The Seven Devils (YA "New Adult" Romance) (7 page)

I found that I could no longer hold back all of the negative images of my father I had been trying to block out, and I began to cry. “Hey hey hey…” Neil began. “What is it?” He held me against his chest.

“My dad,” I said. “We moved here because he’s violent.” I began sobbing and Neil rocked me back and forth and stroked my back. “He held me under the water… he choked me. My mom managed to stop him.”

Neil held me tighter and was silent for some time. His face was in my hair and I could feel him taking several long, deep breaths. “He can’t hurt you anymore. Whatever happens, I’ll be here for you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you here,” I replied. “You’re the only one I can talk to. You’re the only one who cares about me.”

“I feel the same way about you,” he said and kissed me. “But your mother does care about you. I’m sure she’s worried about you. It’s getting dark and she doesn’t know where you are. You should probably head up to the house.”

I nodded sadly and asked, “What about you and your mom? Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s not the first time my mother and I have screamed at each other. I’ll just stay out here for a bit to cool down and then head back.”

As I stood to leave I had the strongest urge to say ‘I love you’, but held it back, knowing it was far too soon.

Neil smiled and said, “See you in the morning, Beautiful. I’ll be here bright and early to pick you up.”

Chapter 7

My mother stood from her seat and began screaming at me the second I took one step inside the house. Apparently Austin had told her about my fainting in the cafeteria and she was pissed at me for not coming directly home after school.

“It’s nearly 6:30 Ellen! Do you have any idea how worried I have been? Who gave you permission to go out after school? Especially with you fainting! Don’t you have any sense?” she yelled.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” I said sarcastically.

Her face turned a deeper shade of red and her hands clenched the back of the kitchen chair she was standing behind. “Austin told me you were alright,” she said coldly. “We need to talk about your attitude, girl, but right now I want you upstairs. You have a guest waiting for you in your room.”

“A guest? Who?” I asked. I was completely mystified. My mother didn’t answer me, and simply pointed in the direction of the stairs. I sighed and did as I was told.

I was surprised to see my door closed when I reached the top of the stairs. Pushing it open, I saw Derrick lying on my bed.

Shirtless.

I was so shocked that I couldn’t help but stare. He was incredibly tan and muscular, and he had a barbed wire tattoo around his right bicep. What really surprised me though were his pierced nipples. He didn’t seem like the type to get pierced there, though I didn’t know who exactly was “the type.”

He was clearly enjoying the attention and pulled on his nipple rings gently and smiled at me.

“God you look sexy with your hair all wild like that,” he said to me.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. Finally I dropped my backpack to the floor and turned to leave. “Wait,” Derrick said softly, getting to his feet. “I think we got off on the wrong foot.”

I don’t know why I did it, but I stopped. Derrick met me in the doorway and said, “Come inside and talk to me. I’ve been waiting for you for almost an hour.”

I couldn’t help but follow him back into my room. I hate to be rude. Derrick sat on my bed again, so I moved to sit at my desk. He grasped my wrist as I passed by. “I don’t bite,” he said with a smile. I gave a shaky laugh and sat down beside him on the bed.

“I was worried about you today in the cafeteria,” Derrick began. “Are you feeling okay now?”

I nodded, trying to avoid looking down at his chest and failing miserably. He didn’t have any chest hair, but there was a tiny patch of hair that started under his belly button and traveled down to his—good Lord! Why was I staring at his crotch?

“It looked as if you were running away from me,” he said, guiding my chin up so he could look me in the eyes.

“I don’t really remember what happened,” I replied truthfully.

“You wouldn’t lie to me?” Derrick asked.

“Of course not,” I said, slightly annoyed.

