Captured: Highgate Preparatory Academy, Book 1

As we make our way to the dining hall, a sudden flare of apprehension comes over me, making me halt in the middle of the corridor, an empty feeling in my stomach.

Oh lord! Have I missed any classes? I panic, letting go of Loki’s hand and searching in my bag for my tablet to try and work out what I may have missed.

“Don’t worry, Pretty Girl,” Loki assures me. “I got passes for us and let your teachers know I was showing you round.”

“How?” I ask, frowning and stopping my frantic search, looking up at him.

“The teacher message app.” He rolls his eyes like it’s obvious.

Which it’s not, not to me at least. I mean my mum and I were comfortable, we could buy nice things and afford the odd shopping splurge. But I went to a state school, we didn’t have school issued iPads, or apps, or dining halls, or a hundred other things these rich kids take for granted. I guess, considering my uncle gives me a more than generous allowance, I’m now one of them. Shudder.

Loki notes my confusion, a questioning look on his face.

“We didn’t have any of this at my old school,” I say, shaking my head and gesturing round me. “We had to carry round textbooks, write notes by hand, speak to teachers,” his brow pinches in a frown with every word I say.

“Huh,” he replies with a shrug, as if the concept of actually having to carry a textbook or write anything by hand is so foreign to him he can’t even compute it. “So, what brings you here, Pretty Girl?”

I can’t help it. A laugh bursts out from my lips, effectively dissipating the slight resentment I was starting to feel towards the wealthy elite of the school, Loki included. What a line!

“Really? That’s the line you chose to go with?” I chuckle, and he smiles ruefully, his cheeks colouring a little.

“I just want to know more about you is all,” he responds, slinging his arm across my shoulders, and we carry on walking.

“You want to know more about me…?” I question, one eyebrow raising, and my words trailing off when I see the serious look in his eyes.

“I want to know everything about you, Pretty Girl,” he encourages.

“Okay…” I begin, a tingling sensation starting up in my chest as I look round. I don’t know why, but I’m hesitant to share too much of myself. He has seen me naked at least twice now so I feel a little foolish, but there it is. “Let’s see. To answer your earlier question, my uncle suggested I come here as this is where he went to school, and I wanted a bit of a fresh start so thought, fuck it, why not?”

“Ah, so you’re a legacy. Like us,” he informs me, a genuine interest in his tone.

“A what?” I enquire, looking up at him.

“A legacy, you know, our parents came here so now we do too. Is that not a thing back in England?” he asks me, and my heart skips a beat at the sight of those beautiful green eyes so close.

“Not really. Although, never having gone to a posh school like this one before, maybe it is?”

“Posh school or not, we now have at least two things in common,” he replies with a mischievous smile.

“What’s the other thing we have in common?” I query, almost dreading his answer if that look in his eye is anything to go by.

“Getting great satisfaction when you come,” he tells me, in complete seriousness that it’s ruined slightly by the smirk on his beautiful lips.

I roll my eyes and shake my head at him, but at the same time, I feel the heat in my cheeks at the mention of what this man can do to my body.

“Tell me more,” he orders after a moment.

I chuckle and take a deep breath.

“Well, my favourite colour is rainbow. I’m allergic to cats. I love dark chocolate. My favourite novels are reverse harem…”

“What the fuck is reverse harem?” Loki interrupts me, an eyebrow arched.

“You know, one girl, three or more guys?” I shoot back, looking at him then quickly glancing away, feeling my cheeks flame again and my palms go a little sweaty.

“Oh! Like a gangbang!” Loki grins, a salacious look in his green eyes.

“No!” I yell, stopping to glare at him and drawing the attention of a couple of students walking past who probably think I am into gangbangs now. Fucking great. “Not like a gangbang,” I correct him, lowering my voice, looking ahead, and carrying on walking. “There’s a story and everything.”

“But there’s sex in the book. Between more than just one guy and the girl?” he asks, and when I glance at him he looks all too happy to see me squirm in embarrassment.

“Yes…but…I’m not getting into this with you!” I huff out as his shoulders start to shake with repressed laughter.

“Oh, Pretty Girl, don’t be mad! I’d love to read one of your ‘not a gangbang’ books,” he teases, chuckling harder when I whack him in his hard as a fucking rock abs. Ow! Stupid man muscles!

