Claimed by the Dark Souls of VHA

Chapter Twelve

AVA

After story time, we all sit and digest the details I have told, the plans the three knuckleheads have concocted to throw their devil of a father off my trail, and remain silent for a period of time until a knock at the door pulls us from out thoughts. Alex rises from his bed, clearly exhausted, opening the door slightly to see a DoorDash worker holding a multitude of bags. He takes them, kicking the door closed behind him and drops everything at his desk.

"Safe to say that even though today was a sh!tstorm, I think we all deserve to eat and worry about tomorrows problems, tomorrow." We all nod our heads and watch Alex display everything he had ordered, passing out plates and cups to pour ourselves drinks. Emma and I go to chow town and devour everything we had piled onto our plates, the guys eyeing us mystified.

"Never seen girls eat before?" I ask before taking a sip of my coffee.

This sh!t is like liquid gold.

"The girls we've towed around before only ate leaves." I snort, then cringe when I think about how high that number might be between all of them.

Have they all shared a girl like with me?

Are they still sharing other girls amongst themselves and I am just another notch on their belt?

F!cking questions are forming a migraine.

Pulling myself out of a long list of questions filling my head, I get back to the subject at hand.

"Do you mean salad?" I ask, giggling at his description of a salad as being leaves.

"Yeah, I guess. It was weird. The only meat they'd munch on is our d!cks." Christian says earning a scowl from his brothers and a choking sound from Emma. I pat her back until she gives me a thumbs up.

"God you have absolutely no filter asshole." I say while getting up and going for seconds. He joins me while I enjoy the vast array of all the breakfast food Alex had ordered for us.

"Absolutely none." He says while also eyeing me like I am a wounded animal when he sees me looking at the food. I instantly cringe at the feeling. I know why he is looking at me like that and I don't like it. Not one f!cking bit.

"Don't look at me like that." I said pointedly, narrowing my eyes at him.

"I...I wasn't...I didn't mean anything." He says shakily, knowing all too well that the wrong word out of his mouth right now will cost him dearly. I slam my plate on the desk and turn to eye everyone, my annoyance getting the better of me. Their shocked looks don't delay the storm approaching. The only one I feel for is Emma who has been forced into the middle of all of this sh!t with me.

"Listen you sh!t for brains. Just because I told you my sob story doesn't mean you can look at me with pity or hurt. I have demons, we all have demons. I said my peace so just leave it at that. I don't need your pity. I need to survive. I need to be rid of the constant fear of looking over my shoulder every damn second. I thought I was free but my past has come back to haunt and hint me down with a vengeance. Do not patronize me. Do not think I am weak. Do not think for one second that I will take any of your crap from here on out. Me telling my past changes nothing." I move past Christian towards the door, Emma plopping her plate down to follow me.

"Ava, f!cking wait." Ryder says but I dismiss him by throwing up my middle finger, walking out of Alex's room towards mine.

"Are you okay Ava?" Emma says beside me and I sigh, throwing my head back and wiping my hands down my face.

"Not in the least but in time I will be." I give her a slight smile and lean my head against my door drooping down to sit on the floor with Emma doing the same thing. She rests her head on my shoulder and we just sit in silence for a few moments.

"I'm gonna head back to my room and get some more sleep, unless you want me to stay with you in yours?" She says stifling a yawn. I kiss the top of her head.

"Don't worry about me. One of the three tormenters will probably barge through my door sometime within the next hour. At least they know to give me space. I'l be fine. Go sleep." She laughs, yawning once again and we both rise and she walks to her room while I open mine. I enter, closing and locking the door behind me and fall face first into my bed. I roll myself into a ball and allow sleep to take me.

******************************************************

By the time I awaken, I am met with blazing blue eyes staring at me from the chair by my desk.

Like father, like son.

"What are you doing here Christian?" I say as I stretch on the bed, watching his gaze land on his shirt that I am still wearing.

"You barged out of Alex's room clearly under the impression that I pity your ass." He says bitterly. I've never honestly seen the arrogant side of him. I always thought Ryder had the screw loose.

"I'm not discussing this right now. Right now, all I want to do is take a shower, get back into bed, and relax." His blue eyes darken and I gulp down the feelings flowing through my body from the look on his eyes.

"Get one thing straight Ava. I don't pity you. I f!cking admire you. We all went through the same type of hell with our parents, but at least through it all, we had our grandmother to keep us grounded, to try and make us feel anything but hate and anger and the need to tear every living being apart with our bare hands. You? You had no one but still, here you are, with a heart of gold and a raging fire within you that has f!cking ignited my soul. I crave your fury, your rage, your need to make it out of your living hell unscathed. I've yearned for your resilience since the first day I met you when you had that snarky attitude towards Candice and her leeches. I was rock f!cking hard when you defied our every move." He snakes towards me on the bed, leaning into me, brushing his nose against my cheek, sending tingles down my entire body. He wraps his hand around my throat, lightly squeezing it, lowering me onto my back, him aligning himself between my legs. I can feel his erection and the friction of it grinding against my core through my panties making me succumb to feeling everything at once.

