Savage Royals (Boys of Oak Park Prep 1)

I held up a hand in front of my face, not liking to be the object of such close scrutiny. “Jesus, stop staring. They’re just some scrapes and bruises. I’m fine.”

“What the fuck happened?”

Mason’s voice was calm and cool now, his eyes dangerously calm.

“I… I was heading back to the dorm after Chemistry. After class let out, I got a call from my grandma. We were arguing about something, so I got a little distracted, I guess. I wasn’t really paying attention, and about a minute after I hung up, Adena and four other girls came at me.”

“Came at you? What did they do?”

He hadn’t touched me like Elijah had—in fact, all three of these Princes were just standing over me, arms crossed like some kind of private security force. I knew it was probably because they were worried, but I sort of preferred Elijah’s bedside manner, honestly.

“Adena hit me with her book. Twice. Then they kicked and punched me.”

The words felt like sandpaper coming out, and I dropped my gaze to the couch.

I’d mentioned during our truth or dare game that I hadn’t liked my dad much, but I’d carefully avoided going into more detail, and describing Adena’s attack on me made me feel weak and vulnerable. Like I’d failed, somehow. Like I was still the scared little girl cowering in the corner of the kitchen.

I wanted to pretend I’d left my old life behind in Sand Valley, but the truth was, parts of it still clung to me like fucking toilet paper on a shoe, trailing after me and reminding me constantly of the mistakes I’d made. Of the person I’d been in Idaho.

“Fucking hell. With her book? No wonder you look like you got stuck in a ring with a pro boxer. That fucking cunt.” Finn shook his head, brown eyes narrowing.

Mason’s lips pressed together. “I told her to cut that shit out. I told her. What the hell does she think she’s playing at?”

“I’ll report her,” I said, sitting up straighter. “I don’t care if she’s Oak Park royalty too, she can’t just get away with this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Legs.” Cole shook his head, his gaze cool. “We’ll take care of it.”

“No!” I moved to stand, but Finn put a hand on me, stopping me. So I shook my head vehemently from where I sat. “No. Don’t. I’ll handle it; I’ll go through the proper channels. I’ll tell the dean, even if he won’t do shit. Just don’t… do what you do.”

I didn’t want them to try to bring her down for me. For one thing, I could fight my own battles, and I needed to remember that. To remind myself of that. For another, if they went after her with their own brand of vigilante justice, I had a strong feeling she wouldn’t back down. The war would just escalate on both sides, and now that I knew what she was capable of, I didn’t want to send us down that path.

Not unless it became a last resort.

Mason stared at me for several long, silent moments. His elegant brows were drawn together, and his nostrils flared as he breathed. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded.

“Fine. Tell the dean.”

I nodded with relief.

It was better this way. I’d handle her myself and leave the Princes out of it.

Although… if I was honest with myself, part of me wanted to sic them on her, to let them loose like bloodhounds on the hunt, and I wondered when I’d gotten so vicious.

Was it from hanging out with these four all semester?

Or had it always been in me somewhere?

Chapter 25

The admins of Oak Park were fucking useless.

At least they were in regards to controlling their student population, which I figured had to account for at least eighty percent of their job description.

But with a student body as rich, powerful, and spoiled as these were, it was hardly a surprise that the administrators, despite technically wielding authority over all of us, were hesitant to ever use it.

I reported the attack to Dean Levy, and he sat with his hands steepled under his chin, nodding his head with a concerned expression while I told him what’d happened. He asked questions about the details—where I was, who all was there, who started it—and listened intently to my answers.

But as soon as I left his office, it was like he developed a massive case of amnesia. As if everything I’d told him had slid in one ear and out the other, reframed in his mind to something that could easily be swept back under the rug.