Damaged: A Dark Bully Romance (The Primes Book 2), page 6
Klause laughed. “Perhaps we should give them a moment.”
“Yes. Do that,” Christian agreed. He had no shame, and I loved it. Being with him gave me the courage to fight for what I wanted. Fuck the consequences.
“It’s fine,” I said, and Christian gave me a sidelong glare of irritation.
Leah let out a hearty chuckle. “I wanted us to get ready together before the party, but . . .” Her gaze shifted to Klause, then she turned to me with a sour expression. They appeared to be having the same disagreement that Christian and I had.
She must not have read my text yet.
“She’s not going,” Christian said.
Klause sat up straight. “Well, if she’s not going, neither are you.” His tone had a finality that made Leah narrow her eyes at him.
My gaze dropped to my lap, and I picked at my nails. I was abandoning Leah and Ally to do my dirty work. Christian took my hand and pulled me out of my doubts.
I gave him a quick grin then turned to Leah. "Sorry, Lee. I’m not ready.” There. I said it out loud for everyone to hear. The first step to healing was for me to admit my fears.
Leah’s eyes softened. “It’s okay, Iz. Ally and I will miss y—”
“What? You mean you’re still going?” Klause interrupted.
Leah turned her gaze on Klause, got up, and marched out the door. We could still hear their voices echoing down the hall.
“Finally.” Christian tucked my hair behind my ears. “Where were we?”
“Hmm.” The phone rang just as I was about to encourage him further. Christian picked up the phone and flung it across the room. As I opened my mouth to protest, he pulled my legs out from under me, and I slid down the couch and onto my back with a yelp.
With a smug grin, he crawled on top of me and quickly had me undressed. His fingers did things to my body that made me forget my worry. The phone rang again, pulling me out of the climax.
Christian growled which made me laugh.
“You think that’s funny?” He grinned in a way that made my stomach tighten then he began tickling me.
I laughed and begged him to stop. “Chris—Stop.”
I wriggled out from under his weight, but he was too strong. At last, he paused and gave me a serious stare. “Are you ready to focus?”
I nodded eagerly.
“You want me, babe?”
I nodded again, my thighs pooling in impatience until he finally slid inside me. So many emotions passed through me as he stared into my eyes: lust, love, possession, animalistic need to devour him.
The depth of my feelings for him made my heart swell. I’d live my life repeatedly and bear the abuse and betrayal if it meant I’d get to have Christian.
There were no adequate words to describe how I felt. It was a leap of faith and a promise of forever.
My emotions merged with my physical response to Christian, causing my inner walls to spasm violently. I breathed out Christian’s name like a prayer as I quivered against his shaft.
For a moment, I didn’t feel tethered to my body; his throbbing flesh was the only thing that stopped me from floating into oblivion. We called out each other’s names as our orgasmic release threatened to consume us. Finally, I dropped to the couch, Christian on top of me, both of us wearing stupid grins on our faces.
“Wow. That was . . .” He peppered me with kisses, and all I could do was continue grinning like a fool.
“I love you, Catherine.”
“I love you too, Christian.”
Ally texted that she completely understood, so that was that. I was free to hide a bit longer under Christian’s watchful eye.
We spent the rest of the night in bed talking until we settled into an understanding that the incident with Arnoult Senior was traumatizing for us.
With better understanding of our emotions, we both agreed to respect each other's boundaries.
This made the next few days more peaceful, with no fights. Allowing Christian and I to act like a happy couple in school.
He even agreed to spend some nights at his place. It was a challenge at first, but eventually, I no longer woke up in a sweat whenever I was alone in bed. He had been patient with me during this process. A few times, he drove to my place late at night when panic would hit me.
A few weeks later, things were looking bright and almost back to normal—no more nightmares or flashbacks. Christian also no longer felt the need to keep tabs on me twenty-four-seven. Although, he still scared any guy who dares to talk to me.
Baby steps.
