Captured: Highgate Preparatory Academy, Book 1

Once my legs have stopped shaking, I swear one day I’m gonna walk out on him in a quivering heap of post orgasm, I get dressed, grab my leather satchel, and head downstairs with a pep in my step and humming under my breath.

As I reach the bottom, I see the guys waiting by the door for me. It amazes me how different they are, yet even in the short time that I’ve known them—twelve hours, maybe?—I can see how strong their bond is, that they are a unit. There’s an aura about them, one that feels dark and dangerous, and tells everyone here is a brotherhood, forged in fire.

Loki’s grinning, his lips still glistening. Did he even wash up? My breath hitches as I recall those lips on my lower ones, his tongue dancing inside me.

He’s wearing light blue denim low-slung jeans, a green faded band t-shirt, and a black leather jacket. He looks every inch the fallen angel I’ve pegged him to be, his flaming hair all mussed up, probably from my fingers which twitch with the memory, and his clothes slightly disheveled. He carries himself with a lazy insouciance, like a big jungle cat waiting for its prey to walk past.

Kai’s sporting a sexy geek look, with mustard yellow chinos, a black and white gingham shirt all buttoned up and complete with a cheeky red bow tie, and a charcoal knit cardigan left open. His black framed glasses are back in place, and his thick chestnut hair is sticking up as if he’s been running his hands through it, my own hands itching to feel its softness. He may be the smallest, but he still has buff biceps; the cardigan is tight and clings to his arms, confirming that he definitely works out.

Jax simply looks like a wet dream, my hands clenching and opening as I gaze at him. He’s in bootleg black jeans, a black t-shirt that’s so tight it looks like it’s ready to burst, and kick-ass boots, also black. His tattoo sleeve flows effortlessly down his arm, highlighting all those lickable muscles, and as if desperate to enact that thought, my tongue darts out to touch my lips. At first, I thought his ink was tribal, but in the daylight it looks Norse, with Celtic knots and runes interlocking and running all the way down, covering the back of his hand. His blond locks are tied up in that delicious man bun, and his short beard is neat and tidy.

Then we have Ash. He may be an Ash-hole, but even Lucifer himself would be proud. He’s in a navy suit—like, what seventeen maybe eighteen year old wears a fucking suit?—with a grey pinstripe waistcoat, crisp white shirt, and dark blue tie, complete with an oak leaf motif in gold. His jet black hair is slicked back and tamed, and his face is set in an arrogant scowl which doesn’t detract one bit from his beautiful perfection. My lips part just looking at him, and I catch myself leaning forward towards him.

Gorgeous or not, he’s still an utter ballbag, which he proves seconds later.

“Glad you could deign us with your presence, Princess,”

His voice drips with condescension as he gives me a once over, top lip slightly curled and almost sneering. If I didn’t know better, I’d say there was a touch of jealousy in his grey eyes.

Princess? I raise one brow in response.

“Let’s get to the administration office, shall we, and sort this clusterfuck out.” He turns on his highly polished, no doubt extraordinarily expensive heel, and storms out.

As I reach the others, Kai holds out something wrapped in foil, that dusting of pink on his cheeks.

“I made you a pancake wrap to go,” he tells me, avoiding my eyes.

“You are a legend and officially my new favourite!” I smile and kiss him on the cheek, seeing his ears go red, and leave a red lipstick mark there. It’s by Urban Decay called Alpha, in Mega Matte and I love how badass it makes me feel.

“What the fuck, Pretty Girl?” Loki splutters, his hands splayed in the air. “I just fucking rocked your world up there! How am I not your favorite?” He looks at me like I just kicked his puppy, and I can’t help but laugh.

“I’m sure you can make your way back up there again, Loki,” I tease as I turn away and head in Ash’s direction, the others following closely behind.

Twenty minutes later, I have a shiny, new, school issued iPad—this place is bonkers!—with everything I need to know about my classes, a map of the school, and a whole load of stuff I am completely overwhelmed by on it.

Back home, I’d only be taking four classes at this stage, but here I have like thirteen. To be fair, I get to take cool subjects like Botany and Yoga, so I can’t complain too much.

Alongside my new things, I also have a silent—at least for now—fuming Ash, complete with a jaw tick, who was told in no uncertain terms by the nice lady behind the oak desk, that there simply wasn’t anywhere else for me to go as all rooms had been allocated. Apparently, I was a late addition to the year group, even though this is everyone’s first day of classes.

We turn away from the office as a group and start to make our way to our class.

“Don’t fucking think this means you get that room,” Ash snarls at me, pointing a long finger in my direction. There’s such venom in his tone that I’m taken aback and quite literally stop in my tracks. I blink, at a complete loss for words, stunned by his instant…hate?

