4. Kaylor
4
KAYLOR
M y mind raced as reality hit me, the last remnants of sleep fading. I wasn’t in my bedroom. I wasn’t at home. This was my godfather’s house, and it might not be strange to have people wandering around in the middle of the night. Blinking through the dark, I wondered if my imagination was running wild—or maybe the house settling, the wind blowing, anything but someone lurking outside my door.
But no, there it was again, a stumbling shuffle, followed by a thud against the wall.
And it was growing louder, closer.
Fear crawled up my spine as I strained to listen, holding my breath as I willed them to keep walking. I should just go back to bed and mind my own fucking business. The less involved I got with the Corvo family, the easier it would be to make a clean break because I had no intention of staying here.
I swore I picked up voices, deep murmurings.
I shouldn’t see who was making all the ruckus. I shouldn’t put my nose where it didn’t belong, but another thought cut through my anxiety. Had I locked the damn door?
My breath hitched. I couldn’t remember. Had I turned the lock before collapsing onto the bed?
The footsteps drew closer, raising my heart rate.
Shittt.
Scrambling to the edge of the bed, I swung my legs over the side, careful not to make a sound, and crept toward the door. Every step felt heavy, my injured shoulder aching as I braced against the darkness.
My fingers hovered over the doorknob, and yet I hesitated, a voice in my head demanding I take my petite ass back to bed. I didn’t know who was out there. It could be a burglar or a hitman coming to finish what he started. I was the dangling piece who could turn them in. What if the people who killed my parents sent him?
The last fucking thing I should do was open the door. And yet…
My fingers slowly turned the knob with a growing sense of dread, but I didn’t stop. I cracked the door open an inch, intending to take a quick peek to make sure the danger was in my head.
Before I could see anything, a heavy weight slammed into the door, forcing it open and sending me tumbling backward onto the floor. Flares of pain shot through my arm, and I hissed, but the air was cut off.
A body fell on top of me with a grunt, knocking the wind out of my lungs. The scent of alcohol hit me like a wall, strong enough to make my head spin. Whoever was on top groaned, their weight pinning me to the ground, and goddamn were they heavy.
“Well, hello there,” a man with a deep, playful voice slurred.
I tried to push at his chest, but it was pointless when I only had the use of one arm. My panic spiked. “Get off me, you ape!” I gasped.
His nose was in my hair, and he took a long inhale, sighing afterward. “You smell good. I’m going to take you to bed.”
What the hell did he mean by he’s going to take me to bed? “What—?!” The question barely left my lips as bear-size hands moved to my waist.
“I think I might puke,” he murmured, his breath stirring my hair.
Oh, hell no.
“Not in my room you’re not. Get out.” With more force, I attempted to move him off me again without success. He was like a damn truck. Immoveable.
His body stiffened on top of me. “What do you mean your room?” He glanced around for the first time, taking in the dark space, and eventually landing back on me. This time, he looked at me with a critical glance. Really looked at me. “You’re her . The girl my father brought home.”
I caught the undertone of disgust in his tone. It was hard to miss, but what I couldn’t distinguish was whether it was me or his father he loathed. For the first time since he barreled in, I saw his face. Well, as much as I could see given the lack of light, but I noticed the similarities between him and his father. This had to be one of Donovan’s sons. They shared the same jawline and nose. “I have a name. It’s Kaylor. Fucking use it,” I spat into his face.
His lips twisted into a cruel smirk. “I'm surprised you’re not staying in his room.”
The fuck. Why would he say that? He made it sound so dirty like my being forced into this was for his father's pleasure and not because the courts deemed it so. “I don’t have a choice. Trust me, I don’t want to be here.”
He blinked, groggy and unfocused, before a lopsided smirk tugged at his lips. “You could run away. I might even help you.”
“Maddox. Where the fuck did you go?” someone grumbled from the hallway. An outline of a figure appeared, lingering in the doorway, and before my eyes could pick out the features of his face in the dark, a soft yellow glow of warmth flooded the room. I almost wished we’d remained in the shadows.
