Page 115 of Cruel Prep (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 1)

Caleb is the fighter, but Nico is a loose cannon. He always has been. That night, he took things too far with no warning at all.

If I could have, I never would have sent them after her.

Because he pummeled her unconscious.

The memory makes me shiver.

Lily was tiny beneath him, her arms thrown over her face to protect herself. But Nico beat her until she stopped screaming.

He beat her even when her body had gone still.

Caleb and Viktor had to pull him off her and then hold him to keep him from going back for more.

“Ineverasked him to do that, Lily. And I would never. I’m the one who called the ambulance for you.”

She wraps her arms around herself and shivers, the chill night air finally beginning to have an effect.

“Why did you pick me?” she asks, turning towards me, eyebrows pulled low. “You could have left me alone. I wanted to be left alone. I didn’t want to bother anyone, but you picked me out even though you knew who I was. Why?”

Shame coils my stomach into a tight knot, but I vowed to be honest. “My father wanted me to.”

She frowns.

“Even though no charges were brought against Nico, people were angry. His parents had to send him away until the heat could die down because some parents wanted to get him kicked out of school. My father was worried what would happen if you suddenly remembered more. He was afraid you would get your memories back, implicate me, and ruin our family’s reputation.”

“So, what, you planned to fuck the memories out of me?” Lily snaps.

“In a way,” I admit with a shrug. “I was supposed to discredit your opinion. If we dated and then your memory suddenly ‘came back,’ no one would believe you. You’d look like a scorned lover, and our family name would be unscathed. But my dad hoped you would drop out and move before any of that happened.”

She is still glaring at me, but the red in her face is draining out, leaving her pale in the filtered moonlight.

I can see the implications of what I’ve just said settling in.

I rush forward to try and stop her from going too far down the path. I grab her hands, and she pulls away, but I still close the space between us.

I smooth my fingers down her face, over the swollen bruise on her cheek.

“That is how it all started, Lily, but that’s not how it ended. That’s not how it’s going to end.”

Her cheeks are wet with tears as she shakes her head. “Stop.”

“No. You wanted to hear the whole story, and this is the whole story.” I grab her hand and squeeze when she tries to pull away. Not hard enough to force her to stay, but hard enough to make her think twice about it.

Giving up, she leaves her hand in mine with a sigh.

“I tried not to care about you. I tried so hard, and I couldn’t do it. God, I—” I laugh and smooth my other hand down my face. “I have barely admitted most of this to myself, and now I’m telling you. When I saw you walk outside tonight, when Nico grabbed you … I thought my heart was going to explode. I’ve never wanted to protect someone in my entire life. And that is when I realized that all of the fighting I’ve done with myself has been in vain. I am so fucking in love with you, Lily DeVry.”

Her lashes flutter closed. I grab her chin and bring her face to mine, hoping that if she looks in my eyes, she’ll see the sincerity in my words.

“I love you, Lily. I have for so long now. I didn’t think I was capable of it. Not after my father—” I take a shuddering breath and dive fully into the deep end of honesty. “He killed my mom and sister. My mom was going to leave him and take my sister to live with her, and he staged the fire. I don’t have proof, but I know it.”

Her face twists in sympathy, and her fingers curl harder around mine.

“See?” I say, holding up our hands. “You’re good, Lily. I’ve lied and betrayed you, but you hold my hand when I’m upset and want to make me feel better. You are such a good person, and I know I don’t deserve you, but I want you so much. So much it hurts. You told me last night not to push you away because I was scared, and that is what I’ve been doing for weeks. I’ve been pushing you away, trying to scare you into leaving so that I wouldn’t have to face what it would feel like when you found out the truth about me and left on your own. I thought it would be easier if I carried out the plan and then graduated and left this town and my dad. And itwouldbe easier. But now I know I would be miserable because I wouldn’t have you.”

Now, I don’t have to force her face up to mine. She is looking into my eyes, and I can see the warmth coming back into her features.

Her body is curved towards mine, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself hope that everything will be okay.

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