Tonight, Tilly, Leah, and I were hanging out in the theater room in our pajamas with bowls of ice cream on our laps.
“I was starting to think you no longer had time for me.” Tilly looked glum.
“You’re crazy. That will never happen. You and Leah are family.”
Leah nodded. “When you’re ready, we can go out . . .” Tilly's face dropped, and Leah’s voice trailed off.
“What’s wrong?” I gently tapped her thigh with mine.
Tilly took a bite of ice cream, but her thoughts were far away. “I don’t think that’s ever in the cards for me.”
Experience had taught me that not everyone reacted similarly to traumatic events and no one could dictate how one should handle a trauma.
The only thing I could offer is my support, so I leaned against Tilly in reassurance. I hoped she'd overcome her aversion to being out in public, but until that day came, I’d be what she needed me to be.
“Since we all have issues, how about we train with the triplets tomorrow?” I had resumed training, but Leah needed to join me to learn how to protect herself.
She appeared intrigued, while Tilly's face scrunched up. “Have you seen me? It’s like you don’t know me at all. Which part of me do you think would want to sweat?”
Leah and I laughed. “You’ll be fine.”
I was glad that Leah was on board. For a moment, I worried I would need to convince her. “I can’t wait to kick some ass.” Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she beamed with joy.
Surprisingly, Leah recovered quickly from the incident and experienced no aftereffects. Although she now behaved more like a prime, I considered it progress because she stopped taking crap from anyone.
With brutal enemies gunning for us, we couldn't afford any weaknesses.
Tilly grabbed the remote and turned on a cheesy rom-com. We were all so bored that we didn't even mind when Leah started talking. It was a bad habit of hers whenever we watched a movie. She either yelled at the characters on the screen or made inane comments. But at the moment, she was gossiping about some new money.
They still avoided me, but I was glad to hear that Leah was making ground with them after the party. Hopefully, our plan would pan out, bringing us closer to defeating the primes.
Chapter 5
Christian
The teacher's droning about nonsense didn't pique my interest enough to tear me away from my daydreams about Izzy. Life with her these past few weeks had felt normal. She no longer woke up screaming and had been pushing for more independence.
Some nights, I slept alone in my empty bed, like last night. I hated it because I still couldn’t sleep unless she was wrapped safely in my arms, but I understood she needed to gain the confidence to be more independent.
As much as I missed her, watching her resilience and strength was sexy as hell. It also helped me face my issues. Slowly, Izzy showed me I couldn’t possibly have prevented what happened and that not everything was within my control.
However, my desire for her hadn't dwindled.
When the bell rang, I was out of my seat, eager to get to Izzy.
“Christian. A moment, please,” the nameless professor called.
I cocked a brow in response and asked, “If I miss seeing my girl, I’d be very peeved at you. Would you want that? Professor?”
He cleared his throat. “I just wanted to let you know you’re missing some assignments.”
“Email them to me,” I said on my way out, rushing to see Izzy.
Arnoult Senior had not yet acted on his threat, which gave us a false sense of safety. The danger Heather and Arnoult posed was something Klause and I had kept hidden from the ladies.
“Hi, Christian.” A couple of girls flashed me smiles. They were getting desperate. Someone slipped me a note in one of my classes that said she would be naked and waiting for me in a locker. I tossed the note to the bloke in front of me, which had him almost tripping over himself as soon as the bell rang.
There was no other woman for me besides Izzy. She had claimed my desires and consumed my thoughts. It wasn't simply the sex that made the feel of her skin against mine alluring. It was a deep-rooted need to claim her, and I didn't care if my shrink thought I was just swapping one form of dependency for another. I was happy.
Klause joined me as I walked down the hall toward the cafeteria. “Hey. Wait up,” Rome called to catch up with us. “I’m starving. I hope they have pineapple pizza.”
Rome had been incessantly whining about watching Heather lately, but even that couldn't ruin my good mood. Now, if Arnoult could just get it over with and make his move, Iz and I could finally move on.
