Lawless Kingdom: A Dark Romance (Reign & Ruin Book 1) Read online

  COPYRIGHT

  Lawless Kingdom by Natalie Bennett

  © 2020 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where permission is specifically granted by the publisher or author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Editing By: Pinpoint Editing

  Cover Designer: Maria Spada

  **WARNING**

  Before beginning this series please be aware that while LK is mild in terms of darkness there some triggers. The following books in this series will be on a drastically different level, containing graphic violence, total power control, explicit sexual content, and varying triggers.

  This series is meant to grow with the characters, meaning they go from high school to eventual adulthood. There is a HEA, but the journey to it will not be one of hearts and flowers. LK is a prelude that sets the stage for the rest of the series.

  If you continue, I hope you enjoy it. ??

  BLURB

  When something is forbidden, it becomes maddeningly tempting.

  Judas Barron, for example. Wicked blue blood and heir to a severely twisted cutthroat society.

  Everyone knew who he was and what crew he ran with—a clandestine group of filthy rich kids surrounded by ominous secrets. Secrets that were rumored to be dark, dirty, and stained with blood.

  It was never my intention to get tangled up with them, but Judas and I had a secret too, one he was determined to make sure I took with me to my grave, which meant keeping me by his side.

  Now forced to be part of a savage coterie, I start to see his world through a new pair of eyes. It isn’t long before temptation becomes something dangerous and wild, breeding the sickest kind of infatuation.

  And those secrets Judas keeps? They’re about to tear my life apart.

  PLAYLIST

  (Spotify)

  Megan Thee Stallion—Hot Girl Summer

  XXXTENTACION—Royalty

  Juice WRLD—Armed And Dangerous

  Lizzo—Truth Hurts

  Charlotte Lawrence—Wait Up

  Kehlani—Nights Like This

  Olivia O’ Brien—UDK

  Summer Walker—Playing Games

  YUNGBLUD—Parents

  J Cole—Power Trip

  Bishop Briggs—Tempt My Trouble

  Portugal—Rich Friends

  Camila Cabello—Liar

  Melanie Martinez—Drama Club

  Kelsea Ballerini—Homecoming Queen?

  Ellie Goulding—Hate Me

  Post Malone—Take What You Want

  Olivia O’ Brien—We Lied To Each Other

  Lykke Li—Late Night Feelings

  Lana Del Rey—Cinnamon Girl

  Lil Tecca—Love Me

  Ellie Goulding—Flux

  Drake—Mob Ties

  Ella Mai—Trip

  Melanie Martinez—High School Sweethearts

  Bishop Briggs—Baby

  Halsey—Graveyard

  EPIGRAPH

  It wasn’t pretty.

  It wasn’t sugary and sweet.

  Nevertheless, it grew into something bigger than either of us expected.

  He could’ve had anyone.

  I could’ve been free.

  The moment he chose me, we became an endless, infinite us.

  One town. One school.

  One illicit affair that would span a lifetime.

  If I were ever asked why I stayed, why I chose to love him back…that was inevitable.

  If I didn’t love him, no one else would.

  PROLOGUE

  What did the wolf want to do to Little Red?

  Devour her.

  And that’s exactly what he did.

  Jagged pieces of mulch dug into my spine as my back bowed, the plastic crinkling. The warped wall of the shed was the only thing near enough for my fingers to grasp at. Breaths shallow and quick, I did my best to obey his coldly spoken command.

  “Don’t make a sound.”

  It was an impossible demand.

  How could I stay quiet as his warm tongue moved in and out of a place no one but me had gone before, stroking, sucking, and teasing every soft, delicate part of my pussy?

  Sticky, bloodied hands gripped the thighs he’d taken his time branding with what we’d done.

  Vibrant red swirled with traces of dirt all over smooth flesh. My legs began to tremble, and I fought to control the moans rising in volume. He stared up at me, gunmetal eyes blazing from beneath the mask of a wolf. They were like two mini moons in the darkness that surrounded our sweaty bodies.

  His teeth flashed, and then he was lapping at my clit, sucking the entire bundle of nerves into his mouth, thrashing it with the tip of his tongue. My ability to remain silent evaded me.

  “Oh, my god!” I sucked in a lungful of air, arching upward as a cooling rush hit my core. He placed a hand over my mouth to muffle my cry, adding traces of blood to my cheeks.

  Trailing soft kisses up my inner thighs, he moved up my body, poising his sinewy frame above me.

  Unable to fully see his face, I was left spread open to nothing more than a concentrated stare and a devious grin drenched in my juices.

  I’d lost track of how long we’d been in our own little word. He’d asked if I wanted to be fucked like a whore before dragging me in here.

  I did. I really did.

  My pussy was wetter than it had ever been, aching to finally be filled.

  By him.

  This beautiful stranger who was degrading me in the best way possible.

  It was something ripped right out of my darkest fantasies, as vivid and real as the body we’d left out in the woods.

