Released: Highgate Preparatory Academy, Book 3

Giving myself a mental shake and pulling my big girl panties up, I walk towards the stairs and bar area, consoling myself with the thought of all the fried food that I plan to order and my latest read just waiting on my kindle app.

After ordering at the bar, impressed by the setup even though I’m the only one currently occupying the space aside from the guy behind the bar, I settle into a soft, worn, leather sofa that faces a wall of windows which overlook the battleground. Music fills the space, Dancer in the Dark by Chase Atlantic giving the room an eighties feel. I smile and give my Knights a small wave when they look up and spot me, then they turn back to each other and put their heads together, clearly planning their strategy.

The ground is wooded with many areas open but also plenty of obstacles as well as hiding places. From my vantage point, my view is unobstructed, and I look to the right, spotting the Seals in a similar position to my guys, heads bent and obviously planning their strategy as well.

A loud horn blares, making me jump and then chuckle to myself at being a scaredy-cat. I watch the game, my book forgotten as I trace Ash, Loki, Kai, and Jax as they split up and start stalking towards the area that the Seals were in. Their opponents stick together in teams of two, and my heart begins to race at the idea that it’s two Seals to one Knight.

“Don’t worry, daughter darling,” a voice that haunts my nightmares whispers behind me as hands alight either side of my neck. “We trained them well.”

I freeze as he strokes my pulse points, chuckling as he no doubt feels my frantic heartbeat, my body turning arctic cold. The black claws of panic scratch at the edges of my vision, and I can’t move, can’t fucking breathe, as Julian Vanderbilt continues to caress me from behind. Bile rises in my throat when I realise that his groin is level with my head, the rapidly increasing hardness of his erection pressing into the back of my skull.

I no longer see the bright sky outside, or my guys playing paintball below me as my vision swims, the badass bitch who shot my fake uncle gone as terror fills me. I don’t know why Julian makes me feel this way, what sway he has over me, but I can’t fight him, my head screaming at me to do something, anything, but my body just freezes further. It’s like my subconscious recognises the predator within him, the danger that he possesses, and thinks that if I only stay still and quiet, he’ll go away.

“Are you okay, miss?” a concerned voice asks, snapping me out of my panic enough to take in a deep breath, sweet air filling my empty lungs once more. Julian’s hands tighten on my neck.

“Y–yes,” I manage to stammer out. The young guy, the one I ordered from at the bar, flicks his gaze up to Julian, then back down to me.

“If you need anything else, I’ll be right over there. Okay?” he questions, his eyes trying to give me a message that I appreciate but just can’t respond to. Not verbally anyway. I dart a look behind him to my guys below, then look back at him, hoping that he may get the message to somehow get my guys up here.

“Thank you,” I reply softly.

“That’ll be all,” Julian says over the top of me, his voice hard and cold. One of his hands leaves my neck, and I breathe slightly easier. His hand appears over the top of my head, a folded wad of notes held between his fingers. “My daughter and I would like some privacy.”

The young man’s eyes widen, looking at Julian’s outstretched hand and then back down to me. He must see the sheer terror in mine because he hesitates a moment.

“Now,” Julian snaps out, and the boy visibly flinches, his hand shooting out and grabbing the notes. He scurries away after that, and trembles take over my body when I hear the guy’s steps echoing down the metal stairs. “Alone at last, darling.”

I hear the slight creak of his leather shoes as he crouches behind me, seconds before his breath whispers against my ear, and I can’t stop the shudder of revulsion that I feel with his nearness.

“Did you enjoy your little visit back home?” he murmurs in my ear, his fingers playing with the neckline of my dress. “I must say, you seemed to enjoy the nights when Adrian joined you, thrashing under his touch like the wanton whore your mother was.”

My lips wobble, and a hot tear burns a path down my cheek at his words. It’s all I can do not to vomit all over the floor, knowing that he witnessed my abuse and knows what happened more than I do. But I hold it in, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I bite my lower lip, tasting copper. He growls, his nails digging into the flesh just under my neckline, and I whimper, inwardly cursing the sound of weakness as it falls from my lips.

“It’s a shame that he didn’t have sound on the feed, but I still gripped my cock as I watched you shatter around his fingers, darling—”

“Father!”

