Savage Devil: A High School Bully Romance (Green Hills Academy Trilogy Book 1)

by Josie Max

  Knight rubbed the back of his neck. “My mom. She was a Saget.”

  “The Sagets? The family that made its money in oil and land back in the nineteenth century?”

  He nodded.

  “No wonder your mom married a man with the last name King. You’re American royalty.”

  “Whatever.” The way he was fidgeting with the lighter he picked up on his bedside table, I suspected he didn’t want to discuss his parents.

  I guess we had that in common. Talking about my mom with these spoiled brats was like giving myself a hundred slashes with a knife and then taking a dip in the ocean.

  “Why am I here?”

  It was best to get to the point and get out. I still had some packing to do. The sun was setting and if I wanted to catch a bus, I didn’t want to do that in the dark.

  “Your mom died, remember? And then my uncle thought you’d be a fun toy to keep in the pool house.”

  I swallowed. Just thinking of what happened to me in that place made my skin crawl. I felt nauseous. I never wanted to step foot in that pool house again. But I had to grab my stuff.

  “I meant in your room.”

  He tossed the lighter down and sat on his bed, patting the spot next to him.

  “Oh, hell no.” I moved toward his door.

  Why did I agree to go to his room? He was probably just like his uncle; a teenage version of the mayor. Instead of ruling the town, he ruled the school. Knight King was the devil.

  Right as I made it to the entrance of his bedroom, Knight jumped in front of me and held his hands up.

  “You need to learn to listen,” he said, holding onto the frame and blocking my exit.

  I pushed against his chest, but it was like trying to move granite.

  “And you need to learn to read the room. Girl who almost was gang raped,” I pointed at my head, “not really interested in sitting on a boy’s bed.”

  His head went side to side. “You have a point. Perhaps we should do this in Ava’s room.”

  “Your sister?”

  He nodded. “She usually is watching cartoons now, so she won’t pay attention much to what I have to say.”

  I raised an eyebrow and took a step back. “Will she pay attention with what you do . . . with me?”

  His gaze darkened and he lowered his arms to his sides. “I would do nothing like what my uncle did to you or anyone. I heard my nickname before, the devil . . . but even the devil had standards.”

  “I see.”

  He shook his head. “No, you don’t see.” He took a step forward until my tits rubbed his abs. “Pathetic animals do shit like what my uncle did. And if I hear about my sister seeing or even hearing anything that might upset her, they are dead.”

  His words were laced with a darkness even I was afraid to question. He loved his sister, that was obvious—and that alone made me wonder if the devil’s heart wasn’t all black.

  I cleared my throat and said, “Then take me to your sister’s room.”

  He stepped out into the hallway and I followed. We passed several closed doors before we arrived at one with a purple and black wreath wrapped in tulle and fake black birds clustered at the bottom.

  “How old is your sister?” I stared at the wreath in surprise.

  “Ava’s six.”

  “Oh. It’s just the wreath is rather dark for a six-year-old girl.”

  He shrugged as he pushed open the door. “She likes Disney movies.”

  That didn’t explain the macabre wreath.

  “Okay.” I peeked inside, wondering if I was going to find a mini Wednesday Addams.

  What I found was another vast room. A four-poster bed with a canopy of purple and blue lace hanging down. There were strings of twinkly lights all over the ceiling. The floor was a dark hardwood with a bright purple rug in the middle.

  Small furniture filled the room. A white desk and chair were near the bed. On the opposite side of the room was a purple couch with white and blue fluffy throw pillows. A huge doll house was on a table near a large window and a little girl stood in front playing with the figures inside.

  “The princess can only wake from a true love’s kiss,” she said.

  “Ava,” Knight called to her sister in a gentle tone.

  She turned, her long, dark braid flinging over her shoulder, and her round blue eyes widened. She may have black hair and a taste for dark colors, but she was no Wednesday Addams. When she smiled, as she had at the sight of her brother, the dimples in her cheeks deepened and she reminded me of a cherub.

