Page 31 of Ruthless Legacy

Chapter Ten

I jump in fright when Vee dives on my back the next day at school. I was lost in my own mind, replaying last night’s events. In the shower this morning, all I could think about was the feel of his fingers inside me. Last night was a stupid mistake, but damn if I didn’t enjoy every second of it.

“Jeez, Vee. Don’t sneak up on me like that,” I chastise her as she wraps her arms around my neck from behind and kisses my cheek.

“Someone is jumpy this morning. Did Archer spend the rest of the night waterboarding you for being a bad girl?”

“Funny,” I say sassily, pulling my tongue out at her.

“Ugh, Georgie just doesn’t know when to quit,” Vee groaned, and I follow her eyes to see Georgie pressing herself up against Archer and whispering in his ear. Archer's eyes briefly find mine and I quickly turn away and concentrate on my locker. I’m not bothered, not at all. I hate Archer Savage and last night was a big, stupid mistake.

“So how did Rafe deal with your disobedience?” I ask my new friend as I close my locker and we head down the hallway to class.

Verity grins. “He spanked me. Honestly, my arse cheeks are sore as shit,” she says rubbing at her bottom. “But it was worth it for the angry sex we had afterwards.”

I arch a brow. “What is it with those boys and spanking?”

Verity stops in her steps and grabs my arm. “Hold up, who has been spanking you?”

I’d walked into that one without thinking. “No one,” I scoff. “As if I’d let that moody, arrogant bastard anywhere near my arse.”

Verity gives me a look that tells me she doesn’t believe me, and I roll my eyes and look away. I could talk to her about what happened last night, but then it meant nothing, so there is really nothing to talk about.

As we walk past the Aces, Georgie lets a peel of high-pitched laughter ring through the corridor. I don’t look over. I won’t give him the satisfaction.

I take my seat in class and stare out the window. My grandfather is coming home tonight. I’m a bundle of pent-up anxiety. What if he doesn’t like us? What if he decides he’s made a mistake and we have to go back into foster care again? What if his partner decides she doesn’t want us here invading their perfect lives?

I feel him walk into the room before I see him. Instead of taking the seat behind me, he takes the seat to the side of me. I don’t know which is worse, having him behind me all lesson or at the side of me where I can see him, and where I am aware of every time he shifts in his seat. We don’t speak all lesson. He doesn’t acknowledge me. Looking at us, no one would have a clue about what went down between us last night.

I grab some lunch in the cafeteria and throw myself down beside Vee with a deep sigh. I haven’t even put my drink down on the table when two strong arms wrap around my chest and lift me from my seat. “We’ve let you flout the rules for long enough, but now you need to fall in line.”

I glower up at Vee’s brother. “Put me the fuck down, Seb.”

He chuckles, walking, with me dangling in his arms. “No can do. You’re an Ace now and us Ace’s always sit at the top table.”

I struggle even harder when I see where we are heading. Towards their table. The Gods’ table. Archer sits leaning back in his seat, watching me with lazy disinterest whilst Georgie sits beside him yapping away about God knows what.

“Why is she here?” she demands of Archer in that whiny voice of hers.

Archer turns his attention on her, and he glowers at her coldly, making her flinch. “Move. Now.”

Georgie’s eye screw up as she scowls. “You’re joking, right? She’s nothing.”

“Move,” he orders firmly.

With a huff, Georgie picks up her plate and moves around the table to sit next to one of her girlfriends. Seb plonks me down beside Archer and takes the seat next to me, tucking straight back into his burger. Verity has followed behind us and gives me a quizzical look before she takes a seat opposite us.

“Why the fuck am I here?” I hiss at Archer, whilst I take in the open-mouthed stares of all my fellow pupils who have just watched me be man-handled over here. My eyes fall on my brother, sitting just a table over with some boys from the football team. He’s frowning in concern, so I offer him a smile to reassure him that I am okay with what just happened. It seems to settle him as he offers me a quick smile back and then returns to talking to his friends.

“Will they expect him to join?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.

“He’s the blood of one of the four, of course he’ll have to join,” Archer replies in a bored tone.

I turn my face to look at him. “What if I don’t want him to? What would I have to do to stop him from being a part of this?”

Archer is silent for a beat as his eyes burn into mine. “This is our legacy, Scarlet. This life is what we are born into. We don’t get to say no. We bow to the traditions set by our forefathers, and we play our parts.”

“And what is my part to play?” I ask him as a cold shiver runs down my spine.

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