The in Crowd Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Find me online

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Hellbent Academy

  2: The In Crowd

  Val St. Crowe

  THE IN CROWD

  © copyright 2019 by Val St. Crowe

  http://vjchambers.com

  Punk Rawk Books

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  CHAPTER ONE

  “What are you wearing?” Lev Belial swept my ensemble from head to toe, his expression unreadable.

  I glared at him. “We’ve been through this. You were going to stop giving me your unwanted opinions on my clothes. If I want to hear you tell me I look like shit, I’ll ask. And, spoiler alert? Pretty much never going to want to hear that.”

  I was leaning against the wall in the Black Circle house on the campus of Hellespointe Academy. We were smack dab in the middle of a party. It was Friday night and there was always a party on Friday night, usually here at the house. Occasionally, we members of the Circle deigned to visit some other building on campus or even went to a house party in town. Tonight, however, we were here.

  “But you don’t look like shit,” said Lev, shaking his head slowly. “You look great.”

  I pursed my lips. “Not really digging your sarcasm either.”

  His eyes widened. “I’m not being sarcastic. Really. You look awesome.” He cocked his head to one side. “Did you dress yourself?”

  I threw up my hands. “And there’s the insult I was waiting for.”

  “It’s not an insult,” said Lev, looking huffy. “Come on, it was a compliment.”

  “Mmm,” I muttered, resting my head against the wall and studying the ceiling. I really didn’t like these parties. I felt like I spent half my life at parties. I’d been a member of the Black Circle for approximately one month, and I still didn’t have the hang of living a life of debauchery.

  “You should wear green more often,” Lev said. “That shade is really nice on you.”

  I sighed, turning my gaze back to him. “You look good too.”

  Lev brightened. “You like?” He twirled. “I gave myself a makeover.”

  I had to laugh. When I’d met Lev, he’d been all spiky hair and eyeliner and earrings. I’d call his previous look goth chic, but today, he looked different. “You’re very, um, Mr. Darcy.”

  “Ooh, Mr. Darcy, I like.” Lev winked at me. He was wearing a blue satin waistcoat over a white shirt with flowing arms. On someone else, he’d probably look like he was going to a costume party, but Lev pulled it off. I had to hand it to him. He was a true fashionista. I should probably take his advice more often about what to wear, but I was stubborn. Mostly because of the way he was such a dick about demanding that I change clothes.

  “So, makeover? This means that you’re going to dress like this more often?” I said.

  “Definitely.” He tapped his chin. “Especially since, I have to say, my social life has totally improved since you got tapped for the Circle. You, on the other hand, are still such a loner, Suther.”

  I groaned. “Oh, don’t say that. That means I’m going to have to mingle.” I wasn’t really and truly a part of the Circle. I was undercover, working the demonborn resistance movement to infiltrate the ruling body of the occultist community and topple all its institutions.

  Lev was my friend, and when I’d met him, I’d told him all my secrets. But then he got his memory wiped, and I hadn’t re-filled him in on all the gritty details. We remained friends, but he didn’t know that I was undercover and he didn’t know about Phist, either.

  Phist was also undercover. He was demonborn. I was pretending to be his girlfriend. Also, I was laced to Phist, which meant that I could do magic by pulling from his power. And that if I ever became unlaced, I would die.

  “It’s like this is your workplace, and being popular is your job and shit,” said Lev, laughing.

  “Yes, thank you, Heather,” I said. I pushed off from the wall and squared my shoulders. “I can’t believe you’ve seen that movie. It came out before we were born, and I thought you didn’t watch movies that old.”

  “I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” he said. “I saw someone say that on some YouTube mix of scenes from various teen movies.”

  “Right,” I said. “Of course you don’t.”

  Just then, I caught sight of Ryan Legion across the room. He was blond and muscled and super pretty, like all the boys in the Circle. He was also gay and in denial about it. He was violently homophobic and then hooked up with Lev on the down low. It wasn’t cool at all, but it did work to my advantage.

  Ryan beckoned at me.

  I smiled. “I’ve been summoned.”

  “Oh, no, Suther,” said Lev, making a face. “I thought we talked about this.”

  “Did we?” I said, sighing.

  “Yes.”

  “Lev, it doesn’t mean anything, come on.”

  “You have Phist. What do you need with Ryan?” said Lev.

  The thing about having a boyfriend in the Circle was that it wasn’t like a regular relationship in the regular world. People in the Circle were not real big on monogamy and faithfulness, so having Phist as a boyfriend did not protect me from the advances of the other guys, who were all up in my business all the time. Apparently, the other girls in the Circle were fine sleeping around.

  My sister Enid had been undercover in the Circle before me, and her hesitancy to spread her legs had worked against her. I was supposed to be game for anything.

  I was.

  I really was.

  If it came down to it, sure, I could sleep with one of the guys. All of the guys. Whatever. My experience with sex was mostly lying on my back and staring at the car ceiling, so it wasn’t varied or exciting, but I hadn’t found the act difficult.

