Unlocked (Hell's Throne Book 1)

by M. L. Gabrielle

  Ceb walked us into class and dropped me in an open seat. He made the girl next to me move and plopped down in her chair. We were in the middle of a suspenseful game of hangman when the professor strolled in.

  “Apologies, class. I’ve been called into a last-minute meeting. A substitute will be joining you in a few minutes. He’ll play a movie, and there will be a quiz on it next week,” the professor explained before swiftly leaving the room. Yeah, we’re definitely not sticking around for that.

  “Let’s go,” Ceb whispered, as I quickly packed my stuff up. He turned around so I could hop on his back. We were halfway across the quad when I sucked in a breath. Zane was walking up the library steps. I never felt so much hatred toward someone.

  I patted Ceb’s shoulder. “That’s Zane on the library steps. He’s wearing a black shirt.” He let out a low growl and quickly started walking to my dorm. As soon as we reached my building, he ran us up the five flights of stairs and locked us in my room. Ceb stood guard in front of my room as I whipped out my phone to text everyone.

  “I wish I could take you away from here, Evie. I don’t like that guy being so close. Maybe you should come home until we figure out a way to catch this guy.” I jumped into the pile on pillows on my bed and made myself comfortable.

  “Ceb, you know we can’t risk Zane running off. Come on. Let’s watch a movie. It can be your choice, but no porn.” Ceb let out a laugh. He checked the lock one time before taking the spot next to me.

  I fell asleep during the movie only to be woken up by someone pounding on the door. I let out a frustrated groan and started to get out of bed. “Get your ass back in bed. I’ll get it.” Fine by me.

  Cerberus checked the peephole. He swung the door open and jumped back on the bed. Grumpy Gills hates being disturbed in the middle of a movie.

  “You weren’t in class,” Locke clipped. He walked into my room and was glaring at Cerberus. Well, that’s a nice greeting. “Observant,” I muttered.

  Ceb leaned in close. “I’m glad you got a new boyfriend today, Evie. This guy is an asshole.” I couldn’t help but giggle. “Tired Evie giggles are the best! She literally can’t stop once she starts!” Ceb laughed as he started tickling me.

  Oh hellfire, I really can’t stop giggling. I tried wiggling off of the bed, but Ceb held me captive by straddling me. “Stop! Stop! You’re going to make me pee!” I shouted through my laughter. I sprinted to the bathroom as soon as he released me.

  I narrowed my eyes at Cerberus as I walked back toward the bed. “You’re evil.” I looked over to an unamused Locke. “What’s up?” He leaned against the door crossing his arms, which made black shirt strain against his muscles.

  “I don’t know, Evelyn. Let’s see. I heard that you were propositioned in class, two different guys asked you out, you ditched class and I just watched this guy straddle you on the bed. Get up. I need to talk to you privately,” Locke ordered.

  What’s his problem? Why is he acting like such an asshole? “No wonder I needed a nap. I was a very busy girl this morning with all of these guys. You know what? Screw you, Locke. I’m finished with this conversation.” There’s no way in Hell that I’ll let Locke’s insecurities tarnish my relationship with my best friend.

  Locke stood to his full height. “Evelyn, I don’t like having to repeat myself. Let’s go. We need to talk,” he demanded. What has gotten into him?

  “Who do you think you’re speaking to, Locke? You can take your insults and orders and shove off. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” The door slammed as I jumped on the bed and grabbed the remote. I can’t even think about what just happened.

  “What should we watch next? I have an hour until lunch.” Ceb gave me an apologetic look. “Evie…” I shook my head at him. “Don’t. Do not apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for, Ceb. I had so much fun with you today. I can’t even remember the last time I laughed so hard. I needed that, so don’t you dare apologize for bringing some sun to this shit storm.”

  I pushed Locke far from my mind as we watched a show in comfortable silence. After two shows, I knew I had to start getting ready for lunch. The last thing I wanted to do was see Locke right now.

  Cerberus pulled me into a hug. “I have to head back to the gates, so Gabe is going to walk you over to the dining hall. Stay safe, Evie.” Before I could beg him to stay, he kissed the top of my head and vanished from my room.

