by D. V. EEDEN
“What are you doing in here?” I ask, through the mirror I’m shocked to see the handsome Viking leaning against the door frame, his hair now taken out of his man bun. It’s unruly, falling gracefully around his face. He’s holding my mug in one hand and the other is in his slacks pocket, a few buttons undone showing his toned chest. The black tie is now untied and hangs around his neck. And here I am, standing in front of this godly man, only wearing my corset, suspenders, and stockings.
I don’t know how to feel about this situation, but my heart is racing, the rise and fall of my chest prominent. Zach ambles towards me, his eyes taking in my lack of clothing. He places the mug on the counter beside the wash basin, my back pressed against his hard body. Both hands now free, he places them around my shoulders, and I flinch. The slightest touch from his fingers brings my nerve endings alive, his fingertips trailing down my arm, leaving a burning sensation behind.
It takes me a while to register that he’s touching me sensually and that he’s not here to hurt me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to punish me for aggravating him earlier, but in a weird way, I would love it. My eyes close of their own accord, my head falling back onto his shoulder as he brings his lips to my ear. His nose nuzzles my neck, scraping my hair to one side.
“Who did this to you?” he murmurs, the rough growl in his voice turning me on even further. My mouth parts, taking in a deep breath as I open my eyes. I stare back at Zach through the mirror, and his fingers now grip my chin as he inspects the bruising.
My body immediately wants to shut down, forgetting how horrendous I look right now. I’m watching both of our reflections in the mirror as Zach waits for my answer, but I shake my head, not wanting to express that my monster of a father did this to me. My cheeks flush red with embarrassment, and I tug myself away from Zach, already missing how he feels against me. But I don’t need this right now.
I’m supposed to be with Miles, and I for one am not a cheater.
“You have to leave. I really need to get to bed,” I tell him, hiding myself in my closet to get undressed and prevent any further conversation. But also, to stop the inevitable from happening. The sexual attraction is clearly there, and I know if he stayed longer, I would get lost in those sapphire eyes and forget the consequences.
He reeks of temptation and I want to commit the sin.
Wrapping up in my silk night gown, I hear the slight click of the door closing behind Zach as he leaves. I quickly rush to the bathroom and pick up my hot chocolate from the side, taking a sip of the sweet nectar that will help me sleep tonight. Although I doubt I’ll be sleeping much. Zach has just imprinted himself onto my mind.
I tuck myself into bed, even though my intention was not to stay here. It’s too late to ask Steve to take me back to the academy now. He will have to take me early in the morning. I text Blaire to let her know I won’t be back tonight, and not to worry about me. Even though I’m tired, I can’t sleep so I turn on the television, watching a film on Netflix and hoping that sleep will take over me soon. As I get comfortable under the duvet, my phone pings with a text and I pick it up immediately, thinking that Blaire has responded to my text, but its Zach.
I just wanted to let you know how beautiful you looked tonight. Zach x
A smile crosses my face, and I text him a thank you before setting my phone back on the nightstand. I put on a romantic cheesy film, feeling giddy after my encounter with Zach, and nothing beats a good rom-com. Before I know it, my eyes have closed, sleep taking over, but my dreams are haunted. Haunted by the Royals, my father and Zach. The tattoo takes over my sinister dreams, and the feeling that they are out to get me preoccupies my mind.
Chapter Nineteen
After a few slow, painful weeks have passed, and I have been preoccupied with exams, dancing and working at the club. I haven’t been back to my father’s house since the dinner party and ever since that day, I have been anxious to hear from him.
Miles has noticed that whenever he goes to touch me, I flinch, frightened that I might be hurt again. My mind has been plagued by Zach’s confession over the ‘Darlington Knights’, but I haven’t tried to press any further, worried I might push him away. I am sure Zach will tell me in his own time.