I gasped, an embarrassing audible sound that had the guy still on top of me glancing down, but I couldn’t take my gaze off the most perfect tatted specimen of male I’d ever seen leaning against the door frame. He had hair a shade darker than the ox pinning me to the floor, and he had these silver eyes that made me feel like I was staring directly into the stars.
He was fucking gorgeous in an annoying way. It was criminal. Even the two tiny scars under his right eye made him sexier. Scowling, he looked me over, taking in the sight of me like he had all the time in the world. When he finished, his expression looked unimpressed, bored even.
Asshole.
Not that I gave a shit what he thought of me—what any of them thought of me. They were as insignificant to me as I was to them.
“What are you doing on the floor?” the gorgeous jerk directed to the drunk idiot. The light caught something on his nose. A piercing. It suited him.
“Kreed!” Maddox groaned again, finally rolling off me and onto his back.
I wasted no time, scrambling away, my heart racing as I got to my feet, standing near the bed. What was happening right now?
Those piercing silver eyes tracked me, a single raven brow lifting. “Who are you?”
I glared at him, cradling my arm as I fought against a wave of pain. “None of your fucking business,” I gritted out.
Kreed’s sharp gaze shifted to who I assumed was his brother. Maddox squinted against the light, shielding his eyes with one hand as he sat up, shoving his disheveled hair away from his face. His hoodie stretched over an expansive chest as he smirked at Kreed. He had a rougher look about him than Kreed did, which said a lot considering. His features were marred by the unmistakable haze of someone who had drunk far too much. “I found a girl.”
“When don’t you find a girl?” Kreed muttered.
Maddox pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly. “It’s the one Dad brought home. What should we do with her?”
Tendrils of unease fluttered into my belly. What did he mean, do with me?
Kreed moved forward, lending his brother a hand before he faceplanted the floor. “You're drunk, Maddox. Go to bed.”
I spotted four small tattoos on Kreed’s fingers below the knuckles. I was pretty sure they were the suits from a deck of cards. Heart. Spade. Diamond. And club.
Maddox’s lips curled into a sloppy grin. “I was on my way there when she threw herself at me.”
Like hell. I snorted. “You fucking fell on me, you buffoon.”
Maddox’s smirk disappeared quicker than it appeared, his features becoming something frightening. “First an ape, now a buffoon. Insult me again and see what happens.”
The last thing I should do was show any kind of fear, or they would walk all over me. “Touch me again and I’ll make sure that no future little Maddoxes are possible.”
Maddox tried to take a step toward me, but Kreed held on to him. “You’ve got nerve threatening me. Not many people would. Even fewer girls.”
“I think that says more about your character than mine,” I tossed back.
“Enough!” Kreed growled. “Jesus, she’s been here for five minutes and you’re already bickering like siblings. She's not worth it. Besides,” he sneered, cold eyes of silver freezing me with a glance. “You haven't forgotten what Dad said? We're not supposed to touch what's his.”
“I’m not his. I’m not anyone’s.” The retort rolled quickly off my tongue.
“Words of wisdom. Don’t forget whose house you’re in.”
I stared Kreed down, unable to believe his audacity. He might have gotten the looks, but he suffered greatly in the personality gene pool. “I’ll let you know if I want your advice.”
This time, Kreed didn’t stop Maddox as he stumbled toward me. I wasn’t swift enough to dart out of his reach, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Stupid shoulder.
He tossed an arm around my shoulder and yanked me into his chest. “She’s K-haotic. Get it. I think I love her. I didn’t mean to scare you, sis.” A puff of alcohol alcohol-infused breath clogged my nostrils, making me cough.
“Scare me?” I snapped, still catching my breath. “You broke into my room and fell on me! And stop calling me that. I’m not your damn sister.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t break in. You opened the door and dragged me inside.”
“You’re drunk,” I said flatly, my anger bubbling to the surface. “As if I’d ever invite someone like you into my room.”
