silence and I noticed more than a few jealous gazes landing on her from some of the girls in the crowd. And a few lust filled looks from guys too. I took note of who was salivating over our girl so I knew who to beat up later.
“The legend says that there were four Night Keepers,” Saint called, as he reached into a pocket concealed in his cape and drew a human skull from it, holding it out for all to see.
There were more than a few gasps of shock and terror and that made the sadist in me perk up his little bastard ears hungrily.
I’d totally helped Saint pillage the crypts for that thing and he’d sanitised it especially for this. Assuming a skull could be sanitised. I mean, who fucking knew? A brain had definitely rotted away in there at some point, so I was willing to bet some of that lingered. But fuck it, I wasn’t the one who was going to have to deal with that anyway.
“Myself, Kyan and Blake rose to our positions years ago,” Saint went on. “But we ached for the final position in our circle to be filled. Even finding our Night Bound tribute wasn’t enough to fill the void. But now, we’ve finally found someone worthy of our title. Who here thinks Nash Monroe stands as a god among men awaiting his ascension?”
The crowd roared their agreement, their gratitude for him defending them from the looters coupled with a healthy dose of booze and a splash of Saint’s dramatics driving them into a frenzy. They knew Nash had what it took to be one of us. They could see in him that thing they all lacked. A demon, ready to fight and feast and fuck until his blackened soul had had enough. And if he was anything like me then that time would never come. The four of us were kindred spirits. And after tonight, we’d be bound together as brothers until death came to claim our tarnished souls.
While everyone was screaming, Saint moved to the lakeshore and dunked the skull into it, filling the top half with water before stalking towards Monroe and placing it in his hands.
“By the water of the lake which our kind have guarded for all of time!” Saint bellowed, pulling a knife from his pocket and pressing the tip of it to his finger until blood welled. “And by the blood of your brothers, you will be reborn as one of us.” He held his finger over the skull full of water and let a drop of blood fall into it.
Saint used the knife to prick my finger then Blake’s as the crowd held their breath and we added our blood to the water too.
Monroe eyed the concoction like it was poison and I smirked to myself, glad I didn’t have to drink that bloody lake piss as Saint went on.
“Do you pledge yourself to the dark, Nash Monroe?” Saint demanded. “To a life ruled by night as you take up the mantel of Night Keeper and protect our people with the wrath of monsters?”
“I do,” Monroe snarled, his jaw set with determination.
“Then drink! And bind yourself to us for all of time. Even in death our souls will be linked and in life our brotherhood will never be broken!” Saint roared hungrily and I cheered along with him as everyone else took up the cry too.
My heart pounded as Nash lifted the skull above his head, refusing to balk as he tipped it up and water poured from the empty eye sockets and cascaded into his open mouth, running over his jaw and down his bare chest.
Tatum’s grip in my hair tightened as she watched and as I looked up at her, I found her blue eyes blazing with excitement, making me wonder if she didn’t mind having a new owner quite so much after all.
The crowd of students surrounding us on the beach went wild, whooping and cheering to the beat of the drums as they started up again to a deep and ominous rhythm.
They were chanting his name, our names, yelling out for the spirits of the night to bless us even though I was willing to bet they’d be more inclined to curse us. But whatever way, they were screaming our names like we were gods and I could admit that the pampered, privileged sonofabitch in me didn’t mind that at all.
My attention was locked on the eyes of our newest brother and the hunger in his steely gaze made my heart pound with excitement. This was right. I felt it down to my bones. He’d been born to be one of us, destined to complete our circle. The darkness in him ached for it just as mine d
id, as Blake’s and Saint’s did. And even as Tatum’s did.
I held Tatum’s foot in my left hand, supporting her so she didn’t fall and I smirked as I reached up to clasp her knee with my other hand.
Tatum’s grip in my hair tightened enough to send a shiver of pain along my scalp and I growled as she forced me to look up at her, a warning and a dare in her big blues.
I shifted my hand again so that I was clasping her thigh half way between her knee and hip, my fingers digging in almost enough to grant her that bite of pain which I yearned for so much.
Her eyes blazed and I could tell she was contemplating telling me off even though her body was begging for more and that was just where I wanted her. In fact, I fully intended to push her into begging before this night was through.
As if she could read my mind, Tatum yanked on my hair hard enough to tilt my head right back so that I was looking up at the crescent moon in the sky above. She leaned a little closer to me as she spoke and my gaze fell captive to her lips.
“That look in your eyes says you’ll be earning yourself a punishment before tonight is through,” she warned and my breath caught as her eyes flashed at that idea. She wanted it, yearned for it. Her own monster was salivating for vengeance just as keenly as mine always hungered for bloodshed. And I was struck with the desire to offer myself up for her to do her worst, a willing sacrifice for a hungry goddess.
“That’s a promise, baby,” I purred just as Monroe stepped away from the Sacred Stone and Saint beckoned me forward.
We approached them and Saint lifted his arms towards Tatum in offering. I could see his control slipping a little as he gave in to the excitement of this night. Just enough to let his demon show. Just enough to make him the kind of unpredictable which often led to violence. My heart was pounding at the mere thought of it.
Tatum only hesitated a moment before releasing her grip on us and dropping into Saint’s arms.
Kings of Lockdown: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep Book 2) Page 10