Captured (Highgate Preparatory Academy #1)

by Rosa Lee

“Loki...” I start, not knowing what I want to say, but feeling ready to burst with everything that’s swirling inside of me, combined with the desperate need I always feel for him. He chases the darkness away, makes me feel more alive than I ever have before.

And he's right. It may have only been a few short weeks but this...this connection we have is the stuff of fucking fairytales.

His emerald eyes catch onto mine, boring into me, searing my soul, and branding it with his love. “I. Fucking. Love. You,”

I can feel his pounding heartbeat begin to slow as we lie that way, feeling the world turn as we bask in each others’ light.

“I fucking love you too, Lilly.” I hear him whisper, right before darkness washes over me once more, and I drift away on the steady rhythm of his heart that belongs to me.

Loki grins wickedly at me, and I swear I almost moan aloud. Lord have mercy on my poor ovaries! No wonder god threw him out of heaven, he must have made all of the lady angels spontaneously come with a single look!

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! That was not supposed to happen! Where the fuck is my hard won control? It literally fucks off when that girl is around. God, she's like a fucking temptress, a siren whose call I'm helpless to resist.

She makes me fucking wild. No longer encased in ice, but wreathed in flames burning hot enough to fucking kill.

Mine, the animal inside me roars. Although, he doesn't seem to mind sharing with my brothers, but anyone else sends him into a fucking rage, needing to tear limbs from bodies and bathe in our enemies’ lifeforce. I am so fucked.

“I'll make you come so fucking hard later you'll forget all about Mr Ice over here.” Fucker. But my lips turn up in a full smirk anyway. “Knight,” I drawl. “That's Mr Ice Knight.” “You're so full of shit,”

She smiles at each of us, and I swear I'm not the only one leaning into her light, like she's the motherfucking sun or some shit.

“Fucking fine,” Jax grumbles, surprising me. “But if anyone tries to touch you or kiss you, I'll fucking choke them to death.” The arch of her perfect brows goes up, but then her gaze softens, almost as if she likes his caveman bullshit. “Deal. And the same for any of you,” she responds, looking into each of our eyes, her own gaze deadly serious.

My dick twitches once more at the thought of her fighting another girl, unleashing the beast within her soul. The one that calls to min...

He may look big and scary, and I might have only known him a short while, but I do trust him. I trust all of them. I know that none of them would ever hurt me.

He leans in, placing the gentlest of kisses on my lips, his touch reverent like I am the most precious thing in the world to him.

My voice is filled with a rare passion. I know that deep in my bones, Lilly is everything that we need, if we can just let her in. And keep her safe.

“And as for Loki and Jax, they need her, man. We all do,” I say softly, his head snapping up and his gaze zoning into mine. “Loki has been starved of love and affection his whole life, apart from his little sisters. And every one of the girls he’s been with before, they've all wanted something from him. His money, his name. Lilly? She just wants his love in return.” I say, interrupting him before he can argue with me about us all needing her. “And Jax?” he asks, his gaze hard like flint. “Jax needs her nurturing side. You know his addiction, he needs her to break the cycle his dad got him into. And he needs to see that he can protect her without it.” I can see him agreeing with me, nodding his head once, albeit reluctantly. “And me?” “You’ve been hurt by those that are meant to love you most, meant to protect you. You and Lilly share the same pain, you understand each other on a level that none of us do. You need her to shine a light on that darkness inside of you, to break those chains you’ve wrapped so tightly around you. To show you that you are not a monster.” My voice is entreating him to believe me. His jaw clenches, his fingers clasped tightly around his cup. “And what about you, Kai?” he lashes out, as he always does when someone hits a nerve. “Or are you above the rest of us fucked up assholes?” “I need her to feel alive,” I tell him, our gazes locked. His softens slightly, a hand reaching out to me. “Kai…” he says, his voice broken.

I can’t deny the truth of my words, even if they took me by surprise. Lilly makes me feel more alive than I’ve felt in a long time. She has breathed life into me, waking me up as if from a deep slumber. And I need her breath, like a dying man needs the kiss of life.

“Hey, big guy! Quit hogging our girl!” Loki says, bounding up to me, and literally snatching me out of Jax's arms, making Jax growl. Hang on, our girl? They really are happy to share me? My thoughts are still whirring as Loki's lips descend on mine, kissing me soundly and leaving me breathless.

“Yep. I practically grew up there, watching them all dance. I used to think they were beautiful ballerinas, who, you know, happened to take their clothes off.”

“Your mum sounds like an extraordinary woman, Lilly,” he murmurs, and tears spring to my eyes. “And she brought you up to be the rarest flower.”

It’s not the gentle kiss it started out as. It’s full of possession, fire, and passion and I realise that Loki hasn’t been lying when he’s mentioned Kai’s dominant tendencies.

Every time he shows me his dominant side, and I embrace it wholeheartedly, it’s like he opens up more with the acceptance I give him, becoming firmer in his demands the next time.

Everything else, everyone else, Amber and her crew of bitches, all melts away until I'm submerged in Jax. He surrounds me completely with his huge body, and his warm lemon scent fills my nostrils until I'm breathing in nothing but him.

“I may have been...free with my attention before…” Loki begins, his usually mirthful green eyes serious. I hear Jax snort behind me. “Fine,” he rolls his eyes. “I may have been a bit of a man whore, but I won’t get bored with you. Ever.”

My breath hitches as he leans down and kisses me on the lips. It's a kiss full of sweetness and days filled with sun and laughter. It's a kiss full of a promise, one that I’m scared to believe in.

I don't know what it is about her that draws me in, but I can't even look at another girl anymore.

Lilly smiles at them, her eyes full of warmth, and for a split second, I feel jealous of my little sisters. I want all that warmth directed at me.