He chuckled, a low, lazy sound.
“Maddox. Get out,” Kreed ordered.
“You’re lucky,” Maddox whispered in my ear before lumbering toward the door. He paused to lean against the frame to look back at me. “Welcome to the family, sis .”
Before I could respond, he disappeared down the hallway, his footsteps uneven and fading into the distance.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from my brother. From all of us,” Kreed warned before following his brother out and leaving me gaping after him.
I had about a dozen colorful words for Kreed Corvo, and none were good. Dashing to the door, I quickly shut it and flipped the lock, my hands shaking as I pressed my forehead against the cool wood. My pulse raced wildly, my mind reeling from the encounter.
Four! God help me. Donovan had said he had four sons. If they were anything like the two I’d met, I’d be spending a lot of time shut away in this room.
Sliding down to sit on the floor, I buried my face in my hands. I didn’t just feel out of place—I felt trapped, like a pawn in some cruel game I didn’t know the rules to. I was supposed to feel safe, but nothing about this house instilled security.
Just the opposite.
It might be beautiful to the eye, but when you peeled away the wallpaper, ripped up the floors, and got to the bones of the home, you saw it for what it really was. A facade.
A beam of sunlight cut across my eyes, brightening behind my lids. No part of me wanted to wake up, and I stretched out of the ball I was curled in, the fitful night leaving my muscles aching and my head pounding.
Coffee , my brain begged.
My stomach growled loudly, reminding me I hadn’t eaten much in days and nothing at all last night. I pried my eyes open, blinking with a heaviness that would only be cured by deep rest. Above my head, a crystal chandelier dangled, the light catching on the prism teardrops sparkling over my face.
This was always the worst time of the day for me, when my mind caught up, remembering all the horrible shit. The agony followed, leaving me gasping for air for a few seconds before my heart settled into this ache I’d almost grown accustomed to. It was wild.
As was my life.
Memories I wished weren’t mine broke through the trauma.
Had last night been real? Maddox. Kreed.
I groaned.
Fuck me.
Donovan’s sons weren’t little boys.
And what a way to make a first impression, but sincerely, I didn’t care what they thought of me. I wasn’t here to make friends. I had friends, and I so wanted to see them, craved their support—their love.
My stomach growled again. I couldn’t ignore my hunger forever, but to eat, I had to get out of bed. One day at a time. That was all I could do.
I dragged my butt out from under the plush covers, wincing at the sharp pang twinging in my shoulder, and made a quick stop at the bathroom before throwing a sweater over my pajamas. Not bothering to check my appearance, I cautiously opened the door, looking for Evan.
An eerie quiet greeted me in the hallway, the high ceilings amplifying every creak of the floor beneath my bare feet as I approached the staircase, no guard in sight. Behind me, a long corridor stretched with several bedroom doors on both sides. I hesitated at the top of the landing, unsure where to find the kitchen. Then my nose picked up the bitter, glorious scent of brewed coffee.
I swore my mouth salivated.
It might not be my daily Starbucks run before school, but I would take anything over what they tried to serve me in the hospital. My nose led the way, sniffing out where it was coming from.
The smooth banister glided under my fingers as I descended to the first floor, taking a left at the foyer and discovering the dining room. Just past the grand table, an archway led into the kitchen. The same woman I’d seen last night stood in front of a deep sink, washing dishes. She glanced toward me as I hovered just over the threshold.
Amelia, I thought she had introduced herself last night.
“Good morning. I was wondering when I would see your face. You must be starving. You skipped dinner last night. Let me get you breakfast. Sit.” She gestured to one of the counter stools at the island.
“Just coffee, if it isn’t too much trouble,” I replied, brushing my hair behind my ears as I moved deeper into the kitchen.
She had a voluminous figure, a bit plump, but she carried it well. Her blonde hair, streaked with gray, was pulled back into a neat bun. “I’ll get you that cup of coffee if you agree to eat something.”
A barter. In this house, it didn’t surprise me. My lips twitched. “Deal.”