  But this thing with Ryan, it made it easier for me, and it was good for him too.

  “I’m just doing Ryan a favor,” I said. “I thought you’d be glad that he was with me instead of actually hooking up with other girls. I’m your bestie, Lev.”

  “Which is why you should not be going to sit on Ryan’s lap,” Lev muttered.

  “We don’t do anything,” I said. It was true. Typically, at one of these parties, Ryan and I would hang all over each other for a while before disappearing as though we were going to get it on, and then I got a break and he could do whatever he wanted, which was usually Lev. “If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at your closeted jackass of a non-boyfriend.”

  “Don’t call him names,” muttered Lev.

  Ryan beckoned again.

  “Tootles,” I said, heading across the room to meet up with him.

  Lev just shook his head at me, looking disgusted.

  This Ryan thing had started a few weeks ago at a party. I’d latched onto
him to avoid the attentions of Tyler Jinn, who’d been giving me a shoulder rub because he said I looked “tense.” I jumped across the room and wrapped both arms around Ryan’s arm and grinned up at him.

  He had been pretty startled, but I’d winked at him, and he’d gone with it. In a way, Ryan was undercover too.

  Later, Ryan had pulled me into the hallway, away from prying eyes and whispered at me furiously. “What the hell? You’ve seen me with Lev. You know.”

  “And your secret’s safe with me if you keep me away from Tyler and Oliver,” I said.

  He raised his eyebrows at me. “Why?”

  “I just don’t feel like being poked and prodded from all angles, anything wrong with that?”

  “So, say so,” said Ryan.

  “I hear Enid did that,” I said. “After what my sister did, I’m on thin ice here. I can’t rock the boat.” My sister had been discovered as working with the demonborn resistance and she’d died because of it. I had a fine line to walk if I didn’t want to be found out as well.

  Ryan nodded. “Okay, I guess I get it.”

  “It’s good for you too,” I said.

  He smiled. “It is. Thanks. I guess we can help each other out.”

  Now, I made my way across the room to him, my mouth curved into a wicked little smile, as if I was prepared to do all sorts of naughty things with him.

  But I never made it there. As I walked by the kitchen, someone grabbed me by the arm and tugged me through the doorway.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Phist pushed me into the wall next to the refrigerator, pressing the length of his hard body against mine. His lips were at my ear, and his voice was low and gravelly. “What are you wearing?”

  I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Oh, do you like it? Lev approves too, so it’s my best outfit ever.”

  Phist plucked at the fabric. “Is this supposed to be a shirt? Where’s the rest of it?”

  I raised my eyebrows at him. “Seriously? Did you just actually say that?”

  Phist sighed, backing away from me. As usual, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of him. He was all broad angles and swells. His chest was V-shaped, lean and powerful. He had long dark hair, which hung to his shoulders, and thick, thick black eyelashes.

  I licked my lips.

  He looked me over, his gaze settling on the place where my shirt dipped low in the middle of my chest. I actually had cleavage now.

  Since I’d laced to Phist, I no longer had to use every spare ounce of energy to power my magic, so I’d gained a little weight, and it had all gone to my boobs. I couldn’t even figure how I’d gotten that lucky. When does that even happen, right?

  But all things considered, I’d had a pretty shitty time of it lately, what with my sister dying and everything, so maybe the universe owed me something.

  “Your mini-shirt is distracting,” Phist told my chest.

  “I’m dressed like all the other girls,” I said.

  Ryan appeared in the doorway. “What the hell, Suther?” Then he saw Phist. “Oh.”

  Phist rounded on him. “What? You have plans with my girlfriend?”

  “No,” said Ryan, backing away. “Definitely don’t have… I’m just going to go over here.” He pointed.

  “Do that,” said Phist, glowering at the other guy. “Go over there and stay over there. Stay away from her.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. What the hell?

  Ryan gave Phist a mock-salute. “Fine. Whatever. But, dude, you don’t own her, you know?”

  Phist clenched his hands into fists.

  Ryan backed up, hands up in surrender. He left the kitchen.

  Phist turned his penetrating stare back on me. “You and Ryan, huh? I hear you two have been busy.”

  “What do you care?” I muttered.

  “I’m supposed to be your boyfriend,” he said. “You’re making me look like a—”

  “I thought pair-bonding wasn’t really a thing in the Circle,” I said. “Tess was with Abbadon, but he didn’t care if she—”

  “Well, that was Abbadon,” said Phist.

  “You made a lot of noise about Enid’s panty rule, so—”

  “I didn’t mean that you should come into the Circle and slut it up with anyone who looked at you sideways.”

  I sputtered. “What the hell?”

  He jammed his hands into his pockets. “Sorry, I… can I take that back? I didn’t mean to call you…”

  “You better take it back,” I said. “I’m just trying to fit in.”

  He looked down at his shoes. “You’re probably right. It’s better if you seem willing.”

