Dirty Heirs (Princes of Devil’s Creek #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

AIDEN

I hated this fucking town. Devil’s Creek was full of rich snobs who thought they were special because of their last names, their fancy mansions, and the expensive cars they drove. I didn’t give a shit about money or status. Because until a few days ago, I wasn’t Aiden Wellington.

I was Aiden Fox.

A nobody.

My estranged grandfather, Carl Wellington III, showed up out of nowhere and plucked my twin sister and me from a life of misery and poverty. He offered us freedom, a new last name, and money. I didn’t care about his wealth or his promises.

I just wanted to be free.

And not just for me.

I had to save Alex.

My other half.

My twin.

I walked down the hallway beside Alex, holding her hand. She wasn’t a little girl anymore, but I fiercely protected her. After all the horrible shit she endured at the hands of our mother, she deserved a new life.

A fresh start.

“Aid, I’ll be okay,” she said to assure me. “You don’t have to worry about me while you’re gone. I can handle the Salvatore brothers. They’re just boys.”

I didn’t share her confidence after our introduction to the Salvatore brothers. They were assholes to her and acted like she was invisible. Alex tried to make them like her, but only Marcello spoke to her.

“No, they’re not,” I told my sister. “They’re men, not boys. I don’t like how they treated you. And I don’t trust them.”

“Marcello was nice.” She smiled up at me, glowing at the thought of Marcello, whom she talked about all night after the dinner until she fell asleep. “He’s handsome, don’t you think?”

Only Alex knew about the guys I fucked around with at our last school. We were never allowed to leave the house except for school and art class. So, I made the most of my time by hooking up with anyone interested–boys included.

At first, I did it to piss off my homophobic mother. I wanted to shove it in her face that I kissed a boy. But I didn’t plan on liking it. I never expected to get hard or grind my dick against his leg until I came.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “Marcello’s hot. So are his brothers. But they’re all fucking dickheads. I don’t want you with any of them.”

She looked at me, batting her long, black lashes. “I need you to be okay with this. If not for Pops, we would still be with Mom and Dad.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I can’t go back to Haven. I can’t go back to her .”

Our mother started abusing Alex when she was old enough to understand that getting locked in a dark closet without food and water for days was not normal. To save her, I jumped at the chance to leave our small town in the Midwest. I didn’t care what I had to give up, nor did Alex. We chose to get out of that fucking shithole.

But strings were attached.

For both of us.

My sister had to choose between the four Salvatore brothers to marry. I had to join a secret society called The Devil’s Knights after I graduated from college. Most Knights went through initiation after high school, but my grandfather made an exception since I refused to be a Knight. I could attend art school with Alex only if I became a Knight afterward.

I said yes, anything to keep Alex and me together. Besides, she wouldn’t last six months apart from me. She had complex PTSD and woke up every night screaming. If I wasn’t there to comfort her, she had horrible panic attacks.

“We’re never going back there,” I promised, guiding Alex toward the school-assigned locker. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. But I don’t want you marrying one of those assholes.”

“What if I pick Marcello?”

I shrugged. “He’s okay, I guess. But we don’t know him. Don’t let that pretty face fool you. The Salvatores are fucking snakes. This marriage benefits them more than you.”

Our grandfather hadn’t disclosed why this marriage was so important. But it had something to do with our family and the Salvatores.

We stopped at Alex’s locker, where three of the four Salvatore brothers awaited her arrival. Damian leaned against a locker, arms folded over his chest. The black Astor Prep jacket was open, a gold tie dangling loosely around his neck. Thinner than the other three, his pale skin made his bloodred lips stand out.

He reminded me of a vampire prince. Like some gothic creature conjured up from a scary movie to haunt your nightmares. A shiver rushed down my spine when his green eyes locked with my blue ones.

Bastian stood beside him, shoving a hand through his dark caramel hair, laser-focused on Alex. His gray eyes seared her skin like lasers. Much like his brothers, he set his sights on winning my sister’s hand in marriage.

The King of the Dickheads glared at Alex with disdain. Luca Salvatore was the oldest and the future leader of The Devil’s Knights. His brothers were adopted, and neither were related to the other. Marcello was Luca’s only biological brother. They had the same black hair, except Luca’s was shorter and spiked in the front.

Unfortunately for Alex, Marcello wasn’t there as a buffer. He was two grades below his brothers and had a locker on the other side of the school. But I hoped he would show up and keep her safe once I was gone.

Because of the Salvatores’ influence at Astor Prep, they ensured Alex shared classes with them. Meanwhile, I got bullshit classes to separate us at all times.

So I couldn’t protect her.

As we approached, they stared like predators ready to attack.

“Good morning,” Alex said, flicking her long, blonde curls over her shoulder, forcing a smile to hide her fear.

She was too nice.

Too naive.

My sister didn’t see them for what they were—monsters. These three would chew her up and spit her out when they were done using her.

Alex slipped between them, despite them ignoring her, and glanced at the paper with the locker’s combination. She entered the numbers into the lock and opened the door.

I put her bag on the top shelf, ignoring the dickheads standing between her like animals staking their claim. My sister was the only person I cared about—the only person who really knew me.

I would do anything for her.

It was best to start with the biggest bully first. I learned that back in Haven before I hit a growth spurt and fought every day to survive. So I got in Luca’s face first, staring him down.

Luca didn’t move or flinch.

He was fearless.

“If you hurt her,” I said, inches from his face, “I will kill you.”

A wicked smirk turned up the right corner of his mouth. “And how do you plan to do that, Wellington? You can’t cut every class without jeopardizing your future at RISD.”

His family’s connections at the Rhode Island School of Design opened doors. It was my sister’s dream school, one we talked about going to for years. But after Alex got an early rejection, her dreams seemed impossible until our grandfather adopted us.

My grades were shit at my last school. If not for the Salvatores pulling strings for us, I wouldn’t be joining Alex in Providence. So I had to get my shit together and pass every class.

I turned to my left and spotted Marcello Salvatore, accompanied by a preppy blond with straight white teeth. He carried himself like someone from generational wealth and oozed sex appeal.

His broad shoulders filled the academy jacket nicely, strong beneath the fabric. I wondered what he looked like without it and hated myself for getting any ideas. I was a little bit crooked and a whole lot fucked up.

“Little Wellington,” the hot blond said to my sister with the click of his tongue. “Well, aren’t you an adorable little thing,” he remarked, extending his hand. “Sonny Cormac. I’m sure you’ve heard all about me. I own the largest yacht at the marina. I’d love to give you a ride.”

He said this part, looking at me, licking his lips, the sexual tension dripping off him.

He wanted to give me a ride.

I’ll bite .