“You are.” Kiss. “So.” Kiss. “Fucking.” Kiss. “Gorgeous,” he tells me, kissing his way down my neck until my head is spinning and my pussy is aching.

He reaches down and takes them off, and that's when I notice he's got a new tattoo just above his ankle. It's a stunningly lifelike open pink lily, with green leaves swirling round it. “Do you like it?” he asks, voice husky as he walks towards me completely, gloriously naked. “It's…” I start at a complete loss for words. Surely this means something serious. I mean, I know we confessed our feelings a while ago, but tattoos are for life, right? Is that what he’s saying about us? I look up into his eyes trying to read him. His gaze is so full of intense emotion, they’re practically swirling, like a whirlwind ready to snatch me up and never let go. “When did you get it?” I question, wondering how I’ve not noticed it up until now. “A week or so back,” he tells me, stepping so close that I can feel the heat of his body caress mine.

“How can it be like this?” I whisper. “How can we feel so...right together?”

“I don't know,” he says after a moment, voice husky. “But I'm too fucking selfish to let you go, Lilly.” A thrill runs down my spine at the sound of my name on his lips. “I love you so fucking much, Pretty Girl.”

His kiss destroys me, breaking me down, then building me anew.

My eyes flit behind him to see Kai is now taking his clothes off. I've yet to see Kai fully naked, we've literally just kissed and fooled round a little, but never taken it any further. To say I’m excited would be the understatement of the year.

When he straightens up I get a view of his beautiful, sinful body. Unlike Loki’s angelic beauty, Ash never fell from Heaven. He's always ruled over Hell, with a cruel beauty and an iron fist. What I wouldn't give to see him lose a bit of that control.

Ash kisses me like I'm the answer to all of his prayers, and as if he's been searching his whole life for me. At the same time, it’s almost as if he's trying to drink in my soul, and absorb all my light, leaving only darkness. He leaves me wrecked and shaking as he steps away and sits down further away but still on the bench seat.

I nod, unable to speak as excitement and pure sizzling lust rushes through me. They're all here, we're all together like this, and it feels so fucking right, like it was always meant to be this way. I can't explain it, but I know deep down that this is where I belong. Where we all belong.

I'm completely lost in these boys, and it's like nothing I've ever felt before.

Jax crawls up to me, reaching over to the drawer set beside us, and pulling out a bottle of lube and another condom packet. I can't help but giggle, I mean, come on! “Something funny, baby?” Jax asks, a teasing warning to his tone. “Awfully convenient bottle of lube you've got there, Jax,” I giggle out, raising a brow. “You know me, I always like to be prepared,” he quips back,

And suddenly, it hits me. He let his friends, his brothers, go first even though he thought that I may be too spent to please him too. He loves them so much that he's willing to put himself and his needs last. He is a true leader in every sense of the word. I may be liquified, and fucking orgasmed out, but I won't leave him wanting.

Being true to his word, he cleans me up, lavishing me with all of the care and attention as if I am in fact the princess he calls me and he is my very own dark knight.

Sliding down to sit on the floor, I break into a million pieces that scatter out into the darkness.

“We give her time,” I say simply, but loud enough that everyone hears and turns to look at me. “She'll come around.” “How do you know?” Loki asks me, voice small and uncertain, yet there’s a shred of hope in there. A dim light in his eyes. “Because she needs us as much as we need her,” I reply, hoping with my whole being that I’m right.

The song switches to Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid, and I'm instantly transported back in time, gasping as I’m sucked into the horror of finding my mum carved up and bleeding all over our kitchen floor. The scent of copper surrounds me. I'm drowning in it as I gaze at the ruin before me. Her face is untouched, still so beautiful. Her hazel eyes are unseeing, but forever open, staring through me. Her body is unrecognisable in the carnage of blood, and parts of her are exposed that never should have seen the daylight.

This such a haunting scene to imagine especially because of how angelic and pure Lovely is

I'm kneeling beside her, her blood on my clothes, covering my hands, and staining everything with her lifeforce. Lifeforce that had spilled its vitality and essence all over the tiled floor, like a dropped glass of juice. It's true what they say, 'there's no use crying over spilt milk.’ And I don't cry. I can't cry.

He’s the oldest of us all, yet still only fourteen.

He takes out a pair of thick leather cuffs and a red and black leather flogger. My breath hitches at the sight, it's a favourite of mine. I already feel the heady anticipation of escape that it'll bring me.

Ash begins reciting in his deep, beautiful voice, and it sends shivers up my spine, my breath leaving my lungs in a gasp. “‘If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.’” And as he reads, he reaches across and grabs my hand, bringing it to his lips, placing the barest of kisses upon my knuckles and causing a riot of butterflies to take flight inside me. He looks up at me whilst he does it, a look so intense in his eyes, my heart stops, and I have to clear my throat before I can start my lines. “‘Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.’” I lick my dry lips as I look back up to see his gaze locked on mine, my hand still in his warm one. He looks down then reads the next part. “‘Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?’” He looks to me again, his eyes unreadable, yet there's a fire there too. I’m just not sure if it's meant to hurt or heal me. My heart is pounding, my breath short as I read my next lines. “‘Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.’” “‘O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.’” A darkness enters his gaze then, and I'm hit again with the hurt that I've caused him. “‘Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake,’” I read, barely...

My frantic eyes alight on Jax, who is standing near the kitchen, his hand poised as if reaching for something on the countertop. I don't think, I just rush towards him, throwing myself in his arms, wrapping my own around his strong neck in a vicelike hold. He's my safe harbour, my protector, and my panicked mind somehow knows this.

I can see the rage transform the guys as it sweeps over each of them. And I realise that they may be monsters, but they are beautiful monsters. And they're mine. They will burn down the entire world and everyone in it for me.