The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

Harper appeared seconds later, a bucket and brush in her hands. He watched as she put her hand into the bucket and started scraping at the words printed there.

“I want to know who did this,” Draven said, looking straight at Mr. Arnold. “Just as I’m sure you want to know who would do this to school property.”

“Of course.”

“Good. You better run to it then,” he said.

Harper was attacking her locker, her arm moving back and forth with such speed.

Draven went to her, and, grabbing her arm, he took the brush from her hands.

“I need to clean this up,” she said.

He dropped the brush into the water, cupped her face, and in front of everyone, claimed her lips for his own.

Right there, in front of people in school, he claimed her. Anyone who messed with her would have to deal with all four of them. He’d never made a claim like this in front of anyone else before.

With his father’s warning in his mind, he ignored it and kept on kissing her. She tasted like coffee and peanut butter. The taste was so mind-blowing to him.

He relished her moan and sank his fingers into her hair, keeping her in place.

Once he was finished, he kissed the tip of her nose, grabbed the brush, and got to work fixing her locker.

“I can do that,” Harper said.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be the one to fix it.”

She didn’t go to class. When the bell rang to start classes, he, Axel, Buck, Jett, and Harper were waiting. He’d cleaned her locker of all the words.

“Is it true?” she asked. “The rumors.”

“I’m going to want something in return,” he said. “You’re ready for that?”

“Yes. I need to know.”

“Yes. The rumors are true. With you, it will be different.”

“How?”

“A second question.”

She hesitated and shook her head. “No. I don’t need to know the how.”

He walked her to class, kissing her one final time before watching her go. Staring into the room, he looked at everyone, including the teacher.

“What do you want to do?” Axel asked, the instant the door was closed.

“I think it’s only fair that we go and check that security footage,” he said.

“Whoever it is must be shitting themselves,” Buck said. “We could just follow the trail.”

Draven shook his head, and went straight toward the room he needed. He’d find out who did it, and then there would be consequences.

Chapter Nine

Harper didn’t see the guys all day long. Draven sent her a text to say they had a job to do and would be by later to pick her up from school. It was the first day she’d been alone. The feeling was kind of surreal. What was interesting, everyone gave her a wide berth. No more nasty words on her locker, which she was thankful for. She hated being called names.

She grabbed her food out of the cafeteria but didn’t linger as Draven’s table was empty. She never felt comfortable eating there and wasn’t about to start now.

By the end of the day, there were no signs of any of them, and she sat on the bench near the parking lot, waiting.

Checking the time, she saw she’d been waiting for an hour and even the teachers were starting to leave.

She wasn’t about to wait around for them to arrive. Walking wasn’t that hard to do.

Harper: I’m bored. I’m going to walk. Feeling a little uncomfortable. See you soon.

She sent the message without including any kind of intimate emoji or words. Was it wrong to send a love heart? A kiss? Shaking her head, she hitched her bag high up on her shoulder, and started the walk back home.

It wasn’t too bad. She usually liked walking. Her mother used to meet her at school, and they’d stop off at the grocery store on the way home.

I miss you.

Pushing thoughts of her mother out of her head, she focused on walking. That’s all she could do right now. Keep on walking, ignoring the hurt she felt every time she thought of her.

She crossed the street and began walking past the woods. The quiet didn’t help her right now. The words on the locker kept ringing in her head.

The way people looked at her, including the teachers, with a hint of fear as if she was going to attack them.

Draven had admitted the rumors were true.

A gangbang. All four of them.

What did that mean? Did she have to sleep with all four of them? Was it something that was required to be part of them?

She already owed Draven payment, but could she handle more of what he threw at her?

Why was she even debating this? She enjoyed being with them. Being alone today had only enhanced how lonely she felt being alone.

They had her back. Draven had taken the brush from her and cleaned the words off her locker. He was there, at her back, as were Buck, Axel, and Jett. They helped her.