Page 116 of Cruel Prep (Princes of Ravenlake Academy 1)

“Can you forgive me?” I ask, the words spoken so softly I can barely hear them myself. “I’ve done so much that is unforgivable, but I just have to know if—”

Lily stretches up on her toes and presses her lips to mine.

It is soft and sweet and gentle, but it comes with a tidal wave of relief that nearly knocks me to my knees.

I curl my hand around her waist, pulling her towards me, and kiss her back. So grateful for the taste of her, for the way she fits in my hand and against my body.

Everything else in the world feels manageable if she is by my side.

After we break apart, I grab her hand and pull her along behind me, climbing the hill to the house.

“What about the Hell Princes?” she whispers, looking towards the motionless lump in the yard. I’m not sure if the biker is passed out or dead, but he isn’t an immediate threat, so I ignore him.

“Half of them already ran off, and if there are any left out front, they don’t know Nico is dead. They’ll wait for him to come back. So, in the meantime, we pack a bag and get the hell out of here.”

The house is still dark, but the front door is open from when the guys ran out to save the day. I hope like hell they are all okay. I’ll never forgive myself if any of them got hurt.

But I have to focus on Lily right now. I need to get her out of here.

We walk up the stairs to my room and shut and lock the door once we’re inside.

“Okay. We need to pack a bag,” I say.

But before the words are barely out of my mouth, Lily picks up her duffel bag from the floor, dumps the contents out, and then goes to my top drawer. There, she pulls out my roll of cash and another knife and shoves it in the bag.

“How did you know about that?” I ask.

“It isn’t a very original hiding spot,” she says, smiling at me over her shoulder. “It’s where I found the knife I used to—”

Kill Nico. She shivers at the memory.

I touch her hair gently. “He would have killed both of us if he had the chance. You did the right thing.”

She nods, but I hope she believes it. She saved my life, and I won’t forget it.

Quickly, I move around the room, grabbing clothes, shoes, and some of my important documents. I have no idea if I’ll be able to come back to this house or not, and I don’t want to regret not bringing something important.

“Why do you have all of this money, anyway?” Lily asks. “I know you’re rich, but keeping cash like this in a sock drawer seems unusual even for you.”

“Every time my dad has given me money in the last six years, I’ve hidden it away,” I explain. “I knew there was the possibility he could turn on me one day the way he did my mom and sister, so I wanted to be prepared. If I had a warning that it was going to happen, I’d bolt and never come back.”

“It was really that bad?” she asks, throwing a few extra pairs of socks in the bag.

“Worse.”

I’ve never told anyone. Not even any of the Golden Boys. They thought my life was perfect, and when I was with them, I could pretend it was true for just a little while. I didn’t want to wreck the illusion.

I walk towards her, and she lifts her head, probably thinking I’m going to kiss her again. So, I do.

But at the same time, I pick up the key from my desk, grab the lock around her neck, and slip the key inside. When the tumblers turn, she pulls away from me, brows furrowed.

“I still want you to be mine,” I say, slipping the chain from around her neck. “But onyourterms. Your choice.”

Tears well in her eyes, and she blinks them away.

I toss the necklace on the bed, Lily slips her hand in mine, and we leave together.

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