Wiping her hands on the front of her white apron, she turned off the faucet and moved to the coffee maker, pouring me a cup. She set it in front of me. “Cream or sugar?”
“Both, please.”
She brought a tray with a sugar jar and a cup of cream.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked before she could turn away as I reached for the sugar spoon.
“I’m sure you have plenty of questions, and I’ll do my best to answer what I can.”
“I was wondering about Mr. Corvo’s sons. He mentioned them, and I was curious if they live here.”
A light sparkled in her eyes. “They do. Well, three of the four. The eldest, Raine, is off at college, University of Dalton.”
I nearly choked on my hot coffee at the mention of four. Four Corvos. God help the world. “And the other three?”
“They would be Kreed, Maddox, and Mason. You just missed them.” An unexpected fondness touched her features, softening them. She cared for them.
I didn’t know why I found that hard to believe. “They left?”
She nodded. “Off to school. I can hardly believe another one is graduating this year. They’ve grown up so fast. Time is a funny thing.”
I knew what she meant. In the days before the incident, time flew and mattered little to me, but after…the world moved at a snail's pace, each minute dragging into the next.
“I’ve been with them since birth, a handful watching after those four. Especially together. I should probably warn you they can be trouble, but they have redeeming qualities if given the opportunity. Not an easy task. It’s been rough for them with the loss of their mom, and because of it, they don’t take kindly to strangers.”
I blew on my coffee as I listened, risking a sip. “And Mr. Corvo hasn’t remarried. There isn’t a new Mrs.?”
The glow in her eyes dimmed. “No. No one permanent. He dates, but there’s never been another woman to capture his heart since Willow. It would be best if you didn’t mention her. She is a topic best left alone and in the past.”
Willow. Had her name been what had drawn them to this place?
My curiosity piqued; it took everything inside me not to ask what happened to her. How had she died?
I nodded, understanding. The wife was off-limits unless I wanted to stir up trouble. I pocketed that little tidbit of information. After meeting two of the sons, I never knew when I might need the ammunition. They struck me as guys who had plenty of dirt to dig up.
“Miss Kaylor,” Evan said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “Mr. Corvo requests your presence in his office.”
My gaze lifted over the rim of my coffee, my appetite evaporating as dread coiled in my stomach. “Now?”
Either my eyes were playing tricks on me or Evan’s lips twitched, but he quickly schooled his features, any traces of amusement vanishing behind his hazel eyes. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll show you the way.”
Without waiting for my response, Evan turned and began walking. I had no choice but to follow, my hunger replaced by a simmering irritation. With a long sigh, I scooted out of the stool, taking my coffee. Donovan might summon me whenever he pleased, but he wasn’t going to deprive me of my morning caffeine.
Donovan’s office was every bit as intimidating as the man himself. Dark wood paneling lined the walls, and the massive desk at the center of the room was spotless, save for a few neatly arranged papers. Donovan sat behind it, his piercing light-green eyes lifting as I entered behind Evan.
“Thank you, Evan. I’ve got it from here.” He dismissed my security.
The guard gave a curt nod before exiting and closing the door behind him, leaving me alone with my guardian.
“Sit,” Donovan ordered, gesturing to the chair opposite him.
I hesitated before lowering into the seat, setting my coffee on the round drink table and crossing my arms protectively, favoring the injured one. “You summoned?” I intentionally used heavy sarcasm in my tone. Attitude was my default setting, especially when I was nervous, scared, or angry—basically, any emotion other than happiness.
Donovan leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “I wanted to inform you of some decisions that have been made regarding your education as well as lay out the rules while you’re living in my home.”
The word rules made me cringe. I wasn’t known as someone who liked to abide by rules or liked being told what to do. My parents often told me I’d been a stubborn, willful child. “Decisions? What decisions?” We’d get to his rules in a minute.
“You’ll be transferring to Elmwood Public,” he said plainly, picking up a pen from his desk. “You’ll finish out the school year there.”
