Bury Me (Willow Heights Prep Academy: The Elite Book 3)

by Selena

  I don’t know how I can still come for this boy, not when he’s hurt me like he has. Not when it was all a setup from the start. I seethe under him even as I lie there catching my breath, feeling him fill me and complete me in a way no one else can.

  Or maybe it’s not that no one else can. It’s just that he happens to be here, just like he happened to be there the night he took my virginity.

  “Damn, that’s hot,” Devlin murmurs into my neck, his cock still full and straining inside me. “I love it when you cum on my cock. When I feel your cunt throbbing like that, it sends me over the edge.”

  He pulls out and finishes on my stomach, his hot cum burning into my skin like a brand, claiming me as his own. He sinks onto me and cradles me in his arms, laying his head on my chest like he always does, like nothing happened.

  I don’t say anything. I’m too angry and hurt, and I’m afraid I’ll cry if he looks at me.

  “Guess I know how to make you feisty now,” he says, his breath still coming fast.

  “Your grandfather set this all up?” I ask at last, when I can’t bear him holding me like a treasure when I know the truth now. That it’s all a lie.

  “You knew that,” he says, not bothering to lift his head.

  “No, I fucking didn’t,” I snap. “I didn’t know, you asshole. I didn’t know this was a fucking lie.”

  “This isn’t a lie,” he says, drawing back to look down at me. “You knew it wasn’t real at first. I told you that morning. That doesn’t have anything to do with this, Crystal.”

  “I didn’t know you didn’t even want to fuck me,” I shoot back. “At least you could have wanted that.”

  “I do,” he says, giving me a funny look. “I just dragged you out of school because I couldn’t wait two minutes to fuck you. That’s how crazy you make me, Sugar.”

  “Get off me,” I say, shoving him again.

  This time, he obeys, sitting up and tucking himself into his pants. “Why are you doing this?” he asks. “You knew from the start that I only took your virginity to break you—and your family. That doesn’t mean I didn’t want it.”

  “I thought it was your plan,” I say. “I didn’t know someone else told you to do that. I didn’t know you didn’t even want to get in my pants, that you only did it because someone was forcing you to.”

  He doesn’t say anything, and I know it’s true. He already told me that he doesn’t sleep around, so why would I think he’d fuck me when I was barely more than a stranger? It’s not because I was special to him, not because he knew even when he wouldn’t admit it to himself, or even because he was so attracted to me that he got carried away. No, it’s because someone made him do it.

  I turn to the door, but Devlin grabs my hand. “Crystal, what’s this about?” he asks. “What does it matter if it was my plan or someone else’s? No, I didn’t plan to fuck you that day. I was pissed at myself when I woke up and couldn’t remember if I’d done something stupid while I was drunk. I don’t fuck around. You know that. But I wanted you so bad I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Great. So I only got you because you happened to wake up horny, and I happened to be there.”

  “No, Crystal,” he says, taking my hand. “You got me because when I woke up in that room with you, it was fate. I’ve been yours from the moment I made you cum for the first time. I never knew I could make a girl feel that good. But I knew I never wanted to stop.”

  “Well, I’m glad I make you feel so fucking special,” I snap.

  “You knew the truth,” he insists. “I’m sorry I did that to you, God, I’m so fucking sorry. You have no idea how much I wish I could go back and do it over, make it different for you. Make it special.”

  “Well, you can’t,” I say. “And now I have to know that not only did it mean nothing to you, but you didn’t even want to do it in the first place. You were just going along with some creepy old man who apparently thought fucking me would ruin my family. So maybe before you obey him next time, you should think about what kind of sixty-year-old man goes around picking high school girls he wants his grandkids to fuck.”

  “I have,” Devlin says, his voice harder now. “You know we broke with him when we got arrested.”

  “He broke with you,” I correct. “And did you tell them it was him all along, that he’s the one who fucked up my brother so bad I don’t think he’ll ever be the same? Did you rat him out, Devlin? Or did you try to take the fall for him, too?”