Derrick shook his head and ran his fingers back through his hair. “You should really think about what you’re doing,” he said. “You’re the hottest girl in school and you’re throwing it all away on the biggest freak in Ohio. If you and I hooked up, you wouldn’t believe how things could change for you. I hear you told off Erin this afternoon. That fatty may not look like much, but she has the biggest mouth in school and isn’t the kind of person you should make your enemy. She’s already spreading some terrible shit about you and it’s going to hit you like a ton of bricks tomorrow. That would all come to a stop if you showed up at school with me,” he finished, putting his hand on my thigh.

I frowned and replied, “First of all, I’m definitely not the prettiest girl in school. And I couldn’t care less about what people say about me. I am going to do what I think is right,” I said, standing, “and that is dating Neil. He has shown me nothing but kindness while you have laughed at me and threatened me. And… please leave,” I ordered, pointing towards the door as my mother had only moments earlier.

Derrick’s eyes grew cold and hard, and as he stood up I backed away, bumping into my desk chair. My sudden confidence was shattered in a matter of seconds. Derrick looked away for a moment and took a deep breath.

“Look,” he began. “You shot me down in the lunch line. I asked you out and you just turned away from me without a word. My friends were laughing like that because they think I’m some sort of ladies man and always get the girl. You embarrassed the fuck out of me with them. And about last night, you know I was drunk. I like you… and you turn me on like crazy. I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m sure the freak has told you a million lies to turn you against me. All I’m saying is don’t believe everything he says. I know you’ve been hearing a lot of stuff about him. Do you really want to be with someone with that kind of reputation? You and I should be together, not you and him. After all, your brother and I are friends now and your mom loves me. Do you think she’d let you up here alone with Neil?” He waited for an answer, but I just stared at my carpet.

Derrick pulled me into a hug and I stiffened. He whispered in my ear, “Austin told me about your dad and how you seem to be scared of all men now. If I had been there I would have beaten him half to death for what he did to you. I want you to know I’m not one of those guys you need to fear. It’s Neil you can’t trust. If he or anyone else lays a finger on you, I’ll kill them.” He then kissed my cheek and left. I stood there for a long moment and thought about what he said.

Later that night as I went to sleep I noticed my pillow smelled like Derrick’s cologne. I held it to my nose and smiled as I drifted off to sleep.

***

“He was actually… nice,” I explained to Neil the next morning on the walk to school. He was not taking it very well.

“Nice?? He was in your room, Ellen. Without your knowledge,” Neil said. “God only knows what he was doing in there before you came in.” He looked off into the distance and ran his fingers through his hair. “Tell me again everything that happened.”

“Well, it’s just like I told you. Mom yelled at me for not coming straight home from school and told me someone was waiting for me in my room. I went up there, opened the door, and Derrick was there lying on my bed. I turned to go and—”

“Wait,” Neil said. “Why did you turn to go immediately?

“He was… well, he wasn’t wearing a shirt,” I replied. “And he had these nipple rings… and he pulled on them and smiled at me. It made me, you know, uncomfortable.” I blushed.

“That son of a bitch,” Neil said, his jaw clenching.

I took his hand. “It’s alright. I wasn’t all that upset. It’s just… I haven’t even seen you with your shirt off yet,” I said, giving his hand a little squeeze.

He looked down at me and smiled. “Are you trying to distract me?” he asked. I giggled and shook my head.

“Like I said, I turned to go, but he said he had been waiting for an hour to talk to me, and I felt really bad about it… so I came back in. He told me the same old stuff about how you’re no good and then he told me I should be dating him instead. That was about it,” I said.

“So where does this ‘he was being nice’ business fit in?” Neil asked.

“Oh,” I said, looking down. “I don’t know. It’s just that he seemed sincere for the first time. He said he knew about my dad and he hugged me and said I could trust him.”

Neil sighed. “Can’t you see what he’s doing Ellen? He’s just trying to give you what he thinks you want so that you’ll leave me and go to him. As soon as you do, he’ll change back to his old self.”

“What is his old self? You have to remember that I don’t know him the way you do,” I said.