"We have Ryder, the Dark Soul with immense anger problems, who seems rough on the edges and doesn't know how to control the demons lingering in his head, until you cam along. He saw you, fell for you and is so f!cking deep that he won't be able to survive if anything happened to you." His grip on my throat a smidge tighter while he continues to grind against me. I gasp and pant eager for more of him.

"Then Alex, the Dark Knight with immense anger and hatred in that blackened beating heart of his, ready to annihilate anyone that is in his way. Ready to kill whoever f!cks with what is his." Grinding faster against me, his breath and mine becoming ragged.

"And then there's me. The Dark Prince who might seem like the good guy on the outside but has the mindset of a ruthless bast!rd who takes no prisoners and f!cking protects what is mine. Ours, without any f!cking mercy." He releases the hold on me and bends down to slam his lips on mine, demanding entry with his tongue, feasting on my lips, biting them with unrelenting passion and urgency. He slides his pants and boxers down and rips the material of my panties, shoving two fingers into me, stretching me and rapidly going in and out of me. He breaks the kiss and pulls his fingers from me, shoving them into his mouth, l*****g every drop of my wetness from them.

"F!cking mine." He grits out, pulling my legs over his shoulders and feasting on me like I was his last meal. My eyes roll back into my head and I grip the sheets, feeling my release taking over my body. He tears away at every fiber of my being and assaults me in the greatest most breathtaking way possible until I am floating towards the stars in the sky. He doesn't ease up in the slightest dropping me down and filling me in one swift move. No time for adjusting, just insane pounding and euphoric bliss awaiting me. He is once again at eye level with me, hovering over me, slamming into me, unyielding.

"I intend to keep you safe. I intend to help you escape your fears. I intend to keep making you mine, regardless of the fact that you are f!cking my brothers. They can have what is mine, I don't mind, because we are all cut from the same cloth, hellbent n ridding this world of one evil. But if any other f!cker dares to touch you, they will cease to f!cking exist." His pace becomes faster until I am gripping him, nearly drawing blood and clenching all around him while he twitches inside of me, letting out a menacing growl as we both come undone together. He remains fully seated in me, allowing us to ride out our high together and soon falls to the side of me, cradling me in his arms. My mind is a fog, my body sore in the moat delicious way, my breathing trying to regain control. I move to get up but am pulled back down to his side.

"Do you understand Ava?" I look up at him, c*****g my head to the side.

"Your soul is our soul. No more running. No more hiding. He'll have to get through our menacing, sickening darkness before he ever gets to you, and from that, he won't make it out alive." He kisses my forehead and releases me. I get up and make my way to the bathroom, closing the door and leaning against the sink to look into the mirror.

A mix of emotions runs rampant through my body but the one thing I am sure of is that these three dark brooding men will make it their mission to help cease control of my life, and help to end the torment that awaits, one way or another.

Through pain, t*****e, or even death.

*******************************************************

Monday morning fast approaches and I rise wondering what I have in store for me today. I haven't heard from any of the guys since Christian left my room Saturday. Radio silence. Not sure if it was the best thing or the worst. Not quite sure on how to perceive whatever the hell it is transpiring between all of us. They say one thing, show another, yet remain adamant about no other guy coming within two inches from me. Another f!cking migraine I feel is forming within my head.

My phone dings and I check it after getting dressed, looking at myself in this ridiculous uniform in my mirror.

Emma: Ready warrior princess?

I bark out a laugh at her nickname for me and type a response.

Me: How about Avenging Queen?

Emma: Now we're talking. Be there in two minutes.

I click my phone screen off and toss it into my bag. I open the door, to see Emma mere steps away from me.

"Morning!" She says gleefully and I smile, trying to reciprocate the giddiness.

"I dread school days." I mumble while heading to the cafeteria to grab a coffee before class.

"Me too but once this year is over, we are home free." She says as we stand in line.

"You yes. Not so sure about my future." I say as I take the coffee I poured and swirl the coffee stirrer in my cup mixing the sugar and cream together. Emma grimaces but I shake the dark thoughts from my head.

"There is no future for you Ava. You're existence is worth sh!t in this world and you need to remember that." Candice says standing next in line for coffee.

This b!tch is getting on my last nerves.

"Oh, and one more thing. Come near my boyfriend ever again, you won't live to see tomorrow." She displays a sinister smirk on her face and her cronies laugh hysterically. Emma forms a fist but I place my hand on one of her hands to help dwell the anger rising in her.

"Looks like we have a girl on girl romance brewing over here boys. We all know that kind of situation brings out the horny pervs. Right boys?" She shouts as the whole cafeteria goes silent, eyeing me and Emma. I am within inches of her face, watching as she gulps and her eyes quickly display a hint of worry. My eyes must be showing something along the lines of murder.

