Her Devils

by Mae Doyle

  “I am calm!” The woods are so quiet that my voice echoes through them, and he steps back like he’s been slapped. “I am calm! It’s you guys who are messing with me and chasing me down and sleeping in my bed when I didn’t know you were there!”

  At this, Luca smiles, and I hate him even more. “Asher wanted to make sure that you were safe during the night. We all offered to sleep with you, but he won that one. Maybe next time though, Kiera, what do you say? Maybe it’ll be me.”

  “It will never be you.” I spit the words at him, trying my best to hurt him, but he just laughs.

  “I sincerely doubt that, darling. You and I both know that it will one day be me.” He lets the words hang between us for a moment and I can’t deny the throbbing between my legs.

  Asher’s so bold. Brazen. Unwilling to take no for an answer.

  Caspian is the sweet one. He has some kindness and light in him that I’ve never seen before.

  Parker knows how to make me laugh. He always has a smile on his lips and is always ready in class with a joke.

  But Luca? I’d be lying if I said that there wasn’t something almost irresistible about Luca. Maybe his confidence, or the way I see him help other students in class. He’s also a complete computer whizz and probably could be a high-level hacker if he wanted to be.

  Which reminds me…

  “How the hell did you guys manage to get onto my floor anyway? Only students have key cards and yours won’t work on my hall. I sincerely doubt that anyone was stupid enough to open the door for you if you knocked.”

  At this, he chuckles and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a card. It just looks like the ones that Meyer’s Grove gives its students, but it doesn’t have any of the writing on it.

  I give him a look as blank as the card and he grins at me before slipping it back into his pocket. “I made them,” he says with a shrug.

  “You made them? How in the hell did you do that? Wasn’t it hard?”

  He shrugs again, which is maddening but also a little endearing. “Not when you know what you’re doing, which I do. So now we can all get to you if we need to, Kiera. That’s the only reason that we were able to get to you today and get you out of the dorm before they come for you.”

  Oh, yeah. For a moment, I could almost forget what in the world I was doing out here with him. Luca oozes confidence, and his calm demeanor and the way he’s talking to me like a friend, and not someone he hates, threw me off my guard.

  But not any longer. “Who? You still haven’t told me exactly who is coming for me, and you haven’t really given me any reason to believe you, you know that?” Without thinking, I take a step back. His muscles tense and I know that he could easily get to me and scoop me back up, but he doesn’t move.

  “Just listen.”

  I fall silent. My heart is beating so loudly in my chest that I almost can’t hear anything else, but after a moment, I take enough deep breaths to calm that down. Luca has his head tilted slightly to the side and I wonder what he’s hearing.

  Then I hear it, too.

  There’s a lot of people walking through the woods, and they’re coming our way. I can hear them calling my name, but instead of sounding welcoming, the sound makes my blood freeze in my veins.

  Looking up, I catch his eye. “Who is that?” My voice is barely a whisper, but I know that he hears me. It’s so quiet where we’re standing in the woods that I can practically hear his heart thudding slowly in his chest.

  “You know. It’s parents. It’s guardians. It’s Eric’s family and it’s the people they work with. When your heir no longer goes here, Kiera, you lose it all. Your aunt and uncle took everything from the Reeds, and they’re not going to let it stand any longer.”

  “But why me? Why not go after Levi or Serafina? They’re the ones who did this. I didn’t want any part in it!” My voice is getting louder and louder, but I can’t seem to help it. I’m covered with an overwhelming sense of desperation and I can’t seem to fight my way out of it.

  Luca shakes his head and silently walks to me, careful not to step on any twigs. He takes my hand and laces our fingers together before giving it a squeeze. “It’s the heir,” he says simply. His voice sounds sad and I suck in a breath of air. “You have no idea how important you are to your aunt and uncle now that your parents are dead.”

  “Now that they had them killed.” My voice is flat, but tears sting at the corners of my eyes. Luca ignores the tears but nods.

  “We have to get you out of here before the Reeds and their friends find you.”

  Panic throbs through my body. “Why don’t my aunt and uncle help me? Why aren’t there here to make this all better? If I’m so damn important, then they should be the ones creeping through the woods with me, not you.”

  For just a moment, I think that Luca looks hurt, but the expression slips off of his face before I’m sure that I really recognize it. “We have to go. Do you trust me?”

  No.

  I don’t.

  I don’t trust any of the devils or what they’re about to do. I don’t think that they really want to save me, but at the same time, I don’t know how to save myself.

  In the rush, I left my phone in my room. Even if I called my aunt and uncle, though, there’s no guarantee that they’d do anything to help me out.

  Unless. Unless what Luca is telling me is true and they need me. If they need me – really need me – then they should welcome me with open arms back into their home. As temping as it seems to hide in the woods with Luca, I need to get to them.

  Screw the fact that they told me to never show back up at their house. They did this to me.

  “You need to get me out of here,” I tell Luca, and he grins. He thinks that he’s won, and he starts walking, pulling me with him, but I don’t move. I can’t follow him, not until I’m sure that he’ll do as I say.

  “But you need to get me to my aunt and uncle’s, okay? That’s the deal or I’m not moving.”