  “I told them what I knew,” he says quietly. “About my family and about yours.”

  “Don’t bring my family into this,” I growl. “That had nothing to do with them.”

  “Then tell me this,” he says. “Why would my grandfather put Royal in his own house first, where anyone knows to search if they suspect him, when he could have put him in that basement all along? Why would he take him out of there and put him in my father’s attic? How could one sixty-year-old man get a guy Royal’s size up a ladder?”

  I glare at him, my heart hammering in my chest. I don’t want to hear this. I can’t. I can’t think about what he’s saying, can’t let him convince me they make sense. “Why don’t you tell me?” I grit out at last.

  “You can’t hide from the truth about your family forever, Crystal,” he says, taking my hand and lacing his fingers through mine.

  “Yes, I can,” I whisper, my throat tight. “I’ve been doing it all my life.”

  “So I’m supposed to tell you all my fucked up family drama, supposed to cut ties with them and paint them as the bad guys in all this, and you’re just going to go on pretending your family is perfect. And I’m supposed to go along with that?”

  “Yes,” I say again.

  “Okay,” he says after a long pause. “If that’s what it takes to be with you, I’ll do it.”

  “No,” I say, a tear forming on my lashes. “That’s not fair. And this isn’t fair, either, Devlin. We can’t keep doing this. You knew it had to end, so we might as well do it now. It was all based on a lie, anyway.”

  “I’m not letting you go again,” he says. “Whatever I have to do to convince you this is real, whatever I have to believe, I’ll do it. I love you, Crystal. I’m not walking away from this.”

  “You don’t have to,” I say, taking a deep breath, sucking up the tears and the feeling that my insides are being turned inside out. I reach for the door, but Devlin grabs my other hand.

  We stare at each other, both our hands linked. Devlin swallows, his ocean eyes searching mine. I know what’s below the frozen surface now. I know the boy with all the confusion and conflicting feelings and loyalties, the hurt from a messy past and the name that promises him an exalted future in this town. And I know that if I stay with him, he’s going to lose that. That’s the only thing that gives me the strength to speak.

  “You have to let me go,” I whisper.

  “If you can honestly tell me that you’ll find someone who can love you like I do, I’ll go.”

  I can’t tell him that. But I don’t need someone to love me like he does. Our love is poison. There’s a reason everyone wants to keep us apart. They’re right to. We’re destroying each other, and if I’m the only one strong enough to walk away, then that’s what I’ll do. That’s what Dolces are best at. Running when things get too hard.

  I pull my hands from Devlin’s, open the door, and step out of the car. He says my name, but I close the door before he can say more. I’m not strong this time. My legs are shaking, my breath coming in hiccupping gasps as I take a step, every fiber of my being telling me to stop, to turn around, to dive back into the safety of his arms where the pain doesn’t grip my veins as if my blood has died without his oxygen to fuel it.

  I take another step, and another. Each step doesn’t hurt less, but by the time I reach the walkway, I’ve grown accustomed to the pain. That’s when I feel eyes on me. I pause, glancing around. At first, I don’t see anything. Then the door to Baron’s Tesla swings open, and Royal steps out.
/>   eighteen

  Crystal

  “Get in the car.”

  Royal’s voice is hard and flat, so cold I might be scared if I had anything left to feel right now. I don’t have the energy to fight with him, so I walk over to the Tesla, parked in the front row where Devlin used to park. Royal’s lip is swollen and bleeding a little, and when I get to the car, I see King in the driver’s seat. He looks a little banged up, too. I climb in without a word of protest. Royal climbs back in the passenger seat, and we take off.

  “What happened?” I ask when we’re on the road. “Did you get into another fight?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” King says.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Did you think you were the only one who could skip school?” Royal asks.

  “We got worried,” King says. “We heard what happened at lunch. So we came to find you.”

