JAMES: A Dark Bully Romance (The Baron Kings Book 1) Read online

  A few light gasps echoed in the drafty hall. Most of those came from the new students, Annie noted. Barcourt students were desensitised to the life a Barcourt student would suffer.

  “The circumstances of her death were not suspicious. However, that does not elude the fact that a wretched group that has set out bullied the young girl to hurt our student population. If any of you encounter a group called the Barons, or have information regarding its members; come forward and discuss this with me in my office. I will hold your identity in the strictest confidence.”

  The hall was silent as death.

  They all knew who the Barons were.

  It was common knowledge.

  But there was almost one certain fact about the group; no-one was going to snitch.

  No-one.

  Defoe might be powerful, but no student wanted to risk facing a Baron’s wrath.

  An uncomfortable cough rang through the room, prompting the headmaster to change his topic.

  “Alright, well, that’s all that needs to be said. Any issues or questions, you’ll know where my office is,” Defoe nodded. “Now, welcome everyone. Welcome to Barcourt. Oderint dum metuant.”

  The audience repeated the words back; the voices echoing loudly in the chamber. “Oderint dum metuant.”

  Zara frowned. She tilted her head slightly to Annie, never keeping her eyes off Defoe. “What did they just say?”

  “Let them hate so long as they fear.”

  Annie glanced at Zara, not missing the way her face paled at the words. She slowly turned back to face the front. This was nothing new to Annie. Just like her first day. It would never get easier to swallow.

  “Isn’t that a phrase from…” Zara bit her lip.

  “Caligula,” Annie interrupted. She thought it to be poetic. An ode to a brutal Roman ruler. Without a penchant for mercy.

  “Christ,” Zara breathed.

  The rest of the audience stood, reciting a traditional Barcourt hymn. Headmaster Defoe had moved away from the podium, taking his seat at the front. Annie could tell Zara was struggling with the words, looking hesitantly around her, mumbling through the lines.

  She bent her head, moving to whisper in Zara’s ear. “Hey, don’t worry about it. First time is always the worst. Just sit back and think of England, dear.” Annie said in a high-pitched, posh whisper.

  Both of the girls made eye contact before breaking into a set of muffled giggles. To their luck, they drowned their amusement out by the melancholic singing.

  Annie recovered, moving her gaze back to the front.

  Something felt wrong, though.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, the side of her face heating suddenly. That only happened when she felt as though somebody was watching. Furrowing her brows, she glanced to her left to find James Knightley staring intently at her.

  She inhaled deeply. She refused to back down. Call it a death wish, but Annie’s meek demeanour was something she couldn’t honour in this very moment. Something about the way James’ stare burned into her told her he was used to surrendering. A part of her wanted to throw that back in his face.

  So she held her resolve.

  His emerald eyes smouldered into a dark, charcoal shade, burning into her chocolate brown eyes, brandishing her with his presence. James lifted the corner of his mouth. He was smirking at her attitude. The fire pleased him.

  Annie’s expression faltered. The staring contest was a little too much to handle, and she wasn’t used to this level of confrontation. At least not head on.

  His eyes glinted with renewed vigour; whether it was the satisfaction of seeing Annie crumble in his gaze or the thrill of a challenge, she wasn’t so sure. All she knew was that James was giving her an expression that meant dark trouble.

  “Who are they?” Zara murmured closely.

  “Hm?” Annie shifted her head quickly towards Zara. She hoped she wasn’t blushing.

  “Those boys over there,” Zara’s gaze remained to the front, but she could tell that she was looking at the boys from her peripheral vision. “They keep staring.”

  Frowning, Annie turned back to where they were located. Zara was right; James and his friend, Jasper Rashford, were staring their way. Yet, judging from Jasper’s expression, there was only malice and dangerous curiosity lurking beneath his brooding stare. At least James didn’t look at her like he wanted to rip her face off.

  Well, sort of.

  “Trouble,” Annie murmured under her breath. “Nothing but trouble.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  “Same old drivel, same old Defoe,” Theo drawled.