I’m sitting at my usual table in the library, waiting on Hugo for our tutoring session this afternoon, but my mind keeps wondering off to my safe place. I picture that I’m back home in South Africa, on the beach surfing with my mum, staring at the brassy African sunset while enjoying life in general. Doodling on my notepad, I haven’t realized that Hugo has sat down in front me, organising his stationery and books as per usual.
Fingers snap in front of my face and I jolt from my seat, snapping out of my daze.
“Hello, Earth to Africa.”
“Sorry.”
Hugo frowns, cocking his head to one side in confusion. I look at him through my absent eyes, my chin resting in the palm of my hand, waiting for him to scold me about something today like he usually does. “You always look so fucking depressed,” he says, stating the fucking obvious.
I look back at him through narrowed eyes, the corner of my lip twitching at his comment but I don’t respond. I sit there in silence.
Hugo shakes his head before handing me a completed assignment from Business Ethics. Wow, I got another A. Father will be pleased. “Wow, something is definitely wrong, because you’re not even squealing about your good grade,” Hugo mutters, but once again I do not give him the satisfaction. I almost forget that he’s one of the boys who drowned me, he was there when my face was smashed into a table. But then he was kind of pleasant to be around at the concert, looking after me for a while. In my head, there is a hidden agenda somewhere and I need to find out what it is.
Do I ask him about the tattoo and tell him I know what it means?
“Who do we have here then?” a voice shouts from behind me, and hands are placed on my shoulders tightly, making me cringe. I wince without meaning to, even though I’m not in pain, I’m just waiting for it. No, expecting pain to be inflicted. Hugo notices the terror in my eyes and stares at me, then back at his friend Charles.
Charles finally takes his hands off of my shoulders and slides into the seat next me. It’s then that I realize he’s not on his own as Royce takes the seat next to Hugo. I keep my head down as they begin a conversation, blocking out their voices, not wanting to hear about them fucking other girls or whatever else they get up to. I feel Royce’s stare burning into me, so when I look up, I confirm my suspicions. His sea green eyes haven’t left me and suddenly I feel even more uncomfortable. Charles’ knee slightly grazes my bare leg and I quickly try to move it. I even shift my chair slightly, hopefully going unnoticed, but Royce has been watching every movement since he’s arrived.
Why the fuck are they here right now?
“Have you done something to her?” Royce says, now looking at Charles, his top lip curling into a snarl as he lifts his chin.
Charles looks offended, and he leans in closer to Royce with narrowed eyes, an expression that screams insulted.
“What the fuck are you on about Royce?” Charles says through gritted teeth. Hugo looks at me and then back to his friends, shrugging his shoulders, clearly bored with what’s going on.
Even I’m confused, although I don’t look up from the assignment Hugo gave me. But I can’t concentrate, not with them both here as well.
Royce’s light brown eyebrows furrow in confusion.
“The girl flinches whenever you move, you literally speak, and she cringes.”
Looking up at him, I see a worried expression. I have no idea why he’s so worried about me when all he’s done is fuck me over. All four of them have ruined my chance of happiness at the academy and honestly, I can’t see them doing anything worse than what they have. They don’t feel any kind of remorse or empathy to people, let alone to me.
Charles clicks his tongue, and sighs.
“I haven’t touched the fucking girl, I wouldn’t go near
her gross fucking body,” he says, turning to face me with disgust in his expression. “No offense Africa. I just don’t want to catch aids.”
I sigh, packing my laptop and assignments in my satchel and throwing my completed worksheet in Hugo’s direction before leaving.
I storm out of the library and down the hall. Once I’m out of sight from prying eyes, I lean against a brick wall, my body trembling as the tears fall down my red cheeks. Why the fuck am I so sensitive right now? Usually, I wouldn’t care, but life has been so hard lately and all I want to do is scream and cry at everything.
Wiping the tears from my cheeks with my blazer sleeve, I try to pull myself together again before heading to dance practice with Miles. Our dance recital is in two weeks, just before the Christmas break.
