Merciless Saints (St. Monarch's Academy 1)

“Enjoy life while you have the protection of these walls,” she hisses at him. Winter’s eyes stay locked on his as if she’s daring him to make a move right here. But he won’t. Vince is not a fighter.

Again Vince is the first to look away. He steps back then moves around Winter, bumping his shoulder against hers as he heads for the stairs.

I watch as she takes a deep breath, and ignoring me, she follows after Vince toward the banquet hall.

The first thing Demitri taught me was to never let anyone in, to never indulge in relationships. My loyalty belongs to the person I’ll guard – Carson.

Up until now, it hasn’t been a problem. But as I watch Winter glide over the polished floor, the desire returns. Shaking my head and shoving the attraction I feel toward Winter aside, I take the stairs down to the lower floor.

Carson is all that matters, and if he gets the contract to kill the Hemsley’s, I’ll have to let it happen.

Chapter 5

WINTER

I focus on my breaths as rage and hatred create a storm in my chest. My heart slams against my ribs, making me feel confined in the dress instead of beautiful.

Stepping into the banquet hall, I feel naked without my firearms and combat clothes.

My eyes follow Vince Blanco, my hands itching to strangle the life from him. To him and his family, my beloved mother was nothing but an animal they hunted for sport. It was a senseless killing. The threat didn’t make my father hand over the blood diamond business to them.

My mother was kind and caring. She was loved dearly by all our employees. She was angelic, and now she’s immortalized in our hearts.

With Cillian’s help, I will see Vince Blanco die. I’ll see the life drain from his eyes and his blood spill over the ground, just like my mother’s.

“If you keep staring, he’ll know he managed to get to you,” Damien suddenly murmurs next to me. “Never show your enemy they’ve managed to rattle your cage.”

My head snaps up, my gaze colliding with Damien’s deadly brown eyes. Again I feel the punch to my stomach from how attractive he is. It’s bewildering, to say the least. His dark brown hair looks thick and silky, and the slight stubble on his jaw accentuates his manliness. The tuxedo he’s wearing makes him look like a perfect male specimen – nothing short of a god.

If only he wasn’t deadly.

“Giving advice to the enemy? Not clever of you,” I mutter as I let my gaze sweep over the other attendees. Everyone is scattered, watchful of their enemies.

The Bratva comes in, followed by the Cartels, and it makes my eyebrows lift. Gabriella Terrero. Princess of Terror. Like me, she has a nickname seeing as her mother is the Queen of Terror. Only her nickname comes from peddling flesh instead of smuggling blood diamonds.

Another woman comes in, and not recognizing her, I ask Damien, “Who is she?”

“MJ Fang. She’s a custodian in training,” he informs me with a low rumbling voice.

So I won’t be the only woman. Things just got interesting.

My lips curve up at the thought.

“Do you know MJ?” Damien asks, pulling my attention back to him.

“Not personally,” I murmur.

He lets out a chuckle, the corner of his mouth curving into a sexy grin that causes a fluttering in my stomach. “Do any of us really know each other?”

“I guess not,” I murmur, my gaze drinking in his handsome features.

There’s nothing wrong with looking.

Damien gestures to a table. “The custodians will all be seated there.” He walks away from me, and I take a moment to admire him from behind.

Up until now, the only guy I’ve been with was one of the guards, Petro. It was nothing but meaningless sex. I haven’t dated like other girls my age, and I never will. I’ll probably marry whoever my father tells me to marry to secure an alliance.

It doesn’t stop me from admiring an attractive male specimen when I see one, and Damien is definitely attractive… and lethal. Such an intoxicating mixture.

Madame Keller comes into the room, followed by her two personal custodians. For a seventy-three-year-old woman, she looks nothing older than fifty. Her grey hair is swept up in a bun, and her makeup’s applied with an expert hand. I can’t help but admire how successful she’s been in creating St. Monarch’s Academy.

My eyes move to the custodian’s table, and seeing Hugo Lamas seated at it makes my stomach tighten.

God, the competition is brutal.

I walk toward the table where there are three seats open. Not wanting to back down from a threat, I take the chair between Damien and Hugo.

Hugo slowly turns his face to me, and for a split second, our eyes meet before he glances back to Madame Keller. He’s indifferent about my being here, and I’m taking it as a good sign. He still has to learn the valuable lesson to never underestimate the competition. Right now, it gives me an advantage over him.