  “Did you…” I swallow hard, shame washing over me. “When did you…?”

  “If you don’t want people seeing Devlin fucking you, don’t do it in front of the whole world,” Royal snaps.

  “You were watching me have sex?” I ask, anger and humiliation raging inside me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Nobody wants to see his enemy nailing his sister,” King says. “Or… anyone nailing his sister. Trust me on that.”

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask.

  “We’re going to go talk to Dad, see what he wants to do about this.”

  “I ended it,” I say. “I just told Devlin we couldn’t see each other anymore.”

  “Was that before or after his dick was inside you?” Royal asks, twisting around to glare at me in the back seat.

  I cross my arms over my chest and raise my chin, staring him down. “After.”

  He gives an incredulous snort, his eyes raking over me with disdain. “Is that cum on your shirt?”

  “Listen, Crystal,” King says. “Dad is going to destroy that family. You really don’t want to be mixed up with them.”

  “Or what?” I ask. “He’ll kill me, too?”

  “Nobody’s going to kill you,” King says. “We don’t want to see you get hurt. And if you care about any of the Darlings, that’s going to happen.”

  “It’s already happened,” I say. “And I know it was stupid and wrong to keep seeing Devlin, so I broke it off. Now, can we go back to school?”

  “Since when are you so worried about your education?” King asks, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. The scrape under his eye is swelling. “It’s half a day. Dad will get you excused.”

  “She’s not worried about her grades,” Royal mutters.

  “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” I growl. “If you have something to say, say it to my face.”

  “Alright,” Royal says, turning in his seat again. “How many class periods are you spending on your back in Devlin’s backseat? You know who fucks in cars? Trashy whores.”

  “Well, I’m sure all of you would know, considering how many girls have seen your backseats.”

  “How many backseats have you seen?” Royal shoots back. “I heard you took a necklace from all three of those pieces of human filth. Are they passing you around now? One’s not enough for our baby sister?”

  “I’m not a baby,” I snap. “And I need to get back to school to talk to my friend.”

  “Which one are you pretending is your ‘friend’?” Royal asks. “Isn’t that what you called Colt when he took you to homecoming?”

  “Dixie,” I say through clenched teeth.

  “You can talk to her later,” King says as we pull into our driveway. “Right now, we need to talk to Dad about this.”

  “Why?” I ask. “It’s none of Dad’s business who I’m with. For that matter, it’s none of yours.”

  “Stop pretending to be naïve,” Royal says, climbing out of the car. “You said you weren’t a baby.”

  He slams the door and stalks into the house before I can answer.

  I climb out of the car at the same time as King. His eyes drop to my stained shirt. He looks away and clears his throat. “Go change your clothes. Then we’ll talk to Dad.”

  I’ve never felt so dirty and disgusting, not even the first time, when Devlin told me he’d used me, and it wasn’t personal. I walk up the stairs, my entire body heavy with shame. I change my clothes and smooth my hair, but when I look in the mirror, I don’t know this girl. This isn’t me, and my brothers know it. They know I’m a whore who fucks in parking lots. Why are we all still pretending?

  I toss my school clothes back into the closet and pull on a pair of yoga pants and a baggy cheer tee from my old school. I’ve just finished running my fingers through my hair, shaking it out and messing it up, then tossing it into a messy bun, when a knock sounds. Before I can answer, the door opens, and my brothers and father swarm in like an invading army.

  “What’s this your brothers tell me about you still seeing that son of a bitch?” Dad asks, his brows drawn together in anger.

  I wish I hadn’t changed, that I’d just gone downstairs. Now they’re in my space, and I feel even more vulnerable and defensive. I edge onto my bed and wrap my arms around a fat lilac pillow, holding it in front of me as if it can shield me from their accusations.

  “I was still seeing him,” I admit. “But I’m not anymore.”

