“I don’t owe you anything or want anything,” I remind him, but even as I speak, I knew I wasn’t going to ditch Milly. Much as I hate her brother, I need all the allies I can get, especially now I have seen first-hand the cutthroat nature of this place.
“Make your mind up, sweetheart,” Archer teases.
“Fine,” I nod. “Maybe you can do my detention for me when I get busted for beating up Ally.”
“Detention?” Archer laughs. “Don’t worry about that. I think you’ll find the teachers will be secretly applauding you for taking on Ally. They understand the politics of the houses. And Ally would be far too ashamed of losing to a noob to tell on you. You have no idea how important it is you established your presence with a show of violence. You’re more Archaic than you know. Trust me–no one’s going to challenge you.”
“I guess I just have to watch out for the knife in my back, huh?”
Archer grinned, making a little dimple appear in his left cheek. “See? You’re already learning how things work round here. Now come on, Milly’s waiting for us in the cafeteria. Leave her too long and someone’s bound to steal the table from her.”
“How is she your sister?”
He smirks over his shoulder, and it’s too sexy for my own good. “Milly will snap one day. You best be on her good side when she does. Knights never get knocked down for long.”
Chapter Five
Ivy Archaic
Walking into the cafeteria, it’s like one of those movies where someone walks into a bar out in the middle of nowhere and everyone goes silent and stares at the intruder.
Yeah. My first time walking into the cafeteria at King Academy is exactly like that. I feel like doing a huge bow or flipping everyone the bird, something to justify all the attention I am getting. Instead, I try to ignore them all, or at least focus on the people I do know in the crowd.
My eyes catch a pair of green ones. His remind me of an evergreen forest, deep and dark where you can hardly see the green in their depths. A guy with messy blonde hair and golden skin and reminding me of statues of Greek Gods. His body fills out his seat and two girls sit at his sides, trying to get his attention as he stares me down.
There aren’t just kings at this academy, turns out there is a god.
And he looks more dangerous than anyone I have ever seen in my life.
“Just go and pick up a tray and join the queue,” Archer whispers to me, his hot breath blowing against my ear. “Keep your head high and don’t let them see they’re getting to you. Now laugh as if I’m the funniest person you know.”
I laugh like he just told me the funniest joke I’ve ever heard and the chatter of the teenagers suddenly picks up once again. Realising I’m not going to be of any real entertainment, the other pupils slowly turn their attention back to their conversations, leaving me and Archer to get our lunch. Shaking my head, I head over to a stack of trays. Picking one up, I go to stand behind the last person waiting to be served, Archer following close behind.
“I recommend the curry,” Archer says. “Although our parents pay a fortune to send us here, Pilkington clearly doesn’t spend much of the fees on catering. It’s mystery meat, but it usually tastes pretty good, unlike the soggy lettuce in the salad or slimy mash.”
“How can you mess up a salad?”
Archer shrugs. “I have no idea. It takes a certain kind of talent to be that bad, but the King Academy chefs have it in spades. Even rich chefs can fuck stuff up. Eat at home, that’s what most do.”
“What’ll it be today?” The cook smiles at me when it is my turn to choose.
Gazing over the options, they all look about as bad as Archer warned me.
“I think I’ll take the curry, please,” I say.
“Here you go. And a double helping ‘cos it’s your first day here.”
I gulp as the cook dumps a second load of slop on my plate. “Err… thanks.”
Deciding against the stodgy looking sponge with lumpy custard, I take an apple for dessert and turn to look for Milly. I spot her right at the back on the opposite side of the dining hall, bouncing up and down and waving to get my attention.
As I approach my new BFF, I feel my foot catch on something. Stumbling, I barely manage to save myself from eternal embarrassment that would have been caused by falling flat on my face on my first day at a new school. Turning to see what I tripped on, I see Ally slowly bringing her foot back under the table and brush her blonde hair over her shoulder.
“Oops.” She smiles as if a thousand tiny angels are hovering around her pretty head. “Guess I didn’t see you there. Sorry about that.”
The only thing you’re sorry for is that I didn’tfall, I think, treating her to an equally insincere smile.
“You wanna watch yourself,” Archer advises Ally with a zero bullshit tone. “I’d hate to see you have an accident of your own.”
Ally’s smile fades in the face of an obvious threat.
“Aww, come on Archer. Don’t be like that,” the girl sitting next to her seductively whispers, and she reaches out, placing her hand on his thigh. Way too high for a stranger. “It’s just a bit of fun, you know? We all went through it when we first started at the Academy. We only want to know what Ivy’s like, find out if the new Archaic Head Girl is worthy of the position.”
“She is born to lead,” Archer says, picking her hand off his thigh like it’s poisonous. “Not her fault you’re jealous, Taylor.”
He turns and kisses me full on the lips like he owns me. Too stunned to react, I stand there, the tray in my hands making it difficult for me to do much else as his lips move across mine. Demanding. Craving. Possessing. He takes everything with one single kiss. Making it impossible for me to forget him. Archer gives me another light peck, winking at me before he pulls away.
“Let’s go, sweetheart,” he says, walking over to sit opposite Milly in one of the spaces she has saved for us.
I tightly smile one last time at Ally and her friend before following after him. I can’t help but enjoy the sick look on both their faces. Like a bug has flown into their garden of perfect flowers. I don’t know what Archer’s issue is with them, but clearly he knew the kiss is the best way to get under their skin. While I don’t appreciate someone taking advantage of me like that, I loved the effect it had.
I loved the kiss.
Fuck my life, no one has ever kissed me like that. And I suspect no one ever will.
“Wow, Ivy,” says Milly, as I sit next to Archer in a bid to maintain the charade there is something going on between us. “I didn’t realise you are dating my brother. You kept that quiet, Archer. How did you two meet?”
“We’re not-”
“It’s a long story-”
Archer and I start to speak at the same time before he gestures to me to go ahead.
“We’re not dating,” I tell Milly. Her face falls.
“Really? But you two would make such a cute couple. And Archer deserves someone like you after the way Ally treated him. Oh, and Taylor. Really, I should make a list of girls-”
She jolts as no doubt Archer kicks her under the table.