  31

  Eve

  I freshened up in the bathroom and changed into a pair of yoga pants. I was looking for a top when Gabe popped in. “You seriously suck at texting, spider monkey. You’re lucky that Ceb was giving us a play by play all morning.” I let out a frustrated breath. I really don’t need any more lectures today.

  I slipped on a green shirt and decided to leave my hair down. “I know. I know. I’ll text you guys after lunch. My classes are finished for the day, so I’ll just be doing my homework anyway.” I stuffed my phone keys and Ab’s credit card in a clutch and headed toward the door with Gabe.

  “You want to tell me what’s going on? Why isn’t Locke walking to lunch with you?” Gabe asked. Maybe I’m just overly sensitive, but I didn’t like how he asked that.

  “Don’t let me keep you from your plans, Gabe. The dining hall is right around the corner. I can handle it from here,” I snapped.

  We rounded the corner to see Locke and non-other than bitchy Barbie deep in conversation. I let out a humorless laugh and walked right into the dining hall. What the actual fuck? First, he’s a complete jerk to me, and now he’s all buddy-buddy with Hannah?

  Gabe grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at him. “You took what I said the wrong way before, Eve. Seriously, are you okay?” he asked. I nodded and gave him a weak smile. I shouldn’t have snapped at him. “I’m sorry for being a bitch. I’ll text you later.”

  Gabe kissed my head and vanished. He knows better than to press me. I’ll talk when I’m ready. I grabbed my lunch and took a seat next to Jacob, who was already sitting with Cade and Miles. He looked at me with concern and started typing on his phone. He opened my clutch and handed me my phone.

  Jacob: Are you okay?

  Me: Would you believe me if I said yes?

  Jacob: Nope.

  Me: It’s been a weird day.

  Jacob: Homework after lunch?

  Me: Just us?

  Jacob: Just us.

  I smiled at him and put my phone down. “Did you guys just have a conversation on your phones when you’re sitting right next to one another?” Cade asked, incredulously.

  “Yep,” Jacob and I answered in unison. He shook his head at us. “Is Locke back from class yet?” Miles asked. I shrugged my shoulders. I’m not touching that one right now.

  I spotted Penny heading our way. She was carrying a tray of food that I’m surprised she could even lift. “Girlfriend, we need to talk. Nick told me what happened this morning in class. He wouldn’t tell me exactly what Locke said to him, but he has been freaking out all day.” I sighed as I put my sandwich down.

  “Honestly, it’s not a big deal. Nick is a harmless flirt. I’m sure he wouldn’t have said anything if he knew about Locke. I’ll try to smooth things over later.” I’m sure that Penny will relay the message to Nick.

  Locke and Emmett arrived and sat down in the open seats, which were at the opposite end of the table. Locke gave me a weird look, but I just focused my attention on Jacob. I was in the middle of a conversation with Penny and Jacob when I saw bitchy Barbie heading toward our table.

  Hannah sauntered over to where Locke and the guys were sitting. “Locke, I thought you could come and sit with me today,” she purred, running her manicured finger down his blue shirt.

  This is not okay. I may be pissed at Locke right now, but he’s still mine. “Fuck off, Hannah. I’m not interested,” he sneered, moving his chair back. She clearly can’t take a hint because she moved even closer to him.

  “Babe, you can’t possibly want to keep up this farce with Emily. I h
eard she was picking up guys in the quad and that she was rolling around with some guy in her bed earlier today. She doesn’t care about you, but I do. You know we’re good together.” Hannah whispered something in his ear and then quickly kissed his cheek. I saw nothing but red. This bitch went too far.

  Using my power, I pushed her away from him, causing Hannah to fall flat on her ass. I stalked toward her. “If you ever touch what’s mine again, I’ll make your outside appearance as ugly as what’s underneath. You’re nothing but a delusional, vile creature. This is your final warning. Stay away from Locke and his brothers.” I turned my back to her and sat back down at the table.

  I gave Jacob an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry about that. Finish your story. I’m dying to hear the rest.” Without missing a beat, Jacob continued telling Penny and me the latest story about his idiotic roommate. I could feel the heirs staring at me, but I wasn’t going to interrupt Jacob again.

