by Becca Steele
“What party?”
“Didn’t you hear about it? At Alstone Castle?”
She shrugged unenthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. I don’t know. Maybe. I’m not really in a party mood at the moment, but ask me again at the end of the week.”
“I will. And you’d better be there.”
She gave him a half-smile and got into her car, while Weston slid in next to me.
“Happy now?”
“Not really.” I started the engine, and the car purred to life.
“When are you going to admit that you want her?”
“Don’t fucking start,” I warned, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
He huffed and slumped back in his seat.
We drove home in silence.
Pulling up outside the house, I couldn’t shake the tension running through me. Weston climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind him, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. I clenched and unclenched my fists on the steering wheel, my leg bouncing restlessly.
The next minute, Zayde was sliding into the car next to me. “Let’s go.”
I hit the music system and peeled away from the driveway with a screech, the sounds of Breaking Benjamin reverberating through the surround sound speakers, matching my black mood, and we raced down the country lanes and onto the wide road that ran parallel to the headland. I let the car fly down the mostly empty road at high speeds, adrenaline pumping through my veins.
We reached a smaller built-up area, with rows of red-brick Victorian terraced houses, all identical, and I turned the music down low. I slowed the car and cruised to a stop outside a house with a nondescript faded red door, my mood calmer after the rush of speeding down the empty roads in my R8.
Z punched out a message on his phone, and a couple of minutes later, a dark hooded figure emerged from the house, silently closing the door behind him.
Zayde rolled down his window, and the guy leaned in.
“Z.” They bumped fists, and then he nodded to me. “Rich boy.”
“Alright, Mack.” Zayde handed him a roll of notes, and Mack slipped a bag out of the sleeve of his hoodie, placing it in Zayde’s hand.
“Cheers.”
“See ya next time.” Mack backed away from the car and jogged back to the house, disappearing inside. I started up the engine, smoothly pulling away and heading back towards Alstone.
The car was silent, moving through the empty streets, the sea on one side and fields on the other. As we reached the outskirts of Alstone, nearing our home, and houses became visible on the horizon, something caught my eye. I spun the steering wheel, screeching to a halt outside a large Regency-style mansion house, and I was up and out of the car before I could think twice, Zayde right there with me.
“Granville!”
James Granville turned around at my shout, annoyance crossing his face. “What do you want?”
In four strides I was in front of him, crowding him against the wall. He glared at me, pushing against my chest. “What the fuck, Cavendish?”
“I’m here with a warning. Stay away from Winter.”
He gaped at me. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly. If I even hear a rumour that you’ve tried anything on with her, you won’t like the consequences.”
“Yeah? What are you going to do?”
“How does a broken jaw sound?” Zayde’s tone was conversational, but his eyes were hard and icy.
“She belongs with us, not assholes like you. Don’t fucking forget it.” I shoved him, hard, in the chest, and he stumbled to the side, scrambling to get away from me.
“Alright, alright, I get it. She’s not worth the hassle.”
Bastard. I took a threatening step towards him, and the coward ran up the steps, fumbling in his pocket for his keys.
“Stay away from Lena, too,” Zayde shouted after him, as the door slammed shut. He turned to me, shaking his head. “You don’t want Winter, huh?”
“No.”
“Deluded fool.”
TWENTY
Saturday. Guy Fawkes. The day things took an unexpected turn.
The Four had talked me into going to the celebrations—well, Weston and Cassius had, anyway. All they’d tell me was that I didn’t want to miss the fireworks.
“So, what happens at one of these things?” I asked Kinslee, not for the first time. She was standing at the kitchen counter, mixing some kind of cocktail for us both.
She turned around, ice cube tray in hand. “I told you. Fireworks, a bonfire, and games.”
“I want to know what the games are. I need to know what I’m getting myself into.”
Kinslee shrugged. “I don’t want to spoil the fun. Last year was my first time, and it was all the better because I didn’t know what was going to happen. You’re going to love it, though, I guarantee. I wouldn’t be so insistent about you coming, otherwise.”
“I guess so.”
She handed me a glass brimming with ice. “Drink up. Then we can go.”
Our group of five girls from our apartment building crested the top of the hill and stopped. The castle stood out in stark relief, spotlights cycling through all the colours of the rainbow, lighting up the stones and casting long shadows across the clifftop. The castle itself and a huge area around it had been fenced off, and there was a gap with a queue of people waiting to enter, with two huge, bulky men dressed all in black scanning the barcode tickets on everyone’s phones as they passed. Thumping music vibrated through the air, warring with the sound of the waves far below crashing against the cliff, and generators hummed loudly near the perimeter.
“Wow. This isn’t what I was expecting.” I sucked in a surprised breath, snuggling deeper into Caiden’s hoodie, which I’d conveniently forgotten to give back to him after he’d let me borrow it.
“Welcome to Alstone College. Where if you have the money, you can turn a simple bonfire into a massive event,” one of the girls laughed.
As we drew closer, I noticed a huge unlit bonfire, piled high with wood. To the far left was a makeshift bar area and a DJ with giant headphones next to it, just visible behind the huge sound system. Not what I was expecting, at all.