I walk into the studio, and Miles is already sitting on the wooden bench waiting for me. He lifts his gaze from his phone screen to look at me and he can tell that I have been crying. He stands up, putting his phone in his sweats pocket, and snakes his arms around me in a hug. I let out a big sigh and relax into him. I feel so much safer and relieved to be in Miles’ arms, knowing no one can hurt me here and that he would protect me.
Miles has been so patient with me recently, knowing that I want to take my time before having sex. We’re taking the relationship slow and he has respected my boundaries. There’s been a few times where we came close, in my dorm room after a great make-out session, but thankfully nothing has gone past kissing.
I can’t help but feel bad for the guy, seeing a girl who is frigid as fuck.
He kisses my forehead then looks down at me. “Are you okay?”
I offer him a sweet smile and a nod, assuring him everything is ok. For now.
Soon after, I undress from my academy uniform so that I’m left with just wearing my black leotard and put on some ballet shoes this time, otherwise I will be breaking my toes and we really can’t afford for something to go wrong. Our grades depend on it. We start our routine by ballet dancing to ‘Swan Lake’, I’m standing in fourth position with Miles behind me, holding onto my hand that’s in front of my chest. As the music continues, he spins me round until I’m in a ‘releve’ position and then a ‘pirouette’. When the music transitions to classic rock we change our routine and add modern dance. We practice the same routine another three times before taking a seat and drinking some water to quench our thirst.
“We’re definitely ready,” Miles says, smiling softly at me. I’m wiping my face and chest with a towel to try to get rid of the sweat, but my mind isn’t with it.
The comment Charles said is playing in my mind like a broken record and I’m starting to believe him. I must be disgusting. Why would anyone come near me? I’m surprised Miles is still here. I suppose as my dance partner, he can’t really break up with me until the recital is over.
I offer Miles a weak smile, picking up my gym bag and walking to the door.
“Yeah, we’re definitely ready.”
It’s seven in the evening already and everyone has gone down to the dining hall for dinner, but hunger doesn’t even cross my mind. I’ve fallen into my old habits and I haven’t eaten a decent meal in a while. I’m losing the muscle around my bones again and my ribs are showing through my skin.
I’m punishing myself for not being perfect or wanted, and I relish in the pain. I really am a sadistic fuck, I suppose.
Blaire enters our dorm room later with a little take out box in her hand. She walks over and sits herself down next to me on the floor. “Here I got you some food, you need to eat something,” she says, handing me the takeout.
I take it from her and open it to see that she brought back some chicken and mushroom cream pasta. How could I refuse eating with Blaire staring at me with those puppy eyes?
I eat my dinner, well, half of it anyway, but my stomach is not used to all this food. Blaire has passed out in bed while I’ve just completed all my assignments. It’s past midnight, and sleep doesn’t take over anytime soon, so I get changed into a pair of yoga pants and hoodie, deciding to go for a walk around the campus. The eerie, haunted hallways of Darlington Castle are terrifying at night, the sound of the wind whistles through the crooks of the stone walls, making my body jump and shiver. The bright light of the moon illuminates the paths and reflects off of the shiny metal in the knight’s armor.
As I walk around the halls, my feet end up taking me near the dance studio, where I find an orange glow. My heart is beating fast, warning me not to go any further but my nosy mind is telling me to go for it. I obviously follow the voice in my head and walk towards the light. It’s coming from the tunnel, the door wide open and all the candles are lit on either side of the stone walls. Someone is down here. What do I do? Obviously go through the tunnel and follow the candles. I am curious as to who or why they would be using the tunnel and what I could possibly find out about the other doors.
The route I took last time is the exact same route this time, but I am still not able to get through the other two doors. They’re clearly not in there. I bet they’re at the club, and if I follow the path further, I will find out why this leads to the club. I manage to sneak through the metal door into the basement of the club. I had already ensured that no boxes or kegs were placed in front of the door. This is exactly why I offered to help arrange the basement or stock room, whatever they actually call this room.