Relief floods me as I turn at the sound of my husband’s voice, his tone sharp and cutting as he strides across the room, his face full of rage. Julian gets up from his crouch unhurried, his fingers leaving one last caress that lingers on my skin like an acid burn.

“Son,” he replies, with no hint of shame or anger in his tone at being interrupted accosting his son’s wife. “I came to tell you about the board meeting next week.”

“And you needed to tell me in person?” Ash replies, coming to a stop right in front of me and crouching down.

His steel-coloured eyes lock with mine, dismissing Julian completely as he takes in my trembling state. One hand still holds his paintball gun, and the other reaches out and grasps my cheek, his thumb brushing away the wetness there. His eyes narrow, the vein on his neck bulging, and he looks back up at Julian with murder in his eyes.

“Email me the details, and I’ll make sure we are there,” he states coldly, quickly looking back down to me and dismissing his father once again. That must really piss Julian off, and I almost smile at the thought, then remember what Julian said, and my head dips, heat burning my cheeks as tears fill my eyes. “Anything else?” I hear Ash ask.

“I’ve said all that needed to be said,” Julian states back, and I know that his words are aimed at me, his words hitting their target as I want to curl into a little ball and break down. Vaguely, I hear Julian’s footsteps as he walks away, the sound getting quieter when he gets further away from us.

More footsteps rush towards us moments later, and I tense up, only to relax when Loki speaks.

“Why the fuck was your father here?” he asks. “Lilly?”

“What happened, darling?” Kai questions, and I flinch, a sob tearing from my throat at that nickname. It’s tainted now. I can only associate it with that vile man.

“Don’t call me that,” I mumble quietly, my voice thick and muffled. I lift my head and stare directly into amber eyes full of worry and concern. “Never call me that again.”

“I–I’m sorry, love,” he replies, hurt flashing in his eyes, his hand reaching out and stroking the cheek that Ash isn’t still cupping.

“What. The. Fuck. Did. He. Do?” Jax snarls, each word bitten out like he’s struggling to contain his rage, and my gaze finds his eyes flashing blue, his neck thickly corded, and his hands clenching and unclenching around his gun as if he’s considering using it on Julian.

“Take me home, Jax,” I plead, tears rushing to my eyes, and Jax doesn’t hesitate, throwing his gun at Loki and pushing the others aside to pick me up. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I bury my face into it, shutting my eyes as sobs threaten to overwhelm me.

Jax holds me steady as he strides down the steps, his boots loud on the metal. I hear the others following behind us and then Ash’s voice.

“Thank you for coming to get me,” he says, and I look over Jax’s shoulder to see the young guy from earlier looking after me with concern.

“She looked like she needed help,” I catch him saying just before Jax walks out of the door and into the bright sunshine.

The warmth of its rays doesn’t touch me, shivers wracking my body as we head towards Jax’s truck. Without missing a beat, or letting me go, Jax gets the keys from somewhere and tosses them to Kai, the truck unlocking with a click.

Loki opens the door, and Jax doesn’t even attempt to pry me off as he somehow manoeuvres us into the vehicle, keeping me on his lap as he settles into the seat. I nuzzle back into his neck, my shivers getting worse, and I try to take some of his warmth into me.

“She’s in shock,” I hear him rumble against me. “Grab a can of Nos from my bag, Loki,” Jax continues, and I hear the rustle and slide of a zipper from next to me. The sound of a ring pull is next, followed by the hiss of a fizzy drink.

“Here you go, baby,” Loki coos, and I lift my head enough to see him holding out an orange can, with the word ‘NOS’ on the side. “Drink some of this.”

He holds it to my lips, which is a good thing as my hand is shaking too much to even think of holding it without the drink spilling all over us. Tilting it ever so slightly, I part my lips as fizzy, sweet mango fills my mouth. Swallowing slowly, I drink, pulling away when I’ve had enough. I do feel better, and my shaking has quietened down to a slight tremble now.

“Good girl,” Jax soothes, his hand stroking down my back as I snuggle back into him, letting his scent of warm lemon mixed with fresh sweat calm me further. My eyelids droop, the adrenaline leaving my body exhausted, and Jax’s touch and the motion of the car soothing me to sleep as I give into the darkness, welcoming it like an old friend.