  We were just about finished eating when Locke came over to me. “You showed a lot of restraint before. I’m proud of you, little hellion. If roles were reversed, she would have been ash,” he chuckled. I stayed silent. “You seemed upset even before Hannah showed up. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  Is he serious? I narrowed my eyes at him. “Locke, did you change your personality when you changed your shirt? You’re giving me serious whiplash right now. First, you insult and order me around. Now, you’re acting sweet as pie. You’re giving me major Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde vibes right now, and I’m not okay with it,” I snapped, turning away from him.

  He sighed. “Eve, I didn’t mean to insult you this morning. I was just pissed when I looked in your class and saw that guy hitting on you.” I covered my face with my hands in frustration.

  “Are you high? I’m not talking about what happened in class, Locke. I’m talking about when you went all douche-lord on me in my room earlier.” I have to get out of here. I bumped Jacob with my knee, and we started packing up to leave.

  Locke put his hand on my neck, keeping me in place. “Hold on a second. Eve, what color shirt was I wearing in your room?” I turned and looked at him with irritation. “Black.” Locke tensed. He whipped out his phone and started typing. Leaning close, Jacob showed me his phone.

  Locke: Pack up your stuff. Everyone to Eve’s room, now. Do not touch anyone. Avoid anyone that approaches you on the way. Eve, text Cerberus to meet us.

  Jacob, Penny and I threw out our trash and chatted as we walked out of the dining hall. I quickly messaged Ceb as I darted up the stairs to my room. There was no way I was going to take the elevator if we’re in danger. Ceb was already laying on my bed when I opened the door. I was about to run over to him when Locke blocked my path.

  “Come in. Stay away from the doors and windows,” Locke ordered. A golden sheen covered my room. “You guys can sit down now. I put a shield around the room. It’s breathable, soundproof and no one can portal in or out.” What is going on? We all looked at Locke with confusion.

  “Before I explain, we each need to ask someone in this room a question that only we would be able to answer. I’ll start. Miles, what did you name your first longsword?”

  Miles sighed. “Sir Jabs-A-Lot. Cade, what did you buy Emmett for his sixteenth birthday?” Cade let out a laugh. “A blow-up doll. RIP Dolly. Emmett, what did we convince you that you were after you ate those shrooms from the third level of Hell?” The guys started giggling like little schoolgirls.

  Emmett looked up to the ceiling and let out a groan. “Fuck. A pink unicorn named Fart Blossom. You’re a dick for bringing that up, by the way. Locke, what’s the most embarrassing article of clothing in your room, and how many times have you worn it?”

  I legit could not stop laughing. This is absolutely amazing. Locke smirked. “Assless chaps. Two times. Jacob, where is Eve’s birthmark and what does she call it?” Jacob winked at me. “Her’ cutie mark’ is on her right ankle.” Jacob looked at Penny.

  “Penny, during an assembly, your second-grade teacher asked you what job you wanted when you grew up. What was your answer?” Jacob asked. She rolled her eyes. “‘Anything, but a blow job. I heard they suck.’ Eve, how did you learn about sex?”

  Ceb started cracking up. “My dad passed the buck to Gabe. One day I found Gabe lounging on my couch with a box of condoms and bushel of bananas. ‘This is How We Do It’ was playing on his phone. I tried to run out of the room, but he caught me. He forced me to watch a video that he made called, ‘Getting it on with Gabe.’ Ceb, what did you and Gabe do when I was upset about never going to a school dance?” He gave me a warm smile.

  “We wore tuxes and got you the biggest ball gown that we could find. You looked like a pink wedding cake. We danced in the throne room and hired someone to take cheesy prom pictures of us. Then we fell asleep watching 80s high school movies in your room.” He truly is the best friend ever.

  “Go hug Cerberus before you jump out of your skin, Eve,” Locke laughed. I raced to the bed and jumped on my best friend. “You’ll always be my person,” I whispered to him. He kissed my forehead and sat us upright.