“Tell me something else,” he demands, still smiling like the arsehole he is. “What about your parents?”

The blood drains from my face, and I hear a wind begin to whistle in my ears.

“I never knew my father, and, well, my mother died in February this year.” I say in a rush, swallowing, as my eyes start to fill, the wound of her death still fresh and bleeding. The guilt from that day still claws at me, and I’m left breathless for a moment.

“I had a sort of stepfather, well, Mum’s long term boyfriend Ryan, but he kinda bailed after she passed away,” I add sadly, the pain of his disappearing act adding to the hurt I feel in the centre of my being.

I realise that we’ve come to a standstill in the middle of the hallway, and Loki pulls me into him, surrounding me with his warm, comforting body and rubbing circles on my back. I breathe in his vanilla cookie scent and relax in his arms. He smells like…home. I feel so safe in his strong arms and wish that I could stay here forever.

“I know it’s not worth a damn, and won’t change anything, but I’m so sorry she died, Pretty Girl,” he says gently and kisses me on the head.

I take another deep lungful of air and look up, his image wavering a little with the unshed tears marring my vision. One slips free, and he catches it on his finger, bringing it to his lips and tasting my sorrow.

“Thank you, Loki,” I whisper hoarsely, clearing my throat, and falling into those stunning emerald depths of his as we stand there.

“Anytime, baby,” he whispers back huskily, his own eyes glistening with what looks like a pain similar to my own.

“LOKI!!!”

A screech like a female fox in heat interrupts us, assaulting my ears and I feel Loki’s arms tightening round me, a soft curse sounding under his breath. I cringe at the sound, and turn to look behind me, keeping his strength wrapped round me.

A girl is hurrying down the corridor, her artfully tousled, blonde wavy hair flying behind her. She’s wearing a faded pink ‘save the turtles’ baggy cropped t-shirt, a shell necklace, light blue cropped denim jeans, and white trainers. In her hand, she carries a metal water bottle covered in stickers and has a backpack slung over one shoulder.

Oh, my giddy aunt! Is this…is she…a VSCO girl?!

Don’t know what a VSCO girl is? Basically, a teenage girl who spends twenty minutes making her messy bun look just so, and spends a small fortune on her casual outfit, all while spouting about ‘saving the whales,’ yet buying plastic stickers to stick on her reusable water bottle. Yeah, that kind of girl.

She comes right up to us, totally ignoring my presence, and is flanked by two girls dressed very similarly, both carrying the same metal water bottles. One has dark brown hair, the other black, but basically, they are all clones of each other.

“How was your summer, Loki?” she purrs, fluttering her eyelash extensions and twiddling her hair.

I didn’t know girls actually did that. And how fucking rude is this eco warrior cumbubble to just ignore me? Are we in some fucked up teen romance movie?

I roll my eyes and chuckle at my own joke, turning round in Loki’s arms so that I can face the she-wolf head on.

“Oh, hey, Amber,” Loki replies in a bored tone, keeping his eyes on me and not even looking at her before stepping to my side and tucking me under his arm once again. “Have you met, Lilly?” he adds, gesturing to me with his other hand.

Her blue gaze flits over to me, her upper lip curling slightly, ruining her pretty features as she takes me in. Cue the Mean Girl cliché.

“Oh. You must be the Brit,” she sneers, looking at me like I’ve just offered her turtle soup. “Charmed, isn’t that what you British say?” she asks with a titter as her flunkies laugh behind her. Yep. I officially hate the bitchtits.

“You must be one of those VSCO girls I’ve heard about,” I reply sweetly, flashing her a cold smile. “Tell me, how are the turtles doing here in the mountains?” Silly cumdumpster! Teach her to be rude!

She scowls even more, and I just can’t resist poking the hornet’s nest again.

“I hear the best eyelash extensions are made from mink, who suffer greatly on breeding farms and are ultimately killed for their fur. Did you go for the best, or did you get cheap plastic ones?” I blink innocently as Loki roars with laughter beside me, and Amber’s eyes narrow, setting said extensions quivering.

“And on that note…” Loki chuckles once more as he leads me away from the scowling trio, towards what I assume is the dining hall.

As we enter through the double doors, I halt in my tracks, my eyes widening and my mouth becoming slack as Loki’s arm drags across my shoulders when he keeps walking a few steps. He pauses and turns to look at me, a questioning red brow raised.

