by River Ramsey
She shot him a death glare and pushed him out of the dressing room to finish getting dressed. He was waiting by the counter when she took her purchases to the front.
“Find everything alright?” the clerk asked pleasantly. If she had any idea what had happened in the dressing room, she was good at hiding it. Probably a job requirement, if the other customers were anything like Axel.
Somehow, Ella doubted there was anyone out there like him, though.
“Fine,” she mumbled, putting her clothes on the counter. She reached for her wallet, but Axel handed the clerk a black card before she had the chance.
“I can buy my own clothes,” she protested.
“With Mom’s card?” he countered. Before she could respond, he added, “It’s the least I could do, considering all your shit got ruined because of me.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant it, but she was nonetheless amazed by how he could shift from lording his family’s money over her as he always had to being uncharacteristically thoughtful in the same breath.
Ella thought of arguing, but she didn’t want to cause more of a scene in front of the clerk. The sooner they left and got back to the Academy, the sooner she could pretend like none of it had happened.
“We can look around if you want,” Axel said in a tone that sounded almost pleasant as they left the store. He was on good behavior now that he’d finally gotten what he wanted. He’d even insisted on carrying her bags.
“I’d rather just go back to the school,” she muttered.
“Suit yourself,” he said, leading her out to the parking garage.
Ella remained silent the whole drive back, and while Axel didn’t make any further attempts to tease her, he was absolutely preening. When they finally pulled up in front of the dorm, she lunged for the door, but he locked it at the last second.
She turned back to find him watching her with a predatory expression that at once filled her with instinctive fear and desire. Her wires always had been crossed when it came to him. Sometimes she wasn’t sure she could tell the difference between love and hate anymore.
“You’re gonna cave, you know,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ella narrowed her eyes. “Is that so?”
“Mhm,” he answered without missing a beat as his gaze drifted to hers. “Just a matter of time. And I’m not gonna make it easy on you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she asked, gathering her things so she could leave as quickly as possible. She chose to pretend like she hadn’t noticed the door was locked rather than letting him think he actually had control of her. If she had to, she’d break the damn window.
Actually, that probably wasn’t a half-bad idea. He cared more for that souped-up deathtrap than he did for any person other than himself.
“Every day you put it off, I’m going to add a day,” he answered, seeming amused by her confusion. He clarified, “I’ll touch you and eat your pussy until you’re screaming for more, but I’m not gonna fuck you. Not until I’ve made you suffer for every day you put off the inevitable.”
Ella’s mouth gaped open in indignation, but before she could respond, he leaned in and to her surprise, rather than kiss her, he merely cupped her cheek in his hand with surprising tenderness. His eyes were still sharp as knives, but there was something soft in them. A fondness.
“You’re the only person who’s ever made me wait,” he said, his voice laced with as much admiration as frustration. She was sure he was telling the truth. The world and everyone in it revolved around Axel. She probably was the one person who’d ever told him no, even if that grew harder to enforce by the day. “I’m going to make you pay for it, too.”
Ella finally broke out of whatever trance he’d put her in. “Unlock the damn door, Axel, before I put my heel through your window.”
She expected him to continue the game of control, but the door unlocked and she wasted no time getting out of the car and slamming it shut. She expected him to roll down the window and get in the final word, but when she looked back, he was just waiting there at the curb of her dorm. There were two girls watching at the top of the steps and she didn’t want to give them anything more to gossip about, so she straightened her spine and walked into the building, leaving Axel and his gaudy yellow trophy behind her.
Chapter 6
Ella
Ella awoke the next morning with what she could only describe as an Axel hangover. They hadn’t even gone all the way and she already felt like she’d been on an extended walk of shame.
She couldn’t believe she’d let him touch her like that. Or that she’d responded the way she had.
Not once, but twice.
Once could be dismissed as an accident, but twice was a pattern she didn’t want to set in.
After their close encounter in the dressing room, she’d decided to take an extra dose of suppressant just to be safe. It obviously wasn’t a high enough dosage to deal with him.
Of far more concern was the fact that she still had three rings with no one to wear them. The closer she drew to having to make a choice, the more tempting Axel became. Not simply because she already lusted after him, but because he was familiar. As cruel as he could be, she knew his limitations. She knew all the dark, ugly sides of him. Every hollow of his soul where the worst of him resided.
Maybe he was the devil, but at least she knew him.
She shook the thought off, determined to just focus on getting through the day. An hour-long steaming hot shower didn’t leave her feeling rid of Axel’s scent, but it would have to do. She got dressed in one of the outfits she’d bought the day before and left her dorm to head to the Headmaster’s office. There were still a couple of hours before class, and she needed to get her new uniforms.
Hopefully she’d be out early enough to avoid running into any other students.
It was bad enough that she’d started out as the school pariah, but now that the toms were looking at her like she was fresh meat, what was once unsettling was now infuriating.