  Feeling his cock running up and down my slit, I was unprepared for his sudden entry. He shredded the small barrier as easily as one would rip a sheet of paper, seating himself balls deep.

  Quick to muffle the scream that tore from heaving lungs, he withdrew and thrust back in, a mix of arousal and blood smeared on the head of his cock.

  The burn—the unexpected stretching—had tears springing to my eyes. I clawed at his arms, nearly demasking him. He kept me imprisoned beneath him, repeating the motion again and again, speaking sick, vile words into my ear until I was lost in the sensation of him, moaning in pleasure and begging for more.

  He fucked me hard, thoroughly making my body his. The pleasure and pain became too much, but we were just getting started. He pinned me with a bloodstained hand clasped around my throat, ensuring I received every thick, solid inch of what I’d been craving.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Rhiannon

  It looked like something out of an 80's horror flick. I glanced at Mom and saw my inner thoughts reflected on her face. She never was any good at hiding her true feelings.

  Our eyes met, and we shared a look behind Dad's back, my tawny clashing with her cornflower. Neither of us said anything, though. Raining on his parade would be the equivalent of stealing a child's candy. It had been a long time since he was this cheery and animated. We both knew his happiness was long overdue.

  So, despite our new home looking as if it were ripped straight up out of Amityville with the massacred ghost of the past lingering inside, Mom and I both smiled, swallowing down o
ur negative opinions.

  "After a fresh coat of paint and some lawn care it'll look brand new!” Dad raved like a used car salesman.

  I didn't know about all that, but the whole being positive thing had Mom and me agreeing regardless. He waved his hand in a come-hither motion and started walking again. "Let’s go, I wanna show you the inside."

  We followed, making our way up the overgrown drive. I looked around, noting how much land we had now compared to our old place that had barely had space to plant flowers.

  Fields in desperate need of a mow and peppered with dandelions stretched out on either side of the farmhouse, running into a thick tree-line. There were no neighbors for a good five minutes in either direction, making the area extremely peaceful. I liked that so much more than the sound of a busy city.

  I avoided the handrail that bridged the connection to the wrap-around porch. It didn’t look sturdy enough for me to try and hold on to, and I wasn’t trying to test it out by seeing if I would fall onto my ass. The white paint was flaking enough as it was—touching the thing would only make it worse.

  Dad pushed open the large double doors and led us into a square foyer. I took in the space, pleasantly surprised. The inside was nothing like the out. There was a nice aroma of lemon Pine-Sol from a recent cleaning, and the soft breeze coming through the open windows with beams of natural sunlight had the horror movie vibe diminishing rapidly, replacing it with a fresh, airy feeling.

  Packing boxes were piled all over the place along with the furniture that had arrived a day before Mom and me.

  Clearly, Dad was leaving her the task of piecing the house together…which was probably for the best.

  "I know it needs some TLC…" he trailed off, losing some of his enthusiasm in the face of our elapsed silence. Mom swooped in to recover it, wrapping an arm around his middle.

  "Well, lucky for you, your wife knows a thing or two about interior design.”

  Dad grinned and kissed the top of her head. I watched them for a minute and smiled, adoring their love. As they started to discuss where to place what, I wandered off to explore on my own.

  I didn’t inherit my mother’s knack for decorating. It wasn’t so bad that I would dare mismatch colors—say, orange with purple—but I failed in every way possible when it came to arranging furniture.

  I flopped down on my bed after moving it for the third time and pulled my cell from my back pocket. There were two texts from Dax and six from Audrey. I skimmed over hers first, deciding to just call instead of reply.

  As the line rang, I shut my eyes and sighed, letting the sun from a large bay window warm my face.

  “About damn time, Rhia!” her breathy voice blasted through my speaker.

  “You knew I was going to the new house today. I’ve been busy.”

  “Doing what? Pretending to arrange the furniture?”

  She knew me too well. I laughed, picturing the smirk she would be sporting.

  “So, have you spoken to that boyfriend of yours? He’s back in town now, right?”

  There was a rapid clicking sound in the background which more than likely meant she was in her closet, shoving hangers around in search of an outfit. I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes, staring up at the swirled ceiling.

  “He said he was, but I called you first. Why? What did you two conspire about now?”

  “Nothing,” she replied too quickly and with way too much innocence.

  “Audrey.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Okay. I may or may not have told him we would be attending a small get together tonight. And now he may be meeting us there even if he didn’t want to.”

  I had a flashback to three weekends ago when she said almost this same thing. That ‘small get together’ ended with me being so drunk I thought I’d died. I wound up commandeering the bathroom of Matthew Hartley.

  I slept in his tub, waking to the not so glorious sound of him peeing.

  I learned some valuable lessons from that experience. Mainly that Everclear is dangerous and needed to be avoided like the plague. And Matthew, with his beautiful face and mouthwatering body, had a penis the size of a Frito. It was an injustice to all the high school cheerleaders I now knew had faked it for him.

  “Did you forget I swore off parties for the rest of the summer?”

