Kings of Linwood Academy - The Complete Box Set: A Dark High School Romance Series by Callie Rose (sight word books .TXT) 📕

his hand over my bruised skin did hurt, but I need him to touch me more than I need to avoid that pain.

Stepping forward, I wrap my arms around him, and that seems to be the only encouragement he needs. His arms band around my waist, hugging me tightly to him. I can feel his heart pounding hard against my chest, and I’m amazed he had the restraint not to bust into the ER and demand answers right then and there.

A gentle hand strokes my hair, and when I turn toward the touch, River’s gray gaze meets mine. His eyes are beautiful and full of emotion, just like I pictured them in the car.

He palms the back of my head and kisses me, making no effort to pull me from Linc’s embrace as he does. Lincoln loosens his grip a little to let me face River more fully, and for a moment, I let myself get lost in the two of them.

It’s like a drug, being with them like this, and I know I’m self-medicating right now, trying to block out all the bad things in my life by indulging in the things that feel so damn good. But I need it. I need River’s lips on mine and Linc’s hands on my hips, skating down over the swell of my ass.

When River finally breaks away from my lips, he rests his forehead against mine, and the three of us stand huddled together like that, softly breathing the same air for a moment.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come for you, Low,” River murmurs, and the pain and self-recrimination in his voice make me disentangle from Linc enough to reach for him.

“You did come for me.” I lean forward to press another kiss to his lips before pulling back again so he can read mine as I speak. “You’re here now.”

Dax and Chase stand close by, their expressions unusually serious, and when the two other boys step away from me slightly, the twins lead us all into a huge living room.

Chase disappears for a second and comes back with Advil and a glass of water for me. I gulp the pills down gratefully, and as soon as the glass leaves my lips, Lincoln’s gaze catches mine.

“Harlow. Tell us what the hell is going on.”

So I do.

All of it.

4

It gets easier to process the truth every time I tell the story, like the repetition is grinding it into my brain, forcing it past the wall of shocked disbelief.

I watch River and Lincoln’s faces follow the now-familiar path from confusion to disbelief to anger.

There’s fear in their expressions too. Not for themselves, but for me. An echo of the fear I felt when I realized I was alone in a house with a cold-blooded killer.

When I finish speaking, Linc surges off the couch and begins to pace around the room. He’s never been one to keep his emotions under wraps unless he has to, and right now, agitation is pouring off of him in waves.

River moves closer to me, his hand finding my knee and offering silent comfort as his gaze bounces from Linc to me to the twins, watching for the movement of our lips.

Lincoln stops abruptly mid-stride and turns to me, his eyes blazing like embers in a fire.

“You’re sure he doesn’t know?”

I shrug. “I’m not sure of anything right now, Linc. I told him I was just stressed because of my mom, and he seemed to buy that. But I don’t know. I’m good at spotting tells, but he’s got a crazy good poker face.”

He curses under his breath, scrubbing a hand through his dark, almost black hair. “Fuck. We can’t risk it.”

Then he turns toward River, making sure his friend is looking at him before speaking. Of course River is, because he’s amazingly good at following conversations even though he can’t hear most of what’s being said. Good enough that I didn’t figure out he was hearing impaired for several months, and most people at our school still don’t know.

“We need to get Harlow’s stuff from your place,” Linc says firmly. “Tonight.”

“What?” I blink, my gaze swiveling between the two of them. “Why? Where am I going?”

“Far away from here,” he growls.

“No.”

His gaze snaps to me, and I see something in his expression similar to what I saw the night Iris died. Lincoln is one of the most commanding guys I know, and he’s almost always in control. But he wasn’t that night, and he isn’t right now either.

“Yes, Harlow.” He moves toward me, his strides long and determined. “For all we know, Judge Hollowell knows everything. I’m not letting you stay here with a giant fucking target painted on your back. I’ll ship you off to another damn country if I have to.”

It sounds like he’s exaggerating, but one look into his eyes tells me he’s not.

But I shake my head again. “No.”

“Dammit—”

“No. I can’t go anywhere, Linc. I’m not leaving my mom behind. If I go, she stays in prison. Her trial comes and goes and Judge Hollowell pulls whatever strings he has to do make sure she gets convicted. I’m the only chance she has.”

He stops several feet away from the couch where I’m sitting next to River. The twins are in two chairs nearby, and all three boys watch the silent standoff between me and Linc.

“I get why you want me out of here,” I say softly, lowering my voice. “I wish it was that simple. But I can’t leave Mom. I can’t leave you guys.”

A dozen different emotions flash across his face, but it’s the last one that catches my attention most strongly. It’s something I can’t quite pinpoint, but it blazes strong and hot in his expression. It’s like possessiveness and pride all mixed into one.

I’ve never been one to slink off into the shadows or hide from a fight, and Linc likes that about me. He may hate it right now, but he can’t change who I am.

He chews on his lower