Holy shit.

I’m surrounded by light. Glorious, brilliant sunshine pours through the walls, two of which are entirely made from glass and held up by what looks like elegant black metal trees. The ceiling soars above us and is also made of glass so that it feels as though we are standing outside. Round Swedish design beechwood tables fill the space with matching chairs, and along the right hand side are counters filled with food to go, reminiscent of Harrods food hall in London.

“You coming, Pretty Girl?” Loki’s increasingly familiar drawl comes from ahead.

I emerge from my daze to see his eyes full of amusement, causing my own to narrow back at him.

Fucktwollop.

We head to join the other guys at a table, my eyebrows lowering to see it’s occupied by them and no one else.

“Where are, like, your cronies, minions, or probably in Asher’s case, slaves?” I ask, puzzled by the lack of hangers-on. “Aren’t you guys like…popular?”

I hear a low, rumbling growl that could also be a chuckle come from Jax as Ash’s eyes narrow and he glares at me from across the table. He doesn’t even bother with a reply, just gives me a once over, no doubt noticing my disheveled appearance. A slight twitch in his cheek appears briefly, then he goes back to looking down at his phone.

Of course, Loki crows with laughter and is the one to reply, pulling me onto a seat next to him.

“We are popular, Pretty Girl. I mean, of course we are. Just look at us,” he preens, getting a napkin thrown at him by Kai. “But we don’t wanna be surrounded by ass kissers, we’ve got the rest of our lives for that,” he sighs, his eyes dulling.

Then his face brightens, a mischievous grin on his lips. “And Ash keeps his slaves in the dungeon, only letting them out after dark, or when he wants to do terrible things to them.”

The man in question snaps his head up, and his eyes turn to slits, swimming with danger. I should be afraid of that look, but all it does is start a burn between my thighs, and cause my nipples to tighten under my bra.

Damn, get it under control, Lilly!

Before Ash can do or say anything else, I shit you not, a waiter dressed in a black tailcoat comes to the table to take our orders.

Where am I?

I look round but can’t see a menu, then hear a sigh from my left as Loki leans in.

“The day’s menu is on your iPad, Pretty Girl,” he says, tickling my ear with his breath and causing a shiver to cascade down my body.

“Oh,” I reply in a breathy tone, my hand coming to my throat as my cheeks grow hot. Of course, Loki smirks, but I can see Kai, who’s on my right, start to flush pink.

“Ummm…” I begin as I fumble in my bag trying to find my iPad.

“For fuck’s sake!” Ash snaps from across the table, making my head jerk up and my lips press into a white slash. “She’ll have what I’m having, Gerald,” he continues, not even looking at me, and I flood with embarrassed outrage, my hands curling into fists. I’m also a little surprised that he actually knows the waiter’s name. I thought rich pricks didn’t bother with details like that.

Before I can tell Gerald that I don’t eat the same as fucktrumpets, he’s rushed off in a flurry of tails. I look back to Ash, who has a single jet black brow raised, cold eyes boring into mine, waiting to see what I’ll do next.

Your time will come, thundercunt.

I ignore him, crossing my arms and turning to Kai. “How was your morning?”

Poor guy blushes berry red and stutters out, “F–f–fine, thank you,” then buries his head back into his iPad.

I sigh, glancing round the room and catching the eye of The Cumdumpster, aka Amber, sitting at another table. Her eyes narrow—I seem to be inciting that reaction in a few people recently—then they flit to Loki.

I turn to him, with a devilish smirk on my face, and lean in close, my breasts brushing his arm. He smells like vanilla and days spent naked by a fire, and it’s no hardship to lick the outside of his ear, sucking his earlobe into my mouth and gently tugging on it with my teeth. He abruptly stops his conversation with Jax, and from the corner of my eye, I can see his hands clench as they rest on the table, his knuckles turning white.

My gaze flits back up to Amber’s, noticing with a warmth that spreads through my body, that her face is reddening more by the second, and her teeth are bared in a snarl.

That’s right. Mine, bitch. I’ll hump his leg if I have to stake my claim!

Without moving, Loki whispers, “If you keep doing that, Pretty Girl, I’ll have to bend you over this table and fuck you so hard in front of everyone that you’ll walk like a cowgirl for days.”

His words distract me from my petty revenge, and I gasp at the thought of being watched, my thighs clenching and breath quickening.