  Theo, James and Jasper were walking out of the hall and into the corridor, hanging by the grand stairs. Most of the students were lurking around as it was an hour until lessons officially started.

  “Hm,” James muttered.

  His head was wrapped around a certain girl with thick, curly honey hair and wide, expressive brown eyes. Did the girl have a crush on him or something? He wasn’t a stranger to affection from the Barcourt ladies, but this was Annie Howell. A strange outcast that his kind never associated with. Safe to say, she wasn’t his usual type. Broad jaw, eyes too soft for her face, and a permanent pout; what was he thinking?

  Why couldn’t he get her blasted face out of his mind?

  “What’s with you, man? You seem... quiet,” Jasper arched his brow.

  “Nothing. Just my dad giving me grief. The usual.”

  “What’s he done now?” Theo lifted his head, sending a handsome wink to Verity, as she rolled her eyes, smiling.

  Theo Hamlish was definitely the ladies’ man of the group; tall, with a beautiful chiseled face, dark eyebrows and a set of charcoal coloured eyes that twinkled into a boyish grin, he was adept at breaking into the fortresses of the female mind.

  He had a confident sensuality about him. A man that could get away with murder if he wanted to. All he had to do was seduce the right judge.

  James stretched his arms behind his head. He needed to ease up on the recent polo practice. “Aside from being my father? He’s been on my case for me to apply for Head Boy.”

  “Waste of time, if you ask me,” Jasper said out of boredom. His dark, brooding stare hadn’t simmered at all since the assembly. “Although I’m not complaining about the fresh meat brought into Barcourt.” Jasper’s smouldering stare burned into a blonde girl, as she lightly dropped her mouth at his drop-dead model looks.

  “Me neither,” Theo winked at a blonde girl. She scurried away with a telltale blush.

  “Waste of time, if you ask me,” James repeated. He smirked at the boys, raising his eyebrow pointedly. “Chasing after pussy will not get you in Defoe’s good books.”

  “But it does wonders for the spirit,” Jasper smirked mischievously.

  “I’ll have to agree on that one. Anyway, why would we need to get into Defoe’s good books?” Theo said.

  “Because he’s onto us,” James scoffed. “Or at least he thinks he is.”

  “Even if he is, it’s not like he’s going to shut us down,” Jasper grinned. “Kicking out esteemed bachelors like us would wreak havoc on the hierarchy. It’s just the natural order of things. You can’t run a kingdom without elites now, can you? What will the commoners do?”

  “That’s arrogant,” a raspy, female voice piped up. The boys turned. Zara had walked to where they were standing, with a bewildered Annie following by her side. She wanted nothing to do with this discussion.

  “Excuse me? This is a private conversation,” Jasper bit out.

  “What he means to say is that perhaps you better run along, little one. You’re new here, I assume? So we’ll let this go, just this once,” Theo said smoothly. He put a hand over his chest as some gesture of goodwill. The dazzling smile was out.

  James smirked, waiting for the ensuing apologies.

  Three…

  Two…

  One…

  “How gracious, but I wasn’t talking to you,” Zara said.

  Theo furrowed his brows, his gaze zeroing in on the girls.

  “Listen, little girl. Run along before we make you regret it,” Jasper sneered. For such a handsome man, his occasional acidic snobbery spoiled his looks.

  “Let’s go, Zara. They’re not worth it,” Annie murmured. Her stoic gaze briefly glanced around at the boys, pointedly ignoring James.

  Who did she think she was?

  James lifted his mouth in an empty smile, showcasing his white teeth. Exactly like a predator. “Care to repeat that? Not worth it?” He took a step forward, watching the hesitant expression on Annie’s hard face. “What on earth makes you so cocky to think you can speak to us like that?”

  Annie clenched her jaw. James could tell she was warring with herself not to say something. He smirked slightly. This could be fun.

  Jasper and Theo looked on in quiet puzzlement. He hadn’t really come through this alive until the girl came along.