The security guy scanned our tickets and handed us each a strip of fabric as we entered. “What’s this for?” I asked Kinslee, bemused.
“You’ll need it later. Keep hold of it.”
I shrugged, shoving it into my pocket, and tugged the hood of Caiden’s hoodie over my head. It was fucking freezing tonight, everyone’s breath coming in clouds. I’d worn thermal leggings and black boots lined with sheepskin—not the most stylish outfit, but I was glad of the warmth.
I spotted a familiar face as we made our way closer to the castle. James leaned against the stone wall with a group of guys, all dressed in black. He normally looked suave and sophisticated, but tonight, dressed down with a hoodie, black jeans, boots, and a beanie hat pulled low on his head, I hardly recognised him.
“Hey.” I smiled, hugging him. “How are things? I feel like I haven’t seen you for ages.”
A frown crossed his face as he released me, glancing around us, and spoke to me in a low voice. “Yeah. Well. I thought I’d keep my distance for now, after Cavendish and Lowry fucking threatened to break my jaw if I made any advances towards you.”
“What? Are you joking? When?”
“Last week. The assholes cornered me outside my apartment.”
For fuck’s sake. “Were they serious?”
“Deadly. Honestly, Winter. I’m not afraid of them, but it’s not worth my time to…y’know.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I’m sorry, James. I have no idea what their problem is.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I would’ve thought it was obvious. Cavendish is into you, and he doesn’t like to share.”
Ha. “Hmm. He’s pretty good at denying he’s into me. But even so, he doesn’t get to dictate who I’m friends with.”
“Maybe you should try having a conversati
on with him. I’m sorry, too. I like you, Winter. You’re gorgeous, and sweet, and fun to be around. But I don’t want to cross him. His family could make things…difficult for my family.”
“I see. Look, I’ll speak to him. All I can say, again, is I’m sorry. Sorry you got caught up in all this. Caiden needs to learn that he doesn’t get to control everything.” My mouth twisted, and I stepped away from James. I needed to give Caiden a piece of my mind.
The group of girls I’d come with had disappeared while I’d been talking to James, so I wandered towards the bar, looking around to see if I could see anyone I recognised. I waved to a girl I vaguely knew from one of my classes and finally spotted Kinslee, at the bar already, drink in hand.
“Drink?”
“Not at the moment, thanks,” I told her. “I had a feeling I’d find you here, though.”
She laughed, then peered at me more closely, her brows pulling together. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. Only that I just found out from James that Caiden and Zayde threatened to break his jaw if he dared to flirt with me or anything.”
Her brows shot up. “Wow. Caiden must be into you.”
“Either that, or he’s a possessive asshole.”
“Both, probably.”
“Th—” My words were cut off by a loud screech of feedback from the DJ’s microphone, and his voice boomed around the headland, bouncing off the walls, echoing all around us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Alstone College’s annual Guy Fawkes celebration. I’m here to give you all a rundown of tonight’s events for our newbies, and for those who need to refresh their memories.”
He grinned widely. “We’ll begin our first game in a few minutes. The captain of our winning team will do the honours of lighting the bonfire, then we’ll get the party started. I’ll announce a few more games during the evening, then we’ll end the celebrations with a fireworks display that I’ve been promised will be even more extravagant than last year’s, although I’m not sure how anyone could top that.”
He stopped talking to take a swig of drink, then cleared his throat and continued. “When you arrived, you will have been given a strip of material: red or blue. This is your team colour for the first of tonight’s games.” He ducked down behind the table, then reappeared, holding up a strip of material in each hand.
“The material must be tied around your waist so that it can be easily seen. The object of the game is simple. Try to tag a member of the other team, without being caught yourself. If you’re caught, you’re out of the game and must give up your material to the person who tagged you and return to the area here.” He pointed and the spotlights swung around to illuminate the large area in front of the DJ, where most of us were already standing.
“The winning team will be the team who has the most members remaining at the end of the game. When you hear this sound—” He pressed something and a loud klaxon sound echoed around us. “—that means the game is over. Everyone clear? Basically, try not to let the opposing team catch you.”
I groaned. This sounded like hell. “Tag? Really? Do we have to do this?” I muttered to Kinslee.
“No, but it’s fun. Get into the spirit of it.”
Okay, I could do this. I wasn’t usually one for these kinds of games, but the palpable excitement in the air was contagious, and despite my reservations, I found myself shifting towards the edge of the crowd, ready to run.
“Everyone, tie your material round your waists, and spread out as much as you can. When I sound the klaxon, the game will begin.”
There was a rush of movement as people hurried to find a good hiding place. I tried to remember the layout of the ruins from my previous visits and quickly raced through the crumbling archway to the far side of the castle, my heart pounding. There was a gap where the walls were completely missing, then a little corner section where I should be able to hide.