  “Oh, come on Rhia. There are only three weeks left of break. And you’re my best, best friend. If you don’t come with me, who will?”

  “One of your other friends.”

  She huffed. “I don’t have any other friends. I have acquaintances that serve a purpose.”

  I laughed again, shaking my head at her. What she said was mostly true, though.

  Audrey could party like no other, but she wasn’t huge on adding new friends to the small list of ones she already had. Pretty sure there was a song about that.

  “Dax will be there,” she repeated as if I hadn’t heard that the first time.

  A groan unfurled in the back of my throat. This was what happened when your boyfriend and your best friend were also friends—by default. But him being there wasn’t really an incentive. Dax and I could easily have hung out together at my house.

  My parents weren’t oblivious to anything I did. In fact, they were damn laid back and lenient when it came to me. Some would say too lenient, especially when it came to Dax. I just…had kind of wanted some space from him. He’d been away at his dad’s the past two weeks and I still felt like I could use a break.

  Yeah, from him. Forever, a small voice whispered. I ignored it.

  I wasn’t sure if it was right or if I wanted to deal with the look on my parents’ faces when I told them. They adored Dax like the son they never had. Audrey, however, would rejoice.

  Friends by default meant they tolerated one another. The two of them weren’t exactly on the path to becoming best buds. Like this party I was unsure about.

  I was supposed to be here unpacking for the day, but I knew if I said I wanted to go out, Mom and Dad wouldn’t care. They’d just tell me be safe and call if I was going to be late. See. They were pretty cool, right? Which is why I’d never taken their trust for granted or abused it.

  For example, if I started doing drugs or got knocked up, my mother would kick my ass and lock me away until I was thirty. Father would massacre all other parties.

  Losing both to the justice system wasn’t worth it.

  So, aside from some green every now and then, I stayed far away from all other substances and made sure I never missed a dose of my birth control.

  Just the thought of birthing a child made me shudder and break out in hives. I was only eighteen, but that was old enough for me to be convinced I’d only ever be a super-cool auntie to Audrey’s kids and have zero of my own. I’d be good with a fleet of dogs.

  I looked around my room at all the boxes I still needed to unpack and began mapping out a plan of action. “Where’s the party?” I asked Audrey.

  “Somewhere magical.”

  “Really?” I droned. “I could just ask Dax, you know?”

  “He won’t tell you either. Now get your shit together and meet me at my house. We need to prep,” she commanded. I started to protest but she was already hanging up. I really hated it when she did that.

  “Bitch,” I huffed, navigating back to my inbox to read Dax’s messages.

  Saturday, July 22nd, 2019

  Dax: Hey. I’m home. 4:45 PM

  Dax: What R you doin 2night? 5:31PM

  I frowned at the screen. Shouldn’t he know what I was doing?

  Me: The same thing you are.

  I text him back and then hopped up to begin the search for one of my duffel bags.

  When I got to Audrey’s, I parked my Soul beside her Macan, noting her mother’s car was absent from the driveway.

  She was probably at some HOA meeting or gathering all the ingredients to bake cookies for the first PTA get-together. I loved her like a second mom, but the woman was more than a little hands-on when it came to stuff
like that.

  I didn’t bother knocking, and since my friend had an issue locking her damn door, I was able to walk right inside. Chilled air and silence greeted me, the clinical colors of the house amplifying both.

  I kicked off my flip-flops and made a beeline for the stairs, jogging up them with my tote bag slung over my shoulder. The swirled marble floor was cold beneath my feet. I preferred a more simplistic look—not that I would ever live in a house this big or be wealthy enough to make that decision.

  My steps carried me to a solid white door that had rap music blasting from the other side of it.

  Again, I didn’t bother knocking. I flung it open and grinned at the sight of Audrey practically naked in front of her floor-length mirror.

  Hazel eyes found mine and her face lit with a smile.

  “What do you think?” She pointed one manicured nail at her honey blonde locks.

  “About what?”

  “Um, my hair.”

  I lifted a brow and stared at her. “Audrey, it literally looks the same as it always does.”

  She gasped as if I’d offended her and turned around, hands on her hips. “Do you know how long I spent curling this shit?”

  “Not too long, I hope.” I laughed, walking towards her massive canopy bed.

  “Whatever. What did you bring to wear? Because I love you and everything, but what the hell do you have on?”

  “You mean this isn’t what’s in right now?”

  I ran a hand down my body, cupping my right cheek where a faded imprint of the word Juicy sat.

  “It was fashionable for our mothers. That’s where you got them, isn’t it?”

  I scoffed. My mom was the size of a twig with zero assets. I on the other hand had plenty of both. We looked nothing alike. Sometimes I swore I’d been adopted or something because I didn’t really look like Dad either. And then there was the most obvious difference between us, being that they both looked nothing other than white.

  Popping the button on my bag, I dumped the contents onto Audrey’s magenta bedspread.

  She strode over in all her silk under-garment glory and snatched up my dark cameo skirt.