Page 5 of Hers To Keep

“Servite,” Luke says, a bit out of breath and clearly enraged. “We’ve got a lurker.” I slowly turn toward the door and find the last person I thought I’d ever see here. The dragon boy in the flesh. Damon Fucking Drake. He’s dressed in black jeans and a black hoodie, obviously trying to be inconspicuous, but failing miserably. His lip is bleeding and there is a minor cut across his right brow. He must have gotten caught trying to sneak in here.

“If it isn’t the dragon himself, Damon Drake,” I yell out walkingover to him, forgetting all about Hargrove tied up behind me. “Can’t say I’m surprised to see you. I knew you’d do something stupid at one point. I guess I just didn’t really think you’d be this stupid.”

“Fuck you, Servite,” he says, spitting at my feet while Alek and Beck hold him back. “What kind of sick shit are you involved in? Is this where you bring her? Your uncle is trying to get her to work for him, that sick son of a bitch.” Rage rises in me, and I throw a punch, striking Drake right in the jaw, his head falling to the side with the intensity of my blow.

“Don’t fucking talk about her!” I shout, seeing fucking red as he grins, blood clearly visible in his mouth.

“Mr. Servite, it looks like you are otherwise occupied if you’d just let me go.”

“Shut the fuck up!” I shout, rushing back to Hargrove, and slamming my fist into his chin. His head flies to the side, blood spewing from his mouth along with a few teeth clattering on the floor. My anger rages in me like a wildfire with no signs of slowing down.

How did this shit get so fucking out of control?

I rub my hand against my t-shirt, wiping Hargrove’s blood off my knuckles as I walk back toward where Drake now stands, in the room with Alek and Beck still holding his arms behind his back. Remi appears from behind the guys as she walks back into the room, heading over to the table beside Hargrove. All eyes follow her as she grabs the pocketknife. She struts back over to me, handing me the blade, as she reaches up on her tiptoes whispering in my ear.

“In case you want to make him bleed,” she says, licking across my ear as she hisses. “Heard this one’s had your girl.” I turn back to Drake, who is fuming at the sight of Remi close to me.

I grin widely at him, “You made the wrong move showing up here, Drake.”

Chapter

One

SCARLETT

Present

I was at the start of my life, and the challenges I went through were only the beginning. I now have learned to see it all as a warning, but who would have thought then, that this was even possible. That the world could be so cruel to those who once believed in the good it would bring. To those who trusted that there was more to the world than people gave it credit for. It could again sustain such various life forms and undergo the worst possible conditions that swore to tear it apart. However, there it stood full of life. Full of hope. I guess that’s what makes the world the master of us all. The nerve to make us the happiest and strongest we could ever dream to be and yet tear us to shreds and make us vulnerable to its power.

To be wise, we need not live a simple life, for those who live a simple life are not guaranteed wisdom. Not even that could prepare me enough for the future events I was going to face, for allthe evil I had to learn to overcome. All I could do was pray that the Lord would not fail me.

Although, I doubted he even existed.

I’d only been privy to the effects of The Devil’s Kiss once. The night I followed Ace to The Gallows and Macallan drugged me. The ecstasy, the high, the feeling of invincibility, followed by the agonizing body aches, the cold sweat and chills, the numbness around my tongue. I’d recognize this feeling anywhere, and I’m currently trembling in fear.

I open my eyes slowly, not because I’m afraid of what I’ll see, but it’s almost as if my eyelashes are glued together. That can only mean one thing, I’ve been out for quite some time. My vision’s blurred, all I can make out are colorless shadows and a dull gleam of light coming from a window at the far end of the room. I turn to my right and see the flame of candles blazing. I try to sit up but fail miserably.

God, my head is pounding, a loud ringing in my ear, a suffocating dryness in my throat. I hear voices coming from close by and it terrifies me. I close my eyes again and try to remember the events that led to this.

Servite Manor. The red dress. Wesley Servite and his guest of honor. Standing on the balcony of the room they locked me in. My mother looking up at me, a look of sheer satisfaction on her face. Agent Servite smirking devilishly with a lit cigarette in his mouth. Chaz kneeled before them, beaten to a bloody pulp. An unknown figure with a face painted like a skeleton wearing a red, hooded cloak. The same skeleton face Ace and the Horsemen had painted on the night of the Saints and Sinners party. And Ace with a gun pointed at Chaz right before the sound of a gunshot went off. My body trembled as I stared at the scene before me. A deafening shriek erupted from somewhere deep within me. Chaz’s lifeless body laid on the perfectly manicured lawn. A bullet to the head and he was gone. A bullet out of the barrel in Ace’s hand. I looked at them all once more.

The angel of death stood next to the devil and his mistress, and the head horseman. Death himself, stood above the disciple’s lifeless body.

But that wasn’t the worst part. Strong arms gripped me tightly trying to keep me still as the remaining Horsemen wrestled me. Alek’s smug grin as he pierced my arm with something sharp. It's the last thing I remember before everything went dark.

I must have passed out again after the flashbacks I had of last night, because once again I’m waking up in an unfamiliar bed. The candles continue flickering brightly, but this time the ringing is minimal, the dryness almost completely gone, and my vision is slowly focusing on the sights before me.

I take a better look at my surroundings and notice the room I’m in is large, dark, and nearly vacant. Burgundy walls surround me, flickering candles casting disturbing shadows against the barren walls, the wind blowing through the open balcony window allowing the glistening rays of sunrise to flow inside. The bed I lie in is plush and wrapped in black silk sheets. I am about to sit up when the bedroom door gradually opens, creaking quietly. I close my eyes, hoping whoever it is will leave if they think I’m asleep. But once again, I’m wrong.

Heavy footsteps approach me, and the anticipation is nerve-racking. My heart rate quickens, my palms sweat as I try my hardest to calm my ragged breath. The bed shifts slightly, a body beside me now weighing it down, and I feel a cold, calloused hand caress my cheek. It takes everything in me not to flinch at its sinful touch. Ace. I know it’s him.

“Why must you be so curious, my angel? They say curiosity killed the cat, but in this case, it’s going to be your defiance that will put your life in danger, my love.” I hear Ace’s deep, raspy voice speak to me as he continues to caress my cheek. The gesture is tender and caring, but his words heed a warning. My life is in danger. It has been since the moment I set foot in Hillcrest Hills. Since my first day at Servite Academy. Since I met him.

I’m about to open my eyes and respond when I once again remember what I saw the night before. Ace killed a man. He shot Chaz. He had to have done it. I saw the gun in his hand before the gunshot rang. I fear what’s in store for me, so I keep my eyes closed and continue to play my part.

Suddenly the door creaks open again causing Ace to shift on the bed beside me.

“Are you crazy, Ace? What are you doing here? If he sees you, man, he’s going to be pissed,” I recognize Bass’s voice scolding him in a hushed whisper, as his footsteps approach us.

---