Diamonds and Dragons: A High School NA Reverse Harem Dark Fantasy Bully Romance (Cruel Princes of Wyvern All-Boys Academy Book 1) Read online

  She pressed her lips together to keep from blurting out something inappropriate. So far, aside from the overt sensuality she sensed in them, all she’d seen were four arrogant, and most probably narcissistic guys who couldn’t deal with the fact that a female was entering their arena.

  “I will leave you in their experienced hands as they will show you to your quarters, as well as various portions of the school.”

  Ally looked at the foursome who seemed less than enthused by the idea of showing her around.

  “All right,” Razor said as he grabbed her hand. For a moment he seemed poised to bring it to his lips to kiss it, but he quickly let it fall and brushed it away. “Stay close. We wouldn’t want you to get lost.”

  The others snorted and chuckled as they entered the large stone building.

  “I’ll show you where to eat, sleep and…” He stopped a second to give her an up and down glance. “Well I guess you’re expected to learn something here also, so I’ll show you your classes.”

  “I know I don’t seem like much now,” she tried to explain, “but I’m quite strong and I’m a fast learner.”

  “Really?” Jasper said with sensual undertones. There was something almost playful about him; almost. “If that’s true then you will quickly learn that you have no place here. In fact, this should be the scariest place in all the kingdom for a girl like you.”

  While Tar remained silent, his deep, dark eyes gleamed with mischief and his wicked smile left her legs weak. There was something sinfully sexy about him.

  She glanced back at Flint who groaned as they reached the large eating hall. He hadn’t so much as cracked a smile and had said not a word. His eyes maintained a hard non compromising glare, and Ally sensed he’d be the kind of man who didn’t just lay gently with a woman, but who threw her down hard, who made love hard and who brought pain harshly.

  Though still a virgin, she’d heard tales of gentle men, rough men and loveless men. She’d also heard Kate and Bilbo on a few occasions. Their love seemed gentle, if not slightly dulled by time.

  As they left the dining hall and continued to the sleeping quarters, she was pleased to see just how easily she fit in. She’d deliberately covered her rainbow hair with a plain brown wig and chosen cloth that resembled the uniform the boys wore; white blazer, tan pants, a white shirt and tie.

  They reached the many smaller buildings that were the living quarters and entered the last one. At the last door at the end of the hall, they stopped.

  “I have no doubt you come from lesser means and that you will appreciate your luxurious room.” Razor pushed open the door to what would be her home for the next while.

  She couldn’t help but gasp at the beauty of the large room. Razor was right. Her room at the Blacksmiths was nothing like this. In fact, the whole of their home could almost fit it the large, airy room.

  While decidedly masculine in its décor, a few attempts had been made to soften the hard lines of black, brown and copper. The linen on her bed was soft and flowing and there was even a bowl of flowers on the dresser.

  “And finally,” Razor said as he closed the door, “the most important part of the entire campus.” He turned on his heel and led them all back outside. Pointing to the far left, he said proudly, “The stadium.”

  As they approached the large outdoor structure, the sounds of a large cheering crowd grew louder and louder. Clearly something was going on in the stadium.

  Ally swallowed as a chill of true fear coursed through her. Through the loud cheers she also heard the most bone chilling cry of pain.

  Chapter 3

  “Well, well, well,” Razor said with a sardonic grin. “What do we have here?”

  They’d entered the large open-air stadium. Thousands of students were seated around the grassy playing field.

  “This may very well be the perfect example of what you’re in for here at the all-boys academy.”

  She noted the emphasis on ‘all boys’.

  Following him down to the front row, she heard the deadly cheers from all around her. The crowd was hungry for blood.

  “Kill the sorry excuse of a man.” The shrill cry came from far in the back.

  “Knock his head off,” another one cried from up front.

  “Go for it. Go for it.”

  Soon the entire stadium joined in the chant.

  “Go for it. Go for it. Go for it.”