I climb up the metal stairs as discreet as I can, careful not to make a sound in case Samantha comes around the corner. Lucky for me no one is around the back. I can hear the thump of the music blaring through the wooden doors that leads to the club. I am seriously praying to god right now that no one is standing on the other side of the door as I open it a fraction, just enough for me to peak through and see that no one is standing here.
Thank god.
Opening the door wider, I find the club crowded with men in expensive, sharp black suits. My eyes go wide, looking around the room. All the Royals are sitting around a table with a half-naked lady serving them their drinks. The waitresses wear nothing but red lace thongs, a matching lace bra and six-inch heels, but just as the performers, they’re all wearing masks to hide their identity.
I peek in further to see a woman stripping off her clothing, dancing around a pole on the stage. It’s unlike the performances we usually put on. This is a gentlemen’s club and the bile rises in my throat from disgust. My heart pumps blood around my veins at full speed as I stare at the naked girls dancing on the men’s laps around the room.
I wonder why Samantha hasn’t mentioned this side of the business, or why she never asked me to work a shift here. I have a feeling it would involve no clothing and allowing men to grope my ass as I walk past, so no, thank you.
My eyes scan the room and I find Zach talking to a bunch of guys I’ve never seen before. He’s laughing along with his friend, a whiskey in his right hand while his other hand rubs his thumb across his lower lip. God, that is a sexy look.
I turn my gaze back to the Royals’ table but they’re not there, and I can’t see them anywhere else in the room.
Where have they gone?
“You shouldn’t be here Africa,” someone whispers behind me. I jump, quickly turning around as my heart beats out of my chest. I take a big gulp and find Hugo and the rest of the Royals standing directly behind me. They must have caught me staring from the corner and snuck around through the other door to get behind me.
Oh shit, I’m in so much trouble.
I see the four faces of Charles, Hugo, Royce and Blake glaring down at me with looks of menace. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I feel the presence of another body behind me, but I don’t need to turn to see who it is.
“Ade, what are you doing here?” Zach hisses, clearly not a fan of me right now either. Or maybe it’s the fact that I have just found out about their little meeting spot. This must be where the ‘Darlington Knights’ come out to play.
Hugo grabs my wrist, pulling me at such force and dragging me down t
o the basement. I don’t say a word to them, knowing how much more trouble I’m in.
I think this is the first time any of the Royals haven’t really said much either, all five pairs of eyes are on me as I stand against the wooden door that leads to the tunnels. My eyes don’t leave Hugo as he stands directly in front of me, both hands in his pockets as he scans my body. His jaw is clenched, veins pulsing by his temple. He’s clearly holding onto some anger but all I can think about is how fucking magnificent he looks in a suit. What’s wrong with me?
All of them look irresistible in their black suits, even Blake. The way he leans against a wooden barrel, staring at the ground because I know he can’t face me. The only time Blake looks at me is when he’s being hostile and threatening. Zach smiles, stepping closer so that he’s standing next to Hugo.
“I’m glad to see your face has healed, Ade,” he says, breaking the silence.
“What do you mean her face has healed?” Hugo asks, cocking his head to Zach, clearly confused as to what’s going on. Hugo’s lips twitch, a frown which is permanently on his face, as he waits for Zach to answer.
I shake my head at Zach, begging for him not to out my secret. He scrubs his large hand over his lips before speaking. “She um, hit her face when surfing,” he lies, and my eyes bulge out of their sockets, heat radiating from my skin with fear.
It will do. I’m just glad he didn’t say anything about my father.
Blake finally looks up at me, a scowl etched onto his face. “Good. She fucking deserves it,” he spits, ocean blue eyes turning dark, as if a demon has possessed his body. But I know for a fact it’s just him and not a demon. He means every word he says, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he would hit a girl. Fucking scumbag.
“Thanks Blake, you’re so fucking charming,” I hiss, rolling my eyes. I’m used to his little outbursts, but that is the cherry on top. His lips turn into a cruel smirk, showing me just how inhumane he really is.