Page 14 of The Royal Flame
I should’ve noticed a lot of things.
Been on high alert.
The old, pre-Royal Academy Maddy would’ve. She would’ve been carrying her Taser in her hand, ready to fight at any given moment. But this surrounded-by-Royal-men Maddy is getting a little too comfortable.
The five of us are wandering toward the corner when this reality bitch smacks me across the face.
“Maddison Averly, what the hell are you doing with a bunch of Royals?” Will’s voice makes me cringe as I reel around, my hand darting toward my pocket.
He’s standing at the entrance to an alleyway that runs down the side of the club. He has a cigarette in his hand, is dressed in a leather jacket, black pants, and boots, and he isn’t carrying a weapon. Yet. There’s a good chance he has one in his pocket. I also feel uneasy that more people might lurk in that alley.
“Who is this guy?” River inquires as he moves up behind me.
The corner of Will’s lips quirk into a smirk. “Huh, I wouldn’t have thought the virgin Maddy would end up being a Royal whore?”
Here’s the thing. The guys and Lily haven’t seen me at my North Side worst. But I think they’re about to.
“Better to be a north side whore than a drug dealing piece of shit that can even get a girl to put out unless you drug her drink.” I draw out my Taser from my pocket and push the button, causing it to zap a few times.
“Jesus, Maddy,” River mumbles from behind me while Finn lets out a, “What the hell?”
Will takes no offense to this, his smirk remaining. “That’s not why I do it. I just prefer my sex conquests to be silent and pliant. If they’re not drugged, I have to pretend I care, and I don’t.”
“You’re gonna care when I zap your balls like cooked meat.” I step toward him and zap my Taser.
This time he startles and stumbles back.
“Yeah, screw you, you stupid small dick prick,” I taunt, zapping the taser again.
His nostrils flare. “You wanna go?” He charges at me.
In the back of my mind, I’m aware that if he’s coming at me with River, Finn, and Noah being behind me, his crew is likelyclose by. But I’m too far gone in my anger to what he tried to do to Lily to give a shit.
I shuffle forward, one of my hands balled into fists, the other clutching the taser. But an arm slips around my waist and hauls me back. The scent of River’s cologne engulfs my nostrils. He’s lucky it does because I’m so far into protection mode that I may have tased his ass had I not realized it was him.
He protectively swings me back behind him while Finn and Noah stride beside him, the three of them forming a wall between Will and me.
I stare at their backs, unsure what to do.
I’ve never had anyone protect me like this and my instincts struggle to process it.
“Just let them handle it, okay?” Lily gently places her hand on my arm, causing me to jolt and press the button on my Taser.
It zaps, and she jumps and squeals, her eyes widening.
“Sorry.” I shove my Taser back into my pocket and return my attention to the guys.
They’re arguing about what Will did to Lily. Surprisingly, Finn is the one getting the most riled up. He’s usually all jokes and lightness. But not with this. He’s in Will’s face, towering over him, and the bouncer is watching it like it's live porn.
“This is a trigger for them,” Lily mutters with her head tipped down toward the sidewalk that’s littered with cigarette butts and a used condom—gross. “They’ve had to bail me out of a situation like this before.”
I whirl toward her, my lips parting in shock. “You’ve been almost drugged at a north side club before?”
Shaking her head, she meets my gaze. “No, it was at a Royal party.”
It clicks. “Eli?” I ask, and she unsteadily nods.
I knew Eli had done messed up stuff to Lily, but not to that extreme.
