Caught in the Trap: A Reverse Harem Academy Bully Romance (Mafia Lords of Knightswood Academy Book 1)

by Ivy Clyde

  Leaning close to me, he said, “I’m Judah.”

  We started dancing to the song that was playing. He touched me from time to time but his hands never strayed below my waist. He seemed like an okay guy and not like the weirdos who would grope a girl just because she agreed to dance with them.

  Two songs in, I began to enjoy myself.

  “Do you want to drink something?” he shouted a while later.

  I nodded.

  “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  Judah left me, making his way toward the far end of the room. I took the opportunity to catch my breath. It was a good thing he offered to get me something to drink. I was hot and parched already.

  He came back a minute later, carrying two red solo cups in his hands. Giving one to me, he drank deeply from his. I followed suit, drinking the sweet fizzy punch. A bitter aftertaste remained on my tongue and I wondered whether someone had spiked the punch with alcohol. Knowing the people at this school, it wasn’t out of question. I took a few more gulps, despite the weird taste.

  Judah took the cup away from me and walked away to throw it away in a nearby bin. As another song started, we started to dance but my head began feeling heavy. Within minutes, my surroundings spun in my vision, causing me to fall forward but Judah was there to catch me.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, holding onto my waist tightly.

  “No. I think someone put something in the punch. Didn’t it taste funny to you?”

  “It tasted fine to me. How about we go outside and get you some fresh air?”

  I nodded. He held onto me, helping me through the crowd. My head continued to spin, making me sick and dizzy.

  I took deep breaths once we stepped outside the cafeteria. The cold, fresh air helped a little but the sickness refused to leave.

  “How about I take you home?” asked Judah. Even though he probably sounded concerned, the sugar skull painted over his face made it seem creepy. “Come on.”

  His arms held me tightly as I tottered forward. At times, my vision failed completely, blinding me to the surroundings. My eyes fluttered open from time to time. Judah’s voice kept telling me to hold on, that we were nearly there but I wondered why it was taking so long to reach the dorm. It was only a few minutes’ walk from the cafeteria.

  My eyes opened again as a gust of cold wind rushed past me.

  “I’ve brought her to you,” said Judah but he wasn’t looking down at me. He still held me in his arms but he was looking ahead at someone else. Following the direction of his gaze, I found three other guys wearing long black tailcoats with their faces painted in the same sugar skull design as Judah’s. I looked around and found myself in an unfamiliar part of the campus. In the pitch darkness, their skeletal faces glowed white.

  “Why are we here?” I asked, trying to find the strength in my feet. My head throbbed badly and my vision kept blurring from time to time.

  “You’re going to be with your lord and savior,” said Judah, pushing me away.

  With no ability to control my movements, I fell away instantly but before I hit the ground, another pair of arms grabbed me.

  “Be gentle with her,” said a disturbingly familiar voice. “You have no idea how long it’s been since I’ve wanted her. Don’t want her broken and bruised before I get started.”

  I pushed away from the person holding onto me now. “Judah?” I uttered in a terrified whisper. “Where have you brought me?”

  “That’s the name you gave her?” cackled Saxon McLaughlin’s voice from beside me. “Smart.”

  My hands refused to coordinate with my commands. They stayed limp and heavy at my side. Saxon pulled me against him, holding my swaying body.

  “Let me go!” I shouted but my voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

  “You said you’d let us have our turn with her,” said Judah or whoever had lied and drugged me.

  “Sure. I don’t mind sharing but I get to have the first bite.”

  “Let’s get it over with,” said the asshole who brought me to Saxon. “The effects will wear off within an hour. I didn’t give her a higher dose in case she passed out completely and became a dead log.”

  “That’s plenty of time,” said Saxon, picking up my body in his arms.

  “Let me wipe all that stuff off her face,” said a third unknown voice. “She needs to look pretty for us.” Next moment, someone was rubbing a handkerchief on my cheek and chin.

  “Get away from me,” I shouted, swatting at the hands but my resistance was as weak as my voice. The scary part was that I was still very aware of what was going on around me. Could I hope the effects were wearing off?

