Page 16 of Tainted Saints

“You good, Little Lady?” Forest asks softly from next to me, and blinking, I automatically nod, pushing down all my worries for now. There’s little I can do to change things right now, so I may as well enjoy this tour of my new school with three guys who make me feel more comfortable than I have felt in a long time.

“Yes,” I answer, surprised to find that with my hand tucked in his, Blaine on my other side, and Landon in front of us, I am good. More than good, if I’m being honest.

“Well, alright then. Buckle up, buttercup, it’s time for the tour of your life!” Forest declares with a flourish, and a giggle escapes my lips again at his silliness.

It’s a breath of fresh air, having someone just be playful and fun for once, not stuck up and serious like the crowd I’m usually around wherever I go. Being the Ambassador’s daughter attracts a certain kind of person, usually entitled brats and sycophants, and I can’t stand them but am forced to act as though they are my friends, even when I know they will stab me in the back the first opportunity they get.

Forest takes his time showing me the extensive campus; each department seems to have its own building. Some are old looking like the main building, others futuristic constructions of glass and metal. The music building is one such place, and I pause at the door, looking longingly up at the full windows where students can just be seen, various instruments in their hands.

“Do you play as well as sing,mi princesa linda?” Blaine asks quietly from behind me, his body so close that I can feel the warmth of it vibrating along my skin through my winter clothes.

“No, I wish I could, but alas, it’s not my talent to play an instrument,” I answer softly, physically having to hold myself in check so I don’t lean back into him.

“You sing, do you?” Forest enquires, and I turn my gaze away from the building to look at him. He’s wearing a thick grey hoodie underneath a denim jacket and stonewash jeans, the denim on denim look is really fucking working on him, but then again, I get the feeling any kind of look would work on Forest.

“A–a little, I guess. Mostly in choirs really,” I say, biting my lower lip, suppressing my need to fidget under his scrutiny.

Buckinghams don’t fidget, Aspen. We don’t get nervous.

The Ambassador’s lessons are never far away, and I hate that I can’t just be myself, even when he’s nowhere nearby.

“She sings like an angel,” Blaine states, and my cheeks flare with heat at the praise.

“Makes sense since you fell from heaven,” Forest says, that damn smile of his making me ache to feel his lips against my own. “Sings like an angel, looks like an angel.”

I can’t look away from him, can’t take my eyes off his sincere green gaze as he speaks words that no one has ever said to me before. It’s always about what I need to do to improve my appearance, and sure, past boyfriends—carefully chosen by my parents—have told me that I’m pretty, but never in a way that makes me almost believe them.

The bell rings then, and suddenly, doors are flung open as students pour out of the building like ants. Fairview Academy is an exclusive school, so it’s not as crowded as I imagine a public school to be, but there’s still enough rich kids needing an education in the surrounding area to have over six hundred on roll.

“Aspen Buckingham?” a feminine voice questions, an Irish lilt to her words. I peer around Forest to see a stunning girl with raven-black hair wearing delicate glasses looking expectantly at me.

“Yes,” I answer, stepping away from the three guys so I don’t have to keep looking around Forest.

“I’m Aoife,” she tells me, taking another small step towards me, casting nervous glances at the boys who I can feel at my back. “The Irish Ambassador’s daughter. Me mam told me to keep an eye out for you today, seeing as it’s your first day and all.”

“Oh, how kind,” I say, used to embassy kids being stuck up pricks. “The guys were just showing me around, but I think we were just finished?” I twist and look behind me, catching Landon’s look of annoyance before his mask falls back into place.

“We’re all done with the tour, sugar. Just need to take you to the dining hall for lunch,” Forest informs me, his eyebrows raised in a way that I think means they are going to make sure I eat.

“Perhaps, Aoife could join us?” I don’t know why I’m asking, it goes against everything the Ambassador has ever taught me. I should take what I want, demand it. But I don’t want to upset Forest or the others, and I would like to see if Aoife might be good friend material because god knows I’ll need one if I’m to survive the rest of the year here.You already have three hot-as-sin friends…

“We have somewhere to be,” Landon cuts in, and my attention darts to him again as he strides closer and hands me my bag. “Go to lunch with your new friend, Duchess, and we’ll meet you after.” His harsh features soften when I’m not quick enough to school the disappointment from my face, his hand coming out to trace the edge of my jaw. “We won’t be gone long, then I’ll take you to your English class. Make sure you eat.”

“O–okay, Lan,” I say in a breathy voice, his nostrils flaring at the nickname that falls from my lips. I’m unable to tear my gaze away from his dark eyes because they remind me of a starless sky, and something tickles at the corners of my mind, but I’m unable to grasp it enough to work out what it is.

He leans down, placing a light kiss on my cheek, and I’m engulfed in lavender, suede, and leather, his scent making my head spin with its deliciousness. “Good girl,” he rumbles in my ear, and all the breath whooshes out of my lungs at the praise. Fucking hell, I want him to say it again as I’m on my knees in front of him and—

Blinking, I realise he’s taken a step back, and Blaine is now in front of me, his woodsy smell mixing with Landon’s to create an intoxicating fragrance. “See you soon,mi princesa linda,” he murmurs before he, too, bends down and places a chaste kiss on my cheek, right over Landon’s. He wraps my hand around his metal cup, giving me a pointed look, commanding me to drink the rest of the protein shake without a word spoken.

Before I know what’s happening, I’m drowning in Forest’s green gaze, his rose, gin, and leather scent overwhelming me until I wonder how I will ever choose which is my favourite. “You make sure you eat something, okay, sugar? Promise me.” There’s a demand to his tone, and I cannot deny him.

“I promise, Forest.” There’s no hesitation, and I’m rewarded with a huge grin.

He leans down, his lips a hair’s breadth away from my cheek. “You can be a good girl for us all, Little Lady. You don’t need to choose, we’re used to sharing our belongings.”

And with that heart-stopping information, he places his lips where the other two left their mark, and kisses over them, laying his caress on top. Pulling away, he gives me a wink, then turns and they all walk away, the crowds parting to let them through.

“I don’t know what magic you wove over the Saints, but I need to learn it like yesterday,” Aoife comments from my side, and I look down at her in a daze, my brows furrowed.

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