  “Okay, then,” I said. “Are we done here?”

  He closed the distance between us. “It’s only… if it’s not a big deal to you, then why haven’t you…?”

  “Why haven’t I what?” Damn, why did I sound all breathless? Phist had this stupid tendency to render me this way. He was attractive and everything, but I also hated his guts.

  I mean, I also kind of respected him, what with the way he’d masterfully worked his way into the Circle from nowhere and how well he maintained his cover and everything he was giving to the cause and all. But mostly, I hated him. Loathed him.

  He kissed me suddenly, his arm was sliding behind my back and pressing me against him like he did own me after all, and I opened my mouth to him and melted against him, turning into hot liquid fuzziness.

  These kisses between us didn’t happen often, and they were only to keep up our cover, but I looked forward to them. I thought about them sometimes at night before I went to sleep, and I got all warm and tight and itchy.

  His mouth moved down to my jaw.

  I gasped.

  His lips on my throat.

  My body was alight with thrills, every part of me lit up.

  “Why not with me, then?” His voice was a rasp.

  “With you?” I didn’t even understand what he’d said. He’d made noises with his mouth, were they words? Kiss me again, Phist. Put your hands on me.

  He pulled away from me and gazed directly into my eyes, his expression hard. “Why with Ryan and not me?”

  “Well… you don’t like me,” I said.

  “Right,” he said. He struggled to get a breath and he tore his gaze away from mine. “I don’t like you.” He backed away.

  I tried to stand up straight, but I was still affected from the kiss. I clutched the refrigerator.

  He put his back to me. Without another glance at me, he stalked out of the kitchen.

  Oh, hell. I shut my eyes. I was going to need a minute before my legs worked again.

  * * *

  Tess Crowley held her blond hair above her head. “Up or down?”

  “Um…?” I shrugged. “Down?” I wasn’t sure why Tess cared. It was Saturday afternoon, and almost everyone had just woken up. I hadn’t been drinking too much the night before, so I’d been awake earlier than everyone else, but I didn’t like to advertise that fact.

  I pretended to drink at the parties. I didn’t trust my ability to hold up my cover if I was inebriated, so I would dump drinks out in the sink when I went to the bathroom and that kind of thing. Then, in the morning, I laid in bed until at least 11:00, my stomach growling, because I didn’t want it to look as though I wasn’t as hungover as everyone else.

  The members of the Circle had been summoned to the living room of the house, which was still trashed from the previous night’s festivities. The others were sprawled on couches and chairs, ignoring the beer bottles, empty plastic cups, and overflowing ashtrays on all the tables in the room.

  Tess and I were sitting on a couch together.

  She got a compact mirror out of her purse and surveyed herself. “Yeah, definitely down.” She fumbled for some lip gloss and applied that.

  “Hot for teacher?” said Gina Namaah, sitting down on the chair next to our couch. We’d been summoned here by Dr. Paimon, who was the new faculty advisor for the Black Circle. The previou
s advisor had been Dr. Abbadon, but he was dead now.

  I’d killed him. It had been an accident, but I wasn’t sorry he was dead. He had not been a nice person.

  “Shut up,” said Tess, still looking at herself in the mirror.

  Gina laughed. She winked at me.

  Was that why Tess was making such a thing of this? She was into Dr. Paimon?

  I considered. Dr. Paimon wasn’t unattractive, but he wasn’t nearly as young or hot as Abbadon had been.

  At that moment, Paimon came into the room. He was in casual clothes instead of a suit, which was what I usually saw him wearing, and that made him look younger and hotter, admittedly.

  The guys in the Circle were all dogs. Since the only socially acceptable guys for girls in the Circle to date were other guys in the Circle, I guessed I could see why Tess wanted to look elsewhere. Another guy our age would have been beneath her. Maybe teachers were the whole of her dating pool.

  “Is everyone here?” said Paimon, looking out at us.

  At that moment, Phist sauntered into the room. His gaze swept over us and then settled on me. He stalked towards me, a grim expression on his face.

  I squirmed.

  He stopped in front of the couch, glaring down at me. “Scoot over.”

  I looked at Tess, who had put away her makeup and was beaming at Paimon. Yup, she was hot for teacher, all right.

  I scooted, but Tess didn’t notice.

  Phist sat down next to me, draping an arm over my shoulder.

  I squirmed under that too. His arm was heavy. He was all pressed against me, and he was warm. He smelled like cigarettes and leather and something else that I could only identify as Phist smell. I liked it more than I wanted to admit to anyone.

  I bit down on the inside of my cheek.

  Don’t think about Phist, I told myself. Which was totally easy when he was all I could feel or smell. Easy as pie.

  Phist squeezed my shoulder. “You okay?” he asked without looking at me.

  “Just a little hungover,” I said tightly.

  He smirked.

  “Okay, that’s everyone, then,” said Paimon. “Great.”

  Phist surveyed the other man. “You know, Saturdays aren’t a great day for us.”