Claimed by the Devils

Chapter 18

Lucian POV

Saturday morning was uneventful.

We’d all chosen to stay on Friday to wait and see what would happen with Aria. She didn’t come to our dorm, and we were all still alive. The cafeteria was quiet, not that it was a surprise. Some kids were more than willing to go back to their folks during the weekend and only lived here throughout the week.

Elliot was scribbling in his book, taking bites of food in between. Rowan typed something into his cell phone. Sebastian was off in his own little world, and I kept an eye on the door, tapping my fingers on the countertop, wondering what s**t my father had caused.

It wasn’t like hating your parents was new news. So, Aria hated her parents. We all hated ours. It didn’t change what was meant to happen.

My father had texted me last night to say the issue had been resolved. What did that even mean?

I hadn’t been able to sleep most of last night while waiting to see how Aria handled what we wanted from her.

After finishing off some toast, I sipped my coffee and waited. We sat in the cafeteria for an hour before I finally saw her.

At first, I didn’t recognize the rose within her grasp. I took in her pale face. Her hair fell around her in luscious waves, but there was something off about her. She still limped and she wore a pair of dungarees with a single white shirt. One of the straps had fallen down her shoulder.

People noticed the rose she carried. Cell phones came out as she approached our table.

The closer she got, her bloodshot eyes and red-tipped nose were easy to see.

Gone was the wild cat with the attitude.

I didn’t know why, but I didn’t like this version of Aria. She was … submissive. The fight had gone right out of her.

She placed the rose down on the tabletop, but this wasn’t a victory. This was … empty.

“I accept,” she said.

Her voice sounded raw as if she’d been crying.

“Aria—”

“I do have some conditions.”

She took a seat, not looking at any of us.

Her hands were shaking, and I wanted to reach out to touch her. She looked like she was falling apart.

“What conditions?” I asked.

I glanced around at the guys, and they saw it too.

“You have to leave Heather alone. She has a whole future ahead of her, and I don’t want it messed with in any way.”

“We wouldn’t hurt her,” I said.

She still hadn’t raised her eyes to mine.

“I want my own room. Heather told me that I have to move into your dorm. That is expected of me.”

“We can handle that,” I said.

“I don’t … I’ve never … I don’t want to be forced to have s*x with you at any time. I don’t want you touching me unless you have to. This is in name only. I don’t care if you find someone else to enjoy your time with. I don’t want to be anything to you. I’ll pretend for everyone, take whatever crap they have to say and name-calling, but that is where it ends,” she said.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Elliot said.

She lifted her gaze, and I stared into her eyes, wondering what the hell had happened to her.

“No choice. Got it.”

She stood up.

“I’ll have my things packed by the end of the day.”

Aria went to move, and I reached out to grab her wrist. She jerked out of my hold as if I had scared her.

“Don’t touch me,” she said. “You won. Accept that, just, no touching.”

She spun on her heel and walked away. I watched her go, frowning as I observed her.

The rose lay on the table. She’d stripped it of thorns like we had done with our rose, which explained the Band-Aids on her fingers.

I picked up the rose, and I happened to notice a single black dot marring the perfect beauty of the flower.

“Anyone else a little freaked out right now?” Rowan asked.

“Lucian, what did they do?” Elliot asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, someone did something to her, Lucian, and I’ve got to say, I don’t like it.”

This time, I turned to Sebastian, who’d spoken.

I was in agreement, but what could I say? There was no way to make this better.

“I’ll meet you all back at the dorms,” I said, getting to my feet and leaving the cafeteria. I dumped the rose into a trash can. We didn’t need it.

The rose was supposed to be for the girl to wear on the day of being given it to show to all she’d been chosen. Instead, that rose had been destroyed.

Crossing the grounds, I made my way over to where Aria’s dorm was. I didn’t bother knocking. I was given the codes to her dorm as part of the selection process. I went to her room and knocked on the door.

“It’s open,” Aria said.

I expected Heather to be helping. A couple of boxes and some suitcases lined the floor of the small dorm. She had been given quite a luxury place, but I knew that as this selection was known to the faculty before the start of the term.

“Have you come to rub it in?” she asked.

“No. I came to see what’s going on.”

“You know what is going on.”

“No, I don’t.”

She put some books into a box with her back to me.

“You know, I don’t get it.”

She whirled around.

“Why me?”

“Why not you?”

She grabbed a book and threw it across the room. I stepped out of its way as it hit the wall.

“Do not do that. Do not play dumb now. Not after everything that’s going on. I’m not stupid. I’ve been at this school for three f*****g years and we never spoke a single word to one another. I always thought the selection process was a joke. Some sick rumors. I never saw it happen. Then lo and behold senior year, it happens. The four Saintly Devils of All Saints Academy make their choice, and it’s me. A girl they don’t f*****g know! A girl who is nothing like them. Tell me what the hell is wrong with that picture.”

I had nothing to say.

“This is supposed to be high school, Lucian. The wealthy version of a damn boarding school, but I went there, and they don’t have parents who threaten other people’s lives if you don’t conform.”

“You were threatened?”

“Heather was. If I don’t fall in line and become your damn slave, she’s gone. All her choices are wiped out. She doesn’t deserve that.”

She walked right past me, grabbing the book from the floor.

“I know there’s something more to this whole thing. I will find out.”

“You’re imagining things.”

Aria stared at me as if I was a disappointment. I probably was. The lies were mounting up. I couldn’t tell her this wasn’t our choice. We were told who to pick. What we had to do. How we had to do it.

The truth was we only knew so much. This was how the game was played. There were so many different players, but the moment we achieved what they wanted, we would win and our lives would be better for it.

“You’re lying to me.”

She walked toward me. The limp seems a little more pronounced.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. It seems I have a history of being lied to. I will warn you, Lucian, I will play this game my way. You want me, you’re all going to get me, but there will be consequences for this. You’re not going to like it.”

She didn’t touch me, but close like this, I wanted to grab her, to haul her against me, to f*****g take her. Her gaze had lost that sparkle, but I saw the fire.

In the cafeteria, it had been dull, but now, I saw the burning embers shooting up once more.

Aria had been cracked, not broken. She was strong.

“I’m not your enemy.”

“You’re not on my side, and anyone who tries to make me do something I don’t want to do, they’re my enemy.”

I went to touch her arm, but she pulled away.

“You better keep your secrets locked up tight. I will find them, and then I will bring the Saintly Devils and this whole academy crumbling to the ground.”

“Do you think you can win against us?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but do you think you’ll even survive losing?”

She put her hands on her hips.

“I’m not who you think I am. I don’t play nice.”

I laughed.

“Oh, baby, bring it on. We’re going to have a lot of fun with you.”