  She took a deep breath. “No-one. I’m no-one.” Annie averted her gaze, moving backwards as she hooked her arm around Zara. “We’re just going.”

  That wasn’t good enough. He couldn’t just let her go.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” he grabbed her arm firmly, pulling her in his direction. Zara’s eyes widened at the sudden action. Annie let out a quick breath. “I wasn’t done talking.”

  “Let go,” Annie said seriously.

  “Or what?”

  “I have nothing to threaten you with. I’m just asking you - politely to remove your hand from my arm,” she said carefully. “Let go of me.”

  “Magic word,” James smiled.

  “Now,” Zara growled.

  “Shut your mouth,” Jasper added.

  “Please,” Annie said more firmly. “Please let go of
me.”

  James considered her request, mulling over the words. His hand was clenched around her arm, gripping firmly. At this distance, he could get a proper look at her face. There was a splattering of caramel freckles on her cheeks. Cheeks that often burned bright red whenever she was in the spotlight, he noted. Had her mouth always been this full? It looked good enough to -

  “James,” Annie searched his gaze.

  Why did she have to say his name like that?.

  “You’re saying my name,” he marveled. “I don’t think I gave you permission for that. Did I, Theo?”

  “No, you didn’t,” Theo said.

  “Definitely not,” Jasper whistled.

  “Now there are consequences to using my name so loosely. Especially from a commoner’s mouth like yours. Although, I’m sure I can let it slide today. But everything must come at a price,” James sighed playfully. “I’m sure you understand.”

  She wasn’t looking at him. She closed her eyes.

  “Oh darling, are you with us? Earth to -”

  “Will you just shut up?” Annie mumbled.

  James stilled.

  Annie took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe the words that just came out of her mouth. She opened her dark brown eyes, gazing at him with a renewed fire.

  He’d never seen this side to the redhead.

  “Do you believe your drivel? This elitist bullshit? Good god, you’re stuck in a Shakespeare play. I get enough of that in English, I do not need to hear your endless monologues,” Annie said irritably. She tried pushing James off her to no avail. He merely tightened his grip. “If anyone needs to get with reality, it’s the man-child holding my arm.”

  “You’ve grown a pair of balls this summer? Wow, impressive,” James let out a laugh.

  Annie didn’t miss the way his eyes darkened at that. He inched closer to her, his eyes ravaging over her face. Leaving its mark.

  Theo moved forward. “Listen, mate -”

  “Not now, Theo,” James growled. His eyes didn’t leave Annie.

  “Get off me,” Annie repeated.

  “Now, you’re saying the same thing, but expecting a different result. Aren’t you familiar with the definition of insanity?”

  There it was.

  He said her name again.

  She tried to shove his hand off of her. James only pulled her closer to him, making sure that they were now only inches apart. Annie let out a quiet gasp, her body frozen. James watched her eyes flare in fear. So the redhead was unaccustomed to close contact.

  Interesting.

  “What’s the matter? Never had a man come this close to you before? I’d be thrilled to change that for you,” James winked devilishly.

  “You’re nothing but trash,” Annie gritted out.

  “Trash?” James laughed loudly. “Oh darling, you’ll have to do better than that.”

  At the loud tone, they had caught the attention of the surrounding people; it bewildered them. The confrontation ensued in the corridor. James Knightley - the leader of the Barons - had trapped the scholarship student in a punishing hold. This would not end well.

  “Leave her alone,” Zara moved forward, but James tilted his head, glancing at Theo.

  “Theo,” he said. “Take care of it.”

  Theo sighed, moving to grab Zara by the waist, trapping her too. She baulked at the intrusion of space. “Come on, love. Let’s stay out of their business.” Theo pulled Zara away, moving them towards the other side of the stairs. She tried wrestling out his grip, but it was pointless; these guys were made of steel and arrogance.

  “Don’t touch me,” Zara pushed out of his grip. She was about to say a biting retort just for Theo when her back collided with a very tough body, knocking her still.

