Dynasty (Boys of Winter 1)

I scoff. “You’re talking about these guys like they’re gods, or something. Like they’re larger than life.”

Her brows raise with a knowing smirk cutting across her face. “That’s because they are,” she explains, her shoulder bumping into mine. I look her way to find a cheesy as fuck grin across her face. “You know, apparently they’re a part of some bullshit secret society.”

I stare blankly. “What?” I say, a laugh bubbling up my chest. “Are you kidding? Who the hell does that?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if it’s true. It’s just some stupid rumor that’s been going around since they were kids. They’ve never confirmed or denied it, so it just kinda kept circling.”

“What kind of secret society?”

She shrugs again. “Beats me, but judging by their sheer level of badassery, I’d dare say it’s something epic.”

I roll my eyes. “Twenty dollars says there is no secret club.”

“Bet,” she says, holding out her hand. “I think there is, and I bet they even have a secret handshake too.”

I laugh as we watch a blonde cut across the quad and throw herself at Carver. “I seriously doubt that guys like that are living by the honor code of a secret handshake,” I say, watching the blonde with a fierce, heated stare.

“Ugh. Watch out for that bitch,” she tells me, pointing out the chick who all but hangs off Carver’s arm. “That’s Sara Benson, and she’ll cut any bitch who gets too close to her man.”

“Her man?”

“Yeah, Carver. They’re not actually together though, and Carver would shut her down if he knew that she was going around claiming that he was hers, but in her eyes, it’s practically a done deal. She wants him. Actually, I’m pretty sure she’ll take any of them. She seems desperate like that, but Carver is the main prize, and a girl like Sara, she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants.”

For some unknown reason, a fierce jealousy tears through me as I watch Sara doting on a less than interested man. My claws instantly come out. Why do I feel the need to tear her away from him? My hand balls into a fist, my brass knuckles tightening around my fingers.

What the hell is wrong with me? I need to chill the fuck out.

I try to shrug it off. I shouldn’t feel threatened by this girl. I don’t even know these guys. They’re just douchebags who blocked my Ducati in and who have issues when it comes to staring—but like I can talk. I’ve been staring at them every chance I get.

What will be, will be. If this Sara chick wants to start shit with me, then that’s on her. I can handle her. I’ve handled girls like her at every school I’ve ever been to. The only difference is that this time, I’m actually interested in the guys she’s trying to keep me from. Though, I don’t know why. I’d definitely like to get under each of them, maybe on top of them too. But I’m certainly not interested in dating them. They all seem like full-on alpha dickheads, the overprotective type that I’m so not down for.

As hard as it may be, I tear my gaze away from them and let Ember pull me down to the concrete. She leans back onto a palm and raises her chin to the sun, soaking up the last few minutes of our break before we have to head back to class. “You know,” she grumbles. “They all fight.”

My brows rise in interest, and I can’t help but slice my gaze back to the four boys only to find Cruz’s curious stare already on me. “What do you mean?” I murmur, hoping the guy can’t lip-read. “Like MMA or something?”

“Nah,” she says. “None of that professional shit. I mean like, down and dirty kind of fighting. They’ve never been in fights at school, but I was out at the club with my friends one night and the four of them were there. We watched them take on this massive group of guys. There must have been ten of them, and they fucked them right up. It was amazing. I had to go home and take care of business that night if you know what I mean.”

Cruz refuses to look away, and not being able to handle the intensity of his stare, I look back at Ember. “I know what you mean,” I laugh, positive that after having these guys in my head for the rest of the day, I’m going to have to do exactly the same thing.

The bell sounds through the Academy, and just like that, my moment of staring at the chiseled gods across the quad comes to an end. But something tells me that I haven’t seen the last of these guys. Not even close.