When she arrived outside the administrative offices, she found that the door was still locked. There was no light underneath the door either, so she assumed the secretary hadn’t even arrived yet.
Sighing, she leaned back against the wall to wait.
It didn’t take long before her peace was interrupted, and of course it wasn’t one of the Academy staff members. She recognized Brad immediately. And how could she not? His shitty behavior and overpowering scent had made quite the impression.
If there was one thing she was looking forward to about being out of heat more than any other, it was the reduced sensory sensitivity.
The fact that it made the males she was already attracted to even more tantalizing was more of an issue.
“Well, if it isn’t the Empress,” he sneered, sauntering toward her with a malevolent look in his eyes. Ella had expected him to lash out at her the moment she’d found out Axel had beaten him up on her behalf, which was yet another reason she wasn’t interested in his “help.”
Hell, he was almost more dangerous as a friend than as an enemy.
When had she started thinking about him like that?
“What’s the matter? Hoping to get your nose snapped back into place?” she taunted, folding her arms. She refused to show any sign of fear, especially now that she was alone.
Axel was right about one thing. The old Ella just instinctively rolled over and submitted in hopes of being left alone, but that had never worked out for her. Taking on Marissa and the relative peace it had afforded her since then, even if it was only because they were all afraid of her now, was absolutely worth it.
His eyes narrowed angrily and he came to a stop much too close for comfort. She could smell his overdone cologne, which somehow wasn’t an improvement on his natural scent. “Your boyfriend’s not here, is he?” he challenged, putting an arm on the wall above her. It was a position she’d found herself in with Axel more times than she could count, and it was the first ti
me she realized that as intimidating as he could be, she’d never truly been scared of him. There was always more excitement in their heated encounters than anything else, but Brad was different.
He set off some alarm deep within her that made her want to second guess her new strategy of standing her ground. She wanted to turn and run instead. Just the thought of him touching her made her skin crawl and her blood boil.
Not that she’d make it very far. Standing firm was the best option now, as far as she could see it. Meeting his gaze was difficult, not because he had the same powerful energy that Axel and Sterling possessed, but because they were full of the echoes of his filthy thoughts and she felt like the contact was contaminating her.
“Careful, Brad,” she said, lowering her voice. “I’m going to be in a position to make your life very unpleasant soon.”
The threat seemed to take him by surprise as much as it did her. She hadn’t even realized what she was saying until the words were out of her mouth, but it felt good. If everyone was going to envy and hate her for the position, she might as well enjoy some of the benefits.
“Think you’re a clever little kitty, don’t ya?” he taunted, grabbing her face in his hand. His grip was hard enough that she was sure it was going to leave bruises in the shape of his fingertips and she couldn’t strain away without feeling in danger of breaking her neck. The physical advantage was definitely on his side. “Your title can’t protect you from everything. Not if I mark you to teach you some manners.”
Fear and revulsion accompanied the adrenaline rushing through her veins. A forced mating mark was among the worst crimes a shifter could commit, and for good reason. There was no separating mates who’d been bound together that way, even if it was nonconsensual. In the less civilized days of their kind, it was a cruel tactic that had been used on more than one occasion to secure a claim to power. It seemed toms hadn’t changed all that much even if their laws had.
“Is there a problem here, Mr. Long?”
The familiar voice was low and dangerous, but it filled Ella with relief all the same. The moment Brad turned around, she broke away from his grasp and ran to Sterling’s side.
Sterling placed a hand protectively on Ella’s back, but his gaze remained fixed on Brad, cold and unblinking.
“N-no,” the tom stammered, taking a step back.
“That’s strange,” Sterling said, letting his hand fall away from Ella’s back as he walked toward his student. His posture was casual and free, but Brad was more tense than he’d ever been. “Because this is the second time I’ve found you harassing Ms. Doe. Care to explain yourself?” He waited pointedly as the color drained from Brad’s face. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
The other male gulped so hard Ella could hear it. As much as her feline instincts wanted to enjoy the fact that Sterling was defending her, she had never seen him like this. He looked calm on the surface, but she could feel his rage like a silent volcano ready to blow. Brad seemed to sense it, too, given the way he was standing there frozen like the teacher had a spell on him.
For a second, Ella wondered if he did.
“There won’t be a third time,” Sterling said, his smooth voice sending a shiver down Ella’s spine. It seemed to have the same effect on Brad for entirely different reasons. “Do I make myself clear?”
Brad nodded, not even casting a glance at Ella this time before he turned and ran.
Ella finally took a deep breath. “Thank you. I’m sorry you had to intervene.”
Sterling turned around, his eyes still glowing with anger, even though somehow she knew it wasn’t directed at her. It was intimidating nonetheless. “You’re not the one who needs to apologize.” His voice softened with concern as he looked her over, and she tried to tell herself that whatever she saw in his eyes was nothing more than that. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
He took a step closer, and when he reached out to touch her cheek, she froze. “That oaf hurt you,” he muttered bitterly, running his fingers lightly over the mark that must have already formed.