“Ah,” he smirks, noticing the movement. “I see you like the idea of an audience.” His shit-eating grin is now positively sinful. He leans in closer, lips brushing my ear and sending delicious tingles racing across my jaw. “I’m sure we can convince one of the others to join us, if you like?”

I can’t stop the small involuntary moan that escapes, causing three more sets of jewelled eyes to swing my way.

“Who would you like most, I wonder?” Loki continues in his deep, delicious voice, “Jax and his…man meat?” He gives a husky chuckle at that which does naughty things to my lady parts. “Or maybe Kai and his…toys? Although, fair warning, he’s much less sweet in the bedroom than you’ve seen so far,” he teases. “Or perhaps Ash and his penchant for ropes?”

My whole body goes white hot as I take in a sharp breath, imagining being at Ash’s mercy, tied down and vulnerable.

As if he heard his name, or my dirty thoughts, the tosser in question looks up at me and holds my gaze in his cutting one, his brows a downward slash.

“Seems like Pretty Girl here likes the idea of being all tied up,” Loki drawls, loudly enough for the grey eyed prick to hear. Molten heat flashes in Ash’s eyes, liquefying them into swirling pools of slate and freezing me completely.

“Looks like Ash likes the idea of tying you up in knots too, Pretty Girl,” Loki snickers playfully, his tone heated.

“Loki, enough!” Ash snarls, practically gnashing his teeth, just as Gerald comes back with our lunch, breaking the thick sexual tension in the air that I’m almost drowning in.

Loki chuckles evilly, and at the same time gives Ash a virtuous look, palms pressed together, as if to say ‘what?’ How he manages to be evil and innocent at the same time is one of life’s great mysteries, I’m sure. Must have been that fall from heaven.

Gerald sets down the plates before us, and I immediately notice this is no ordinary school canteen food. On my plate—and Ash’s—sits a slab of beautifully slow cooked beef, alongside some creamy mash potato. There is a side of blanched buttery carrots and green beans. It smells divine, and I look up to find Ash with a smug arsewipe smile on his face, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed.

Being the mature person that I am, I stick my tongue out at him. He rolls his eyes, although there’s definitely a hint of a tilt to his lips. Then he focuses on his own plate and starts meticulously eating so that not a drop of gravy spills on his still pristine suit.

I look over to see not one, but two plates in front of Jax, piled high with what looks like a very fancy chicken kebab. I guess big guys have big appetites. Kai seems to have some kind of stir fry noodle dish, and Loki has gone for a gourmet burger and chunky chips, or, as they’re called here, fries. Of course, I reach over and grab one, I mean, chips are life! He lets me with an indulgent smile on his biteable, plump lips. Good man.

I turn back to my plate of deliciousness, unfortunately catching Amber’s gaze along the way. She’s still livid. Like I can almost see steam coming out of her ears, she’s so angry. Serves her right, the jizzmuffin. I ignore her, having already wasted enough of my time on that bitch, and pile my fork with a little beef and mash, bringing it to my mouth and moaning out loud as it hits my tongue.

“Oh my god! This is…amazing!” I groan, eating more and not at all delicately. I look up to discover all four guys have paused, and are staring intently at my mouth with looks I can’t decipher in each jewel-like gaze.

“What?” I ask, panicking slightly as none of them are even fucking moving.

Loki leans in, lips so close his breath tickles my ear, sending another pleasurable shiver across my body.

“Pretty Girl…those noises… Every guy at this table, hell, in this room, is imagining you making them while we’re buried deep inside you,” he growls huskily, voice filled with heat and causing an answering warmth to build between my legs.

I’m going to die if this keeps up. My gravestone shall read; ‘Here lies Lilly Darling. Died from horniness.’

I look down at my plate, toying with my food, thinking about what he just said.

“It’s bad manners to play with your food, Princess,” Ash barks, making me jump and my fork clatter on the china.

“S–s–sorry,” I whisper, face aflame and looking down again.

I hear the sound of cutlery as the guys resume eating when I feel a warm palm land on my thigh. Loki’s vanilla scent wraps round me as he once more leans in.

“Don’t worry, Darling. It’s one for the spank bank,” he sniggers, drawing a smile from my lips, which I bite down on. Then a bread roll hits him in the chest, making him laugh harder and wink at me.

Fucking cuntbandit.