Page 46 of Conquered (Highgate Preparatory Academ:y Compendium)

He looks up from where he's sitting on the sofa, I think it's the one that we.... At least it’s been neatly folded away, although surely it needs cleaning after last night’s activities?

A shudder runs through me at the thought of some poor cleaner having to deal with that clean up.

It’s then that I look round and realise that the whole place is spotless.

You wouldn’t be able to tell that a party took place last night.

He stands up as I approach, honey brown eyes roving my body, heat entering his gaze.

“You look lovely, Lilly,” he says in that soft melodic voice of his. “We won't be going over any rough terrain so your boots should be fine,” he assures me, handing me a lightweight crimson waterproof jacket that still has tags on it.

“What's this?” I ask, looking at the cherry red jacket in my hands.

“Uh, I saw you didn't have one, so I got it for you,” he says shyly, flushing pink once more and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Really? That's so kind, Kai! Thank you.” I lean over and kiss his cheek, making him go even redder. I pull the tags off and slip the jacket on. It’s a perfect fit and doesn't look too bad either.

“Ready?” he asks, clearing his throat.

“Yep,” I say, popping the P. I smell the sweet lemon scent of Jax before huge arms go round me from behind, and he nuzzles my hair.

“See you later, Baby Girl,” he rumbles in my ear, and I shiver. “Stay safe, and don't go off the path,” he adds, looking up to Kai, who just rolls his eyes as if he's not being stared down by a giant.

“Hey, big guy! Quit hogging our girl!” Loki says, bounding up to me, and literally snatching me out of Jax's arms, making Jax growl.

Hang on, our girl? They really are happy to share me? My thoughts are still whirring as Loki's lips descend on mine, kissing me soundly and leaving me breathless.

“Laters, babe,” he says teasingly, giving me his usual grin and a wink.

“Uh...bye,” I manage to stumble out, looking round and catching Ash's serious grey gaze. Does he ever lighten up? He just nods then turns away, dismissing us. Wankstain.

Kai opens the front door on a beautiful, sunny autumn day.

The trees, now that I can see in the daylight, are a riot of colour.

From a deep amber to a brilliant red, and every autumn colour in between.

The sky is a gorgeous cloudless blue, and the sun is warm, but not too hot.

I take a deep breath of sweet air, marvelling at how I ended up here.

After everything that happened, I never dreamt I would feel happy again.

Or so at peace. But that's what I feel here, with the guys, surrounded by all this beauty.

Kai hands me a foil wrapped package that's still warm. “I made you some breakfast to go,” he tells me, and I open it to find an egg and bacon roll.

“Thanks,” I say, tucking in straight away and moaning my appreciation.

I'm starving! Or Hank Marvin, as Mum used to say, which is cockney rhyming slang for starving. A familiar pang hits me at yet another thing about her that will live in my memory. But it doesn’t overwhelm me as it would have done a few weeks ago.

Kai leads me into the trees, taking a path that is small, but well worn.

“Do you walk here often?” I ask, loving the crunch of leaves under our boots.

“Every chance I get,” he replies. “I love the outdoors. I feel so...free here. Like there is nothing I can't do, and no weight dragging me down.”

His solemnly cryptic answer makes me pause, looking at him. He's so reserved, and I know next to nothing about him. About any of them, really. The thought makes me frown. Given how intimate we've been, I ought to know more about them. And they me.

“I find the same sense of peace here,” I reply, filing away the urge to find out more about him. “I didn't think I would ever feel that way again. But I do here.”

“Is that because of what happened with your mom?” Kai asks me softly. We're side by side, but I come to a halt, feeling suddenly cold, like I've been dunked in ice cold water.

He stops and turns back, a pain so stark in his honey eyes I gasp. It's the same pain as mine, the one I see in the mirror when I can't sleep. When the nightmares and the images of drowning in blood keep me awake.

“My parents died in a car crash when I was young,” he begins, still holding my gaze. “I, like you, went to live with my uncle. I thought I'd never smile again, never laugh or dream. But I had the guys, and soon I was able to do all those things and not feel guilty doing them.”

He reaches for my hand with such understanding in his gaze that I feel a tear slip down my cheek. His hand changes course, fingertips brushing the tear away.

“It'll get easier. Promise,” he says with a sad smile. “And I'm always here if you need to talk,” he adds as his hand captures mine. He gives a gentle squeeze, then we start walking again, hand in hand.

We walk all morning and stop by a beautiful lake for a break at about midday.

Kai takes off his backpack, dropping it by his feet, and proceeds to empty it. He pulls out a picnic blanket and an array of foil or paper wrapped packages. There's even a couple of plastic Tupperware dishes.

“I did a bit of everything,” he says as he begins to unwrap them. There's a whole load of food, from golden fried chicken legs to a selection of deli meats and creamy coleslaw. There's even what looks like yellow cornbread, and the fudgiest brownies I've ever seen.

“Kai, this looks amazing!” I say, my mouth is already salivating just looking at all the delicious food. We sit down and tuck in, me moaning out loud much to Kai’s amusement.

By the time we've finished, I'm absolutely stuffed, and definitely need a little rest before we start to head back. I lie down on my back, groaning.

“That was fucking awesome, Kai,” I say, closing my eyes and feeling the warm sun on my face. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, Lilly,” he says softly. “It's nice to have some company for a change.”

I crack one eye to see him leaning on one elbow, smiling down at me, his brown hair sticking up all over the place, as usual.

He's haloed by the sunlight, and his beauty takes my breath away.

These guys, they're all so beautiful, yet so unique.

