The Fallen Ones (Holloway University #1)

12. Damien

Chapter 12

Damien

Caleb: I've got everything we need.

Damien: Make sure Jace’s mask is extra large for his overly inflated ego.

Jace: Shut the fuck up. Jealous prick.

Damien: You’re a snake, Adams.

Caleb: I won't give either of you anything if you don't quit bitching.

Jace: Bring the shit to my place. We can get ready over here.

Damien: Mine is closer to Satan’s Hollow.

Jace: Mine is parent free since I actually had the umbilical cord cut when I was a baby. I have my own place now.

Damien: Fuck off. You know it’s only my old man, and he’s never here.

Caleb: Can you two hurry up and decide where we're meeting?

Damien: At my place.

Jace: Whatever.

Caleb: What time?

Damien: Jace?

Jace: Dylan text and said elites arrive after normal guests around 9pm

Damien: Get here by 7:30pm that way we have time to get ready and make sure everything goes smoothly.

Caleb: See you both later.

Jace: Later.

T oday was the big day. All I knew was that Jace best not try to fuck me over like he had yesterday. Caleb either.

The image of Lily in Jace’s arms as the two of them kissed repeatedly played out in my mind. I knew the two of them had dated before, but I'd always made sure to avoid any public displays of affection. I hadn't realized how it would affect me. I felt betrayed by Jace all over again. First his whore of a mother fucked my dick of a dad and ruined my chances of getting closer to Lily. And now he fooled Caleb into letting him help Lily with her art supplies only to kiss her like the sneaky prick he was. I could feel the rage inside me chipping away at my ego. If there was one thing I hated more than anything it was to be made to look a fool.

This wasn't just about the competition between us anymore. It was deeper than that. Whenever I had the opportunity, I found myself watching Lily all over again, just like when she was my little sister. Daydreaming of her. Having visions of her big gray eyes staring up at me, wanting me to protect her from the world. Then I'd have nightmares where she was snatched away again. I missed the times I'd walk past our basement door and stop in my tracks, mesmerized by Lily’s singing. It was as though she was a siren luring me to my death. Because that's what it felt like. I'd fall deeper and deeper into her trap. Sometimes I'd sneak down the stairs, skipping the third squeaky step just to get a little closer. I'd watch as she'd paint beautiful colors on top of one another creating mini utopias. Her voice sent goosebumps trailing across my skin and shivers down my spine. She was so talented. So perfect in everything she did. The way she'd blush when she noticed me behind her, then feign anger and order me to leave her in peace. I felt the tension a dozen times, and I know she did too. But all of that was nothing but a distant memory now. A memory I tried so fucking hard to bury, but I couldn't. I wouldn’t. I needed to have her. To feel her skin on mine. To taste her. To touch her. To own her. To trace my fingers across her pretty jaw, cup her face, kiss her cherry red lips and feel them moan against mine as I lost myself deep inside her tight little pussy.

Lily Parker walked into my life and made me feel depraved. The day she left crushed a part of me I didn't even know existed. The part of me that felt... love.

Although we'd argued often, there were times when we'd laugh together. Lily’s arrival into my life felt like a piece of me had been found. A softness I'd missed all my life. And in my father's selfish desires I lost her. No matter how many women I fucked, I couldn’t find Lily in any of them.

I hated my father for that. I hated the way he'd buy people's silence. Keeping the woman at the center of his affair a secret from the community. Money bought him immunity, but it didn’t do fuck all to stop me and Jace finding out the truth.

I hated Jace’s mom for what she’d done. I could've destroyed Jace the moment I found out he'd started dating Lily, but for her sake I didn't. I didn't tell her the woman my father cheated with was Jace’s mom. I didn't want to break her heart anymore than it already was. Her mom was her world. All I could do was keep her safe from afar. Even if it protected Jace in the meantime.

I'd purposely walk past her art classes on campus, secretly checking how she was doing. She didn't sing anymore. Not like she used to in the basement. She'd stand and paint in silence. Not a pair of earbuds or a radio in sight. Her paintings no longer were colors of the rainbow. Instead, they'd become pitch black paint on pale white canvases. Lily was lost, so when she hooked up with Jace I suppressed my anger and put her heart before my own. I still didn't have it in me to tell her the truth. To force a wedge so deep between her and Jace that she'd never look at him the same way again. But if he continued to try to steal Lily away and keep her for himself, I'd fucking spill. I'd just have to make sure I was her shoulder to cry on and not Caleb.