  “Dopey!” she yelled and ran over to Knight, throwing her small arms around his neck as he knelt to meet her.

  “Dopey?” I questioned with a chuckle.

  Knight ignored me. He pulled back from Ava and planted a kiss on her cheek.

  “Hey, Ava, I have a new friend. She’s going to be staying with us for a while.”

  What? I never agreed to that. Last I checked, I was packing to run as far as I could from these freaky fuckers.

  Ava blinked and turned her head to me. She had the same stern expression her brother usually sported.

  “Hi, I’m Ava. And who are you?”

  I waved. “I’m Violet.”

  Her face exploded in happiness. “Like the purple flower?”

  I nodded.

  “You are beautiful and must be a princess. That means I’m your evil overlord. I’ll feed you, but you won’t be happy. You’ll only want to escape. And at some point, you must clean my room.” She pointed at me with a stern expression.

  I rolled my lips over my teeth and nodded. Wanting to be evil must be in their genes.

  “Ava, she’s a guest. We won’t make her clean your room.”

  Ava frowned and folded her arms. “You’re no fun, Dopey. All I want to be is an evil stepmother one day. I finally have a real life princess right in my room and you won’t let me live my dream. Why can’t I be Maleficent?”

  Ah, now I understood the color scheme and the love of Disney movies. She didn’t want to be a Disney princess . . . she wanted to be a Disney villain.

  I stepped forward and sat on the floor next to Knight and Ava. Holding out my wrist, I said, “Do you see this?”

  “Yeah, it’s a gold bracelet with charms.”

  I smirked. If it had been genuine gold, my mom would have sold it for drugs and not given it to me on my birthday.

  “No, it’s a princess bracelet. And anyone who steals it becomes my overlord.” I watched Ava’s eyes light up with delight, so I continued, “But I won’t take it off for anyone. Only when I sleep do I remove it.”

  I had watched enough princess cartoons when I was little to understand what captivated an evil villain wannabe.

  “She can stay in the room next to mine.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me before I got up.

  I stumbled to my feet and we made our way to a large bookcase.

  “Watch this.” She reached for a dark brown leather book and pulled. The case popped open. It was a secret door.

  Because of course, it was.

  “Wow, that’s cool.”

  She pulled it open and waved for me to follow. Of course, I was going with her. When would I ever get a chance to go through a secret door again?

  I thought it would lead to the next room over, but it didn’t. Inside the bookshelf door was a narrow passage. There were wooden 2x4s and insulation lining the walls. Though only a small amount of light came from her room, I saw the floor was plywood. We were walking between the rooms.

  We moved to the end and I thought that was it. There was nowhere to turn but Ava reached up, hopping up and down, and I noticed she was trying to grab a string.

  “Here, let me.” I reached up and got it.

  “Pull it down,” she told me.

  I did, and a section of the ceiling fell open with a creak. A folded-up ladder was sitting inside. She waved me back and pulled the ladder straight.

  We both climbed up to an attic. Not much was in it except for some toys a
nd books that must have been brought up from Ava.

  “I come here sometimes. My brother tells me when I hear my uncle coming, I should come here. It’s my fortress.”

  My heart sank. I remembered hiding from one of my mom’s exes—only I didn’t have a fortress to protect me.

  There was still innocence in her sparkling eyes, but for how much longer?

  Anger snaked up my spine and entangled my heart. If the mayor wanted to try something with me, at least I had a chance of fighting back, but Ava was only six.

  I tightened my fists by my side. He was a monster, and he held this little girl hostage.

  I heard movement from somewhere in the darker part of the attic. Where Ava and I stood there was a small bit of light streaming in from a window on the wall far above. I had no idea how big the area was, but that window seemed to be the only light source.

  Stepping in front of Ava, I looked around for something to fight with. Unfortunately, I was surrounded with plastic toys that didn’t look strong enough to do any damage.

  “Who’s there?” I barked out.