  Dad’s eyes narrow, and he studies me like I’m not his daughter but some conniving stranger who might be tricking him into giving up mafia secrets I can later use against him. I remember Devlin’s words, and I hate that he planted those seeds of doubt in my mind, but now I can’t help the suspicions that creep in, whispering in the back of my mind. Memories sneak in unbidden—Royal waking up and asking for Dad, saying he didn’t want to be moved again. Dad asking what Royal said when he woke up in the hospital. Royal saying he went through that to protect me somehow. What did they do?

  “That whole family is out to destroy us,” Dad says. “They turned my building site into a crime scene. I’ve just now been cleared to go ahead with it. What are you doing messing with them behind our backs, Crystal? Your loyalty is to this family and this family alone.”

  I nod. He’s right. It shouldn’t matter what he did. Devlin’s family is just as bad, and they’re trying to destroy ours. They’ve both done shady, horrible things. Why am I holding my family to a standard that his doesn’t meet? I have an obligation to protect my family, not let the Darlings infiltrate my family, my heart.

  “And all this time, for months, you’ve been sleeping with that piece of shit,” Royal says. “You don’t even care what they did to me, do you? As long as you can have your little fuck buddy.”

  “He’s not a fuck buddy,” I snap. “It wasn’t like that. I care about him.”

  “Well, stop it,” King says. “You can’t be seeing a Darling. Not when our families are at war.”

  “They drove us out of town twenty years ago,” Dad says. “Now, we’re going to drive them out. When we’re done with them, there won’t be a single Darling left in Faulkner. They’ve hurt our family long enough. Look what they did to Royal. I’m not going to let them hurt my little girl, too.”

  “Their reign is over, Crystal,” King says, his dark eyes locked on mine. “Do you want to go down with them, or do you want to be standing with the victors at the end?”

  I don’t care about victory or taking anyone down, but they’re right about my betrayal. Their accusations are the truth. I risked my family’s wrath by continuing to see Devlin. I knew what was at stake. I knew the consequences. Now it’s time to face them.

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’m sorry I kept seeing him, and I’m so sorry for what happened to you, Royal. I don’t want to make it worse, and if me seeing Devlin hurts you, then I’m so fucking sorry. I should never have risked that. I just… I didn’t know what to do. You’ve always been my rock, and I wanted to be that for you, but you kept pushing me away.”

  “You’re saying it’s my fault?” Ro
yal asks. “That I pushed you into his arms?”

  “No,” I say sharply. “I just didn’t know where to turn. And he was there, and he makes me feel good. I’m sorry, but that’s the truth.”

  “I was here,” King says quietly. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

  “Because you shouldn’t have to hold us all up,” I say. “You shouldn’t have to hold us together, and you take on so much already. I know you’re dealing with what happened to Royal. I’m sorry. I should have just gone to you. But how was I supposed to tell you that I want to be with Devlin?”

  “You want to be with him?”

  “No,” I say, shaking my head. “I mean, I do, but I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “And I want a flying unicorn that farts out kittens,” Royal says. “Grow the fuck up, Crystal.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you want,” Dad says to me. “You can’t see him anymore, Crystal. Do you understand?”

  I nod, a lump in my throat. “I know.”

  “Good,” he says. “Because he’s doomed along with the rest of that family. They’ve all signed their own death warrants, and we won’t stop until every last one of them is six feet under—or wishes they were.”

  That’s when I realize how stupid I’ve been. I may love Devlin, but I’ve put him in danger, and not just from his grandfather. It’s my family that’s the problem, like he said all along. My grandfather killed an innocent man to frame Preston’s dad. My mother is a mafia princess. My dad admitted they were all involved. He’s not just saying these things. He fully intends to end lives.

  I sit up, dropping my pillow. “Don’t hurt them,” I say, my heart racing. “Not Devlin. I get that you want revenge for them running you out of town when you were younger, but the Darling cousins weren’t even alive then.”