86. Thea
86
Thea
“ T hea! Open the door!” Eden’s voice woke me from a nap. I’d barely slept in the last 48 hours, thanks to concern about Verity. Mrs Gia had eventually called me to say everything was fine, but she didn’t sound fine, and she claimed Verity was asleep and I couldn’t talk to her.
Something was wrong. My gut told me so. I needed to get home, but Dad had canceled my credit card, which I’d discovered when I tried to book a flight. I assumed that meant he was too angry to see me.
“For fuck’s sake, I’m coming!” Had she not figured out I wanted to be alone, dammit?
I unlocked the door with a huff. Eden stormed in carrying several garment bags and proceeded to dump them on my unmade bed.
“I’ve been trying to decide whether we’re still friends, given you’ve ignored me for two days,” she said.
Shit, now I felt bad. I hadn’t been ignoring her for any reason other than I needed some space to get my head together.
“I’m sorry.”
She leaped forward and hugged me, almost crushing my sore ribs. “I’m sorry too, about letting it slip that you went to the Forsyth family ball.”
“It’s OK. It wasn’t exactly a secret,” I lied.
“Well if it makes you feel better, I saw Landon earlier, and he looked miserable. Have you dumped him?”
“What? No. How can I dump him when we’re not even in a relationship?”
I ignored the scoffing sounds she made and picked up one of the garment bags. “What are these?”
With a deep sigh that told me she knew damn well I was changing the subject, she snatched the bag off me.
“Dresses, Thea. For the Christmas Ball, which is tonight , by the way!”
“Oh, that.” I shuffled awkwardly. “Um, I wasn’t planning to go.”
“Nope. Not gonna happen.” She folded her arms across her chest and glared at me. “You’re going and that’s that. So deal with it.”
“I have nothing to wear!” I whined.
“I know, which is why I took the liberty of buying some dresses for you on Declan’s credit card. He won’t mind.”
“What the fuck, Eden! Oh my God! Now I’m in debt to a gangster!”
“Like you give a shit,” she snorted. “I know who your father is, remember?”
How did she know this?? “You do?”
Eden rolled her eyes. “Of course. Declan told me when I came round after you saved my ass.”
She pushed the garment bags aside and sat down next to me on the bed.
“He said your father isn’t a nice man.”
A burst of laughter bubbled up my throat before I swallowed it down.
“Not especially, no.” Psychopath more like .
“I’m sorry,” she said in a soft voice. I could tell she meant it, but I didn’t need her sympathy, empathy, or whatever else she wanted to call it. Eden meant well, but her life experiences were not mine, and I wasn’t in the mood for a therapy session.
“Look, it’s probably a good idea if you send these dresses back before Declan gets his statement. I really don’t want him sending a hitman after me. My life’s complicated enough right now.”
“Not happening,” Eden sang, deciding, like me, that it was wise to move on from my shit show of a father. “Now let’s see which one fits you best.”
My red dress felt much too tight, especially across my tits, which threatened to burst out from the sparkling bodice. Eden had kindly informed me I looked like the love child of a fairy and a Christmas bauble.
Her dress was equally OTT. She’d chosen a dark green creation that clashed beautifully with her newly dyed purple hair. It was as if she wanted us to stand out in a sea of tasteful black and silver designer frocks.
My hair hung loose down my back, artfully pinned up on one side with some pretty diamante clips, and my lips were painted ‘siren red’. Smoky eyes finished the look, and even though I felt like a dog’s dinner, I had to admit, Eden had done a great job as my personal stylist.
Since this was my last night on campus, I figured I may as well go out with a bang. Not literally, obviously.
“Those boys are going to lose their shit when they see you wrapped up like a sexy Christmas gift,” she’d giggled when she’d finished her makeover.
“They hate me, so doubtful.”
“They don’t hate you, Thea.” She rolled her eyes. “OK, so Dario doesn’t seem like a fan, for reasons I don’t understand, but Lan is in love with you for sure, and as for Kyril, I saw him punching Dario in the face this morning.”
“He did?” That was news to me. I’d locked myself in my room since my encounter with Dario.
“Yeah. Not sure what Dario said but Kyril lost it big time. There was blood everywhere. Hope you don’t mind at least one Prince Charming with a black eye.”
“What? Did Dario land one on Kyril?”
“No, but Cassian tried to intervene and got caught in the crossfire.” She paused. “Wait, is Dario another contender for your harem?”
I ignored her shameless digging. I was more concerned about Cassian’s black eye. His father would be furious. Nothing like a black eye to ruin a festive photoshoot. I winced on his behalf.
It was yet another reason why it was time I got the fuck out of here. My presence had caused nothing but trouble, and half of it they had no idea about.
The furore over the drugs bust had died down, thankfully. The story was no longer in the Daily Mail’s sidebar of shame, mostly because nothing had been found and the police weren’t commenting. All the tabloids could do was speculate, which had eventually run out of steam when nothing else came to light.
Cassian’s father had issued a public statement saying his son was innocent and the whole thing had been an unfortunate mistake caused by misinformation. Landon’s father hadn’t commented, which suggested he gave no shits.
Pushing thoughts of the guys aside, I teetered down the stone staircase. Other people emerged from their rooms and joined me as they hurried to the main hall. A few glanced at me curiously, but most of them were too busy chattering to their friends to care much about a girl who wasn’t part of their clique.
It was a frosty night when I stepped outside. Every surface sparkled, adding a touch of festive glitter to the evening. The huge spruce pine tree outside the main entrance twinkled with colored lights under a full moon, and for a moment, I stopped to admire it.
We never celebrated Christmas at home. At least my father didn’t. He usually sloped off with Torrance, probably to fuck some whores and drink himself into a stupor.
