Page 1 of Forever Yours

PROLOGUE

Six years ago

Fuck.

I gagged, choking back the contents of my stomach that threatened to rise when Marshall’s fist slammed into my midsection. Would be the asshole’s fault if I ruined his new Nikes. Wouldn’t matter. He’d beat the shit out of me for that, too. If there were a silver lining to getting pummeled by the school bully, it’d be that he didn’t hit my face this time. Dad would flip his shit if I came home again with a black eye.

“Such a pussy,” Marshall growled, pulling me up by the collar of my shirt and slamming me into a locker.

My plan to evade my bully by being the last to shower and dress after PE failed big time. Marshall had been waiting for me. The two guys who had been standing at the lockers across from mine gave me pitying looks before walking off, leaving me to fend for myself. Figured.

Even though Marshall was bigger than me, I refused to cower. I lifted my chin and stared defiantly at him.Do your worst, I taunted him in my mind. When you had nothing, you had nothing to lose.

I recently came out to my parents and told them I was gay. I finally got up the nerve to speak my truth, reveal who I really was to the two people who loved me more than anything in the world because I was their son. Or so I thought. Mom left the next day. Just packed up her shit while I was at school, took the car, and left. Dad lost the love of his life, his wife and the woman he vowed to spend eternity with. And it was my fault.

Marshall could hit me all he wanted. It wouldn’t be any more painful than the soul-crushing guilt I felt every day, knowing Mom walked out on us because of me.

“You going to cry now,pussy?” Marshall spat in my face, enjoying the power and control he thought he had over me.

My eyes narrowed, and my resolve stiffened. “Fuck. You.”

Wrong thing to say.

His fist cocked back, and I prepared myself for the broken nose that was coming. It was going to hurt like hell.

“Hey!” a voice rang out, echoing like a war drum around the small locker room.

Suddenly, Marshall’s grip was ripped from me, and he flew sideways, toppling ass over head across the bench seat before smashing face-first onto the dirty linoleum floor. A tall, blond boy dropped down on top of him, his knee digging into Marshall’s back.

Holy shit. It was Fallon Montgomery. He was a god at this school. Rich. Gorgeous. Full of attitude. Violent. Never lost a fight. Everyone knew not to mess with him. It was why I’d steered clear of him. No one in their right mind ever wanted to be on Fallon’s radar.

“Get off me! You’re hurting me!” Marshall whined, struggling to get out from underneath Fallon’s weight.

Fallon’s laugh sent chills down my spine. “I’mhurtingyou?” He smacked the back of Marshall’s head. “Shut the fuck up.”

Marshall’s whines turned to soft whimpers.

Fallon turned and looked over his shoulder at me. “You okay?”

I absentmindedly rubbed my sore stomach. I was pretty sure I’d find a huge, ugly bruise there. “Yeah, I’m good.”

Fallon fisted Marshall’s hair in one hand and ground his face into the floor. “Get on to class. I’ve got this,” he told me.

I nodded, too stunned at what was happening to utter anything coherent.

“I promise he’ll never hurt you again,” Fallon said, a smile tipping his lips. It wasn’t a nice smile.

I picked up my backpack and retreated a step before stopping. “Why are you helping me?”

No one had ever stood up to Marshall before. No one had ever interceded when Marshall’s fists bloodied my lip or blackened my eye.

“Because that’s what friends do,” Fallon replied and proceeded to beat the ever-living shit out of Marshall.

CHAPTER 1

Present Day

I was suddenly woken from a deep sleep. Shit. Not again. Julien thrashed and whimpered next to me in bed, his bare skin damp with sweat that had soaked into the sheets.

---