Chapter 5

Lyra

Ugh! Finally.

I cheered inwardly when the bell for the end of the lecture we were listening to rang.

"You could have just skipped class, you know."

I rolled my eyes at my friend, Bethany, who stood up with me as the lecturer hollered, "Make sure you submit your assignments tomorrow and meet with your project partners for the assignment."

"And risk having my attendance suffer for that."

She shrugged and packed her bags too. "At least I wouldn't have had to watch your sullen face throughout the lecture."

"It's only because I don't like history, and you know that."

We walked out of the theater amongst other students making their way to their next class, and she nudged my shoulders when we were completely out of the lecture room.

"What?"

She nodded in the direction of a human being that I could care less about now, standing in a corner with a girl smooching his lips, and I rolled my eyes all over again.

"Jackson over there is doing all he can to win you back."

I shrugged, "It was a one-time thing. I don't know why he thinks I would get jealous if he paraded some girls in front of me or kissed them like he's doing now."

She followed me in the opposite direction of where he was, going through her schedule, and I took out my phone and said, "Great, my Uber is here."

"Wait, what? We have commerce 101."

"Which I can catch up on later. I need to get these dresses I ordered in from Italy, custom made. I have to be at home to collect it."

"You could have just driven yourself if you got a license, you idiot."

"Yeah, I prefer being a passenger princess, though."

I smiled and said my bye, and I headed out of the campus to the sidewalk, where I saw the Uber waiting.

"Hi," I said to the driver as I got in, getting distracted by my phone, which rang in that moment, and that's why I didn't see the guy that was in the backseat or the handkerchief that was in his hand.

Next I knew, I was fighting off a strong arm and losing my consciousness, then it was all blackness.

****

"Where am I? Where am I?" I screamed after a minute of waking up and realizing that I had just been kidnapped and was in a moving car.

The man that was beside me in the backseat wasn't ready for my claws as I struck out at him, and he groaned when my knees connected with his balls.

"Where are you going?"

He held the back of my shirt as I tried to open the car door despite the fact that it was moving, and he pulled me back.

"Away from you. What do you think? Arghhh!" I screamed again as I bit his hand, making him yell in pain, and I ran out of the car just as it suddenly came to a stop in front of a mansion.

It was definitely not my father's house from the look of it, and it was a huge compound, leaving me disoriented, but that didn't stop me from running away.

Until I collided with a broad chest, that is.

I glanced up at the person I had collided with, ready to kick and bite until I saw his face.

"You..."

I bit his hand when he suddenly tried to touch me or hold me; I wouldn't know since I hurried away and screamed, and I squealed—both excited and afraid—my heart racing in my chest when he scooped me up over his shoulders.

"What the f*ck?! What am I doing here? You freak!"

He didn't say anything as he carried me into the house, my hands scratching his back, and I yelled in pain when my butt connected with the not so soft cushion of the couch in the living room.

"Calm the f*ck down!"

He ran a hand through his hair, wincing at the place where I had bit him, and he handed me a phone.

"What?"

"Your dad"

I immediately collected the phone, desperate for some answers.

Now that I wasn't fighting off men and trying to get away, I could notice in my father's voice that something was wrong, even though he was trying not to show it.

"Dad?"

"Honey, I'm sorry that I sent you over to him without any warning, but it is important that you stay with Adrian in the meantime for your safety, okay?

I don't think he would have suggested that I stay with his best friend, though, if he knew what me and his best friend had done about a year ago.

I couldn't believe it was a year already and that the memories had stuck with me throughout.

The restraints, the p*ssy eating...

I forced myself to tune back in to what my dad was saying and pushed the thoughts back into the corner of my head, "What is going on, dad?"

"I can't really explain it to you now, but I want you to trust me, okay?"

I nodded even though he couldn't see me pouting, "Fine, just make it quick, okay?"

I wasn't sure I could control my pants or legs around this man, and I really didn't want to let go of the little morals that were still embedded in me.

He collected the phone from me to speak to my dad for a while, and he turned to me when he was done, "Well, I'll be taking my leave now, but before then, there are a set of rules you're to follow if you'll be staying under my roof."

I scoffed, "Like this is the eighties."

He scoffed too and raised my chin painfully before I could understand what was going on. "I'm not joking here. You're to make sure your location is known at all times and stay away from trouble."

He stared at me as if I knew what he was saying, and I did know.

I was the definition of trouble, and he saw me for that.

I didn't give in to his intimidation though and stared him down, daring him to look away from me or deny the sexual tension that was building between us even at that moment, but he was releasing my chin and walking out of the door before any of that could escalate.

F*ck, this was going to be hard.