I feel a warm arm land across my shoulders and am surrounded by the scent of vanilla and cocoa.

“Chill, dude,” Loki’s familiar drawl wraps round me like a warm blanket, providing comfort. “She’s in my room, my bed, so she doesn’t need it anyway.”

The two guys lock gazes and stare at one another, Loki all casual arrogance, Ash practically vibrating. Neither bows down until finally, Ash growls, in a really fucking sexy way, and once again storms off.

“What is his problem?” I ask as I look up at my angel. Wait! My angel? “Why does he hate me?”

His emerald gaze meets mine and softens.

“It’s not you, Pretty Girl,” he speaks softly, hand tracing my jaw, “something…happened last year and he’s still…”

“Loki,” Jax rumbles, a warning note in his voice.

I swear every time that man speaks, somewhere a fairy orgasms.

The guys exchange an intense look, one I can’t interpret. Then Jax follows the direction Ash took, glancing back with an ever so slightly apologetic look in his eyes. Kai turns to me, a definite look of sorrow in his honeyed depths.

“Catch you later, Lilly,” he says, smiling softly at me, then follows them down the hall.

“Forget about him.” Loki turns to me, panty melting grin firmly back in place. “Let me show you round. We both have free periods now according to your schedule.”

“How do you know that?” I ask, my eyes widening, because even I don’t know my fucking timetable.

“Oh, I sent it to myself from your iPad when I was helping you set it up.”

Loki is a very thorough tour guide, showing me all of the places where secret trysts happen, and where they smoke weed. He also shows me where the dining hall is and the classrooms, which is probably more useful at the present time.

Our next stop is in front of enormous double wooden doors with, ‘Once you learn to read, you will be forever free’ written in the scrolling script above them.

“Pretty Girl,” he states in his deep, sexy voice. “There’s something I wanna show you. But first, you have to close your eyes. It’s a surprise.”

“Okay…” I reply, raising my brows, wondering what he’s up to.

I close my eyes, then hear him opening the door. He takes my hand and leads me into the room. I’m immediately surrounded by the musky smell of old books.

“Can I open them now?” I ask, my stomach fluttering.

“Yes,” he laughs.

Opening my eyes, I am confronted with my very own Disney Princess moment. Floor to epically high ceiling bookcases surrounds me, absolutely filled chock-a-block with books.

“Did you just…” I start, staring at him, completely stunned and feeling giddy. “Did you just fucking Beauty and the Beast me?” I’m knocked for six.

“My little sisters are crazy obsessed with the movie, and I watched it like a million times over the summer. So when I saw all the books you had in your bag…” he grimaces slightly, looking a little bashful all of a sudden, and rubbing the back of his neck.

With a delighted squeal, I launch myself at him and climb that boy like the fucking tree he is, ignoring the fact that he went rifling through my things. I wrap my legs round his hips, kissing him soundly on the lips. Luckily, he catches me, hands cupping my arse. He groans as he traces my lace knickers with his fingers.

“Christ, Lilly,” he moans. “You make me fucking wild for you,” he murmurs, kissing me back hard whilst walking us towards the stacks.

He finds a dark alcove, fuck knows how, and pushes me up against the cold stone wall, nibbling my neck, those clever fingers tracing my aching slit through my knickers and finding my clit.

“Loki…” I whisper, trying to clear my head of this haze he always seems to create whenever he’s near.

“What?” He grins saucily as he slides his finger under the lace and finds me fucking soaked. “I fucking love it when your cunt drips for me,” his voice is husky, lips smeared in red from my lipstick.

“Now, Pretty Girl, I’m gonna make you come first with my hand, then as your beautiful pussy is still fluttering, I’m gonna fill you up with my cock and fuck you until you see stars,” he promises as I whimper beneath his touch.

“But here’s the thing,” he continues in that delicious purr, his fingers still teasing me. “This time you can’t scream my name, you have to be quiet because we’re in a library, and the books deserve respect.” He’s building me up so slowly with his words and teasing touch, I’m almost weeping with the need for release, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. “Can you manage that, Pretty Girl?”

I nod, incapable of speech as his fingers play me like he’s a master musician.

“Good girl,” he croons, slipping two fingers inside me, pumping them in and out, and grinding his palm against my clit.

My thighs tremble under his touch, my breath panting and he builds the pace.

“What about the librarian?” I manage to choke out, gasping as he applies more pressure to the bundle of nerves.

“Ah, don’t worry about her, Pretty Girl,” he drawls between shiver-inducing nibbles. “She’s probably flicking the bean in the fantasy section,” he scoffs.

“Loki!” I admonish, snapping my head up to look at him.