“That shit is gross, man,” Klause said.
A figure down the hall caught my attention. She looked familiar. The loud click of her heels got louder as she came closer.
Fuck.
“What the hell is Lauren Arnoult doing here?” Klause stared at the female with his brows drawn together.
“You mean . . . ?” Rome squinted, studying the newcomer.
The prick finally made his move. “Yes. Arnoult Senior’s only daughter,” I confirmed, watching her approach with a narrowed gaze.
Lauren's grin broadened, and she paused right in front of us. “Just the boys I was looking for.” She cocked her hip and flashed us a sultry smile.
Rome's gaze followed the line of her slender, long legs as they dangled below the hem of her short skirt.
Klause elbowed him, wiping his expression of interest away.
Lauren smiled knowingly.
“What do you want, Arnoult?” I asked, not the slightest bit affected by her. Whatever it was she was showing off, I found repulsive. My so-called tutor, Mrs. Robinson, would dress provocatively and play various seduction games with me before forcing herself onto me. Perhaps that was why I loved Izzy’s effortless sexiness.
Lauren pouted. “Why, that’s not a nice way to greet a friend, now is it?” It was comical how she batted her eyelashes.
Klause cackled a laugh. “Drop that shit, Arnoult. It doesn’t work on us.”
She seemed shocked initially, but a malicious smile spread across her lips, and she trailed her long red nails across Rome's chest. “I don’t think that’s accurate.” She gave Rome a knowing wink as he looked at us guiltily.
The moron deserved a good kick in the shins.
My tolerance for her was rapidly dwindling. Anything associated with Arnoult was filth. “Enough with the games. Tell us what you want.”
She gave me a feigned innocent look, but her eyes were icy with malice. “Didn’t you hear? Rutherford has gained another prime student.” She beamed, enjoying the look of surprise on our faces, then spun with a wink at Rome. “Oh, my father has a message for you,” she said over her shoulder. “He wants his property back.”
She strutted triumphantly down the corridor, shaking her skanky ass. When she opened the cafeteria door, I ran to catch up to her. “Touch one hair on Catherine’s head and I will skin you alive.”
“That goes the same for Leah,” Klause added, flashing her a warning look before following me to our table. Lauren stayed rooted in the middle of the cafeteria, being gawked at by the students.
Because of the Arnoults' ostentatious display of their wealth and social status, she was well known.
“What is she doing here?” Izzy murmured when I dropped a kiss on her cheek while Klause leaned in, whispering to Leah.
“Are you serious? She’s here to stay?” Leah asked loudly, and Izzy turned to me with widened eyes. I hated the look of worry marring her pretty face. I would drag the Arnoult brat by her hair out of this school. But we needed to learn Arnoult's intentions.
I kissed the side of Izzy’s head in reassurance. This wasn’t the place to discuss anything, so I grabbed the forgotten tablet from Izzy and placed our order.
“Is that Lauren Arnoult?” Ally asked, her worried gaze darting to Leah and Iz. I was glad when Rome shook his head in warning because I was about to snap at the rodent.
There was a buzz of excitement as the cafeteria gawked at the newcomer. The noise got even louder when Lauren pulled a chair at our table. “Hi, everyone,” she greeted brightly, ignoring the tense looks everyone threw at her. “It looks like this is the table I need to be at. You don’t mind, do you?” Her overly sweet tone grated on my skin.
“Actually, we do.” Izzy flashed her an equally condescending tone and pointed to an empty chair across from our table. “That one over there looks empty.”
The corners of Lauren’s eyes tightened, but her smile stayed in place. “Don’t be silly. We’ll be fast friends in no time.” She sauntered toward Rory and Jane. They beamed and acted like they just won the lottery, while Mike and Andrew looked at her with fascination and started a conversation with her.
The last thing I needed was another Arnoult causing problems, which meant I would need to have a long talk with Rome and his friends later. I watched the bitch throw her head back in an obnoxious laugh while the girls had gone strangely quiet, and the tension at the table rose.