  I gasped as I heard his voice.

  ELEVEN

  Violet

  I REACHED AROUND TO make sure Ava was safe and stayed behind me.

  “Just the serial killer.” Knight emerged into our small, light-filled section of the attic.

  “How did you get in here?” I glanced behind us, wondering how he got up that ladder and around us without me knowing.

  He threw his thumb behind him. “From your room. There are multiple entrances to this place.”

  “My room?”

  Ava tugged on my hand again. I followed and darkness fell. My eyes adjusted, but it was hard to make out what was in front of me.

  I felt a much bigger hand slip into mine. “Watch your step.” Knight’s hot breath slipped down my neck. Electricity tickled my arm as the heat from his body slid over mine. He must only be an inch from me, but I only saw darkness.

  He guided me to another opening and ladder on the floor. Once I was down, I glanced up as he told Ava she needed to head back to her room. I waved goodbye to the interesting and adorable little girl.

  Knight came down and we walked through another insulation-filled passageway until he pushed on a spot in the middle of the wall. It opened, and inside was a bedroom.

  There was another bed on a platform, but it looked like the opposite of Knight’s. A pale pink, button-tufted, upholstered headboard with white and pink linen and pillows.

  A round, faux-fur rug encircled the bed, at least I thought it was faux-fur. Near us was a matching upholstered chair. Once we stepped inside and closed the door, I realized why the chair was there. It was another trick bookcase. This area was made to look like a cozy reading area.

  “Wow, are all the bedrooms amazing?”

  “That doesn’t really matter to me,” Knight said as he ran his hand through his hair.

  I stepped around him and walked farther into the room. It was gorgeous.

  “Why did you say this was my room? I told you, I’m leaving.”

  He shoved his hands into his swim shorts pockets. “Because if you want to stay safe, I suggest you not run away.”

  My brows went up. “Are you for real? You told me on Monday that I didn’t belong here. That I was trailer trash.”

  “You don’t belong here, but my uncle dragged you here for some reason. And if you run off, he’ll assume you’re going to the authorities or worse, social media. He’ll realize that his career would be in jeopardy and do everything in his power to destroy you.”

  Fuck. Everything Knight was saying was right. From the first moment I met the mayor, he threatened me. Who’s going to believe the word of a girl from nowhere who’s mom died of drugs over the mayor?

  I rubbed my brow and went over and sat on the edge of the bed. Damn, the bed was soft. I hated that everything—minus the people—was amazing and luxurious. I wanted to enjoy the opulence, not be fearful of getting too comfortable.

  “My aunt,” I said in a whisper.

  “You have an aunt? Why isn’t she taking care of you?” He came over to the bed and pointed to the opposite edge to sit. It was far enough that I felt much more comfortable than sitting right next to him.

  “She travels for her work and wouldn’t really be around to take care of me.” I shrugged. “I turn eighteen in two weeks, so it’s not that it matters. But getting to go to Green Hills Academy would help my chances at getting into Winter River University.”

  Knight narrowed his eyes, studying me for a moment. “Who told you about Winter River?”

  “My mom.” I tucked some hair behind my ear. “She went off some years ago when she was still using. I thought she was crazy, making up a story about how elite it was, but when I looked it up, I discovered she was right. It’s sort of been my obsession ever since to get in.”

  Knight tapped his chin. “And let me guess . . . my uncle threatened that if you didn’t play nice, he’d make sure you never got in.”

  I frowned. “Yes.”

  There was silence for a moment.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?”

  Knight leaned back on his elbow and looked up to me. “You don’t belong here.”

  I groaned, “Yes, you’ve said that like a million times.”

  “No, what I meant was . . . you don’t belong here, yet here you are. Why? I don’t trust my uncle, but that’s because of personal reasons. But that doesn’t mean he’s not up to something that’s larger than me and my family.”

  I flopped back on the bed but kept my eyes on Knight. God, it was amazing. Even the bed in the pool house wasn’t this nice.