“Ahem,” a feminine cough sounds behind Loki, and I freeze, my eyes going wide with panic.

“Busted,” Loki grumbles under his breath, his fingers stilling as he rests his forehead against mine.

“I’m not sure that this is the best use of the library, Mr Thorn,” the female voice continues.

I move my head slightly to peep over Loki’s shoulder to see an older woman in a twin set and pearls standing a few feet away.

Her greying hair is in a severe bun at her nape, and she has a perfectly plucked eyebrow raised as she looks at us with wry amusement. She’s clutching several books tightly to her chest, her lips pursed, but not in anger. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s trying not to laugh. I decide then that I like this librarian.

Loki chuckles, his fingers still inside of me, and I try not to groan with the slight movement. My face is bright red with heat, and it flares hotter as my gaze catches hers over his shoulder.

“Ah, Miss Darling, our new British student,” she says, not missing a beat, a warm smile on her lips. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Uh, yeah, you too,” I stammer out, wriggling out of Loki’s hold, his hand slipping away as my feet hit the ground.

I can’t believe I met her with his fingers knuckle deep inside me! I surreptitiously try and pull my skirt down as I continue to hide behind him.

“My name is June, June Buck,” she tells me, not moving any closer which is a fucking relief, and still with a look of mirth on her face.

“Lilly, Lilly Darling,” I reply, finally somewhat presentable, although my hands tremble slightly as they smooth down my dress. I step away from Loki to face June.

“A pleasure, Lilly. Now, it may have escaped your attention, but it’s lunchtime, so you might want to make your way over to the dining hall,” she informs us, her tone teasing and full of suppressed laughter.

“Sure thing, June,” Loki drawls in that way of his, completely nonplussed by the whole encounter, like he didn’t just get caught fingering me in the library!

He takes my hand in his, not the one that was bringing me such pleasure, and starts to lead us away, an arrogant swagger to his step as he makes a show of bringing his other fingers to his mouth and sucking them. Floor swallow me now, please.

June steps aside as we pass, making room for us to walk past.

“Oh, and Mr Thorn?” I hear June say behind us, making us both pause and turn to look back at her. “I much prefer Science Fiction to Fantasy,” she deadpans, but I swear there’s a twinkle in her eye.

Fucking crushed it!

Loki barks out a laugh, and I don’t bother to hide my own chuckle at that awesome one-liner, then we both cringe slightly, the mental image obviously hitting him the same time it does me.

We turn back towards the doors, and I’m sure I hear a wicked chortle behind me, as we make our way out of the library, hand in hand and laughing as we go.

LOKI

I grip Lilly’s hand tightly as we head down the hall, pulling her so close that I’m breathing in the lemon scent of Jax’s fucking body wash. I’ll make sure she uses mine again tomorrow. I’ll fill the whole fucking shower with bottles of the stuff if she keeps smelling like me.

Underneath, I can smell Lilly’s own natural perfume. It’s like spring and new beginnings, fresh starts, and a hope so sweet that I want to weep, run, and pull her closer all at the same damn time. She’s like a breath of fresh air, light after the darkest night, the warmth of spring sunshine after a freezing cold winter.

She’s turning me into a fucking poet.

And I couldn’t give less of a shit. I’m already fucking addicted. I can’t get enough of her, and whenever she’s near me, I want to touch her, taste her, and get lost in her smile and warm curves.

I don’t know why I did that dumb Disney shit at the doors, I guess I thought that it would make her smile. And I want to make her smile because damn, when she does, my whole world fucking lights up like the Fourth of July. And when she screams my name…fuck, I’m gone.

I’ve had plenty of girls before, shit, I’ve fucked hundreds. I just take them wherever and whenever I like, not bothering to remember their names or faces. They help to take away the darkness a little, and getting lost in soft bodies is my addiction.

My brothers and I all have things that help us to get through the day. To face the monsters that we’ve had to become.

But I’ve never felt like this before with any of the others. Like the shadows and pain disappear when she’s nearby. Like I can finally take a big breath of pure fresh air when I touch her. She makes me forget that I’m damaged, a devil, filled with a black soul and rotten on the inside. When I’m with her, I feel like there might just be a glimmer of light hiding beneath the pitch black.

I don’t know what this is, what we might be. Hell, I’ve known her for less than twenty-four hours. And these feelings scare the shit out of me. But I’m not giving her up. Or the freedom that she brings with her.

I know that she’s what we all need, especially after last year. After everything we’ve done, and will continue to do. I’m also pretty damn sure that we’re no good for her. We give pain and suffering, what else can we offer her besides that?

But I’m too selfish to let her go, not after spending so long in the dark. I need her light, we all do. Even if it means that she becomes a little tainted along the way.

We are the Black Knights after all.