“I want to stay at the academy,” I announced, desperate to cling to something familiar. “I only have one semester until I graduate. I’m already halfway through the year, and?—”
“No.”
The single word cut through me like a blade, swift and decisive.
My eyes widened, and I leaned forward. “I’m not transferring. I’ve been at the academy for years. You can’t just pull me out like this.”
Donovan’s expression remained impassive. “I can, and I have. The academy is no longer an option. You will transfer to Elmwood Public,” he commanded, leaving no room for negotiation. “Your father’s estate will cover the tuition for whatever university you choose, but for now, you’ll adapt. The winter break has ended, but I’m willing to give you a few days before starting.”
“Why?” I demanded, my voice rising. “What possible reason could you have for this?”
“The academy was a luxury your father afforded you,” he said, clicking the pen open and shut again and again. “Given the circumstances, it’s no longer practical or necessary. Public school will suffice, and you’ll attend alongside my sons. They’ll ensure you readjust to the new environment.”
Oh, I just bet they will. My fists clenched in my lap. “This isn’t fair. I’ve worked so hard—my friends, my teachers, my studies, everything I’ve built is there.”
“Life isn’t fair,” Donovan said bluntly, devoid of sympathy. “This is not a discussion. You’ll attend Public, and you’ll excel there as you did at the academy. End of story.”
I stared at him, my jaw tight. “You don’t get to make these decisions for me. I’m not a child.”
“You’re under my guardianship,” he replied. “Until you turn eighteen, I make the decisions. You may not like them, but you will respect them.”
I opened my mouth to argue again but stopped, my heart racing with frustration. I took a deep breath, trying to regain some semblance of control. “Fine,” I snapped. “Where’s my phone? I need to let my friends know I’m okay.”
Donovan’s eyes flickered with something unreadable. “Your phone was lost in the incident. I’ve taken the liberty of replacing it.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a sleek new device, placing it on the desk in front of me.
Leaning forward in my chair, I reached for it, relief washing over me at the anticipation of having contact outside this forsaken house, but it dissipated as I unlocked the phone and scrolled through the empty contacts list. Empty like my life. I glanced up, scowling. “Where are my numbers? My texts?”
He shot me a pointed look. “They’re gone. The previous device was unrecoverable. You have a new phone number since you’re no longer on your parents’ plan.”
My fingers tightened around the phone as panic and anger flared in my chest. “Gone? Just like that? What about the cloud? I had everything backed up.”
He gave a careless shrug. “You can try to recover it.”
His lack of concern made me suspicious. Could he not want me to have access to my contacts? Did he want to isolate me and cut me off from my friends? Was that the real reason he was forcing me to transfer schools?
I didn’t have the answers, but I knew I didn’t trust Donovan Corvo. Godfather or not, I wasn’t convinced my best interest was his top priority or a priority at all.
Donovan’s tone softened just slightly, but his expression remained firm. “I understand this is frustrating, but there’s nothing to be done. Consider this a clean slate.”
“A clean slate?” I barked. “My friends, my life—everything is gone. And now you’re just erasing the rest of it too?”
“This is an adjustment. You’ve already learned how cruel the world is. I will not coddle you, and I will not entertain defiance. Is that clear?”
Holy shit. What an asshole.
My breath hitched as I stared at him, tears stinging my eyes. I hated him at that moment—his detachment, his unyielding authority, the way he made me feel small and powerless. “Fine,” I spat, a tremor shaking in my voice. “Whatever.”
I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly against the floor as anger overrode the pain in my shoulder. My coffee remained untouched as I gripped the phone in my hand and turned to leave. I was done discussing all the fucked-up ways my godfather planned to ruin me.
“Before you go, Kaylor. I only have one simple rule.”
My feet paused, but I kept my back to him, refusing to look him in the eye. I was afraid of what I might do.
“Stay away from my sons. Romantically, that is. We don’t need any further complications with this…arrangement.”
Did he think I was a whore? “Gladly. I have no interest in your sons.”