  They stomped their feet and beat their chests as they continued the chant.

  Reluctantly, Ally raised her gaze to see what was happening. In the center of the field were two students fighting. From a distance it’d seem violent but fake, yet as they drew closer to the front row, she realized that it was very real. She noticed the blood running down the leg of one of the students and was horrified.

  “Do they not practice with dulled weapons?” she asked Razor.

  He let out a loud belly laugh. “Oh, yes. You have much to learn, my fair maiden. Dull weapons, indeed.”

  The other princes joined in the laughter as they took their seats reserved only for royals. Ally was left to sit on the stone step beside them.

  “Just watch how dull those blades really are,” Razor said.

  At that very moment, Ally closed her eyes and wished she could be anywhere else in the kingdom. She wanted to run through a meadow, to pick flowers, to pat her horse, to hug Kate and Bilbo. She wanted to return to her work, to the forge. She’d give anything to feel the heat of the fire, the cold of iron and the weight of a hammer.

  She didn’t want to look at the deadly spectacle; didn’t want to see how absolutely inhumane it all was. But Razor nudged her with his elbow.

  “Don’t close your eyes or you’ll miss the best part.”

  Swallowing the ball of bile in her throat, she opened her eyes in time to see the larger student slice off the smaller, younger student’s arm clean off. With a sickly thud, the limb hit the ground, while the hapless students cried in pain. Blood poured from the open wound and the poor young man visibly grew white, then green.

  It was all she could do to keep from throwing up. She gagged three times, each time swallowing the bile that’d filled her mouth. This is insane, she thought.

  How could such an event be permitted?

  The younger student struggled to stay upright, but he grew weaker and weaker, and his knees finally buckled under his weight. With a final stab to the heart, his opponent ended the battle and let out a primal roar. The crowd cheered.

  “The Diamond Trials,” Razor said proudly as he applauded the victor. “This is the best way to find the Diamonds in the Rough out of all the Dragons.”

  “But that poor, young soul,” Ally muttered.

  “Don’t feel bad for him. He would have died in battle soon enough. Clearly, he was too weak to join the ranks. A warrior like him puts everyone at risk.”

  “Do they always fight to the death?”

  His only response was an amused snicker. “It is the way of the Spartans,” he called out proudly.

  In her distant memory, she recalled hearing of such trials from her human family, the Blacksmiths. Their son William had often been as appalled by the idea as she had been.

  Of the same age, she and William had shared many views of the world, of family, of the kingdom. Now, she wondered what he would think if he could see her there at the very stadium they had so often criticized.

  Chapter 4

  The days at the Academy were grueling, but oddly satisfying. Before arriving at the school for boys, she’d underestimated herself. She hadn’t thought herself capable of keeping up with the guys.

  But Ally rose before the sun every morning and fortified herself with a healthy breakfast of eggs, ham, cheese and milk. She then studied strategic warfare for half an hour before heading out to run three times around the entire campus before any of the other students had even opened an eye.

  It was the only time of her waking hours that could be spent in relative silence. But the calm that hung over the c
ampus could be so incredibly deceiving. On several occasions, she’d forgotten where she was and why. She lost herself in the beauty of the grounds, by the grandeur of the campus and by the ingenious architecture of every building. Then reality set back in.

  The moment the morning bell rang, it was an endless cacophony that at times left her ears ringing by the time she lay her head to her pillow.

  “Why are the boys so loud?” she’d once asked a professor, who’d shrugged and said it was probably their way of releasing anger and fear.

  Well, to hear them every single day, they had quite a lot of anger and fear.

  After her morning run, she attended fencing classes, target practice and heavy sword play. Then came the most troubling time of every day. Lunch.

  Compared to the quiet stillness of her early breakfasts, lunch was pure mayhem. Worse still was that she was left to sit alone through the mayhem every single day. The disdain the male students showed for her was palpable. Though there was the occasional gaze laced with sexual tension, they for the most part spat on her; literally and figuratively.

