Kings of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #1) - Caroline Peckham ,Susanne Valenti Page 0,166

there like a creeper and shook my head at myself as I walked to his door and exited into the hall. Right on cue at six am, Saint’s freaky music filled my ears and I hurried along to the top of the stairs that led down to the crypt and knelt beside them. Like a fucking dog. I would have thought sticking to Saint’s routine would have gotten less degrading as time went on, but no, it definitely became more so. This kneeling part was the worst of it. I had to stay here for an hour and a half before that asshole finished his workout. And for what? I was gonna get freaking chilblains from these ice-cold flagstones. And then his precious little doll would be tarnished.

Saint’s silhouette appeared up on the balcony as he gazed down to check I was where he expected me to be.

“Good morning, master!” I called cheerily, slapping on a fake ass smile.

He ignored me, stretching his arms above his head before heading down the stairs. He was in his workout gear. Black T-shirt and black sweatpants. I didn’t know why he bothered with the shirt. He always came out with it stuffed in the back of his pants when he was done. But I guessed he just couldn’t bear to break his routine.

He strode toward me as the music grew to a crescendo and I tilted my head back to look up at him. He sailed past me, placing his hand on my head and shoving hard so I was forced to look down, then continued jogging down the stairs. The second the door shut, I cursed him under my breath and moved to sit on my ass cross-legged.

I took my phone from my panties and started playing Donut Dash, soon setting a new high score. If I kept this up, I was gonna make it onto the Donut Dash leaderboard. And judging by the fact that I was gonna be here every morning doing this bullshit for the foreseeable future, that was more of a foregone conclusion than a possibility. Saint would pop his head out occasionally to check I was still here, but the door creaked so I always got a two second warning to hide my phone and get back on my knees.

After half an hour, I got bored of the game and brought up the news instead. The Hades Virus death toll had risen to twenty six thousand overnight and my skin prickled as I read about the overwhelmed hospitals and the shortages of essential personal protective equipment the staff needed. There was also an article about my father, naming him as a terrorist. There was even a reward on his head for over five hundred thousand dollars and that made me feel sick to my core. At the bottom of the article were a list of Facebook comments and though I tried not to look, only a short glance showed me the words, asshole, murderer, and traitor.

My heart clammed up in my throat and tears came for me for the second time this morning. But they couldn’t have me now. I was never going to let these bastards see me cry again.

Saint appeared right on seven thirty with his shirt tucked into the back of his pants. I liked that bit. His body was pure, cut muscle and I had to admit that that hour and a half in the gym twice a day was supremely worth it just for my one minute eye fuck while he headed upstairs. He never looked at me. I wasn’t acknowledged until he decided it.

I headed to the kitchen and started making breakfast. I actually enjoyed this part of my morning the most. Cooking was soothing. And for those sweet thirty minutes it took to prepare everything, my mind sailed away and I kinda got into the dramatic rise and fall of the classical music filling the entire church. If it hadn’t been a reminder of Saint, I might have even found it peaceful. But there was always an undertone to it. And that undertone was him.

It was Saturday and there had been zero sign of Blake or Kyan; I wondered if they were gonna show up for breakfast at all. I imagined Saint’s perfect little routine didn’t extend to them when they didn’t have to go to school, but I hadn’t been given any other instructions. So they would just have to eat it cold or not at all. Or they’ll