Page 101 of Cruel Prep (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 1)

Time to take care of that, then.

I grab her arm and pull her after me out of the kitchen.

“Yo, where are you going?” Viktor yells.

I lift my free hand in a wave over my shoulder. “To fuck.”

There are cheers from the party behind us as we mount the stairs, but the only thing I can focus on is Lily’s small hand in mine, still squeezing my fingers.

37

Finn

I hear the fabric rip as I pull her dress off, but I don’t care.

I don’t care about anything except filling whatever crack Lily has caused in my foundations.

Cora announced to everyone that I’d gone soft, and I can’t even argue with her. Lily is a project. A mission. She isn’t supposed to be someone whose opinion I care about. She isn’t supposed to be someone I worry about.

What is wrong with me?What is wrong with me?

“Are you okay?” Lily asks, reaching up and laying a warm palm to my cheek. “You look frantic.”

I pull away from her hand, shove her dress down her hips to reveal her naked bottom half, and then spin her around.

Lily doesn’t even hesitate.

The moment I turn her around, she leans forward and grips the edge of the bed, shoving her hips towards me.

She isn’t afraid of me or nervous of what I’ll do. Despite everything I’ve done, everything I’ve told her, she trusts me.

Without thinking, I bring my arm high over my head and then swing.

My hand cracks across the smooth skin of her ass loudly enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if my guests downstairs can hear it.

Lily gasps and then arches her back, presenting herself for me even more fully.

She doesn’t understand. No matter how many times I tell her not to trust me, she doesn’t listen.

Someone needs to teach her a lesson.

I slap her again, hitting the red handprint I left the first time.

Then I bring up my other hand and slap her other side.

The skin of her backside ripples with each blow, and I slap her again and again.

Until my hand starts to sting.

Until it goes numb.

“Finn,” she whimpers, her fists balling up in the sheets. “Finn.”

When I finish, my chest is heaving and my arms are tired, but I don’t feel any better. I don’t feel more in control or more powerful.

I feel like a failure. A fucking failure.

Lily looks over her shoulder at me, and then stands up, eyes wide with alarm. “What’s going on, Finn? What is it?”

---