Hate Me: A Dark Reverse Harem Bully Romance (Weissmore Academy Book 2)

by Nora Cobb

  Johanna might miss me, but she, too, would move on and I would become a distant memory.

  Wouldn’t it be easier if I did it now?

  I sobbed as I held the razor up to my wrist, wondering how long it would take before the pain would go away and I would drift off to nothing.

  Seconds?

  Minutes?

  Would my last thought be of my mother or of something less?

  Drawing in a breath, I clenched my jaw. This was best for everyone.

  I vaguely heard a door open behind me and then the blade went flying out of my hand, my gaze meeting Royce’s angry one.

  “Oh my God!” Johanna cried out, rushing to my side. “What are you doing, Anna?”

  I continued to stare at Royce, seeing the horror in his gaze. “What does it look like?”

  “Why? What did that bitch say to you?”

  I couldn’t find the words, tears blurring Royce’s face.

  “Get out, Jo.”

  “But she needs me.”

  “Get the fuck out, now!”

  I heard the door slam a moment later before Royce walked over to me, sitting himself next to me on the bed. He didn’t even ask as he wrapped his arms around me and I fell into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. He was warm, his scent familiar, and I never wanted to leave the circle of his arms, my heart fractured. “Shh,” he whispered, rubbing his hand over my back lightly. “It’s okay.”

  It wasn’t okay. There was nothing about my life that was okay. I had nearly committed suicide! I should be locked up in a crazy house now.

  He held me tighter, pressing his lips to my temple. “Tell me what I can do.”

  I shook my head, clenching my hand in his shirt. There was nothing he could do.

  Nothing at all.

  So, I cried. I cried about my mother and what she had to deal with.

  I cried about my father who was a bastard himself, so crazed with power that he thought it was okay to force himself on a woman.

  I cried for Isauros, for her loss of her child and the bitterness she held so tightly that it was going to be her downfall one day.

  I cried for the family I never had, the dreams that had been crushed by her words, and the fact that I had thought suicide was the easy way out.

  All the while, Royce held onto me, occasionally pressing a kiss into my hair.

  Finally, I pulled back, my face splotchy and my eyes itching from the number of tears I had shed on his shirt. “Sorry about your shirt.”

  He arched a brow. “Really? That’s all you can say?”

  I leaned against the pillows next to him, looking down at my hands. “I don’t know what to say really.”

  Royce shifted as he draped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me against him. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

  So, I did. I told him every word that the headmistress had said to me and how she had left the razor blade, clearly an indication that she wanted me to kill myself. “I can’t even think about what my father did,” I said after I had finished the story. “I thought he was—I mean, I hoped that they might have been in love and I was a product of that.”

  “Oh, pauper,” he sighed. “Love doesn’t exist in our world. We marry for money or titles, not for love.”

  I breathed in his scent, allowing it to wash over me like a balm. “That’s not true. Surely someone has been in love before.”

  “If they have been, they aren’t now,” Royce stated, releasing me. He turned and I took in the anguished expression on his face, as if he was worried about me.

  A king, worried about me. That was one for the books. “What?”

  He looked over at the blade that lay on the floor. “I would have lost my fucking mind if you had gone through with it.”

  His words caused me to inhale sharply. It was the last thing I would have expected a king to say, but then again, they all needed for me to stay alive to further their ambitions. I didn’t want him to confirm that fact, so I didn’t respond, my tongue thick in my mouth. “I’m good now.”

  His eyes roved over me. “You look like shit, pauper.”

  I let out a shaky laugh. “It’s been a long day.”

  He shook his head, though the worried look didn’t leave his handsome face. “You would have let her win, Anna, if you had followed through. You can’t let her win.”

  “I know,” I admitted. She had beaten me down so much that I had thought the only way out of this was to remove myself from the situation altogether, but Royce was right. Then she would have won, and life would have continued.

  I couldn’t let her win. I needed to fight back. I needed to show her that I wasn’t scared by her hollow words and that she couldn’t make me just disappear whenever she wanted to.

  I wanted to make her shake with worry next time, to go to the dark place I had gone and contemplate ending her own life.

  Royce stood and kicked off his boots, stripping off his shirt next. My mouth went dry at the sight of his body, my cheeks heating as I thought about how I knew every crevice of his chest. “What are you doing?”

  “Relax, pauper,” he said, pushing me over and climbing into my bed. “I’m just going to stay until you fall asleep.”

  “You’re worried I will do it again, aren’t you?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe, but mostly I think you need someone here with you.”