  “I thought he was just taking me in for his image. You know, politics. Some do-gooder shit to get him re-elected.”

  Knight laughed. “Yes. I thought about that, too. But then I realized it was never just about his image. There’s always something else there that he wants. That he wants you to live with him means he has you here to monitor you. That you know something that could hurt him.”

  “I know he tried to rape me.”

  “Long before that.”

  Suddenly, I felt exhausted and rubbed my face. “I only met him for the first time when you found me at Happy Pond. The night my . . . my mom died. And he never said a word to me.”

  “Huh. Nothing before that? Did your mother ever mention him?”

  I yawned and shook my head. “No. And I doubt my mom knew him. I really don’t think your uncle ran in the same circles as my mom had.”

  It was a struggle to keep my eyes open. What Knight was telling was true. The mayor was the real villain but Knight was his family. For a lot of people, blood was thicker than water. Or in the mayor’s case, blood was thicker than image.

  Maybe Knight was lying to me too.

  As much as I fought it I closed my eyes just to rest for a moment. Except it wasn’t a moment later when I opened my eyes.

  I must have fallen asleep because it was dark and I discovered a warm blanket over top of me.

  As the fogginess of sleep cleared, I wondered how I was going to get out of here. Throwing the blanket off, I hopped out of bed. I was about to turn toward the door when a twinkling light caught my eye.

  It was coming from the window. The room was rather high up and overlooked the pool. The moonlight must have bounced off the pool.

  I was about to leave when I noticed a light on in the pool house. I didn’t remember turning on any lights as it was the afternoon when I was last in there.

  Then I saw movement. A dark shadow passed across a window in the pool house. My heart went still. Who was that?

  A thought came to me, but I didn’t want it to be true. Was it the mayor coming back for me?

  The light went out and a moment later, the front door to the pool house opened. Instinctively, I stepped behind the curtain so if he looked up, he wouldn’t see me.

  I peeked around until I got a good look of who was coming out. I gasped when I saw
him.

  It wasn’t the mayor, but it was his nephew. Was Knight going back to get some of my things?

  I didn’t see my luggage on him, but he was holding something. I squinted to get a better look.

  They were objects. I think one was a vase that was in the bedroom I was using in the pool house. But I couldn’t make out what the other thing was because right as I leaned toward the window, Knight looked right up to my window.

  I hopped back, hoping he hadn’t seen me. My hands were shaking.

  Nothing about Knight made sense. He was mean to me all week long. Art class had been terrible, and I asked the teacher if I could move but she explained once seating was assigned, it couldn’t be changed. Which was a load of crap.

  Knight and his buddies constantly discussed who they would fuck or have fucked and asked if I wanted to be on their to-be-fucked list. Or they’d make lewd jokes and bring up my mom every chance they could get.

  I had grown more accustomed to their disgusting behavior and even the comments about my mom. Knight got the entire school in on teasing me. I couldn’t walk the hallways without being called trash, whore, or people telling me how I should have drowned with my scum mother.

  After an entire week of that, he’d suddenly looked out for me? I couldn’t believe a guy who had the nickname the devil and enjoyed bullying me would instantly change his mind about me just because I was almost raped.

  Maybe it was a good thing I was staying in the house now. I would have access to his room. Then I might find out why he wanted to take care of me.

  TWELVE

  Violet

  “WHEN YOU ASKED ME TO take you to school early today, I thought you wanted to study, not break into the guy’s locker room.” Arabella’s eyebrows moved up as we strolled down the quiet hallway toward the gym.

  It was Monday, and the only person I saw all weekend in the house was Ava. She kept trying to take my bracelet from me, which was amusing.

  I had heard from the cook that the mayor was going to be gone for the month, taking a holiday in the Mediterranean. I felt relief and joy all at once of the news that I asked if I could be the one who made the pancakes. The cook was surprised but let me. Ava loved my chocolate chip and strawberry pancakes.