  “We should find a place away from here,” said ‘Judah’’s voice.

  “Over there,” said Saxon’s voice. “No lights inside that crypt. It should be free for us to use.”

  Crypt? I turned my head to look around me and realized we were standing in a vast field with gravestones dotting the place. Under the light of the full moon, I saw the silhouettes of a crumbling angel statue.

  “You brought me to the cemetery?” I asked as horror settled into my bones. “What the hell’s wrong with you people?” Taking a shuddering breath, I looked up at Saxon who was barely recognizable through the skeletal mask painted over his face. “Let me go and I’ll spare you. I promise.”

  He chuckled. “It’s pretty cute how you keep threatening me and think it will work. The only reason I haven’t been able to touch you so far was because Andrei Romanoff and Dimitri Volkov were guarding you all the time. It was either them or one of their boys.” He exhaled a sigh. “It will be different tonight. Haven’t seen either of them around.”

  “She’s got both Romanoff and Volkov wrapped around her fingers,” said ‘Judah’. “She must have a special kind of pussy to hook them both.”

  Saxon licked his lips, his dark eyes glinting. “Yeah. I’ve wanted to fuck that mouth of her since the day she started threatening me.”

  Fear pulsed in my veins. They were going to hurt me tonight and there would be no one to save me. I cursed at myself for not acting against Saxon soon enough. I’d wanted to avoid trouble all along but my hesitation had ended up putting me in a worse situation.

  Saxon and the four guys behind him started walking ahead. Icy fingers of fear crawled down my back as I held my breath, knowing what was coming for me.

  The tops of a crumbling mausoleum came into view. Its marble exterior shone under the moonlight. “You’re sick,” I shouted but my voice was a mere mumble. “You have to do this in a crypt? Is this your idea of a Halloween bash?”

  “Precisely,” replied Saxon, stepping inside the dark tomb. Moonlight filtered in through the gaps between the broken columns.

  “She’s got a point though,” said one of his friends. “Do we really need to do this here? What if we end up summoning a demon or something?”

  Saxon chuckled. “Are you scared, Milton?” He kicked at a can that was littering the floor of the crypt and laid me down on the dusty floor. I kicked my legs, hoping they would have their strength back by now but no luck. They felt feeble and weak. “Someone get your phone out. I’m about to go down on our charity whore.”

  “Are you sure you want evidence of this?” asked ‘Judah’.

  “What evidence? This will be for my personal collection,” said Saxon, kneeling down beside me. His dark eyes raked me from head to foot. “You’ve got a nice rack. Anyone ever told you that, Skye?” His voice was softer now, like he was taking his time to admire his prize.

  “Fuck you, Saxon,” I spat.

  A savage look came over him as he fell on me, his cold lips claiming my mouth while his hands gripped my wrists, pinning them onto the hard floor beneath me. I struggled with every ounce of strength I could muster. My heart was breaking as his bitter tongue forced its way into my mouth, drinking and devouring me despite my protests.

  Tears seeped through my closed eyelids. I screwed them shut, unwilling to see someone as disgusting an
d vile as Saxon over me. Would this nightmare be better if I pretended this was Andrei? Or Christian, perhaps? No. My body still remembered their scent, their heated touch. It would not accept the intrusion of someone I abhorred so deeply.

  The sound of ripping fabric erupted in the silent crypt.

  “Stop!” I cried. “Please stop.” My voice was louder now, giving me a sliver of hope. It was a sign the effects of the drug were starting to wane. I had to buy myself time until I could really fight him off. My chances of escaping four guys were nil but I’d take it. I began screaming louder even as Saxon buried his head in my cleavage.

  “One girl and four men,” said a familiar voice from somewhere far away. “And you call yourselves men?”

  Hope leaped in my chest just as Saxon came to a halt, hovering over me.

  “Didn’t I tell you she was mine?” Dimitri’s cold voice echoed around the crypt. It was devoid of any feeling but at that moment, it was the sweetest sound to my ears.