  The crashing behind us is getting louder. I can only imagine how pissed the crowd was when they went to my room and I wasn’t there. It gives me chills.

  “That’s not the plan.” Luca looks concerned, and I realize that I like having the upper hand with him.

  “It is now, or I’m not moving.” I can see him thinking. His gorgeous face twists a little and I realize that he could easily just pick me up and carry me. I don’t have a lot of control over the situation, and he realizes it.

  Fuck. What have I done? My palms grow sweaty, but I don’t want to let go of his hand to wipe them on my skirt.

  Finally, he nods.

  “Fine. Your aunt and uncle. But I guarantee you, they’re not going to be happy to see you.”

  Chapter 3

  “Tell me again how you got a limo here so quickly.” I’m scooted as far over as I can to get away from Luca, but he could still easily reach out and touch me if he wanted to.

  In fact, I kinda want him to. I want him to reach over and pull me to him. Right now I want someone to comfort me, which is something that I haven’t really gotten since my parents were killed.

  Murdered. Since my parents were murdered.

  But it really doesn’t make any sense for me to be looking for comfort from one of the guys who tormented me and tried to get me to leave school. My dad always said that strange alliances can happen, but what I still don’t see is what’s in it for the devils.

  Why, exactly, do they want me to stay? What do they get out of it? That’s something that I haven’t figured out, just like I haven’t yet figured out why they would all go from wanting me out of school so badly that they were willing to try to feed me roadkill to suddenly wanting to help me.

  It’s all ridiculous confusing, and even though I’ve already kissed three of them, I’m still not sure where I stand with them.

  Especially with Luca. As surreptitiously as possible, I shoot him a glance to see what he’s doing, but he’s staring straight ahead. His jaw is clenched tight and he look
s completely stressed out.

  What the hell is up with that? By the time I work up the nerve to ask him what’s going on, the driver pulls smoothly into my aunt and uncle’s driveway. It’s only the second time that I’ve ever been here, but I’m immediately filled with the uncanny feeling that I’m not wanted.

  I mean, they made that clear as day the last time I was here, but that we before I was being tormented at school. It was also before I knew that they were the ones who killed my parents, but I can’t let myself think about that right now. If I do, then I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to get through this meeting with them without breaking down, and that’s the last thing that I want to do right now.

  The car slows to a stop, but I don’t make a move to get out.

  “Are you okay, darling? Are you going to be able to do this? We can go back, if you want. There’s a place that we can hide you, and – ”

  I cut him off. “No, we’re here now. Let’s go.” I throw open the car door and don’t wait for Luca before marching up to the huge front door and ringing the bell. It’s still early, and I have no way of knowing if my aunt and uncle will even be awake yet, but there’s no reason to wait out on the front stoop.

  We have things to talk about. Apparently, they need me to stay at Meyer’s Grove, and I need their protection. Surely we can work something out, right?

  A faint glimmer of hope flashes through me as I think about going back home to West Virginia, but I shake my head. There’s no home for me there anymore. There’s nothing for me there but a house that won’t sell, my parent’s graves, and a dead dog buried in the back yard.

  No wonder nobody wants to buy the house. It probably has seriously terrible mojo. Knowing my dad and his sense of humor, I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to stick around and haunt it, just to mess with the new owners.

  That thought makes me smile, but just for a moment, because right then, the front door swings open and I’m greeted by the horrified face of my Uncle Levi.

  “What in the hell are you doing here? We told you that you’re supposed to stay at Meyer’s Grove and that we don’t want anything to do with you!” His voice gets progressively higher as he talks until he’s yelling at me, his face red and his eyes about ready to pop out of his head.

  “Hi, uncle,” I snap, pushing past him. “This is my friend, Luca. We came here to pay you a little visit and talk to you about what’s going on at your precious little school.”

  Luca pauses for a moment but then follows me into the house, pushing past my uncle to slip into the foyer with me. Aunt Serafina is standing there, her robe pulled tightly around her thin frame, a tired look on her face.

  “Kiera? What’s going on? And who is this?” She sounds faint, but I don’t care. I know more about them now than I did before, and I’m not going to feel bad for them. Not after what they did to my parents. Not after what they’re trying to do to me.

  They’re loaded with money, sure, but they’re some of the most evil people that I’ve ever met, and I can’t believe that I’m actually related to them. it would be much easier for me to handle emotionally if they were just some random people who hated me, not family.

  And did they really kill my parents? Looking at my aunt now, wrapped tightly in her robe, her ears and fingers dripping with diamonds, I can’t believe that they did. It doesn’t make sense that they would.

  But how will I ever know the truth?

  Even though I want to accuse them of killing my parents, even though every part of me wants to scream and rage at them, I have to stay calm. The look on my uncle’s face tells me that we’re already wearing out our welcome, and if I want to get out of here with any information, then I need to keep it together.

  At least for a while.

  My aunt and uncle are staring at the two of us like they’ve never seen us before. Uncle Levi still has the door open, and Luca leans over to shut it. It clicks shut, the loud sound breaking the silence.