  “Oh, there you are,” Razor said in mock surprise as he came up to her table. “Three weeks and you’re still alive. Wonderful. Bets were you wouldn’t last three days. You’ve just lost a lot of people a lot of money.”

  Ally kept eating. After her morning training, she was famished. Besides, today’s menu was exceptionally good.

  Razor pounded his fist on the table, making the peas in her plate jump up. “I said, you lost a lot of people a lot of money.”

  Playing it cool, Ally chewed her mouthful, swallowed, set her fork down and patted her mouth with her napkin before responding. “Then I suggest they place their wagers elsewhere.” She picked up her fork and continued to eat.

  “Think you’re smart?”

  “You can’t say I didn’t warn you. I told you I was tougher than I looked. So far, the hardest thing here has been dealing with the male student body’s frail ego. Imagine; all these young, strong men are afraid of a little ole thing like me.”

  “They’re not afraid,” he groaned, bringing his heated breath to her face. “They know that with you at their side in battle, they are as sure as dead.”

  “We’ll see,” she quipped, suddenly confident in her ability.

  “That we shall.” Crossing his muscled arms over his broad chest, he gazed defiantly at her. “And sooner than you think.”

  The ominous tone of his voice left a chill down her back. So far it had all been fun and games. Her classes were indeed with dulled swords, and she didn’t have so much as a scratch on her. Was that about to change?

  “This time next week we will gather to watch you enter the Diamond Trials.”

  Frowning, she knew he had to be joking. The Diamond Trials were reserved exclusively for third year students. She’d just barely finished her third week.

  “Don’t try to scare me,” she said, hiding her fear. “You know as well as I do that I’ve not been training long enough.”

  “Ah, but you said so yourself. You’re doing so well. Why not put you to the test right away? Why wait? That’s what I always say.”

  Letting out a nervous laugh, she set down her fork and looked up at him. “And who shall I go up against? Another young girl forced to attend your sexist school?”

  “Ooh, are we getting testy?” He leaned over to rest his elbows on the table, his hands clasped together over her plate of roast pork, spinach and rice. “You know,” he whispered, his eyes locked on hers. “I really look forward to seeing what you’re capable of.”

  He ran an index finger over her cheek, and she resisted the urge to close her eyes. For all his harsh words, cold glares and icy demeanor, his touch was surprisingly soft and warm.

  “But it certainly will be a shame… ruining that pretty face.” He straightened up and scanned the crowded dining hall before returning his gaze to her. “Oh, and by the way; no. You won’t be going up another young female opponent. You’ll be going up against a guy; a third year student… just like everyone else.”

  No, she thought. That’s impossible. It would be suicide for her to entire the arena with what little training she’d had.

  She looked up at him and saw that he knew that too. Not only did he know it, but she felt certain that he and his band of cruel princes were behind it.

  Chapter 5

  For the next week, Ally intensified every aspect of her training. She ran harder and longer every morning. She lifted and threw heavier stones. She also fortified her body with more protein, eating an additional portion of meat every day.

  Yet the day before the trials were set to begin, she awoke in a panic. Her heart raced and she couldn’t catch her breath. Sweat seeped out of every pore and her mouth was suddenly so dry, she could barely tear her tongue from the roof of her mouth.

  Surely, she would die right there on that field. That was their plan from day one. To kill her before she was truly ready to prove herself.

  How insecure of them. How absolutely infantile.

  Frustrated and feeling helpless, she headed out for her run. Every step brought a fresh wave of fear, while a part of her, from somewhere deep inside her, felt an inexplicable degree of confidence in her ability.

  After her morning run, she returned to her room to change out of her sweat soaked garments and to let her brown wig dry. With her rainbow hair flowing down her back and wearing only her under garments, she headed into her dressing room.