  30

  Skye

  My head turned to the side. The silhouette of a dark figure was visible in the far distance, sitting on the ledge of a broken window. Moonlight streamed from behind him, hiding his features. Liquid inside a glass bottle sloshed as he got to his feet.

  “There are hundreds of girls at this school but you chose her,” Dimitri’s voice was low but it echoed in the silent, empty crypt. “You disappoint me, Saxon.”

  Saxon was on his feet now, giving me the chance to slowly push myself to sit up. A little strength seemed to have seeped back into my limbs.

  “Why do you get to keep her to yourself?” demanded Saxon. “You and Andrei keep coming in my way. Is it wrong for me to take a bite too and see what’s so special about her?”

  “Yes, Saxon. When we tell you to keep your paws off our girl, you listen.”

  Our girl? Dimitri was good with sharing me with Andrei? Even though I was shivering with cold and fear, his words brought out a different emotion swirling inside me.

  “Get rid of him,” said Saxon in a tight voice. “Nothing’s stopping me tonight.”

  My heart stuttered. There were four guys skulking behind Saxon. Would Dimitri be able to hold on or get hurt because of me? I missed Christian at that moment. He could have easily handled these people with his bare hands.

  ‘Judah’ and the other three guys stepped forward. Dimitri got to his feet, swaying slightly. He was still dressed in the academy uniform and hadn’t dressed up for Halloween. My gaze went to the dark liquid sloshing in the bottle held in his hand. With a sudden move, he smashed the glass bottle against the wall.

  “I’ll try not to maim you but I’m drunk and I might miss,” said Dimitri, moving forward with the bottle. Its bottom was now lined with sharp edges that glinted in the faint moonlight. The four guys attacked him at once but Dimitri was quicker, ducking away and stabbing ‘Judah’ in the side. As he fell away, Dimitri kicked at the shin of another, bringing him to the ground.

  “Get him!” Saxon shouted but the three guys were staring at Judah who was shouting curses as he clutched onto a bleeding wound at his side.

  Dimitri didn’t give them a chance to retreat. He attacked them, hitting, swiping and stabbing with the weapon he’d made out of a wine bottle. Within a few minutes, all four guys were writhing on the dusty floor of the crypt.

  Blood dripped from the jagged ends of the broken bottle as Dimitri stood over his bloodied opponents. His face was set in stone. Perhaps, such ruthlessness warranted people to call him a monster but at that moment, I looked up at him with gratitude washing over me. He’d just rescued me from a terrible fate.

  Saxon’s hands were balled into fists as he stared at Dimitri.

  “Call 911 and get them treated,” said Dimitri, clamping a hand on Saxon’s shoulder. “They will bleed out or go paralyzed if you leave them like that. Also, this is my last warning to you. Touch Skye again and it will be you instead of them.”

  Moving past him, Dimitri knelt down beside me. There was a gentle look in his usually cold, hard eyes. Tears poured down my cheeks as I threw my arms around his neck, feeling gratitude surging through me.

  “Can you stand up?” he asked.

  Sliding my arms away, I tried to push myself to my feet. It took more effort than usual but I was able to stand up. My knees felt weak but the effects of the drug ‘Judah’ gave me were wearing down.

  “Let’s go,” said Dimitri, sliding his arm around my waist to keep me from falling forward.

  I cast a glance at Saxon who was standing rooted to the spot while his pals were writhing and crying on the dusty floor. There wasn’t any regret within me when I saw the smears of blood on the ground. They would have me hurt and bleeding too, all the while enjoying the show.

  I turned away, leaving them to their fate.

  Dimitri led me out into the open air. My vision wasn’t blurry anymore and I was able to discern everything around me more clearly now.

  “How far is this place from the school?” I asked, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings.

  “About half a mile,” said Dimitri.

  I swallowed dryly as fear snaked its tendrils around my throat. They’d gotten me so far away without me realizing it. A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of what Saxon and his friends wanted to do to me. They would have probably left me in the crypt after they were done with me. This particular area was extremely secluded without a soul in sight. Even if I died there, it would have taken days to find my body.

  Dimitri came to a sudden stop. “You’re shaking.”