  He was right. I did. Instead of fighting him, I cut out the lamp by the bed and slid under the sheets, my arm brushing against Royce’s. His hand found mine and he curled his fingers around it, giving it a soft squeeze. “Go to sleep, pauper.”

  I closed my eyes, the weight of what I had just gone through weighing heavily on my heart. What had I been thinking? I would never have considered suicide before.

  I loved my life. Well, not loved it right now, but I enjoyed living. I enjoyed the snow here in the Alps. I enjoyed sparring with Royce or laughing with Johanna.

  I didn’t want to die. “Thanks, Royce,” I whispered, turning to face him in the dark. “I-I’m sorry if I scared you.”

  He turned to face me, his other hand brushing the hair out of my face. “It’s okay, pauper, really. I didn’t need those ten years you just took from me.”

  He sounded so sincere in his worry that I allowed it to wash over me. Maybe, just maybe someone did care about me.

  **

  When I woke in the predawn light, Royce was still there, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. I could hear Johanna’s gentle snores on the other side of the room, glad that my roommate had come back to see that I was all right.

  That a king had taken care of me.

  I allowed myself to study him, as I had during our last time together. In sleep he seemed relaxed, younger, though no less gorgeous. Idly, I wondered if Arthur or Max would have done the same as Royce had done.

  My knight in tattered armor, watching over me when I couldn’t do it myself. My heart softened and I wanted to push us into a cocoon again, where it was just Anna and Royce and not the blasted titles that went with our names? Why did I feel like this was normal for me?

  When had I stopped hating him and started to really care for Royce?

  He stirred suddenly and I shut my eyes, allowing my breathing to even out so that he wouldn’t catch me awake. A moment later, his lips brushed over my forehead before the weight next to me lifted from the bed, the door opening and closing a moment later.

  I cracked open an eye to make sure he was gone before grabbing his pillow and breathing in his scent. What was Royce doing to my poor, tortured heart?

  ***

  Royce

  I stalked down the hall, my boots in my hand and my shirt slung over my shoulder. The hall was quiet for the early morning hour, but my mind was a shit storm of worry and concern over what I had witnessed last night.

  Anna had tried to kill herself. I couldn’t shake the image of her with that blade in her hand, knowing that if I had been just a minute longer, she would have done it and I would have lost my pauper.


  The pain wouldn’t have been something I was able to handle. No, I would have gone fucking crazy if she had gone through with it because of Isauros.

  Someone not even worth Anna’s time. Isauros had nearly cost Anna’s mother her life and thought that Anna would do the same, putting all her problems in a tidy little box so that she could throw it away.

  Well, she had fucked up when she messed with Anna.

  Turning the corner, I paused long enough to get fully dressed before heading to the door. I had wanted to check in on Anna since I had been gone at the tournament all week, something pulling me toward her like a beacon. I fucking hated the feeling, but I had gone anyway.

  And damn, I was glad I had.

  I pushed open the door, barely feeling the cold blast of arctic air that greeted me. Isauros had gone too far this time. She had nearly made a young woman, a fucking innocent one at that, kill herself.

  It was time that the kings, all of us, did something about this.

  Chapter 21

  Anna

  I pushed away the plate, patting my stomach in the process. “Thanks for that. I probably gained ten pounds by just looking at the food.”

  Johanna grinned as she set her plate aside. “Well, that won’t necessarily be a bad thing. Sorry that I couldn’t find any alcohol to go with it.”

  I smiled at her, knowing that she was attempting to tread on fragile ground. “I’m fine, Johanna, really. I’m sorry I gave you a scare.”

  She shook her head, her hair flying about her face. “It was more than that, Anna. You nearly killed yourself because of her.”

  I scooted off my bed and walked over to hers, sitting next to her. “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have let her get to me like that.” I had already relayed the same story I had told Royce last night, seeing the anger in my friend’s face with each word. Isauros had found me at my lowest, but she wasn’t going to get that chance again. I was going to beat her at her own game and not stop until I found out who I was. I had so much to live for, and it was time to show her who she was going up against.

  A knock sounded and we both looked at the door warily. “What if it’s her?” Johanna asked in a hushed whisper. “She could be coming back to finish the job.”

  “Maybe,” I whispered back, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “But we can take her.”

  Johanna choked on her laughter. “I don’t know. Who knows who she’s brought with her.”

  The knock sounded again, and I rose, tugging my hand free of my friend’s. “There is only one way to find out.”

  “I’m right behind you,” Johanna called out in a whisper as I approached the door, steeling myself for what or who would be on the other side. Isauros could shoot me outright, of course, and there was nothing I could do about that.