Klause and I shared a look of understanding. We wouldn't hesitate to snap her neck if she caused the girls any issues. Consequences be damned.
Izzy tossed her sandwich back on the plate and walked toward Lauren. I watched her leaned close to her ear.
“You wouldn’t dare. Wil—”
Izzy snatched the tall drink out of Lauren's hand, knocking it over and dumping its contents onto Lauren's lap before she could finish her threat. But, as Lauren attempted to stand up, Iz grabbed her by the neck and kept her still. “Try me. I dare you,” Izzy said, digging her nails into Lauren’s skin, making Lauren wince.
Stunned in silence, everyone watched Izzy march out of the room, but I caught her elbow. “Stop.”
She spun around with her eyes flashing. “What, Christian? Don’t tell me I shouldn’t have done that because I am sick of everyone in that family tormenting me. I’m sick of being a victim!”
In a softer tone, she said, “No. More. Christian. No more.” I understood her anger, so even if it went against my better judgment, I watched her march out the door and didn’t follow. Deep inside, I knew she was strong and had the power of an heir, but the fear of losing her still made me want to keep her safely tucked away.
I needed to learn to let go. But that wouldn’t stop me from directing my energy on Lauren. However, if we pushed her hard enough, she wouldn't hesitate to call William for backup, which meant I needed to keep a closer eye on the bitch.
Fuck! My life just got complicated.
My temper rose with every step toward my car. “Ross. Tell me where William is,” I snapped as soon as he picked up the phone. “He’s staying put. No movement. What’s going on?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Lauren enrolled in school. Keep a close eye on William and inform me of any movements.” I disconnected the call before I reached my car.
“Hey, wait up,” Klause called. “Where are you going?”
“I dunno. I can’t stop Izzy from retaliating, and the last thing we need is for Lauren to call William.”
Klause got into the passenger’s seat. “You’re right. Let Leah speak with Iz. She’s the only one who could get through to her about this.”
I frowned with my hand on the ignition. Even if we bonded over our experience, I didn’t trust anyone except my team and Izzy. He seemed to understand my hesitation because he said, “Look. They can’t touch Iz, but Leah is free game. I’m on your side.”
He was right. The Arnoults had been using Leah as a pawn against Iz. “Yeah. Okay.”
“I suggest we go talk to the Arnoult brat.”
“Fine.” We left the car but found the halls empty. There was no use going to class now, so we lingered in the hall until the bell rang. However, Lauren must have known we were searching for her because she was nowhere to be found.
Rome marched toward us, fuming. “What happened now?” Klause asked.
“Those bitches would be dead if they weren’t dating Mike and Andrew.” He was referring to Rory and Jean.
Unlike him, I didn't give a shit, and this was the perfect outlet for my temper. “Why?”
“They were making fun of Ally’s clothes. They said they were hand-me-downs from Catherine and Leah. Ally took off in tears and locked herself in her father’s office.”
“That’s all they did?” The little bunny needed to build a thicker skin or she wouldn’t survive the primes.
Rome’s face morphed into a snarl. “She’s not cut out for all of this shit.” I understood his frustration. However, Izzy proved I couldn’t protect her from everything and there were some battles she needed to fight on her own. It didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to shield her as much as possible, but I was learning to give her room to find herself again.
“How about you tell the Arnoult brat where to stick it?” Even though he wasn’t prime, Rome was like us. I knew he’d want the opportunity to avenge his girl.
“Let’s do it.” He strode ahead until we spotted a group of students on the school grounds clustered around Lauren. It didn’t take her long. She seemed very savvy at using her position to her advantage, unlike Iz, who preferred to stay under the radar. “Everyone, leave!”
Lauren looked up, and a lazy smile spread across her lips as she saw Klause and me.
“Are you all deaf? Leave!” As Klause's voice reverberated across the grounds, the students scattered in all directions.