I stared down at the image of Lily in her little red devil costume. I was pissed Caleb had seen her wear it in person. That he'd seen her like that before any of us. But then I remembered how I'd been with her and her mom when she chose a less slutty red devil costume for our annual Fletcher family Halloween party. We didn't throw them anymore. There wasn't any point with it being just dad and I. I wished he hadn't been such a selfish bastard and fucked around on Lily’s mom. She had enough problems of her own without him screwing her up even more. And I knew Lily blamed me for my dad's mistakes. I wondered if she blamed me for her mom’s death. I mean, I'm a Fletcher. I'm a prick because it's the only way I know how to survive. I was created by a ruthless, selfish man who cared more about his business and getting his dick wet than he did about his own family. What the fuck chance did I have of being anything but the prodigal son?

The apple never fell far from the tree.

My phone buzzed, alerting me someone had pressed the front door camera. I opened the app to see Caleb and Jace waiting to be allowed inside. I contemplated making them wait a few minutes. It amused me how on edge they both seemed. It wasn't like Jace. He was usually a confident guy.

“Open the door, Damien,” Jace’s voice came through the speaker.

I hit open on the app and allowed them both inside.

“Looking good, pretty boy,” I said and ruffled my hands through Jace’s blond hair as he entered the house. I knew he hated it, but it was also something we'd do to one another back in our friendship days.

“Dick,” he replied and combed his fingers through his hair.

“Here's the masks. I brought robes in case you guys wanted to cover up. I wasn't sure exactly what look we were going for, you know, since you were both too busy arguing all the time instead.” Caleb sat skeleton masks on the coffee table.

“You found skeleton masks?” I eyed the masks. The mouth area was exposed, so they’d really be perfect for the night.

“Yeah. Spotted them in a costume shop. Seemed pretty perfect.” Caleb took a seat on the couch.

“I’ve got black body paint,” I answered, continuing to eye the masks. “We can help each other put it on. It’ll cover my tats. I don’t want to wear a shirt.”

“Don’t get off while caressing this perfect body now, Fletcher,” Jace goaded me, silently agreeing to the body paint.

“You wish,” I muttered sourly. “By the way, that was a dick move you pulled yesterday, Adams.” Jace being a sneaky prick and kissing Lily had really pissed me off. I wasn’t the sort of guy who just sat back and didn’t say what I thought. This time would be no exception.

“Fuck off with the jealousy. It's not like I haven't kissed her before,” Jace bit back and grinned, displaying his perfectly straight, white teeth.

“Who said I didn't kiss her before you?” I taunted him. I'd never told him about my encounter with Lily but now seemed as good a time as ever.

“I call bullshit.” Jace furrowed his brows and scrunched his nose. I could tell he was considering the possibility.

“Believe me. Don’t believe me. I couldn’t give a shit. Just know I was her first kiss, pretty boy.”

“She’d have told me, or at least mentioned it to Caleb. Right, Caleb?” Jace said in a tone lacking his usual cocky confidence.

“Can we just get ready?” Caleb replied. “And to answer your question, she’s never mentioned it.”

Jace shot me a glare, letting me know he didn’t believe me. It didn’t matter. I knew it happened and so did Lily. His belief in it or not wouldn’t change anything.

“How was Lily last night?” Jace looked to Caleb for answers. The concern in his voice rose to desperation. "I hope she had a good evening. I mean, I know she enjoyed our kiss. Did she say anything about it?"

“Not much,” Caleb replied.

“Face it, Adams. Lily kissed you because I wasn't there. That's the only reason,” I said.

“Like fuck is it. Lily still harbors feelings for me, you jealous prick.” Jace threw his shirt off revealing perfectly defined abs and football player pecs and tossed it onto the table.

“Paint yourself, dick,” I hit back and tossed a sponge at him.

“I’ll paint Jace, you paint me.” Caleb came up with a solution to avoid any more conflict between Jace and I.