"Guess it's just something about me that makes both the girls and guys flock to me I suppose. Have you ever gotten this much attention or action? I suppose you haven't with that shriveled up p!ssy of yours. By the way, I can smell your stank from here. You should get that checked out. But here, I'll do you a favor since you have the whole cafeteria taking in the show before them." I pour my coffee on top of her head and watch it cascade down her uniform.

"Hmm. That should cover up the smell for a couple of minutes. Guessing you'll never learn to stop running your mouth to me. I'm not some fragile b!tch." I bring my mouth to her ear to keep on with the digs.

"Oh, and by the way, Ryder is huge. Thanks for the introduction." She snarls at me but doesn't say or make a move. I look to her little horde of followers who back away from us.

"Ready for class Emma?" She smiles with such delight that I return it pushing past the skank making her falter and slip, falling right on her a*s. She whimpers quietly while everyone else begins laughing hysterically.

Emma and I part ways for homeroom and when I walk in, I see the three dark beings eyeing me with blackened eyes. I slip into the seat they reserved for me, with Ryder leaning in behind me, breathing in my scent before nipping my earlobe. I release a small moan and shiver.

"Feisty goddess." He whispers and I smile. I look to each side of me where Christian and Alex are sitting and feel the l**t pouring out of them.

Easy boys.

The bell soon rings and I bolt out of my seat, the three of them trailing behind me. Period after period, I either have one of them in the classes that I never had with them from the start of the school year or they rally together to walk me to my next class. They are literally up my a*s, having everyone stare at me.

Like I need this much attention on me. F!ck.

I finally have a reprieve during lunch when I park my behind across from Emma who is too busy reading to even notice I am here. Like she can read my mind, she laughs softly.

"I know you are there Ava. I might be reading but my senses are pretty on the nose." She says as she flips the page and I smirk.

"You always are full of surprises." I say as I open the cup of yogurt I snagged.

"So are you." She places the book down and raises an eyebrow.

"What?" I say as I place a spoonful of yogurt in my mouth, eyeing the hotheads at the other table, slowly slipping the spoon out of my mouth. Emma turns to see who I am torturing and laughs

"They are so hung up it's not even funny." I burst out laughing.

"Keep l*****g that spoon like that and there will be another show unfolding here in the cafeteria but this time at this table." Alex whispers into my ear before sitting down next to me. I wink at him and he rolls his eyes.

"What are you girls chatting about?" He asks sweetly.

"Absolutely nothing." We both giggle and he nudges my shoulder and I nudge him back. Lunch flies by and by the time the bell rings, I spot Candice sliding up to Ryder, her face etched with pure anger. She is seething at him and I can't help but to stare.

Probably telling him about my statement I made this morning.

I walk right past them, pretending to not care when Candice's eyes catch on mine. She steps to the side of him, getting ready to egg me on again. I take a deep breath as Alex and Emma come up behind me. Alex rests his hand on the small of my back and the b!tch notices, and smirks.

"Looks like Sinclair is making her rounds. Now she's got the nerd. Guess I don't have to worry about your grubby hands on Ryder anymore. Keep it that way you dirty Sinclair." She moves back to Ryder, pulls his face down, and latches onto his lips which he pulls away from almost immediately.

I swallow the bile in my mouth because for sh!t sakes, this kind of guts me, but, we never said we were exclusive so, my loss is her gain? I look between the two of them and then at Christian who is witness to this whole disgusting event. I shrug. He gives me the whole don't say anything you'll regret look but I move away from Alex, and stare at all of them with a blank expression.

"Suit yourself. Ryder can be all yours. Even Christian. You know what? Have at Alex, too. You know what's even a better idea? Have them all. Plenty of fish in the sea for me." I say with no regard to how any of these alpha pr!cks feel. I walk away and round the corner for my next class which happens to be with Ryder.

Oh, yay for me!

Candice continues to walk side by side with him, and I just roll my eyes because for the life of me, why doesn't she understand that the way he is acting with her is in a way that literally shows her he doesn't want her? Once she leaves, Ryder stops me from entering the classroom and cages me in by the wall.

"What the f!ck was that?" He says in a low voice, the vein in his temple about ready to burst.

"What was what?" I say innocently.

"Don't play with me Ava. You know I don't want her." He fists the wall beside my head and I roll my eyes.

"You might need to explain that to her a just a little bit better. Till then, keep your hands to yourself. I don't need to catch anything from her." I duck under his arm and lead myself into the classroom to which he punches the wall again and storms off.

I know.

If I play with fire, I'll get burned, but playing with these dark three souls makes it all the more fun.

Like Christian said, if I had already ignited their souls then the burning is all part of the game.

Bring the burn boys. Bring the burn, as will I.