  “This is Luca Erickson,” I tell my aunt, my eyes locked on her face. I’m half-hoping that something I say is going to make her react and I’ll be able to get more information out of her. Whether or not she knows Luca, there’s a very real chance that she will recognize his last name, especially if his dad works in any way with Uncle Levi.

  Especially if they were willing to kill my parents to be allowed to work with his dad. Because of this, I’m not really surprised when her eyes widen and she leans back against the doorframe. Uncle Levi, to his credit, doesn’t move. He keeps looking back and forth between the two of us like he’s afraid that one of us is going to jump him or do something else as equally crazy.

  “I think you know my father.” Luca turns to my uncle and looks him up and down. “I’m pretty sure that I heard the name Lampley thrown around recently, especially right before Kiera came to Meyer’s Grove. But now’s not the time for us to talk about how exactly you got her a place at school, we want to talk about how you’re going to protect her.”

  My uncle stiffens a little. Even I, who barely know the man, can easily see that he’s not only uncomfortable, but he’s also pissed.

  Pissed that we would come to his house like this, unannounced.

  Pissed that his niece, who he has no use for any longer, would show up and try to rock the boat.

  If only he knew that I didn’t like it, either.

  “What do you mean, protect her? We’ve done our duty as her guardians and secured her a place in the best school in the area. I can’t imagine what else she or you would want from us.” Uncle Levi relaxes a little, like he feels in control of the situation, but I can tell from the look on Luca’s face that he’s not done yet.

  Not by a long shot.

  “Yeah, you secured her a place at Meyer’s Grove, but in doing so, you pissed off the Reed family, Mr. Lampley. I know it and you know it, and now Kiera’s at risk of being injured, or worse, killed. So, tell me, sir, what the hell you’re planning on doing about it.”

  Luca’s eyes flash dangerously, and I feel a surge of hope rise in me. If he’s willing to fight my uncle for me like this then there’s a chance that I’m going to make it out of this in once piece. I can’t believe that I’m trusting a devil to be my savior, but I don’t see that I have a choice right now.

  Instead of looking cowed, though, Uncle Levi shakes his head and steps closer to Luca. My aunt still hasn’t moved from her position by the door, and I feel frozen in my spot. There’s no way that I can possibly interject and fix things, but I also have the distinct feeling that things are starting to spiral out of my control.

  “We secured her a place as our heir at Meyer’s Grove.” My uncle’s voice is icy, and I shiver. “All we had to do was get her there and she needs to do the rest. Now, what happens to Kiera when she is not under our roof is beyond our control, and I’m not going to lay awake at night worrying about something that I can’t change, do you understand?”

  Luca doesn’t respond for a moment and I realize that I’m holding my breath. When he finally nods, I exhale, the air leaving my body in a whoosh and making me feel like a shell. I’m empty, just like I was when my parents were killed.

  It was stupid to think that my aunt and uncle would do anything to help me.

  “Please.” The word is out of my mouth before I even know that I’m going to say it. I turn to my aunt, who’s still frozen in the doorway, her mouth hanging slightly open as she listens to what’s being said. “Please, you have to help me. I don’t know that I can make it there, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do if you don’t protect me.”

  It takes her a moment for her eyes to focus, but when they do, she looks at me and frowns. “There’s nothing that we can do, Kiera. Once you are at Meyer’s Grove, you have to fend for yourself. And if you can’t…” She doesn’t finish the sentence but instead spreads her hands out in front of her.

  “If I can’t, then what?” My voice sounds frenzied, but she doesn’t respond. “What happens if I can’t fend for myself? What wil
l happen to me and why don’t you care? Don’t you need me? I’m your heir! You’ll lose everything!”

  I have no idea if what I’m saying is true or not, but right now I don’t really care. I just know that I have to make my point clear. If something happens to me and I’m no longer at Meyer’s Grove, then my aunt and uncle will lose everything.

  At least, I think that’s what Sophia tried to explain to me. Without me there, they lose their connections. It’s what happened to Eric, and I know they won’t want that to happen to me.

  “You don’t want me to turn out like Eric, do you?” My uncle was turning to open the door, but at this question, he looks back at me, his dark eyes glinting. It gives me hope that I’m on the right track. I can threaten their future and livelihood and they’ll have to help me.

  They’ll just have to.

  “If you don’t help me and I leave Meyer’s Grove then you’ll end up like his family. No connections. Nobody to look out for you. Nobody will want to work with you.” It’s a stretch, but I hope I’m right.

  “That’s only if you leave. If you get kicked out. If we pull you from the school.” Uncle Levi walks towards me and I take a step back to get away from him.

  I don’t like the look in his eyes. I don’t like how he’s looking at me like he had this all planned out.

  “But if something happens to you, Kiera, well, that’s a different story. If something happens to you while you’re at Meyer’s Grove then we don’t lose anything. A spot opens up at school and maybe Eric can come back. Maybe someone else can have your spot.”

  A chill runs through me. “So, you’re not going to help me. You don’t care what happens to me.”

  Even as I say the words, I can’t quite believe them. I’m their niece. We may not be close, we may not love each other, but for them to send me to a school and not even care if something happens to me doesn’t make sense.

  None of this makes sense.