As I reached the corner, I noticed someone else, also with red material tied around their waist, had beaten me to it, so I carried on going, flying across the remains of an open courtyard, weeds and cobbles underfoot. I skidded through another crumbling archway and flattened myself against the wall, trying to slow down my breathing. I distantly heard the klaxon and tugged my hood further over my head, edging around the corner, hugging the wall, to see if I could spot anyone from the opposing team without being seen. It was so dark over here. At least it was a clear night—the moon provided a dim glow, although the shadows were so black it was difficult to see.
I heard what sounded like a pebble being kicked, and I whirled around, but no one was there. I was suddenly grabbed from behind in an iron grip, my arms pinned behind my back. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
A hand clamped over my jaw, and I instinctively tried to bite at it but couldn’t get my mouth open. My assailant was too strong.
Another figure appeared in front of me, hood up, a bandana with a grinning skull mouth covering most of their face other than their eyes, which were shadowed by their hood, so I was unable to make them out.
“What are you doing, hiding out here, all alone?” he whispered, his tone sinister, sending shivers through me. Definitely a man. If we hadn’t been here, in the dark, I probably would have laughed this off—well, maybe—but here, I was starting to feel a tiny bit scared.
He raised his hand and the moonlight glinted off a sharp, wicked-looking blade.
I panicked and started to thrash around, my assailant still gripping me tightly. “Stay still and you won’t be hurt,” a muffled voice whispered in my ear. Something about his voice was familiar, and I stopped my thrashing, my panic receding slightly until the man in front of me stepped nearer.
I watched, helplessly, as he brought the blade closer, whimpering as the cold metal touched my cheek.
“So pretty,” he crooned, moving the knife away from my face and trailing the flat of the blade down my body, in between my breasts, and down to my waist. I was frozen to the spot, not daring to move a muscle in case he accidentally cut me.
With a flick of his wrist, he sliced the fabric at my waist and it fluttered to the floor. The blade disappeared and I breathed a sigh of relief, only for my heart rate to kick up again when another hooded figure appeared, again with a skull bandana covering everything but his eyes.
“What do we have here?” He joined the other hooded figure. “What’s a beautiful girl like you doing all the way out here, on this side of the castle, with nobody else around?”
My body relaxed at his words, and the person holding me removed his hand from my jaw, placing his arm around my waist instead. “Come closer,” I challenged. “Let me see your eyes.”
“Let me see yours,” the man in front of me countered, stepping right in front of me and lowering my hood. “There you are,” he murmured.
“Cass?” I questioned. I was pretty sure now that this was three of the Four. What the fuck they were playing at, I wasn’t sure, but what I was sure of was that they wouldn’t harm me.
He didn’t answer me but leaned forwards and lowered his bandana. He kissed me softly on the lips, then stepped back, sliding the bandana back into place. Definitely Cass.
“My turn,” came that same sinister voice. That had to be Zayde. Only he could give off those creepy serial killer type vibes.
Cass moved to the side and Zayde was in front of me, cupping my cheek, then sliding his hand down to grip my throat.
“I could crush you so easily,” he mused, pulling down his bandana and pressing his soft, full lips to mine. Despite his disturbing words, he kissed me gently, slowly, taking his time exploring my lips. Nothing like I would have imagined from him.
Whether this was some kind of game to fuck with me, I had no idea. This whole moment seemed so surreal, and somehow, I found myself kissing him back, experimentally, opening my mouth as he slid his tongue in. I gasped as smooth metal touched me. He had a tongue piercing? How did I miss that?
“Enough,” came a voice, and Zayde released my throat, stepping
away from me. I saw his face before he pulled the bandana back into place—he flashed me a quick grin, so unlike him, that I could only gape at him.
“You okay?” the person holding me whispered in my ear, and I nodded, as Cass switched places with Zayde. Again, he pulled his bandana down, and again, he kissed me softly, then pressed kisses along my face and down the side of my neck. “You taste so sweet,” he groaned, sliding his hand through my hair.
My brain was scrambled. Was this actually happening, or was I hallucinating?
“What’s going on?” My words were barely discernible, breathed rather than spoken, then Cassius was kissing me, and he had both hands tangled in my hair, and I could feel him growing hard against me. He was suddenly gone, and Zayde was back, running his tongue piercing over my lips, then, when I opened my mouth for him, swirling it around my tongue. He pressed his body against mine, one hand gripping onto my throat again, and the other sliding under my hoodie and T-shirt, onto the bare skin of my stomach.
I heard the klaxon sound somewhere in the distance as I moaned involuntarily, my eyes closed, my body reacting with pleasure at the sensations. Another hand joined Zayde’s, inching higher. Someone brushed my hair away from my neck and kissed me there, then moved his mouth to my ear, nipping at the soft skin, making me shiver, before dropping his mouth back to my neck.
“Enough.” The savagely growled command came from behind Zayde, and my eyes flew open. “I said, enough!”
“Are you sure about that?” Zayde turned around, shielding me from view. “Because now I’ve had a taste, I want more.”
“Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Her. Now.” Caiden’s tone was low and menacing.
Cassius removed his hand from under my hoodie and moved his mouth from my neck back to my ear. “We thought this might provoke him into action.” He raised his voice so Caiden could hear, taunting him with his words. “Did we turn you on, babe? Did we make you wet? Because I’m horny as fuck right now.”