Page 76 of Cruel Legacy

“Out the door and to the left.”

I nod and make my getaway. I’m on alert, but silently humming to myself. This was a great way to end my day.

* * *

Deacon

The class is having a hard time settling down. The extra chatter is thanks to Michael Pearse and his buddies. I hear the wordsfightandbetand tune out the rest of the conversation. I know all about the underground fight club in Red Canyon. I’ve found some of my best fighters there. Syl’s not big on letting unproven people in the ring on a major purse night, but if I’m understanding correctly, that’s exactly what happened two nights ago.

I walk to the front of the class, my feet grinding to a halt. Thea’s standing against the wall, sporting a pretty nasty bruise on her left cheek. I’m used to the students showing up with minor scrapes and scratches when they’re going through their pledge season, which I was surprised to hear she’s a part of, but the shiner she’s sporting is something different. “LaReaux! My office.”

I storm off ahead of her, trying to get my feelings under control before confronting her. I know she’s following. She might still have too much attitude for her own good, but she’s disciplined when it comes to following direct orders.

“What?” She huffs as soon as she steps into the room.

I close the door behind her to give us some privacy and force myself to ignore the sass in her voice and the ways she’s glaring at me. Moving to stand in front of her, I tilt her face to the side so I can get a better look at her eye. Her lip is split, too. “Wanna’ tell me how this happened?”

“There’s nothing to tell. It was an accident.”

Hearing that excuse does nothing to quell the anger I’m feeling. “Don’t give me that shit. There is no accident that results in a black eye and busted lip. Someone did this to you. Who was it?”

“I did it to myself.”

I scrub a hand across my face. I’m not a counselor and I’m not equipped to have this conversation, but as herteacher,I’m obligated to ask and point her to the right resources. “We both know you didn’t, and making excuses for your asshole boyfriend or girlfriend isn’t going to change their behavior. The school has resources you can use, people you can talk to…”

“What part of ‘did it to myself’ don’t you get? There is no boyfriend or girlfriend knocking me around.” She points to her face. “And how I got this was purely consensual. I enjoyed every single minute of it, gave as good as I got, and I can’t wait to do it again.”

That’s the most twisted shit I’ve ever heard. She’s standing here telling me she’s proud of these bruises?

“So if we’re done here…” She crosses her arms, drawing my attention to her hands.

Her knuckles are bruised like she went a few rounds against a wall. She put up a fight. Good for her. But no, we’re not done. “I understand if confiding in me is awkward considering our history, but-”

“We don’t have a history. We fucked.Onetime. I didn’t know you. You didn’t know me. And that’s still the case. We’re not friends. You’re not an acquaintance. You’re just my asshole instructor, nosing around in my business. I said I’m good. Either you believe me or don’t. I really don’t give a shit. Can I get back to class now,sir?”

She’s not gonna to tell me what happened but I’m not letting this go. I’m gonna find out who the asshole is that put his hands on her and make him wish he could travel back in time and erase the day he ever met her.

I tip my chin to the door. “Go.”

She swings around and opens the door with more force than necessary. Her ponytail swishing from side to side as she walks away. A text alert buzzes on my phone. It’s an offer to get into the ring at Club Dredd. I rarely do these days, unless I’m testing a new fighter, but after seeing Thea’s bruises, I need an outlet. I respond, letting Syl’s organizer know I’m in.

I take another second to get my anger under control before going back out to conduct today’s lesson. Thea’s refusal to give me answers has me feeling quite sadistic.

It’s gonna be a brutal training day for the class.

Chapter36

Finn

Another day, another trip to the library. Once again I try to make the most of my time here and be productive, but Thea, with that thick dark blue hair that fades into purple tips, begging you to pull it. Fuck me lips, and an ass made for smacking, is temptingly distracting.

I bet those big blue eyes would look like shimmering waterfalls if they were wet from her strangling on my dick, too.

I’m on the floor above her, watching her study, and imagining all the things we could do in the dark corners. From my spot, I also see a couple of guys from Lowell House walk into one of the private study rooms. No books or backpacks. They’re definitely not here for studying, which means this is a planning session.

A few minutes later, another set of guys from Alpha Mu Xi go into the same room. Now this just got interesting. Those two groups shouldn’t be interacting, not when we’re just kicking off pledge season.

I send off a text, letting Pax and Holden know about the two frats meeting up and turn my attention back to my pet. Pax is still of the mindset that getting closer to her is a waste of time. He just wants us to follow her and get some dirt we can use against her.

---