  “So, what was up with the game?” Ceb asked. Locke turned to me. “Eve, can you tell everyone why you were upset with me earlier?” he asked. I almost forgot that I was supposed to be pissed at him.

  “You came to my room and were acting like a complete asshole. You insulted me and were rude to Ceb. Then you were ordering me to come to you like I was a pet. You will never speak to me like that again, Locke.”

  Locke sat on the bed next to Ceb and pulled me into his arms. “See, the problem is that I didn’t go back to your room after I saw you in class this morning.” I felt the blood drain from my face. “What?”

  “Locke, I was with Evie. You knocked on her door, started spewing shit and ordered her to leave with you. I witnessed the entire thing,” Ceb snapped.

  Locke rested his chin on my head. “When have I ever knocked on your door, Eve? You said that I was wearing a black shirt, but I’ve been wearing this blue t-shirt all day. It wasn’t me. It was someone who was pretending to be me.”

  Someone was literally in my room. What if I was by myself? “That’s why you had us ask a question, so we’d know if someone was a phony,” Penny mused. Locke nodded his head.

  “Before we freak out. Let’s go over what we know about this person. Even the smallest detail could be helpful,” Miles suggested. I took a minute to think about it. “I don’t think he knew who Ceb was to me. He referred to him as ‘that guy.’ I should have picked up on that earlier,” I admitted, replaying the scene in my mind.

  Ceb nodded in agreement. “Evie and I were sitting on the bed, and he kept telling her to go over to him. As if he needed her to get away from me.”

  Cade started pacing the floor as Emmett sat down at my desk. “He probably knows that Eve is powerful, so maybe he didn’t think he could take on the two of you,” Cade mused.

  Ceb let out a low growl. “One of the first things he said to Evie was that she missed class. My guess is that he was either looking for her or wanted to go through her room.” Locke tightened his arms around me.

  “We should check the video cameras around the dorm, library and the class that Eve ditched. Sounds like he may have waited for her after class,” Emmett tossed out to the group.

  Locke nodded his head. “Good call, we’ll work on getting the feed. Does anything else stand out to you about his mannerisms or behavior?”

  “He was agitated and in a hurry. It was weird. He may have been a good actor, but he seemed genuinely jealous of all the attention Eve got today. Let me tell you, that guy was not happy to see me in her bed,” Ceb said. The guys started snickering.

  “Actually, I just remembered something. When bitchy Barbie was yapping in the dining hall, she mentioned that I was rolling around in bed with someone. That was actually true,” I told the group.

  Locke straightened behind me. “Choose your next words carefully, Eve. I’m about two-seconds from losing it,
” Locke said through gritted teeth. I rested my head on his chest.

  “As I was about to say, I had the giggles because Ceb was tickling me. I was rolling around, trying to get away from him before I peed myself. The point is that only fake Locke would have known that. Oh, I saw you and Hannah talking outside of the dining hall.” Now, that better have been the fake Locke.

  “I’m going to kill that bitch! Do you think Hannah started that scene in the dining hall thinking that Eve would leave by herself?” Penny asked, wiping an angry tear from her eye. Chills ran down my spine. That probably was the plan.

  Locke stood up from the bed. “I’m going to fill Eve’s dad in and will see if he can get us the tapes. Buddy system for the rest of today and tomorrow. Don’t go anywhere alone,” he ordered. The shield around my room dissipated. I hugged Ceb goodbye and walked over to Jacob and Penny.

  “Maybe you should go home, Eve. I can just transfer to a school in Hell,” she suggested. I gave her a weak smile. “Unfortunately, I think my life may be like this no matter where I am. I’m just lucky that I’m surrounded by a lot of incredible people. It will all work out.”

  I’m not sure if I was trying to convince Penny or myself. Soon everyone left, leaving Locke and me in my room.

  32

  Eve

  I jumped back onto the bed and watched as Locke furiously texted on his phone. “Locke? You think this is a shapeshifter that we’re dealing with, right? Are you sure that you don’t have an evil twin running around?” He looked up from his phone and gave me a strange look. Um, I was just kidding. “Locke?”

  He walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down with his arms behind his head. “I’m not sure.” I let out a laugh.