Once, he’d held a dinner party for business associates on Christmas Eve. Verity and I had sneaked out of the attic to watch the guests arrive, but they’d all been stuffy men in suits and after a while, we grew bored and left. It was just as well.
When I came downstairs the following morning, a maid was busy scrubbing bloodstains from the polished wood floor in the dining room. At least one guest hadn’t survived the night.
The banqueting hall inside the main house looked unrecognizable. Fragrant evergreen garlands hung from picture frames, and there were bunches of holly and mistletoe everywhere. Logs blazed in the stone fireplaces, warming the vast room. In the corner, a string quartet played a mix of classical music and Christmas songs, but it was hard to hear the music over the excited hum of voices.
It looked as if almost every student was here, plus a few members of the faculty. I scanned the dresses, searching for Eden’s purple hair, and after a few minutes I spotted her talking to Michael.
She hadn’t mentioned him since she got back to campus, but it was obvious from how close they were that she liked him as much as he liked her. I hoped she stopped fighting her feelings because he seemed like a genuinely nice guy. And if I wasn’t coming back, she’d need a friend.
I grabbed a glass of something sparkling from a passing server and gulped it down. My plan was to stay for an hour, to make Eden happy, and then slip away. I had my bag packed, ready to leave early in the morning.
Dad had canceled my credit card, but I had money of my own. I didn’t want to dip into my savings, but he’d left me no choice.
Knowing my father’s propensity for ‘training exercises’, this was another test. He and Torrance had probably placed bets on how long it would take me to crawl back home with my tail between my legs.
He knew damn well I would never abandon my sister. She was all I had left.
It was why I’d endured his bullshit for so long.
When I reached Eden, she grinned at me.
“Looking hot, babe!”
“Thanks to you,” I pointed out, and she winked.
“Those boys will be drooling when they clap eyes on you.”
“I doubt that,” I muttered.
“Really?” She arched one eyebrow. “Then turn around.”
The back of my neck prickled. When I turned, I spotted him.
Landon stood in a small group nearby, a drink in his hand. His eyes raked over my dress, lingering on my tits, and then he grinned.
Knowing he liked my dress made me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but I forced myself not to react. It was better if we didn’t talk this evening. I’d pretend none of them existed and they could have fun without me.
Sure, he looked hot in a kilt, but I wasn’t interested in admiring his muscular legs or exploring what lay under his kilt.
Before he could head over and kill my resolve to stay away, I muttered an apology to Eden and dashed off. I heard him call my name, but it took no effort at all to lose him in a sea of people wearing ostentatious ball gowns.
I grabbed a second glass of champagne and downed it in seconds, letting the bubbles take the edge off my anxiety.
Standing around in plain sight was a bad idea, so I hunted for a dark corner where I could hide and observe. Being a wallflower was much more my vibe.
People wandered past, laughing and having fun, not paying any attention to me. I saw Landon heading my way, but a woman in a gold dress waylaid him.
Miss Markham . I’d forgotten about that predatory bitch. She reminded me of the woman from the hotel in London, only that one had been older. Miss Markham was only in her early 30s, at a guess.
Landon didn’t seem comfortable with her hand on his arm, but he avoided making a scene. A big part of me wanted to barrel over there and slap the woman across the face, but he wasn’t mine.
I bit the inside of my cheek as she leaned in closer than was polite. The pain helped ground me.
It was none of my business what he got up to. Sure, I’d had a jealous moment in London, which he and Cassian had taken full advantage of. But it was a one-off. Never to be repeated. The memories of that night, and all the other moments when the four of them made me feel like a normal girl without a psychotic family, would keep me warm at night when I got back to my father’s house of horrors.
Maybe I could use my fond memories of the guys and their hot-as-sin bodies to get myself off once I was married to some old man.
I almost laughed at the thought. If that was the best I had to look forward to, I may as will throw myself off the nearest tower immediately.
Grim didn’t even come close.
As I watched, Landon exchanged a few more words with Miss Markham and then shoved her away. She didn’t look happy as he stormed off.
I had no qualms about ending the bitch as my gift to Landon. One less sexual predator in the world would truly be a blessing for humanity.
The second glass of champagne I’d downed had gone straight to my bladder. After making sure none of the guys were in sight, I edged out of my little corner and exited through a door at the back of the room.
The admin offices were down here, along with a few other rooms, such as the small medical clinic and Miss Markham’s office.
Because I’d been here before, I knew there was a staff bathroom. It was probably less busy than the student ones, so I decided to use that one.
I lingered for longer than necessary, fiddling with my hair and touching up my lipstick.
Maybe I should leave right now, I mused as my reflection stared back at me, her eyes dark and sorrowful. Slip out through a rear fire exit and head back to my tower room.
But a big part of me didn’t want to go. I knew that when I finally said goodbye to this place, I’d be leaving four slivers of my heart behind. Five if you counted that asshole, Dario.
Yes, he despised me and had treated me like shit since he arrived, but I couldn’t deny the fact we still had chemistry. Toxic chemistry fueled by hatred, sure, but it was there.
My childhood crush had faded but not gone away entirely. Dario had been my first love. My first kiss. My first many things.
And Kyril had been my first in another important way.
I’d never forget the crazy Russian.
Or sweet Milo, whose presence kept the nightmares away.
Landon made me smile and moan in equal measure.
And then there was Cassian. I didn’t know him as well as the others, but we had a connection, one I couldn’t ignore.
Ugh, I was such a mess. A freaking, hormonal mess.
The door banged open behind me and a menacing figure in a tux stood in the entrance, seething with rage and violence. My insides turned to liquid and my panties went up in smoke. I gripped the edge of the marble counter and wondered whether I had time to pull my knife from my clutch.
“ Kotenok , you’ve been ignoring me,” growled a familiar voice.