“He uses women. He’s gone through more girls than I can even remember. You’re a challenge to him and he’ll do anything to win you over,” Neil replied.

I nodded. “I’m sorry. I know I’m probably just being stupid. I don’t know why I fell for what he was saying.”

“You don’t have to feel bad about it, Ellen. He’s good at what he does. Just be careful around him. And keep your door locked,” he replied.

“Oh, I just remembered what else he said. Supposedly Erin was angry at the way I reacted yesterday and has been spreading something around the school about us. Derrick said it would hit me like a ton of bricks or something like that,” I said. “I wonder what he meant.”

Neil frowned slightly and held my hand as we walked into the school.

Chapter 8

It really wasn’t too bad. People stared and whispered, but that was nothing new. Neil walked me to my locker and insisted that I stand back as he opened it. The smell hit me as soon as he opened the door. Inside, getting blood all over my science notebook, was a huge slab of rotting meat. I turned my back and took several steps away, barely aware of the laughter erupting around me.

Neil put his arm around my waist. “Go ahead to your first class, El. I’ll take care of this,” he said. I looked back to my locker to see if it would be any way possible to get my Spanish book out and noticed the sign for the first time. NEIL’S LATEST KILL. I wasn’t even sure I knew what that was supposed to mean. I nodded to Neil and said, “Thank you.”

The boys in school seemed to have the idea in their heads that I was “looking for love,” to put it nicely. I spent the morning being hounded by catcalls and rude gestures, getting furious only when a few of the boys started to smack my butt as I walked down the halls. A boy named Jake in my Algebra class went so far as to slam $5 down on my desk and then he began to unzip his pants before the teacher noticed and sent him down the principal’s office. It was aggravating and embarrassing, but I was handling it.

Neil was waiting for me at my locker before lunch. He caused a flurry of whispers and gasps when he stroked my cheek and kissed me softly on the lips. “How is it going?” he asked.

“I’m doing fine,” I said, smiling. “Some boys are being stupid, but it’s no big deal.”

Neil nodded and smiled. “That’s good to hear. I found these signs in the men’s bathrooms.” He opened his bag and there were a stack of flyers inside, each calling me a slut using various terms and listed my prices. $5 for a BJ, $10 for “all the way.”

I shook my head in disbelief.

“I think I got them all,” Neil said, shutting his bag again. I turned to walk to the cafeteria, but Neil touched my hand and I stopped and turned back to him. He hugged me close and kissed my forehead. “I’m really proud of you, you know,” he said.

“Why?” I said, smiling up at him.

“They’ll get bored and give up when they see they’re not getting to you,” he replied.

I grinned and said, “I hope so. My butt will never recover if this never ends!”

***

I was walking towards band at the end of the day when suddenly someone walking behind me grabbed me and forced me into the men’s restroom. I tried to scream but a hand clamped over my mouth. The lights were out and I couldn’t see much of anything. I could tell there were at least two or more guys in the room. I tried to break free, but they twisted my arms behind me and I could barely move.

I felt hands all over me, grabbing my breasts and rubbing between my legs. Someone grabbed one of my hands and pushed it against his crotch so I could feel him straining against his pants. I was sobbing and could barely breathe with the hand covering my mouth and blocking part of my nose.

“With her shaking knees and big eyes,” one of them said, laughing. “She’s just like Bambi.” The others laughed and someone licked my cheek.

The door of the bathroom opened and the guys went silent. I tried to make any sort of noise, hoping it wasn’t someone who was simply there to join in. The light flashed on and I saw it was Derrick. My heart leapt inside my chest.

“What in the fuck are you doing?” he yelled at the three guys holding me. He was seething with anger and they each backed away from me. “Get. Out,” he said through clenched teeth.” The guys ran out quickly, nearly knocking each other over in their haste.

Derrick walked up to me slowly. “Ellen? Are you okay?” I burst into tears and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned against him and was so grateful that he was there that I couldn’t even speak.