“I’m okay. Really,” she insisted. Her heart was in far more danger of giving out from his touch than anything Brad had done to her. “It’s nothing.”
He seemed to want to argue, but she could tell there was something else. Something he wanted to say.
“Is everything alright?” she finally asked.
Her question seemed to break him out of his distraction. “Everything is fine,” he said, a bit too quickly to be convincing. “Did you need something in the office?”
“I’m supposed to pick up my new uniforms,” she answered, noting his look of confusion. “It’s a long story.”
Sterling nodded, taking his keys out of his jacket pocket. He unlocked the door to let her in, but when she followed him into the empty office, she couldn’t help but feel like he was lost in his head.
He turned on the lights and gestured to the door up ahead. “They’re probably in the storage closet. Take whatever you need.”
“Thanks,” Ella said, walking into the closet. Sure enough, there was a stack of freshly pressed uniforms waiting on one of the shelves beneath a paper marked with her name. She took the clothes and walked back out to find Sterling standing where she’d left him, staring off into space.
“Mr. Bryant?” she called worriedly. When his eyes met hers, the look in them did nothing to reassure her about whatever was bothering him. “Are you sure nothing is wrong?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Quite.”
“Okay,” she said, slipping past him. She stopped in the door, hesitating. “Will I see you for lessons this morning?”
He didn’t answer right away, and that made her more uneasy than anything else.
“About that. I think it’s best we suspend our sessions for the time being,” he said with the certainty of a man who had already rehearsed his words. Ella tried not to let her heart sink, but it was already in the pit. “Until this whole matter is sorted out.”
She didn’t have to ask to know which “matter” he was speaking of. She’d expected him to want nothing to do with her once he’d learned of her humiliating circumstances, but this was coming out of the blue.
“Sure,” she said, her voice breaking no matter how she tried to keep it steady. “I understand.”
He frowned. “Ella…”
She had already gotten halfway out the door, and while she stopped, she couldn’t bring herself to look back. “Yes?” she asked, trying to hold in her ridiculous emotional response until she could get off on her own. The last thing she wanted was for him to see the moisture in her eyes.
He hesitated again, but at length, he said, “Have a good day.”
Ella swallowed the laugh of dismay in her throat. “You, too,” she murmured, fleeing the room.
There was absolutely no chance of that now.
Chapter 7
Ella
“There you are.”
Another familiar voice called to Ella as she put her books away in her locker for the day. She shut the door to find Bishop’s handsome face smiling at her. He was usually a sight for sore eyes, but after the morning’s event, she didn’t have it in her to socialize and he was the last person she wanted to drag down with her sour mood.
“Hey,” she said, forcing a smile.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were ignoring me,” he said, his hands slipped casually into his pockets as he leaned against his locker. “First the date, and now you’re not answering your texts.”
Ella looked down at her phone, realizing she had missed a couple from him. She’d had it off since she didn’t feel like dealing with Axel and was sure he’d come calling before long.
“Sorry. Things have been crazy lately,” she admitted.
“You mean since you kicked Marissa’s ass,” he said, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
Ella sighed. “That feels like it happened a year ago.”
“
How about you tell me all about it over dinner?” he offered.
“Now?” she asked doubtfully.
“I’m not taking the chance on you disappearing on me again,” he said, his grin turning up a few hundred watts.
She hesitated, but couldn’t think of a valid reason that wouldn’t just sound like an excuse. Bishop was definitely not the kind of guy who got turned down often, and she doubted he would know how to handle it if he thought he was. Besides, maybe getting away from the Academy for a bit would be good for her.
“It’s a little short notice, but...sure. What the hell.”
“That’s the spirit,” he said, glancing her up and down. “Not that you’re not the best thing that’s ever happened to that uniform, but how about we both get changed and I’ll pick you up outside the dorm in thirty?”
“Sure,” she said, her face growing warm from the compliment. If he didn’t watch it, she was actually going to start to believe him.
Bishop turned back halfway down the hall and called over the chatter of the other students, “Remember, no disappearing!”
Ella couldn’t help but smile as she shut her locker, pretending like she didn’t notice the envious glances of the other girls down the hall. Maybe there was something to be said for not caring what anyone else thought.
After changing into one of her new dresses, Ella examined her appearance in the full-length mirror on the back of her door. She had to admit, Axel had good taste. She felt almost glamorous in the simple, fitted black dress and boots, although she doubted he would have been very happy if he’d known she was wearing them out on a date with Bishop.
She took care to lock her room, having changed the entire door set with permission from the Headmaster, and set the alarm he’d grudgingly offered to install. She wasn’t taking any more chances, though Hurricane Marissa seemed to have died down for the time being.
Bishop was waiting for her at the curb in a car that was far less ostentatious but just as expensive-looking as Axel’s. He stood by the door, waiting to hold it open for her and when she stepped off the curb, he took her hand.