“Fine,” I replied and grabbed a sponge before I dipped it into the tub of black paint and began working on my own arms.

“We’re supposed to be painting each other.” Caleb shook his head.

“We can do our arms ourselves. Then you can paint pretty boy’s back. I’ll do yours. You’ll do mine. Fuck, if I trust Jace not to stab me in the back again.” I threw the sponge at Caleb leaving a splatter of black paint in the center of his chest.

“Whatever, Damien. The sooner tonight is over with the better. I’m so over your shit.” Jace pushed my arm out of the way and dipped his sponge into the paint.

“Watch you don’t ruin this masterpiece.” I taunted.

“You two are going to fuck everything up. You need to get along tonight. Lily isn’t stupid. She’ll sense if something is wrong.” Caleb stood in the space between us both and gave us a knowing look.

“You’re right. Tonight we’re cool, but after tonight, Jace can go right back to hell.” I agreed, but made sure Jace knew he wasn’t forgiven for all the shit that went down between us in the past.

“Brothers?” Caleb asked sticking out his fist.

“Tonight only,” Jace replied, throwing his fist forward into the triangle we’d formed with our bodies.

I offered my fist to meet both of theirs.

“Brothers,” Jace and I said in unison.

We all knew that tonight was our only chance for the longing we’d all held for so long to finally materialize– we knew we had to work together.

We soon got back to painting our bodies and completely blacked them out. I painted our faces in a skeleton design since we’d likely lose our masks if things got really going while fucking our precious girl. It was bound to get hot in there. I’d never tried the Rapture room before, but I couldn’t wait to explore it and devour my sweet devil.

“You know there’s no going back now.” I told the two of them as we finished our work.

“I don’t want to go back,” Jace replied. His eyes glazed with hope of finally fucking Lily. It was depraved and sick, this I knew, yet I stood here waiting for my chance.

“Masks on.” I instructed as I placed my mask over my face leaving only my mouth exposed.

“We’re not going to be able to speak to her. You two do realize that, right?” Caleb chirped up, a worried look on his face as he lowered his mask. “She’ll recognize our voices.”

“Then we don’t speak. We can use hand signals. Keep it basic,” I replied. “Here. You two fucks spray your hair black.”

“Why the fuck do we need to spray our hair?” Jace demanded, staring down at the can of wash out hair spray I handed him.

“Because you’re a blond. She knows your hair,” I answered. “And she knows you too, Caleb.”

“Yeah, and she knows you,” Jace shot back.

“I can’t exactly do much with black hair. Shit doesn’t show up on it.” I rolled my eyes at him. “So just spray your hair so we can be done.”

Jace sighed but didn’t argue. I watched the pair spray their hair until it was black as night like mine.

Going back to what Caleb said about our voices, I knew he was right. Lily would know us by our voices. I wondered if she figured it out if she’d stop us, but I hoped she’d beg for more. Then I remembered what Caleb had told us. Lily wanted to be forced, and I was more than happy to oblige.

“Let’s go. We need to be there before she arrives that way we can keep her safe all night. Make sure none of those horny fucks try to touch my girl.” Jace brushed his fingers through his hair and licked his lips.

“Our girl.” I corrected him.

Jace grumbled something I couldn’t hear, but it didn’t matter. She was more mine than his, he just didn’t know it yet.

“We’ll take a cab since she knows our cars.” Caleb suggested.

“I’m not rolling up in a fucking cab, Watts.” Jace shook his head.

For once I agreed with the pretty boy and paced over to the security box in the lounge, punched in the code and flipped it open. I worked my fingers across the multiple sets of keys until I landed on a new shiny black and beige fob.

“We’ll take my dad’s new Jag. He bought it last week so nobody’s seen it.” I plucked the fob from the box and slammed it shut.

“We’ve got to give our good girl the best night of her life.” I grinned at the thought of seeing Lily in her red devil costume.

I jumped into the driver’s side of the brand new black Jaguar with black tinted windows, Jace in the passenger side and Caleb took root in the backseat.

I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t excited out of my damn mind for this. It had been far too long.

Finally, I’d claim what was rightfully mine.