  The boys turned slightly, dropping their guard. Annie frowned at the change in James’ demeanor, moving to glance behind her.

  “What on earth is going on here?” A male voice barked.

  “Nothing, Mr. Lyle,” James smiled handsomely. He put his arm around Annie’s waist, shoving her close to his side. She carefully tried to remove herself from his hold, but he made no motion to let her go. “We were just talking. Is something the matter?”

  Mr. Lyle looked blankly at James. Lyle was the young history teacher. A favourite of the girls.

  He commanded respect, yet became an object of lust for the female population. It didn’t help that he probably wasn’t older than thirty-something and possessed a physique that would suit him better for rugby. Blonde, styled hair and a soft icy blue stare - the man was gorgeous. His bright blue eyes moved to where Annie was standing - or trapped.

  “Miss. Howell doesn’t look pleased,” Mr. Lyle noted.

  “Annie?” James grinned widely, turning to face her. “We’re just having a lovers’ quarrel. Tell them, Annie.”

  Annie’s face went pale. She glanced at the surrounding students. The Barcourt elite was observing her. This was a deciding factor for her survival. Rat out the Barons and become a walking public enemy. They gifted her with the outsider status. People left her alone, but all that could change. If she wanted to upset the established order, all she had to do was open her mouth, and her reclusive hiding spot would come crashing down.

  James watched her intently. He was waiting for her decision.

  Did she want the wrath?

  “Everything’s fine,” Annie said robotically.

  She didn’t look Lyle in the eye.

  That should have been enough to satisfy James, she thought. He stiffened at her words, holding her closely. She didn’t dare look up.

  Mr. Lyle exhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m too young for this. Knightley, Howell - I’ll see you after I finish the classes today. Understood?”

  Annie dropped her mouth, bewildered. James swore under his breath.

  “What?” They both said in unison.

  “That’s two weeks’ detention. You too, Rashford and Hamlish. Don’t think I was born yesterday.” Lyle shook his head in disappointment. “Everyone, get to your class.”

  “Class hasn’t started yet, Mr. Lyle,” Jasper bit out in frustration.

  “Then you better line up early, Mr. Rashford,” Mr. Lyle smiled widely. He glanced at Annie briefly. “Annie, can I see you in my office, please?”

  That caught her off guard. Mr. Lyle wanted to see her? She didn’t even take history. However, she nodded.

  Drifting, she thought James would have dragged her back by the hair but thankfully; he had loosened his grip, allowing her to walk away from his hold. Yet, she didn’t miss the way his fingers lightly trailed the small of her back when no-one was looking. She shuddered at the unwelcome touch.

  He was taunting her.

  “Move it,” Lyle barked. The rest of the lingering students scuttled away quickly, fleeing to their classrooms. It was only Theo, James and Jasper who stood there, burning a hole into the backs of Annie and Lyle.

  She could feel it incinerate her skin.

  ◆◆◆

  Annie walked into the small, messy office, being careful not to trip over the pile of books that were sprawled across the floor.

  “Sorry about that,” Mr. Lyle cringed. He grabbed the books off the floor, moving to shove them haphazardly into the bookshelf.

  “It’s fine,” Annie smiled quickly. “My room is a mess most of the time. I mean - that’s not to say your room is a mess! Oh god, I’m sorry. I don’t really know why I said that. Forget it.”

  Great. She made a fool of herself twice today. Before classes even started.

  Mr. Lyle watched her with amusement. “It’s fine, Miss. Howell. Please, take a seat.”

  She sat down on the fabric chair, hoping that the furniture would swallow her whole. Mr. Lyle gave her a warm smile. The corner of his wrinkled slowly, giving an air of trust.

  “How have you been getting on so far?” He asked.

  Annie flitted her gaze slightly. “What do you mean? Am I in trouble?”

  “No, what gives you that impression?”

  “Well... I…. I don’t know. I’ve never really been called into a teacher’s office before unless I’ve done something wrong.”