A moment later the bathroom door burst open again and Neil charged in, making Derrick and I jump. Neil threw Derrick against the wall, held him by the throat, and roared, “What did you do to her?”

I was so shocked that my mouth opened and closed several times before I finally forced out,

“Neil, he didn’t do anything. These guys forced me in here. Derrick stopped them.”

Neil didn’t seem to hear me and squeezed Derrick’s neck tighter. Derrick’s face was blood red and I was terrified for him. “Neil!” I cried grabbing his arm. “Don’t hurt him!”

Neil grimaced and looked away.

“Please!” I cried.

Neil finally released his grip on Derrick.

“Are you alright?” I asked Derrick, rubbing his shoulder. Derrick nodded and touched his neck gingerly. Neil turned his back to us and walked across the room, his hands clutching his head as if he had a terrible headache.

“I don’t want to leave you alone with him,” Derrick whispered in my ear. “You can see he’s dangerous and can’t be trusted.”

I shook my head and said, “I’ll be fine. You should go. I don’t want any more fighting.”

Derrick looked over my shoulder to see if Neil was looking and then leaned in closer to me. “If you need me, I’ll be there for you.” He kissed me softly on the cheek and walked out, leaving me alone with Neil.

As soon as Derrick left, Neil turned to me. His face held a mixture of pain and anger. I walked to him and grasped his hand. “He didn’t hurt me, Neil. He saved me.”

Neil shook his head and seemed as though he were deliberately holding something back. Finally he said, “Who was it? Who was in here with you?”

“I… I don’t know,” I answered. “The lights were out when I was pushed inside. When Derrick turned on the lights I was so relieved that I didn’t even really look at them before they ran out. There were three of them. Mostly blonde or brown hair. I don’t know, Neil. I didn’t recognize their voices.”

“Ellen,” Neil said, hugging me closer to him, “I know you think you know what happened here, but you don’t. Derrick didn’t just happen to come in here and save you. Those were his friends. He told them to do this so that he could come out looking like a hero.”

I was stunned and pulled away from him. “Neil! How could you even think such a thing! I know you don’t like Derrick, but how you could think he could do something so evil… I just can’t believe you.”

Neil turned his back to me for a moment, hung his head, and took a long deep breath. He turned back around and said, “Come on… I’ll drive you home.”

I slowly nodded my head and we walked out of the room together.

***

Neil was silent on the drive home. When we reached my house, I turned to him. “Neil, please don’t be angry with me. I just can’t believe anyone would do such a thing.”

Neil shook his head. “I’m not mad at you El. I’m hurt that you don’t trust me. I know Derrick was behind all of this.”

“But how can you be so sure?” I asked.

Neil looked away. “I… I can’t tell you that. Just please believe me. I know him better than you do. I know exactly what he is capable of.”

“Neil, how can I trust you when you won’t trust me enough to tell me the full truth? How do I know I can trust you when you won’t trust me?”

Neil looked searchingly into my eyes. “You said the day we met that you were new at this dating stuff. I’m new at this… being so close to someone. If there is one thing I’ve learned over and over in my life, it’s that you can’t trust people. It is just going to take me a little time to open up to you. But I want to, Ellen. I want to be open with you.”

I nodded and wound my fingers between his. “I’m not going to hurt you Neil. You can trust me.”

He stroked my cheek and said, “I know, Love. I know. I’m going to try harder.”

***

My wolf was back that night in my dreams.

“You left me,” I said to him softly as I settled down into a soft patch of grass.

He padded over to me and lay down beside me. “I can smell the boy on you again,” his voice sounded in my head.

“Who, Neil?” I asked.

“The other,” he replied. “Have you forgotten so quickly his actions the night before last? When I left you that night it was to protect you. To watch the boy to know he would not come while you slept.”

“He apologized,” I tried to explain. “He proved he is a good man today.”

The wolf growled. “How easily you forgive.”