  I wasn’t even aware of the cold anymore. It was the fate I narrowly missed that had me shivering. Dimitri shrugged off the jacket he wore and draped it over my shoulders. Looking down, I pulled the edges closer around me only to realize that my boobs were at the risk of falling out from the ripped front of my dress. Saxon had done that. He would have torn the entire dress away to get to me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered through trembling lips. “If you weren’t there, they would have…”

  “Shh, don’t talk now. Let me take you back first and you can tell me what they did to you.”

  He started walking. I followed, holding on to him as I still needed support without falling on my weak knees.

  Minutes passed by as we moved down the hill. Soon, we came onto a spot that had Jack-o-lanterns strewn around the ground. Students from the academy loitered the cemetery grounds. Groups of people sat in different circles, drinking, smoking or working with Ouija boards. I didn’t remember seeing any of them when ‘Judah’ dragged me to that deserted crypt.

  As we passed a group of girls dressed as slutty witches, I noticed Miranda among them. She was smoking from a long, thin pipe and laughing carelessly. From the sound, it seemed like she was completely high. The others in her circle were in similar states, either drinking or smoking something.

  As Dimitri and I passed them, I noticed the small black purse beside Miranda. It was sitting there, open for anyone to pick up and steal…

  “Are you all right?” asked Dimitri when he noticed me standing and staring at the purse.

  “Yeah. I’m okay,” I said, looking up at him. He didn’t need to know the plan that was forming in my mind at the moment. The effects of the drug were now being replaced with adrenaline. Even though fear still sat heavy in my gut, my mind cleared away. My heart rate sped up, sending blood pumping through my limbs, bringing renewed strength in them.

  I let Dimitri lead the way down the hill until the tops of the academy’s main building came in sight.

  By the time we reached the dorm building, my legs felt strengthened. Dimitri still held on to me, taking me inside the well-lit and warm interiors.

  “Come with me to my room,” said Dimitri as we neared the elevators at the end of the hallway. “I will make you a drink and take care of you.”

  “Thanks,” I said with a dip of my head.

  Under the bright lights of the hallway, I couldn’t hide my emotions anymore. My fear was
slowly dissolving, giving way to rage. I wanted to destroy Saxon for what he was about to do to me. Sure, I was a ‘charity case’, sent here to do a mafia lord’s bidding but I was still human. Just because I was poorer than him didn’t mean he had the right to do whatever he wanted with me.

  We entered the elevator and I noted the ‘10’ Dimitri pressed on the panel.

  Holding onto the jacket around my shoulders, I watched the numbers changing on the top panel. When the elevator came to a stop, we walked out into a hallway that was similar to the one I lived in.

  “This way,” he said, leading the way to the left. He stopped at the fifth door from the elevator door. After pressing the code to the door lock, he turned toward me. “Come on.”

  I entered the room after him. The living room area had sleek black leather sofas and couches, giving me a glimpse to his taste for uber-modern style of décor.

  “Have a seat,” he said, helping me sit on a couch. Leaning down, he moved the strands of my hair away and looked closely at me. His beautiful amber eyes were a deep honey gold. “Do you feel better?”

  I gave a nod. “Thanks.”

  He was extremely gentle as he rubbed my shoulders. “You’re going to be okay,” he said in a low, deep voice, soothing away all remnants of fear coiling around my gut. His presence made me feel safe despite the things I’d come to know about him. At that moment, I truly believed him.

  Settling me on the sofa, Dimitri walked to a glass cabinet in the corner and took out a bottle of amber liquid. He poured the liquor in two tumblers and brought them over to me.

  “Drink this. It will help you warm up.”

  I eyed the liquor, not wanting it to dampen the sharp focus coming back to my mind.

  “Drink, Skye. I haven’t spiked it.”

  I glanced up at him. Anxiety swirled in those golden eyes. “I trust you,” I said. “Just that I don’t like alcohol but if you insist, bottom’s up.” I took a sip of the whiskey and felt it burn a trail down my throat. A funny noise escaped me as I put the glass down.

  At least, it left my stomach feeling warm.