Kai with his hot nerdy vibes, Loki with his fallen angel looks, Jax with his gruff Viking feel, and even Ash and his cold, yet stunning beauty.

No wonder they are the rulers, the Knights of Highgate Prep.

“Tell me more about you and the guys. What were you like as kids?” I ask him, suddenly desperate to know more.

“Well, our parents all grew up together, and now own a joint business, so we've basically been friends forever,” he starts with a grin.

“We used to get up to all sorts of mischief, especially Loki, he used to lead us into so much trouble.” He laughs outright then, and it's a beautiful, joyous sound.

“One time, he got us to rig up all the toys in his sisters’ room so that when they opened the door, they all flew off the shelves and landed on them.

Only, it wasn't his sisters that opened the door, but their nanny Martha!

I've never run so fast in my life as I did that day, running away from her screaming at us, threatening all kinds of punishment.” He chuckles, eyes alight with remembered mirth.

I giggle with him, imagining them all tormenting poor Martha, unsurprised that Loki was the mischievous one.

“Ash managed to sweet talk her out of it, as usual, he was always the peacemaker,” he muses. “Still is, I guess.” I frown a little, Ash the fucktrumpet a sweet talker?

He tells me other stories, like the time when they were all thirteen, and Loki convinced them to drink a bottle of vodka he'd stolen from his parents, who were never there so wouldn't have noticed. According to Kai, they were so sick that none of them have been able to touch the drink since.

Or the time when they were fourteen, Ash decided to run away and become a concert pianist. According to Kai, Ash was an extraordinary piano player. His music was apparently so full of emotion that you were swept away and transformed into someone new. Ash the Ice K?

He'd convinced them all to tag along, but they were caught by Mr Vanderbilt, trying to catch the bus and taken promptly home.

His eyes darken then, a haunted look entering into them.

“We didn't see Ash for weeks, or Luc, Ash’s twin, either. And when we next saw them, well, Ash no longer played piano, and Luc, he had an anguished look in his eyes that I’ll never forget.” His own eyes are full of sadness mixed in with rage, a combination I’ve not seen in them before.

My heart breaks for Ash. What terrible thing happened to not only keep him from his friends, but stop him from doing something he loved? And I’m more than a little intrigued about Luc, Ash’s twin.

Not knowing what to say, I reach out and grasp his hand, interlocking our fingers and squeezing.

I hate the sadness, the hopelessness I can see in his eyes.

I can't help feeling there is something more here, and although I feel so comfortable and safe with the guys, I can't seem to find the words to ask more.

I can’t stand the tormented look in his eyes, and I'm racking my brain for something to take it away when inspiration strikes.

“When I was seven, we had a talent show at school,” I begin, “and I decided to dance like my mum. She danced at Grey’s, a club in London…”

“Wait. Your mom danced at Grey’s? Like the Grey’s? In Soho?” Kai asks, his tone impressed and eyebrows raised.

“Yep. I practically grew up there, watching them all dance. I used to think they were beautiful ballerinas, who, you know, happened to take their clothes off.” I chuckle, the memories flooding back over me.

The soft lighting, the sound of the sensual music wrapping round me as the dancers moved with a grace that defied gravity.

The memory doesn’t hurt like I expected, and that surprises me.

“Anyway, I stole one of my mum’s costumes, her routine was based on belly dancing, and I remember the beautiful turquoise silk outfit that was the softest thing that I’d ever touched. I hadn’t told her what my talent was, I wanted to surprise her.

“Cue the night of the show, and I darted onto the stage when the music started playing. I’d danced like I’d seen the girls at the club do, like I’d seen my mother do, starting to remove some of the silk scarves that made up the skirt, just as Mum did.

She definitely was surprised, that’s for sure!

” I tell Kai with a laugh as I remember my mum’s face and that of the other parents as I basically started stripping.

Kai joins me, and his laugh is music to my ears.

“Did you get into trouble?” he questions, wiping his eyes.

“Surprisingly, no. Mum and Lexi, who came to watch, just cheered and then took me out for pizza and ice cream afterwards.” I beam at him, and even though my heart twinges at the memory, I’m not crippled by it.

Kai’s eyes soften, his laughter fading away as he looks at me. Reaching out his hand, he cups the side of my face in his palm, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

“Your mum sounds like an extraordinary woman, Lilly,” he murmurs, and tears spring to my eyes. “And she brought you up to be the rarest flower.”

He leans over, his lips brushing mine in the softest of caresses.

I moan softly, my hand coming up to tangle in his thick hair and pull him closer, fusing my lips to his.

A deep growl escapes his throat, surprising the shit out of me as he lets go of the hand he’s holding, grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand away from his hair, pinning it behind me.

The hand that was on my face moves up into my hair, grasping a handful and tugging sharply, angling my head to allow him deeper access.

I moan in earnest this time, as he plunders my mouth, holding me immobile as he takes what he wants.

It’s not the gentle kiss it started out as.

It’s full of possession, fire, and passion and I realise that Loki hasn’t been lying when he’s mentioned Kai’s dominant tendencies.

Abruptly, he releases me, his eyes a little wild and his breathing as hard as my own.

“We should start heading back,” he says, his voice a little gruff. I just nod, my heart racing with the remnants of our kiss.

He starts to pack away the picnic stuff, and I help him gather it all up and put it in his backpack. I can't miss the bulge in the front of his trousers. Shouldering it, he turns to me.

“I'm really glad you came here, Lilly,” he says, his voice now soft and a blush rising on his cheeks. “I think you're exactly what we all need.”

He reaches for my hand, looking deep into my eyes, his own honey coloured ones full of hope. Finally, after some soul searching moments, we start to walk back, hand in hand.