  On her dresser was a large basket of fruit. She knew better than to think it was an encouraging sign, yet she optimistically made her way to the basket, her eye on a particularly juicy looking pear. Her mouth watered at the thought of such a sweet fruit, but when she reached out to take it, her fingers dug into the soft flesh of the rotten pear.

  Disgusted, she pulled her hand back then noticed how every piece of fruit was dotted with worms and maggots.

  With a determination she didn’t know she had, she turned her back to the rotting fruit, showered and changed into fresh clothes. Her hands steadier than she would have imagined possible, she brushed her rainbow hair off her face and pulled it up into a bun before securing her brown wig back on.

  Feeling suddenly mischievous, she grabbed the fruit basket and left her room. Down the hall and to the right she came to one of the cruel princes’ room and left the basket at his door. Though uncertain which of the princes resided there, she had no doubt he was in on the persistent bullying.

  But her confident stride shifted to a sluggish walk when she stepped outside. The bullying intensified. All the way to her next class, the path was lined with signs reminding her how unwelcomed she was.

  Go home.

  Go to hell.

  Get back to the kitchen.

  Go have babies.

  Go find something you’re good at.

  Go far, far away.

  Go. Just go.

  Nearing her class, she saw one of the princes leaning against the wall just beside the door and knew he was out to torment her. She saw a gleam of copper hair, and the flex of a strong muscular forearm as he clenched a huge battle ax.

  “You’re still here?” Razor said when she got close enough. He tossed the heavy weapon from one hand to the other; an unnecessary show of strength.

  Annoyed, she glared at him with false bravado. “Do you really think a basket of maggots is going to scare me off? How juvenile. And I thought you guys were warriors. Geez, you’re no better than a band of little boys pulling on little girls’ pigtails in second grade.”

  His jaw tightened. Clearly he’d never been spoken to in such a manner, at least never from a girl.

  “I’d watch my mouth if I were you.”

  “And I’d wash mine if I were you.”

  Pushing himself off the wall, he stepped closer to her. “We’ll see what you have to say tomorrow. Or had you forgotten? The Diamond Trials?”

  “Oh, I haven’t forgotten.” She brazenly held his gaze, determined to hide any evidence
of fear. “You and your caravan of clowns have taken on the task of ensuring that, haven’t you? It almost makes me wonder what you would do to keep yourselves busy were I not here.” Before he could respond she entered her class, the door closing heavily behind her.

  She knew that confrontation wouldn’t stop them. It was impossible to concentrate on her class. Over and over again she saw the disgusting fruit basket, felt the mush of the rotten pear in her fingers and saw the anger and hatred in Razor’s eyes. Over and over again, she imagined the awful events of the following day.

  As she walked out of the classroom an hour later, she wondered; what next? Out in front of her she could hear the laughter and giggles of her classmates. The laughter grew louder and louder, but it was an oddly humorless laughter. It was filled with hate and vengeance.

  When she stepped out of the building, she was devastated. Strewn everywhere were images of her.

  Some showed her impaled by a spear, while another showed her lying dead with her head several feet away. Most were hastily drawn, mere stick figures, but a few of them were quite detailed with a true resemblance.

  The boys had been busy.

  As her devastation diminished, she almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. It only proved once more how childish they were; how utterly insecure.

  Even the one drawing of her in the nude with vile writings over it didn’t bring her down. It was pinned to a tree just outside her dorm and the boys who walked past her taunted her, repeating the words that were written on it.

  “Come suck on this, whore,” a boy called out.

  “Or sit on this,” another said as he grabbed his crotch.

  “Why bother,” a third said. “I wouldn’t even want to jerk off over her inert body. She’s just a filthy commoner.”

  Smiling, Ally ignored them all and walked to the tree to take a closer look. It was a very artistic rendering. Her face was erotically aglow and satisfied, but what surprised her most was the accuracy of her body; small waist, narrow hips, small, high breasts, and lean legs.