  I gripped the knob and twisted it, pulling open the door slowly. Arthur’s face was the first I saw, and I let out a breath. “It’s you.”

  “You expecting someone else?”

  I pushed my hair back off my forehead, opening the door wider. “Maybe, but I’m glad to see you.”

  He grinned as he stepped inside and I gasped as Royce followed him, with Max bringing up the rear.

  All three kings, in my room at once. “What is going on?” Johanna stated as they lined up before me. Royce winked and I blushed, thinking about how he had stayed the night. He had broken another piece of my heart wide open and I didn’t know how to handle it.

  “We are here to discuss Isauros,” Arthur said as Max closed the door. “And what she tried to do.”

  “She’s lost touch with reality,” Max added. “And she needs to be stopped.”

  “So, we met this morning,” Royce said quietly, his eyes on me. “And decided that we have to put aside our differences for the greater good. And you are that greater good, pauper.”

  I couldn’t comprehend their words. I was the greater good? They wanted to fight the headmistress? “Why?”

  “She can’t get away with this,” Arthur stated, his voice harsh. “She’s pushed us too far and we want to help you fight her.”

  I was floored. I knew that the kings hadn’t been getting along and for them to want to help me, together, was amazing. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Arthur stepped forward, kneeling before me. “The house de Bourbon pledges to fight with the Kameno household.”

  Before I could even respond, Royce knelt next to Arthur, placing his fist over his heart. “The Whitehalls pledge to fight with the Kameno household.”

  Max did the same, his eyes glowing with anger. “The Karlings pledge to fight with the Kameno household.”

  All three kings kneeling before me in solidarity. If I wasn’t seeing it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. “I, um … thanks?”

  “Oh my God,” Johanna said, holding up her phone. “This is so blackmail for later. The kings on their knees because of a woman.”

  I swallowed the emotion in my throat. “What now?”

  They all rose, their jaws clenched. “We really don’t have a plan,” Max shrugged.

  Johanna burst into laughter. “You don’t have a plan?”

  “It’s going to be fine,” I offered. “And I am completely grateful all the same.” With the kings’ backing, things were looking up.

  **

  Two weeks went by before I had a chance to contemplate my options. I went to my classes like normal, catching a glimpse of Isauros at least once on my way. She met my gaze coolly, her expression not betraying what she thought about my option to live instead of giving in to suicide. I desperately wanted to know what was going through her mind, but I stayed out of her path regardless, not wanting to draw any more attention from her.

  It wasn’t until there was a rumor of Weissmore closing early due to weather that a thought occurred to me. An idea started to form so I quickly texted the group, asking them to meet me in the freshman commons area after supper.

  When the kings entered, my heart started a slow thud in my chest. Lord, they were too good- looking for their own good and when they were together, it was nearly too much to take in.

  Johanna kicked me under the table, and I closed my mouth as they approached, taking the available chairs at the table. “So,” Royce said, his lips lifting in amusement. “What’s up, pauper?”

  I drew in a breath. “I’ve decided to travel to England and see my mom’s grave.”

  He nodded, as if he knew I was going to do it all along. “I will arrange for us to stay at my country estate. We can leave tonight.”

  I looked around the table. “I want all of us to go.” They were the closest thing I had to friends and if we were truly going to band together against Isauros, I didn’t want to leave anyone behind.

  “I’m in,” Johanna piped up.

  “Me too,” Max said, giving me a nod.

  Arthur continued to stare at me, his jaw clenched. “Are you sure you want to do this, Anna? It’s not going to give you anything other than more sadness.”

  I lifted my chin. “It will give me closure to know where she has her final resting place. I would like to talk to her.”

  No one laughed at my words, which made me feel good about my decision. I wanted to see where my mother was, to have a conversation with her, though one-sided, and let her know that I was going to avenge her death and what she had gone through with my father. I wanted to tell her that I was going to come out of this stronger than ever and that she could rest in peace knowing I was okay.

  Then and only then would I move forward with the next step in my life.

  Chapter 22

  Anna

  Royce managed to get us a last-minute private jet to fly us to his home country. I caught some sleep on the plane, too nervous to talk to anyone. I was going to see my mother. This was the right thing to do. Seeing her in the ground would close the chapter of me trying to find her and help me heal from what I had learned about her life.

  She had kept me alive, and for that I was going to give her every
thing I could in turn.

  I barely noticed the English countryside as the SUV bounced over the small roads cutting through rolling meadows, clenching my hands together tightly to tamp down my nerves.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Johanna whispered, grabbing my hand and squeezing it. “We are all here for you.”

  “I know,” I said, giving her a tiny smile. “I just don’t know what to say to her.”